Hi all! This is my first post, so sorry if I don't put all the details necessary or am not clear.

I am planning on going to the UK December 16 of this year to visit a friend. I plan on flying to London since it's cheaper and want to see sights around there. Also, since she is in Edinburgh, I know for sure I want to go to Hogmanay. I will be returning to the US January 6.

My friend will be meeting me in London and we want to explore. We are open to anything new, the not so touristy attractions are better sometimes tbh. We're in our early 20s, if that helps with places we should go.

I would love to hear about your previous travels during this time of year! Weather, Christmas activities, places to go, whatever! I know it'll be cold, but I don't mind. Should we just stick to exploring England and then moving up to Scotland for New Years? Is it possible to go to Paris for a few days or is that too much? This is my first trip to the UK and Europe, so I'm kind of overwhelmed on planning.

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to Fodor's! It looks like you will have three weeks for this trip. That is a good amount of time. The usual error movies make is trying to go too many places. So you will enjoy your trip more if you have limited goals.

There is so much to see and do, you could spend your whole time in London and not run out of things to do/see. Spend some time with a good guidebook, as it will give you more info, more ideas than you'll get online.

Here are some things to think about: Are you interested in English history? If you are, the Tower of London is a must-see. Are you a museum goer? London has incredible museums, and many of them are free. What kind of Art do you like? Are you interested in attending plays or concerts in London?

While you could spend a couple of days in Paris, I, personally wouldn't find that very satisfying. You have two major cities on Your itinerary already: London (the largest city in Europe) and Edinburgh . and of course there are countless interesting p[laces in between. You can't do it all, so consider what interests you most.

Happy planning!

Welcome to Fodors

>>We are open to anything new, the not so touristy attractions<<

Many people post this sort of thing and it always makes me wonder. What do you consider 'touristy'? Most major sites are full of tourists -- but they go there for good reasons. So maybe explain what you mean - what you want to avoid.

>>Should we just stick to exploring England and then moving up to Scotland for New Years? Is it possible to go to Paris for a few days or is that too much? <<

Both are possible -- you could very easily do London, Paris and Edinburgh. But - where are you flying home from? London? If so I'd maybe consider London first, then just before Christmas take the train to Paris for a few days. There is no public transport in London from late Christmas Eve until Boxing Day morning so it would be easier if you were in Paris by or before the 24th. Then fly up to EDI and spend the time in Edinburgh w/ your friend. If you are flying home from LHR, you'd want to fly down the evening before.

oops - didn't mean to click submit . .

. . . OR you could spend the first week in London, then a couple days in say Bath or Oxford, 2 or 3 days in York, then ending up in Edinburgh - using trains between the different cities.

No matter which you do, just be sure to have your plans for Christmas Day nailed down.

Kathie: Thanks for your suggestions! I am really interested in those free museums that you mentioned- my friend and I are college students so look for those type of activities lol.

janisj: Thanks for your help. I get what you mean about not touristy- of course many things are tourist attractions and are great and I will want to see them. I guess I meant maybe not so crowded? Or places that locals wouldn't go. I love to go to new places and feel what it would be like to live there, and often times going solely to tourist attractions you don't experience that.

I plan on flying home from Edinburgh, so I plan to spend the end of the trip there. I will look into travel between Paris and London and such, thanks so much for the information on public transport, I had no idea! We'll definitely plan around that.

As I have more details I will be updating this post for more help, but this is a great start, thanks!

"I know it'll be cold, "

How?

Winter in England doesn't get anything like as cold as it does practically everywhere in the mainland United States.

Average wintertime overnight lows practically everywhere in England are substantially higher than anywhere north of the Mexican border, except for southern California, Florida and the Gulf coast.

British winters involve very short periods of daylight (typically 0800-1630) and frequently overcast skies. The areas you plan visiting rarely have daytime temps below freezing, get less rain than most of America's east coast and regard snow as an exotic novelty.

<<We are open to anything new, the not so touristy attractions are better sometimes tbh.>>

Rarely. Especially considering the surfeit of free museums in London.

Look: you (and others that decry "touristy" sites) are using "touristy" primarily as a synonym for "tourist trap." That's incorrect. The Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Palace of Holyrood House, Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Rooms and many more are heavily patronized by tourists. They are also unquestionably worth visiting due to their historical and cultural importance.

Tourist traps are a different animal - London Dungeon, Madame Tussaud's, the London Eye, anything with "Ripley's" in the title. All these are traps because they are extremely expensive to visit and either offer little of interest or excitement for a visitor OR do not have an adequate bang/hype ratio. Some tourist traps actually are fairly interesting or fun (amusement parks, but for your reference, the Camera Obscura in Edinburgh works) but may be undesirable if you lack a trust fund that will support them.

That said, here are some museums that have no admission fee in London:

V&A
Museum of London
National Gallery
National Portrait Gallery
British Museum
Imperial War Museum
British Library
National Maritime Museum
Tate Britain
Tate Modern

There are more.

Three other ways to save money: (1) www.daysoutguide.co.uk 2for1 offers and purchasing 7-day paper travelcards in London from a train station (not Tube station) such as Kings X, St Pancras, Euston, Victoria, Charing X, etc. - the offers will save one admission price for you and your friend; (2) internet purchasing - most sites in London that have admission fees will cut a break for purchasing online; (3) ___ heritage passes. In Scotland, a Scottish Explorer pass for three days use (in a week) costs 24.80 for students, admission to both Edinburgh and Stirling castles will cost you 32 GBP.

very good post by BigRuss. I wouldn't necessarily lump the Eye in with the Dungeon et al (though they are next to each other).

The Eye gives great views over all of London -- but yes it is expensive and there are other ways to get views.

<i>"I know it'll be cold, "</i>

Damp more like.

Note that many out of town attractions will be closed for the winter. The UK is effectively closed on Christmas Day so make plans for eating well in advance. Scotland also closes down on New Year's Day though not as thoroughly as on Christmas Day.

Further to my post above, the London Pass is <b>not</b> a money-saving pass precisely because there are so many no-admission museums.

Be sure to take a good raincoat. The weather can be beastly.