What's the most economical way to see Dublin and London?
 

Hi! I'd like to plan a trip in February with my two sons (20& 17) to visit London and Dublin. We'll fly out of NY.My head is buzzing after searching though so many sites trying to find a reasonable deal. I think we can handle the sites using hop on hop off buses, but it's hard to know if I'm seeing the best deals for airfare and hotels.
Does anyone have any advice or experience with a similar trip?

Two very easy cities to plan for - so you can relax :)

H-o-H-o buses and 'budget' aren't compatible. The buses are NOT cheap and they are not tours -- so basically you spend a lot to see a bunch of stuff from the outside. Forget about them.

How long do you have all together including travel days to/from the British Isles?

>>Does anyone have any advice or experience with a similar trip?<<

Probably 50% of those posting on this forum have been to London and/or Dublin so you can get all kinds of good advice - but before we can give specific advice we do need to know how long the trip is.

Look at kayak.com and plug in your dates - it will find all the current airfares.

For Hotels - what is your budget? Triple rooms are relatively scarce. But you can rent apartments for less and you'll end up w/ more space for usually less money.

weird -- the site is VERY twitchy tonight. I posted the above but it didn't top your thread -- hopefully this will do the trick . . .

Thanks janisj...thanks for the advice with the Ho-Ho buses...It's a school week off, so I am thinking of leaving the 13th, and staying 7 nights.Overall, if I can keep the trip to about $1000-1200 each for airfare and hotel,it would leave me in good shape for sightseeing and food. I didn't think about an apartment, but that would be a good idea to consider...

My sister and her kids rented a one bedroom apartment on Edgware Road last Jan, she paid GBP 100/night, will check with her and give you details. This isn't quite a very central location but they found the apartment convenient, with new fittings and furnishings, the kitchen had been recently re-done. At that price it was a good deal.

As janisj says no HOHO buses, just not worth it. You're much better off getting a British Rail travelcard, valid on both the Tube and bus, you can also avail of the 2-4-1 deal at many sites. Ask your sons to bring their student cards, that will get the third one a discount, this is what DS did.

London "And" Dublin in 7 days... What are the reasons behind Dublin?
Why Ask? well a couple of days in Dublin will pinch a couple of half days either side (unless entering or leaving via DUB) Airfare between islands can be cheap enough until you start adding baggage, these "local" flights will determine the luggage allowance for your whole trip. Rail and sail is the cheaper option and eliminates the Baggage restriction but takes at least 9 hours Dublin-London Euston.

Just points to think about?

OK - we need a BIG clarification.

>>if I can keep the trip to about $1000-1200 each for airfare and hotel<<

Does than mean • $1000-$1200 for each of you to include flights AND accommodations?

or

Do you mean • $1000-$1200 for each airfare and $1000-$1200 each for hotels?

The reason I ask is that if the former -- it will be impossible. In fact your airfares may very well cost nearly $3000 for the three of you.

$1000-$1200 pp is a VERY low budget.

If you mean 7 nights 'in country' (nine days total travel) then you could squeeze in 2 days in Dublin and 5 in London.. But if your whole trip is 7 days . . then stick to London.

But first of all you need to work on your budget.

Here's the contact for Analisa, the apartment was 414 Edgeware Road and her email id is [email protected]

But as the others say airfare would be at the very least $1000/pp, perhaps even more. With 7-8 days you might be better off just staying in London and renting an apartment for a week, you'll get a better rate. Please do rework your budget, London isn't cheap:)

If you mean $1200 per person for flights and hotels I think you have a major budget problem. You don;t say where you are coming from - but the airfare alone could be $1200 per person. Since the trip is coming up soon you should do an in-depth search for flights now to determine how much of your budget that will take.

I believe that Aer Lingus sometimes has special deals and it might pay you to fly into London through dublin and then from dublin back to wherever.

But, first - you need to sort out a budget.

And HoHo buses are a huge waste of money - you can do all the same things yourself on foot or using regular pubic transit (esp in the winter London tube can be a pleasure).

Aer lingus has flights for 600 rt to Dublin from JFK and you can buy a cheap rt flight from Dublin to London. I've used the Irish site to purchase those tickets separately. Just watch the size of your bags on the smaller planes or your cheap flight will be more money if you have to pay to check your carry on. You can find reasonable hotels in Dublin. London will be more pricey but look at Premiere Inns www.premierinn.com

http://www.travelodge.co.uk/ basic but budget and there is a new one in Dublin in a good location.

Some of those might allow a cot but with the three of you might be a problem. Buswell's hotel has rooms for three though in Dublin.
http://www.booking.com/hotel/ie/jurys-inn-custom-house they do also and are showing low prices for Feb.

>>Some of those might allow a cot but with the three of you might be a problem.<<

NO NO NO . . . yes there <i>would be a problem w/ a cot since a 'cot' in Brit speak means a baby crib. Doubt the 17 or 20 yo would be happy w/ that ;)

(Now, some places do have rollaways (whole different animal)

http://www.jurysinns.com/ Christ Church, just enter three ADULTS. I got a really cheap rate. Sorry the other link didn't work. Buswells is by Trinity and we had a room for three there. My one friend had a heart attack so didn't need three but it was a double and a twin. If your boys don't mind sharing. Great location. I could not get a room for three adults at travel lodge so don't think they have a family room.

one more place, totally forgot about stay here. This is over by Christ Church. George Frederic Handel Hotel
16-18 Fishamble Street, Temple Bar, D2 Dublin, Ireland
Showing good prices. Ok, I am ready to book a trip now.
We have also stayed in the heart of Temple Bar but not like if you want to sleep.

Whatever is popping up for airfare right now is probably the best you will get, given that the holidays are approaching and prices will rise. I have booked myself a trip to Ireland and UK as well for Christmas and New Years. Hotels are very very expensive at this time. Have you considered hostels, B&Bs, or inns? Some hostels are quite nice. Hostels outside of, say, Dublin and other larger cities, are likely to cater to lots of age groups, not just college kids.

If you have specific questions, I'd love to help if I can, just message me. :)

If possible, I would fly into Dublin and return from London, or vice versa, given that you have so little time. Then you could get a one-way budget flight between Dublin and London. www.skyscanner.net is a good site for budget flights. Keep your luggage to an absolute minimum, because budget airlines have very strict limits and tend to charge a lot for excess baggage. Ryanair, for example, charges extra for any checked bags.

Dublin isn't the most exciting place in Ireland, in my opinion, although I do like it. You might consider flying into Shannon instead of Dublin, and visiting some place on the west coast of Ireland. I'm not the best person to give advice on the west coast, as I haven't been south of County Clare.