Our first trip ~ Last wk. in June and first wk. of July. We want to spend time in London and the Cotswolds. Where to stay? What to do? Interested in culture, gardens, parks, art, food, tea, people, shopping, history, theater, and my husbands loves to fish. Have I missed any must dos? Budget?~ a consideration but willing to splurge since we waited for this "someday" for a long time. Probably a once in a lifetime.

You'll find a good guide to London here on Fodor's web site, and chances are good your public library has several good guidebooks on London and the rest of England. I can't recommend strongly enough that you do the basic research first, then come back for more detailed help.

Really, the scope of your question is so broad, and what would make a perfect trip for me would certainly not be enjoyable by everyone.

Also, near the top of this page is a search. If you search for both London and Cotswolds you'll find loads of info, most of which is probably good.

Once you've narrowed down the basic "don't-misses" then people here can help you not only with the particulars of those, but of other things you might be interested in.

Have fun planning - it's almost as much fun as actually taking the trip!

Thanks, I know you're right and I do have a lot of info. I'm overwhelmed by the possibilities. I guess live and learn. What are some of the best places in the Cotswolds, because I know that's a broad subj. A central, nice place to stay in London?

Let me begin by saying that I've only been to England once, in July three years ago. Unfortunately, the time you have chosen to travel is during heavy tourist season. Having said that, may I make the following suggestions based upon my very limited experience. If you plan on traveling by train (Brit Rail) out to the Cotswolds, Bath, Oxford, or Stratford upon Avon, I would suggest making my London base near Paddington Station. There are lots of mid-priced hotels north of Hyde Park that would serve that purpose. This location would also give you access to the Bayswater or Queensway tube stops nearby for travel throughout London. If you are going as independent tourists and would like to add some structure to some of your daytrips, I would suggest London Walks ([email protected]). With two weeks, you have time to explore Greenwich on a Sunday afternoon, visit the Roman ruins in Bath, and even take in a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon. What's on your "must do" list?

See if your local libray has any video tapes of the area (or if they can borrow interlibrary). Watching the tapes will be less overwhelming and you get an idea for waht looks the most appealing to you.

Keith

I highly recommend seeing a play at the new Globe theatre. Check it out at

www.shakespeares-globe.org

Thank you for your information. I am concerned about the toursit season crowd. Just has to be that time. From what I've read the weather sounds pretty good then. Thanks so much for your personal tips.

If you are interested in gardens and stately homes you could look at the National Trust website at http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/
The first week in July might not be too bad because the schools will not have broken up then.

Don't let folks scare you off about the crowds. June/early July is most definitely not the high/busiest time. British and most European schools don't start their summer breaks until near the middle of July. Late July through the first week in Sept are generally consdiered the high season (in fact most self catering cottages offer low or shoulder season rates right up through June/mid-July.)

Sure some things will be crowded - but you will not face the massive crowds you would get in August. June is probably my favorite time to visit the UK - less crowds, better weather, lower prices and longer days than later in the summer.

I apologize, I was in too big of a hurry and combined the URL and e-mail address for London Walks. The website address is www.london.walks.com