My husband and I are planning a trip to Scotland, Ireland, and the UK from May 28-June 6. We are the type of travelers who like to cover as much as possible given we have only a few vacation days each year. We are wondering if 1)we can reach all these places in the given amount of time and 2)if we can leave with having seen a good amount of each destination. Here is the breakdown we are considering:
Friday, May 28, 2004
Depart US

Saturday, May 29, 2004
Arrive before noon in London
Travel to Scotland
Half day in Scotland

Sunday, May 30, 2004
Full day in Scotland

Monday, May 31, 2004
Half day in Scotland
Travel to Ireland

Tuesday, June 1, 2004
Full day in Ireland

Wednesday, June 2, 2004
Half day in Ireland
Travel to London

Thursday, June 3, 2004
Half day in Bath
Half day in Windsor

Friday, June 4, 2004
Full day in London

Saturday, June 5, 2004
Full day in London

Sunday, June 6, 2004
Depart for IAH before noon

Also, will we need to rent a car (and can we with just a US drivers license) in Scotland, Ireland, and to get to Bath and Windsor?

We used the forums extensively to plan our trip to Asia this past winter and it was so helpful. Thank you all so much!

Our family of four traveled to Ireland in 02, and tried to squeeze in four days in London before returning to the US. WOW were we surprised! There is SO much to see in London, and we had fallen in love with Ireland, that we didn't want to come home. Your trip is really fast. Could you possible extend your visit for a few more days? If you are going to fly over, why not relax a little and really enjoy it! (smile)

In my opinion 24 hours (or less) is not enough time to warrant the hassle and expense of all the traveling. I think you'd be much wiser to pick two bases at most and stay at each for 50% of the time. So London and Edinburgh. Start with your time in London because it's more of a 24 hour city and is a better place to overcome jetlag if that's an issue. Do day trips to Bath or Windsor by train, minimizing the amount of baggage schleping and airport decyphering.

Then go (by train) to Edinburgh and repeat the process, day trips to St Andrews, Stirling/Falkland, back at night for pubs and restaurants. Fly home from Edinburgh, even if it means an open-jaw ticket, which can easily be arranged.

Skip Ireland this trip. Ireland is best seen at a pace that allows you to explore the countryside, and your itinerary simply isn't long enough for that.

Your US driving licenses will be fine. Only rent cars for day use as parking in the cities is impossible and you wouldn't have the car long enough to merit any weekly discount on the rental rates, which are very high BTW.

I was looking for affirmation, but seem to be planning in fairytale land. Do you know if Bath and Windsor can both be done in the same day?

Fortunately, we have friends who are living in London just for a year who have invited us to stay with them, but only during the last few days of our trip (due to their own travel plans).

Also, can we get away with not renting a car and getting to all these places? It sounds like the trains might just do the trick.

You can certainly travel to Bath and Windsor in one day, the question is will you have time to see anything? What do you want to do/see in each place? What hours are those attractions open? Are you willing to leave London at the crack of dawn to drive to Bath, spend a couple of hours, drive to Windsor, spend 2 hours and return. (I don;t know if you can do this by train or not?)

Trip sugestion by Gardyloo sound good. Even while seeing alot there is such a thing as overload. So are you just quickly glancing at famous places like castles or what? Castles along with museums and cathedrals take lots of browsing time.

So I must laugh, my friend, when you schedule "full day in Scotland (or Ireland)." Surely you jest! That's like someone saying I'll see Missouri in a day...or Greece or Norway! Yes, make Ireland a place to treasure on its own.

ozarksbill

The short answer to "can I go to Bath and Windsor in the same day by train?" is "yes".

Whether you'll be able to see the things you want to see, leave London at a time that's convenient to you, get back to London at a convenient time, and do all that within an acceptable budget is something you need to decide for yourself. Try www.nationalrail.co.uk to work out journey times etc.