Your opinion please....

[citorie]

I would like a your opinions on what areas you would spend time in. We have 16 days, starting in London and Flying out of Paris. Our trip is in April and we were thinking of spending most of our time in England, Scotland, & Ireland. But would you more experienced travelers give me your suggestions?

Just an FYI, we are going to enjoy the culture, food, pubs, people, scenery, etc. We aren't into the history and art kind of stuff.

[Diorama]

I spent 2 months in the british isles. It was so much fun, but be warned it's very expensive and you'll be spending an arm and a leg for everything! But in my opinion it's still worth it.

ENGLAND- My fav part of england was the cotswolds. Small villages that line country roads in between London and Bath. The towns are so cute. I believe you can hike along a path that connects the towns for a few days. But since you only have 16 days that might not be an option. The lake District in north western england is also beautiful.

IRELAND-aaaaah yes. Dublin is the best city in europe. Visit the guiness brewery and get a free pint. See trinity college. Visit Temple Bar at night which is hopping with nightlife. After Dublin I would highly recommend Glendalough, which is a beautiful region short drive south of dublin, aran islands on the west coast and a tiny town in northwest ireland called Kilcar. You can stay at a wonderful hostel called derrylahan (sp?) and hike to the slieve league cliffs during the day (which are the highest cliffs in europe).

SCOTLAND-Don't miss glasgow! Everyone always heads to edinburgh for some reason, but I really loved glasgow (mabye even more) just because it wasn't so overrun with tourists. You have to make sure that you head north to the highlands are visit Isle of Skye which I swear is one of the most beautiful places on earth. You can take a tour around the island (done by macbackpackers) and they take you everywhere!

So have fun, drink up and look forward to spending some money! :P

[worldwidemike]

Not into history!

Well, different strokes for different folks. Here is what I'd recommend:

Scotland: The Hebrides in the west of Scotland are amazing...my faves were Mull and Skye.

England: You like hiking? There is a Cornish Coastal Path that goes around the entire coastline of Cornwall (SW England). Gorgeous, waves smashing against rocks kind of scenery...scenic, quaint seaport towns...castles...oops, scratch that (no history). Anyway, that is a great area and probably my favorite in England.

France: Provence - very Mediterranean, with hilltop towns, gorgeous views, more village markets than you can possibly keep up with, relaxed lifestyle. Definitely my favorite part of France.

Ireland: Have only been there once, and for just a handful of days. But the scenery on its west coast is supposed to spectacular, and the people are friendly, pub hopping, music...very cultural. No history...I swear!

worldwidemike

[citorie]

Thank you! I have found this site to be very very helpfull.

For the trip you all pretty much know what we want to do, would you suggest a car or do you think we can wing it with trains?

[Mocassin]

car = $$$ I think!

[worldwidemike]

I agree. In some countries, trains and buses will be fine to get around in. However, with more than one of you going, the price you spend on your daily train or bus tickets might be about the same as you would combine for a rental car. Plus, it will allow you to see more as you'll get there quicker and won't have the wait times for the public transport.

I usually DON'T rent a car because I travel by myself most of the time. However, with more than one going, it seems almost "penny wise, pound foolish" to scrimp on that cost.

worldwidemike

[Mocassin]

My friend and I rented a car in Crete...It was not so expensive, and pretty easy to go around once I was able to read the name of the streets in Greek (maps in english!) and when we got used to their crazy driving habits! Plus we could use the car to put our packs and visit without worring about them. We would park the car where it cost about 3-4 euros a day, so someone was watching the parking all the time...And we could sleep in the car if needed. We got a lot more done because we had a car, and could go where we wanted to, out of the places full of tourists!

[iamlindoro]

Anyone done the Eurodrive program through Renault, or one of the equivalents? I was looking into it, and for my ~5 month trip, the lease cost was about $2500. It seems like a great deal, and I acknowledge that gas and toll costs would go on top of that, but if one was doing a LOT of traveling around, it could afford a level of freedom that would be unparalleled. I was thinking about using the train the first month or two, spending the next two months with my family in France, and then renting a car for the last month or two and really tearing loose. All the travel could be under $2500 that way, I would think (plus, again, gas and tolls).