VictoriaandJonathan

We are going to London in May and will have 6 full days to spend. At first we were going to rent a car and travel the country side and go to Bath and the Costswolds and then spend the rest of the time in London. But now my husband is afraid to drive. So we are in the process of changing things around. We still want to see the countryside without going on a tour bus but I am not sure how to go about it. Also would any one suggest taking the train to paris for a day.

m_kingdom2

You say you're going to London but you seem to be spending all of your time elsewhere.

Have you done London before? If not save the other things for another time. For me, there's no point in trying to do Paris, the countryside, the rest of the world for the sake of it - you will see one or two attractions in one day, and exhaust yourself for the next day in London. It's a waste of time, and money. If you can't drive then you could take a train, and mess around with buses, is it worth it? No. Or hire a driver. It all depends on budget.

I'd advise spending more time in London unless you've done it all before, have you?

P_M

There are plenty of good day trips from London that you can reach by rail. If you do a search, you will find loads of suggestions for day trips from London.

Regarding Paris: 6 days is not nearly enough time to see everything in London, especially if you plan to do day trips. Furthermore, I think Paris deserves much more than one day. I know some people do day trips from London to Paris, but in this case I recommend that you focus on all that's in and around London and save Paris for another trip.

noe847

You can do a search on this forum for London day trips and find a ton of info. Bath can be done as a day trip, for example. There are tour groups that lead day trips, which would certainly be easy. The London Superthread has information on day trips and many other topics:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34548473

julia_t

Please don't take this the wrong way, but what is the big deal with driving?

I live in England, but when I go to Europe I drive, and yes it's the wrong side for me, but so what, you get used to it very quickly, and within hours you are driving as though you have been doing it most of your life! Yes, you may have to think a bit at junctions or roundabouts, but that's no bad thing at all.

And when I went to the US, I just got in a rented car and went off on the other side, the first time I'd EVER been on the other side of the road, let alone driving on the other side! Took just a few miles to adjust, that's all.

Believe me, the anticipation of the driving is way worse than the reality. So try not to worry and just go for it - I'm sure you won't regret it once you get out in the English countryside!

VictoriaandJonathan

We have never been to London before and I am just trying to make the most out of our trip.

bardo1

Victoria,

Your husband's fear of driving might be a blessing in disguise. Six full days in London will still only allow you to scratch the surface of what London has to offer.

m_kingdom2

"We have never been to London before and I am just trying to make the most out of our trip."

If it's your first trip, then spend as much time as you can in London, there is so much to do, you won't find yourself bored at any time!

As for driving abroad, I understand your concerns. I will never drive in Europe, it'd spoil my holiday as I'd have to concentrate far more than I would do ordinarily...also the speed limits etc. would be a terrible pain, and a collection of tickets/fines wouldn't be fun! So I actually think that's it's a sensible decision.