Hello all! My husband and I just decided that we will be taking a trip to Europe in late October 2012. This is our first trip to Europe, and I've just started planning so this is a really basic outline, but if anything looks off please let me know.

I'd like some direction on where to stay in Edinburgh. Our budget is $150 USD or less per night for two people. I'd like something that is walking distance to Waverly station as we will be using that station quite a bit, and I'd prefer breakfast included but I am flexible on that. I've looked at both B&B's and Hotels and it looks like we could get either in our budget, especially because we are traveling off season. Any advice on what option would give us the best Edinburgh experience?

I am also looking for a good London option. Under $180 USD, something that is easily walkable to some major attractions is prefered but options with good public transport are ok as well.

Current travel plans:
Saturday: Travel
Sunday: Edinburgh
Monday: Edinburgh
Tuesday: Day trip by train to Stirling
Wendesday: Rabbies 3 day Skye Island and Highlands tour
Thursday: Rabbies
Friday: Rabbies (arrive back in Edinburgh have dinner, then catch overnight train to London)
Saturday: London
Sunday: London
Monday: London
Tuesday: Day trip to Bath and Stonehenge (with tour group)
Wednesday: Travel back home

We will be doing carry on luggage only so we won't have a lot of stuff to tote around. Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!

Did this same itinerary several years ago...

Castle Guest House: ... Edinburgh Hotels » Castle Guest House Reviews; ... Booking.com Excellent choice, Low rates Edinburgh: Great Prices, ...
http://www.virtualtourist.com/hotels...United_Kingdom

really nice place good prices for me

Get great hotel deals bidding priceline.com both cities

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for no bid deals www.otel.com booking.com londontown.com

Dolphin House one of my favs

Best deals for me always bidding priceline.

Happy Travels!

Also went to Blair Castle my clan ancestral home it was great.

Roslyn Chapel is great also if time 20 minutes south of EB

If it were me, I'd go for the Apex International in the Grassmarket- maybe 10 minutes walk. I'd recommend the Scotsman, and you can get it at that price, but usually only on Late Rooms.

You could try phoning them and seeing if you could talk them into it

Your London parameters are vague. It is the largest city in Western Europe (by far - #2 is Paris, 1/2 the size) and there are major attractions scattered from Kensington Palace to the Tower. Stay inside the Circle Line (www.tfl.gov.uk) and you'll be fine and within easy access of the Tube for your transportation needs. Go to www.londontown.com for a good interactive map that shows you exactly where the Tube stations are in relation to the sites. Bloomsbury would be a good area for your budget and should place you close to Charing Cross Road and its plethora of eateries.

Castle View Guest House is in a good location, but it has no elevator and is a three-story walkup. Edinburgh is all hills and they all go up, so it can be tiring to climb to the rooms multiple times each day. When I was there, management was surlier than Craig Ferguson's stereotyping of his former countrymen, but that was in '04.

Personally wouldn't do a Stonehenge tour - there's much more interesting stuff to see in England. A day trip to Dover, its castle and the cliffs would work as would a trip to Windsor Castle or Hampton Court Palace.

Thanks for the responses so far. London is vague still because we are still over a year out and have not nailed down a specific plan yet. We know we will want to see the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace (just walk by), the Brittish Museum, either St. Pauls or Westminster, walk by Big Ben, and the National Gallery.

I realize that Stonehenge is probably not all that exciting as you can't walk around it anymore, but since we haven't seen it and it is one of those things that is nice to say "I saw that" we'll probably still go. The tour I am looking at would also include a short stop at Windsor. So we would get to see both, although probably not in great detail for Windsor.