Hi!

I am in the mid of last minute planning a day trip. We are throwing up different ideas. Eurostar to Belgium (Brussels or better place?)...a charming French town or a outside of London. We have done Paris and wish to visit something new.

We wonder about Edinburgh. We don't know how long it'll take? Which train (faster the better)? Can we visit all in one day and back home to London late at night? THANKS!

4 1/2 hours by train. An hour by plane- but you have to get to the airport, check in, get into town at the far end. You could get a sleeper up and back, but you'd be better to spend one night there. There's a question on exactly this from earlier this month

You can fly from London City Airport, which cuts a lot of the time and hassle out of the airport experience. If money is not an object (or if you stumble on a low fare), it would be a nice day trip.

I wouldn't think it worth the hassle if you have to fly out of either Gatwick or Heathrow.

Why not visit a place closer to London if you are thinking of a day trip.

Places like Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Salisbury/Stonehenge, York etc, all takes much less travel time to get to, so that you actually can spend more time in the city/town you want to visit.

I have had friends visit me for the day, flying. Although at the London end it takes some time to get to the airport, at the Edinburgh end it only takes 20-25 minutes by bus between the airport and the city centre.

Even for longer stays in London I haven't got the train for years - it's almost invariably a lot more expensive than flying, takes at least as long and is more likely to suffer delays. The train service is a monopoly whereas 3 airlines serve the route.

Look at flights with BA from Heathrow or Gatwick, bmi from Heathrow and Easyjet from Gatwick.

What do you mean by "visit all" in one day? Everything Edinburgh has to offer or just the Castle, the Royal Mile and Palace of Holyrood House? If just the Castle-to-Palace stretch, that can be done in a day. If you actually want to experience Edinburgh to any degree, schedule some real time there. It's worth it.

I agree with yk. Why spend 9 hours traveling for part of a day in Edinburgh. Stick closer to London and enjoy more time at your destination.

Well, like I said, I have friends who've done it - more than once. It's not 9 hours if you fly. And there'd be more than enough time to take the open top bus tour round the main sights in the Old & New Towns, getting off at a couple.

LOL Russ...I don't literally mean visiting all the places in one day. Sorry, I mess up on that one. I really meant to say: visit a place and see it all before going home in the evening.

I am still in the stage of not deciding yet. Budget & time are the factor. Plus my hubby doesn't want to stay overnite away from London. So, it'll have to be a day trip and I am leaning toward someplace outside of London. I have to do more research on various towns.