Which are the Best Places to Visit In UK with your Girlfrien

Hi i am Namdev from India and i am doing a plan to go to UK with my girlfriend.Which are the best places to visit and stay if one wishes to have a slow relax travel within UK for about 20days starting from London.
1. I had never stayed in B&B before, how is the quality of B&B in UK, do they have twin sharing rooms?
2. Is it better to drive or to take train?
3. Is it difficult to find parking in the city?
4. Which are the best cities to go?
Any suggestion,tips,advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Hi Namdev

1. The quality and style of B&Bs varies - some are like small hotels, and some are like a room in someone's bungalow. Either way, they're usually comfortable enough, and are good value for money if you don't want to (or can't) stay in a hostel or budget hotel (think travellodge/premier inn). B&Bs will usually have twin rooms available.
2. Depends on how fixed your itinerary is. I'd go for the train if you have a good idea about where you want/need to be and when, but if you buy tickets on the day if travel it is extremely expensive. Also, make sure the rail network covers all the places you want to visit.
3. Some cities are really bad for city centre parking, I'm thinking London and Brighton in particular, and this would be another good reason to take the train. There are plenty of car parks but again they tend to be rather expensive in city centres.
4. If I was a tourist, cities I would visit would be: London, Brighton, Bath, Oxford, York, Edinburgh. I'd also definitely, definitely go to the Highlands.

As an American who has visited the UK about six times (three of those times within the past two years), I suggest the following places for visits (my top 10--12 if you count the two nightlife suggestions at the end):

(1) London--of course (Parliament, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, theatres up by Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Tower of London, Downing Street, and the shopping districts of Mayfair, Oxford Street, Picadilly Circus, and High Street Kensington). Also, the museums here are superb--the British Museum in particular being the crown jewel. They also have art museums, a natural history museum, a World War II museum, and even a Sherlock Holmes museum

(2) Bath--a gorgeous old Roman town with great open squares and a good shopping district, and it is best known for its Roman Baths (hence the name). It also has an old Jane Austin shop/museum. Just southeast of town about an hour is the Longleat house. In the gardens is the largest hedge maze in the world--definitely worth a visit.

(3) Warwick Castle--best preserved castle in the UK

(4) Stratford-upon-Avon--Shakespeare's old home town. The central area is all touristy, so best avoid it, but try to get to Anne Hathaway's cottage and Shakespeare's old gardens slightly outside of the main downtown area.

(5) York--the best preserved medieval town in England, and also the most haunted, so they say

(6) Edinburgh--the castle and the city are interesting. Also, the area immediately surrounding is great--especially if you like to golf or visit distilleries

(7) the castles of Wales--lots of old castles and abbeys out here in a really beautiful area of the countryside. The largest castle, Caerphilly, in the south is especially impressive.

(8) Stonehedge--just to say you were there and see the unusual site

(9) Cambridge--very unique college town--much preferable to Oxford, in my view--although that one is also okay; and

(10) The Cotswolds--this area lies about one to two hours west of Oxford and if you take the small roads, you'll find some countryside that really makes you think about nature and also make you feel like you are back living in the better part of the 1600s

Lastly, I should mention Manchester and some small towns around it--everyone who lives in Manchester loves being there, and both in that town and in the town of Milton Keyes, the nightlife is really "happening"--same as in London--so good places to go to if you are single--and okay for a young married couple, too.

Quoting magykal1

Hi Namdev

1. The quality and style of B&Bs varies - some are like small hotels, and some are like a room in someone's bungalow. Either way, they're usually comfortable enough, and are good value for money if you don't want to (or can't) stay in a hostel or budget hotel (think travellodge/premier inn). B&Bs will usually have twin rooms available.
2. Depends on how fixed your itinerary is. I'd go for the train if you have a good idea about where you want/need to be and when, but if you buy tickets on the day if travel it is extremely expensive. Also, make sure the rail network covers all the places you want to visit.
3. Some cities are really bad for city centre parking, I'm thinking London and Brighton in particular, and this would be another good reason to take the train. There are plenty of car parks but again they tend to be rather expensive in city centres.
4. If I was a tourist, cities I would visit would be: London, Brighton, Bath, Oxford, York, Edinburgh. I'd also definitely, definitely go to the Highlands.

Hey magykal1,
Thanks for such a nice info.
First of all i will go to London and from London i'll go to Manchester to meet my friend.
As i know the travel by road is too expensive thats why i'll do my traveling by train.
And as you say I'll start my enjoyment from London to Edinburgh.
But one thing is i want to ask you will it enough 20 days for such a big trip?

Quoting Calcruzer

As an American who has visited the UK about six times (three of those times within the past two years), I suggest the following places for visits (my top 10--12 if you count the two nightlife suggestions at the end):

(1) London--of course (Parliament, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, theatres up by Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Tower of London, Downing Street, and the shopping districts of Mayfair, Oxford Street, Picadilly Circus, and High Street Kensington). Also, the museums here are superb--the British Museum in particular being the crown jewel. They also have art museums, a natural history museum, a World War II museum, and even a Sherlock Holmes museum

(2) Bath--a gorgeous old Roman town with great open squares and a good shopping district, and it is best known for its Roman Baths (hence the name). It also has an old Jane Austin shop/museum. Just southeast of town about an hour is the Longleat house. In the gardens is the largest hedge maze in the world--definitely worth a visit.

(3) Warwick Castle--best preserved castle in the UK

(4) Stratford-upon-Avon--Shakespeare's old home town. The central area is all touristy, so best avoid it, but try to get to Anne Hathaway's cottage and Shakespeare's old gardens slightly outside of the main downtown area.

(5) York--the best preserved medieval town in England, and also the most haunted, so they say

(6) Edinburgh--the castle and the city are interesting. Also, the area immediately surrounding is great--especially if you like to golf or visit distilleries

(7) the castles of Wales--lots of old castles and abbeys out here in a really beautiful area of the countryside. The largest castle, Caerphilly, in the south is especially impressive.

(8) Stonehedge--just to say you were there and see the unusual site

(9) Cambridge--very unique college town--much preferable to Oxford, in my view--although that one is also okay; and

(10) The Cotswolds--this area lies about one to two hours west of Oxford and if you take the small roads, you'll find some countryside that really makes you think about nature and also make you feel like you are back living in the better part of the 1600s

Lastly, I should mention Manchester and some small towns around it--everyone who lives in Manchester loves being there, and both in that town and in the town of Milton Keyes, the nightlife is really "happening"--same as in London--so good places to go to if you are single--and okay for a young married couple, too.

Thanks Calcruzer for such a great info.

Hi there. Looks like you have a great holiday in prospect.
So lets go.
Firstly - B&B can work out more expensive than (say) a Travelodge or Premier Inn. Premier Inns tend to be the cheaper of the 2. You'll get a room (not per person) for around £30 a night, whereas a B&B will cost you around £20 - £25 each, minimum. The second 'B' - of course, stands for breakfast. Whereas a Travelodge and Premier Inn won't throw brekky in for the room price, a B&B does. There will be a diner attached to the complex though - where you can get meals all day. The quality of B&B's across the country, vary. I've been doing them for years and have learned where to go and where not to. Good luck with that. Most offer single, double and twin rooms.
The price difference between train and car is minimal - unless you do some forward planning. GB trains are renowned for being some of the most expensive in the world. However - they can also be amongst the planet's cheapest, if you book in advance. To give you an of example.... London to Chester (England's only city with a complete Roman wall still in tact) bought on the day, will cost you around £70 return if you travel outside of peak commuter time. If you buy a ticket in advance (trainline.com or nationalrail.com) you can pick up a 1st class return for £30 - and that'll include a silver service meal if there's a restaurant on board, or at the very least - free sandwiches with endless tea and coffee, plus an exceedingly comfy reserved seat. If you turn up in the morning and ask for an open return - it can cost you over £150.
Fuel in GB is quite expensive, around £1 a litre for either petrol or diesel. Car hire will vary from £30 - £65 a day, depending on which company you use and your preferred vehicle. Of course, if you'd like a RR or Maserati (also available) expect to pay around £250 - £300+ a day. Also, don't forget - there are expensive car park charges all over GB. It's not difficult to park in the city, as long as you're OK with endlessly feeding the meters. These are around £2 an hour outside big cities and a lot more within them.
Best cities?? Can't answer that, until you reveal your likes and dislikes.
Just to let you know - there is a congestion charge (whatever that means!!) to travel by car into Central London. It's £8 a day. If you pay it the next day, it goes up to £10.
Have fun planning.

[ Edit: Edited on 04-Jun-2009, at 11:07 by Redpaddy ]