Hello,

I'm in the very early stages of planning a trip to London in December of this year. I've already redeemed hotel points at the Kimpton Fitzroy from 12/19-12/24. I know the weather could be horrible, but I'm locked into December travel, and I come from hearty Midwestern stock, so I think I can handle it. I have about 5-7 days prior to my arrival in London to visit one, or possibly two other cities. I also have IHG hotel points burning a hole in my pocket. I'm a bit torn between Edinburgh and Amsterdam, which both have Kimpton hotels where I can use my points.

A little bit about me... I'm a solo female traveler in my mid-40s. I love architecture, art museums, art galleries (especially those with glass and ceramics), fine arts (ballet would be a plus, but I may try to do that in London instead), and local boutique shopping. I also would like to do something food-related, whether its a food tour or maybe even a cooking class.

I've always wanted to tour the Anne Frank house, so that is pulling me to Amsterdam, but I also have a elderly family friend who lives in Glasgow (which seems to be an easy train trip from Edinburgh) that I haven't seen in 5 years. So there are two competing factors there, but in the time I have available, it doesn't seem like I can squeeze in both Amsterdam and Edinburgh before London without running myself ragged.

If I do end up in Amsterdam, is it worth stopping in Belgium prior to London? I've done a bit of research on Brussels and Bruges, and while Bruges looks beautiful, it looks like it could also be a tourist trap?

Thank you in advance for all of your help. I'm looking forward to reading your responses.

OK -- tough decision. I really enjoy Amsterdam but Edinburgh is about my favorite city anywhere. I would not try to squeeze in both.

I would maybe lean just a bit towards Edinburgh, not factoring in my personal preference, but because of the Glasgow friend. In fact I might consider 3 or 4 nights in Edinburgh and 2 nights in Glasgow. There are some terrific museums in Glasgow and it has had a bit of a culinary renaissance the last few years.

Yes London weather could be awful as it has been recently -- but I've visited London every December since 2019 (except for 2020 of course) and only one trip did I even open my umbrella. Most times its been downright pleasant. (For the last decade I've tried to hit London in late Nov or Dec most years and maybe I'm just the Good Weather Fairy' and bring it with me )

Your art gallery interests are similar to mine. If you haven't seen it already, the V&A has a fabulous jewellery collection. I saw it a long time ago and more recently last year. It's a bigger area now, with more gobsmacking jewellery (for example, a brooch the size and look of a real orchid, made of Lalique glass and rubies, diamonds etc). Most of it is historic, some belonging to the British royal family, the Russian Tsarina etc. I could have stayed there all day.

If you opt for Amsterdam fly into Schiphol, spend a couple of days, time enough for Anne Frank, Rijks, van Gogh, then head to Belgium, quick over night in Bruges, then get the Eurostar to London.
The direct Eurostar from Amsterdam almost certainly still won't be running in December, and you would need to go via Brussels anyway.
Decembers tend not to be too horrible, though this year was exceptionally wet here.

We loved Edinburgh in 2019! The castle,
Holyrod Palace, the main museum, the Royal Botanical Gardens and many charming pubs and shops everywhere. And for what it’s worth, Glasgow is on the New York Times list of 52 places in 2024.

But… I have not been to Amsterdam and the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum or Stedelijk Museum are all high on my list!

Here is my Trip Report from Edinburgh.

Edinburgh Trip Report July 2019

24 December you are checking out of the London hotel I think.

England sort of closes down on the 24th which makes travel tough. Scotland and the Netherlands are a little better.

Hard to go wrong. I enjoyed the heck out of Edinburgh and Glasgow was great too. I found Amsterdam a bit to crowded and all the cannels were interesting but after awhile a little gross. Bruges is for sure a tourist trap but was fun to stay in and walking around at night was just plain lovely. My vote is Edinburgh/Glasgow because I think it will cover most of what you are looking for. Again, all subjective and its hard to go wrong here!

Both choices are great destinations. Much to see and do in each city. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit Bruge in December personally as the charm is in walking around and it might be very chilly and windy. Same of course with Glasgow, Edinburgh and Amsterdam but in all these places you will be visiting museums and so on. You would have to check days/hours of operation as some destinations may not be open every day or have limited hours. We found that when we were in Edinburgh, the Palace of Holyrood already had more limited hours. By the way it was one of my favorite places in Edinburgh.

Hi Everyone,
Since my initial post, I booked a stay in Amsterdam prior to my arrival in London. I have a friend who will be joining me for the Amsterdam leg of the trip.
Thanks for taking the time to reply!

Awesome. Book the Anne Frank Haus as soon as you can. You should also check to see if you will need timed entry for the Riks and Stedjilek. There is a brand new Holocaust Museum that opened this past month.

You can't go wrong with either choice... nice problem to have.

Book in advance also for Van Gogh museum if you go to Amsterdam... The resistance museum was quite well done, also for anyone interested in WWII.