Need Help with Scotland-London-Paris-Amsterdam Itinerary
Jul 8th, 2011 | 02:42 PM
#1
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Joined: Jan 2003
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Need Help with Scotland-London-Paris-Amsterdam Itinerary
Need some help with the following itinerary for late May-early June, 2012. The players in this game are DH, DS, DD (both teens) and me.
After much negotiation about destinations, we've agreed that we're going to Scotland (Edinburgh and the countryside), London, Paris and Amsterdam. I have repeatedly told the family that we're going to too many place for too little time, but have been outvoted. Though most of us have been to most of those places before, so we have no huge lists of standard must-sees.
We're leaving as soon as the kids get out of school, and have 15 nights. We want to keep to that time period, so it's not too warm. Flights have not yet been booked. The biggest problem is Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee celebrations, which appears to be around the weekend of June 3, in the middle of the trip. A quick check of hotels showed already very little availability.
The current plan is to fly into Edinburgh, then train to London, Eurostar to Paris, train to Amsterdam, and home from there. But that puts us in London over the Jubilee weekend (and if I flip the itinerary, same problem). We have friends who live 40 minutes outside of London (via public transportation, I assume) who said we can stay at their place, so that's an option, I guess.
Another option would be to start in London, then head up to Scotland. From there we'd need to take a low-cost carrier to Paris, though DH is for some reason dubious about doing that, probably partly due to our never having taken that kind of flight. Seems like our costs would be roughly similar (Eurostar vs. low-cost carrier). Does this seem workable?
Any other routing / itinerary suggestions? And please, only humorous comments about the disparate chosen locations (or workable advice on getting anyone to give up their favorite destination).
After much negotiation about destinations, we've agreed that we're going to Scotland (Edinburgh and the countryside), London, Paris and Amsterdam. I have repeatedly told the family that we're going to too many place for too little time, but have been outvoted. Though most of us have been to most of those places before, so we have no huge lists of standard must-sees.
We're leaving as soon as the kids get out of school, and have 15 nights. We want to keep to that time period, so it's not too warm. Flights have not yet been booked. The biggest problem is Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee celebrations, which appears to be around the weekend of June 3, in the middle of the trip. A quick check of hotels showed already very little availability.
The current plan is to fly into Edinburgh, then train to London, Eurostar to Paris, train to Amsterdam, and home from there. But that puts us in London over the Jubilee weekend (and if I flip the itinerary, same problem). We have friends who live 40 minutes outside of London (via public transportation, I assume) who said we can stay at their place, so that's an option, I guess.
Another option would be to start in London, then head up to Scotland. From there we'd need to take a low-cost carrier to Paris, though DH is for some reason dubious about doing that, probably partly due to our never having taken that kind of flight. Seems like our costs would be roughly similar (Eurostar vs. low-cost carrier). Does this seem workable?
Any other routing / itinerary suggestions? And please, only humorous comments about the disparate chosen locations (or workable advice on getting anyone to give up their favorite destination).
Jul 8th, 2011 | 06:42 PM
#3
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 576
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If you want to avoid London during the Jubilee celebrations, then flying Edinburgh to Paris (or Amsterdam for that matter) will certainly work. Flights to Paris are available with Easyjet (perfectly fine), Air France (book far enough ahead if you want good prices) or Flybe (perfectly fine, lots of flights per day to choose from, either to CDG or Orly, but might not be the cheapest on this route).
To Amsterdam, then Thalys train to Paris (and fly home from there), you are looking at Easjet (as above), Flybe (as above, good number of flight choices per day) or KLM (again, book ahead for good deals otherwise can be expensive).
The ferry suggestion from spaarne is also a good one.
To Amsterdam, then Thalys train to Paris (and fly home from there), you are looking at Easjet (as above), Flybe (as above, good number of flight choices per day) or KLM (again, book ahead for good deals otherwise can be expensive).
The ferry suggestion from spaarne is also a good one.
