Vacation tips for England

[Drops a Sweet Katana]

If you're coming down to the Isle of Wight, why not stop off in Dorset [http://www.visit-dorset.com/] on the way? We're right next to Wight and have have some of the best classic English countryside in the country here and a coastline so spectacular the UN designated it a world heritage site [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_Coast]. Plus all the cider you can drink! I swear we're not all bumpkins... okay, most of us are..

Lived in Bournemouth for about 5 years, can confirm. The beaches are great from Poole to Southbourne and there are some seriously beautiful places in the surrounding areas. Except Boscombe. Never go there. If you plan to go to Dorset, Corfe Castle and the surrounding countryside is a great place to visit.

Bath is another city that is definitely worth visiting. Easily one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to.

London is a no-brainer, but the public transport is a bit much to get your head around at first. Plus the people who use the tube tend to be impatient assholes if you inconvenience them for the whole of 2 seconds.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

There's a shit ton of museums in London, like the Natural History, The Science Museum, The Victoria & Albert Museum, The National Maritime Museum(as well as Greenwich which has the dividing line between the east and west hemispheres) as well as other such locations like The Great British Library and The National Gallery.

In terms of sightseeing, there's of course central, but there are also a lot of musicals going on throughout the week in the West End, as well as theatre and dance performances. Prices in central are mental though, so it'd be good to have apps or whatever ready so you can find the best place for the cheapest price, since there's the usual tourist trap problem in some places(like the inevitable souvenir shops).

For everywhere else, I can't say much. Going on tours could be fun: visiting Stonehenge, Bath and Canterbury could be interesting, as well as the aforementioned York & Edinburgh.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Just kidding.
I'd love to visit Scotland and "proper" Ireland while I'm there though.

 

[Robert B. Marks]

My wife and I honeymooned in England. Stuff we learned:

1. There is no tipping in the pubs, and tax is built into the prices. So, if something says it costs 20 pounds, it means that is what it costs. We overestimated our food budget by about 15-20% trying to account for tips and taxes that weren't there.

(That said, there ARE restaurants where tipping does sometimes happen. So, when in doubt, ask.)

2. Travel by train when you're there, and book the tickets early. England has a world-class transit system, and my wife and I never felt the need for a car.

3. Spend most of your trip out of London. London is an amazing city, but it is also its own entity, and the rest of England is very different.

4. When you are in London, get an Oyster card - it's the easiest way to travel in the Underground and the public transit.

5. You cannot do the Tower of London in a couple of hours. It's not possible, do not try. Give it an entire afternoon, and enjoy the hell out of it. With luck, the random dragon made from weapons and shields is still in the White Tower.

6. Canterbury is a great place. One of our regrets is that we only day-tripped it. You can see everything in the city center there in a day, and the cathedral is amazing, but it's a REALLY pleasant place. I honestly wish that we had spent an extra day there to just enjoy the parks and the city walls (which are Medieval, and intact). And, there's a hotel that is literally on the cathedral grounds (one of these days, we're going back and staying there).

7. Nottingham, in particular the Trip to Jerusalem. It's a pub carved into the caves under Nottingham Castle that has been there since 1189. And the food is delicious (we went there twice). Nottingham itself, though, is mainly Robin Hood-based, so there isn't much touristy stuff to see. But the Trip to Jerusalem by itself is just worth it.

8. TK Maxx is a great place to buy clothing. I got a brand new lambskin leather jacket for under 70 pounds - good luck finding a price like that in Canada, at least. Come to think of it, clothing as a whole seemed cheaper in England - I nearly came home with a brand new suit, the prices were that good.

9. The Holy Island of Lindisfarne - if you have time, go there. Seriously. It is the site of the first Viking raid in history, but more to the point, it is the most peaceful place I have ever been in my LIFE. It's a tidal island, so when the tide comes in, you're alone with a few people in a small village and the sheep (who set the pace of the island). All of our future travel plans for England involve spending a week in Lindisfarne at the end, just to decompress. But, if you're going to go, reserve your accommodations TODAY. They are few and far between (it is not just a popular tourist site, but also an important pilgrimage site), and it may already be too late to get something. If can't get accommodations on Lindisfarne itself, though, the island is a twenty minute cab ride from Berwick-Upon-Tweed, which itself is a nice place (with an intact Elizabethan wall system, which does not look as you think it might - seriously, don't mistake it for hills, or you're going to find yourself on the receiving end of a 20-30' drop), and you should be able to day-trip it. Also, there's the Lindisfarne Meadery, which has some REALLY nice mead. I think we came home with four bottles, and we would have brought more if we had the space.

10. Money and currency: your credit cards should work, your bank cards are hit-and-miss. HOWEVER, we found that anytime we were able to locate an HSBC bank machine, we could not only pull money out of our account, but also got a good exchange rate out of it.

11. When you plan your trip, know what you want to look at. England is a place where you can't walk more than five paces without tripping over some history, and it is physically impossible to see everything. So, get an idea of what sort of things you want to see, and plan around that.

And, I think that covers it...

On a related note, if you type "Canterbury Cathedral" into Google maps and hit "Street view," it takes you inside the cathedral. That doesn't do justice to the place by a long shot, but it's a good way to get a taste of things to come...

 

[GonvilleBromhead]

It depends on what you want to do. If you are into Museums, London really is a good place to visit - it some of the best museums in the world, and most are free. Natural History, Science, V&A, British, HMS Belfast, and the RAF Museums are all top notch. And if you care about art, there are some excellent galleries (or so I have been told. I am a philistine). If you like shopping, and have a metric shit ton of money, London is good for that too.

However, if you want a city to wander in and soak up the atmosphere, London...really isn't it. York, Bath, the University cities, and Edinburgh are all better for that. If you want the countryside, the Sussex Downs are probably the most stereo-typically "English" landscape, though there are some stunning places in England such as the Yorkshire Moors, the Lake District, and the Birmingham Bullring (okay, I'm lying about the last one). If you have a morbid fear of hills, Lincolnshire is an option. If you want to go to a British San Francisco, Brighton is the way forward, and an hour train trip from the capital.

If you are looking for country houses, the most magnificent is probably Blenheim Palace, near Oxford. The oddest is probably the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. Castles-wise, Bodium in Kent is pretty well preserved (often used for filming), but TBPH, most are much of a muchness.

 

[Lightspeaker]

1. There is no tipping in the pubs, and tax is built into the prices. So, if something says it costs 20 pounds, it means that is what it costs. We overestimated our food budget by about 15-20% trying to account for tips and taxes that weren't there.

(That said, there ARE restaurants where tipping does sometimes happen. So, when in doubt, ask.)

Where you live doesn't incorporate tax into prices? How odd. Only place I can think of around here that does that is Costco.

To elaborate on the tipping thing though - tipping around where I live (Liverpool, come visit the city while you're here!) usually comes in two forms that I can think of. Specifically taxis and restaurants. With taxis its usually good manners to round up whatever the cost is to within something reasonable; usually around 10% or just whatever sounds good so if your taxi was £8.20 you'd probably give £9 and tell them to keep the change, or if it was £14.50 you might give them £16. Something like that. I'm not sure how widespread that is though.

Restaurants its usually good form to tip maybe 5-10% of the bill or thereabouts (typically its kept simple...if the bill is closer to £100 you'd leave a tenner but if its closer to £200 then a twenty). But that's only at proper sit-down restaurants you wouldn't tip at McDonalds or anything like that.


But outside of those two specific circumstances its not really done. Definitely not, like Robert says here, in pubs; its just not a thing.

 

[DragonsAteMyMarbles]

Come to Manchester! Get stabbed, beaten up, robbed and stabbed again![footnote]If you're lucky, your lovely personal violent nutcase might even throw in some more stabbies for free![/footnote]

On your way up from London to Scotland, I'd recommend visiting Wales, the Peaks and the Lakes. They're pretty.
Also also, find yourself a pub with some real ale. It could be quite an... interesting experience.

 

[Robert B. Marks]

Where you live doesn't incorporate tax into prices? How odd. Only place I can think of around here that does that is Costco.

[...]

But outside of those two specific circumstances its not really done. Definitely not, like Robert says here, in pubs; its just not a thing.

Not here in Canada, and as far as I know, not in the United States as well. Let's just say it was something of a revelation when my wife and I saw it - definitely better than having the sales tax added to the price tag after.

And, funny thing - in England, the waitresses at pubs are just paid a decent wage to begin with (as opposed to having to rely on tips). And, funnily enough, they are legitimately happy to see you (instead of making a show of it because they must). You really can tell the difference.

The English really do pubs better than we Canadians do...

 

[beastro]

Portsmouth - HMS' Victory & Warrior

London - HMS Belfast

 

[maffgibson]

If you are going to Scotland: don't travel North, travel West. The West Coast of Scotland in the Summer is one of the most beautiful regions of the UK: where the highlands drop off into the sea and give way to a landscape of an ancient mountain range jutting through the ocean. If the weather is kind, the result can be so beautiful it is almost painful!

For bonus points, take one of the boat tours (often ran by fisherman making some summer cash) out to the Corryvreckan (the third largest whirlpool in the world, which can be heard 10 miles away at full roar): they will take you to it in slack tide, and cut the engine. Even then, the boat will start to spin ominously. Good times. On the journey there and back, there is all kinds of wildlife to see: eagles, dolphins, whales and a ton of seals.

Oh and yeah, London is great for museums and such. And if you are savvy, it doesn't have to be cripplingly expensive. Only light-maimingly so!

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

2. Travel by train when you're there, and book the tickets early. England has a world-class transit system, and my wife and I never felt the need for a car.

World class transit system? I uh... Well. I can't imagine many of us brits will agree with you on that one, mainly down to ever-increasing ticket prices and frequent delays.


As people have mentioned, Scotland is fucking gorgeous, particularly the west coast. If you're planning to go there in the summer, I would definitely advise staying fairly near the coast unless you fancy being devoured by midges.

I'm a proud Bristolian- It's not necessarily the most touristy place, but there's a lot of alternative culture as well as the SS Great Britain, the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the gorge, Banksy artworks, the cathederal and several art galleries. If you time it right you could catch Grillstock (it's a goddamn barbecue festival) or one of the other events that's on- there's a lot of events in the harbour over the summer.

That said, I wouldn't go to Bristol unless you're going to Devon & Cornwall, in which case it's a much more practical destination. Devon & Cornwall are gorgeous (although likely to be busy in the summer), there's a load of lovely beaches, fishing villages and pubs. If had one piece of advice, it would be spend some time in a good pub. Pubs are dying, and they're awesome.

 

[Lightspeaker]

Also also, find yourself a pub with some real ale. It could be quite an... interesting experience.

If you want a very specific recommendation on this...try stopping off at The Black Bull in Coniston in the Lake District if you go there. And order a pint of Bluebird.

And, funny thing - in England, the waitresses at pubs are just paid a decent wage to begin with (as opposed to having to rely on tips). And, funnily enough, they are legitimately happy to see you (instead of making a show of it because they must). You really can tell the difference.

Same goes for waiting staff in restaurants as well. Which is why the tip percentage is fairly low compared to the US (as far as I'm aware a good tip in the US is around 20% or something?) since here it typically really is just a tip, its not a massive part of their wages.


Its still considered good form to give something reasonable though, even if its not actually effectively "required".

 

[DocJ]

First things first. PACK WARMLY. If you can't handle a constant outdoor temperature in the single digits (That's in Celsius) then wear layers. Lots of layers. Anyways I live in Scotland so all I can say is visit castles. We are proud of our castles and our history, and I certainly enjoy going to them. Visit as many as you can.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Come to Ireland. We desperately need the money.

Don't let them see how desperate we are, dude!

Pretty sure I'm single handedly propping up your entire economy with my visits.

You're welcome.

 

[Dimitriov]

As a Canadian who recently traveled throughout Britain (Southern England, Wales, York, Scotland), I have one tip to add to this thread.

Always make sure you are carrying some small change (like 20p coins). I have a lot of great things to say about my trip there, but there was one bad thing (and to a Canadian a rather shocking one at that). The Brits will charge you to use a toilet. Not everywhere certainly, but no one wants to be caught short and discover that they lack the correct coinage to get into a bathroom.

To be fair I actually encountered this mostly in the North and in Scotland, but I have never before in my life seen such a thing and was honestly shocked to discover that such a thing could be allowed.

Anyway, many amazing places to see if you like history. And lots of beautiful places to see in the countryside (or almost all of Wales). And many great ales to drink! I would add that Salisbury cathedral was very pretty if you like cathedrals (it also has the highest surviving medieval spire in the world iirc at 404 feet). Also, to echo above sentiments, Bath is a wonderful city and the west coast of Scotland is amazing.

 

[Albino Boo]

As a Canadian who recently traveled throughout Britain (Southern England, Wales, York, Scotland), I have one tip to add to this thread.

Always make sure you are carrying some small change (like 20p coins). I have a lot of great things to say about my trip there, but there was one bad thing (and to a Canadian a rather shocking one at that). The Brits will charge you to use a toilet. Not everywhere certainly, but no one wants to be caught short and discover that they lack the correct coinage to get into a bathroom.

To be fair I actually encountered this mostly in the North and in Scotland, but I have never before in my life seen such a thing and was honestly shocked to discover that such a thing could be allowed.

Public toilets have a charge to prevent them being used by junkies to shoot up in. Vandalism was also common place, by introducing a small charge this things have fallen off.

 

[halisme]

Avoid Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. There's not much to see or do around here.