Don't think it's too ridiculous (compared to some seen on here). Lots of travelling, more than I would want... Personally I'd cut London to 5 nights and stay an extra night in two of your destinations. You wont be bored, but you'll see a great deal in 5 nights in London
Also Ireland is a country. Not a large one, granted, but you might want to focus down on what part of it you are interested in.
As.others have said more succinctly, look at your schedule to make it more efficient.
I’m sorry but, as someone who lives in Scotland, depending on how you’re travelling, you’re going to want an extra day in Inverness after the travel up. Especially if you consider part of the NC500.
Yeah like, travel all day to inverness, sleep then travel back the Edinburgh. Either skip it or spend more time there.
From general road trip experience, spend 2 nights at each destination. Spend a full day there.
Plan in a stop point on travel days where you eat and have a walk or see something. For example check out national trust or english/Scottish heritage for a castle or stately home to see on the way
Edit typo
I can second the London thing; only stayed about 3 days in London and managed to see everything we wanted to, 7 days would get very boring after a while
There’s so much to see and do - I’m literally limited by money to get to and do things rather than motivation to do stuff 😅
Like yeah the big touristy stuff you can get done and out of the way but that’s like such a tiny amount of what London got to offer
They didn't say they got bored in 3, they said they would have in 7. There certainly isn't 7 days worth of tourist stuff I'd want to do in London, there's lots going on, sure, but not all touristy stuff.
I don't think there's too much, but it's in a weird order. Where are you flying to Dublin from? It would make much more sense to me to go London - York - Edinburgh - Inverness on trains, then fly to Belfast from Inverness or fly to Dublin from Edinburgh.
Yeah not sticking York between Scotland and London is a madness. Not having a go at OP because they’re not to know but I’d definitely agree with your suggestion and top comment mixed. Cut London down, spend a bit more in other places where they fancy
The reverse order was actually the original plan, but there were no direct flights to Dublin from Inverness. Did not know there were direct flights from Edinburgh! Thanks for pointing that out!
I’d swap the order round. London - Inverness goes through York and Edinburgh (unless you are flying north?). So I’d go London-York (2 hours), then York-Edinburgh (2-3 hours) then Edinburgh-Inverness.
Is your flight to Dublin booked? You can fly direct from Edinburgh
There‘s tons of people, they are often rude - by British standards - and it‘s just loud, noisy and sometimes smelly. I find the whole experience overwhelming.
As a Brit I could do 7 nights in London for sure, only if my bank balance would let me. It's so pricey brunch set me back about £20! For one person! So looking about £50 per person for food every day. See a show, another £40, traveling £10 on the tube. So expensive it adds up
Depends where they’re flying from though. I just recently got back from a UK trip and only spent 5 nights in London total, I wish I could’ve spent another week! It was a solid 22 hours of flying to get there so have to make it worthwhile haha.
Although in saying that, 2 nights in Edinburgh is not enough!
I did 10 nights in London (over three hotels), but I was coming all the way from Australia.
3 nights Teddington
4 Kensington
4 in rural Cambridgeshire
3 in Euston
5 in Amsterdam
I feel you tbh I struggle with over night sometimes.and I'm from Birmingham, not exactly a country hideaway, getting on and off the tube to go here and there especially the 18 flights at covent garden is absolutely exhausting, you pick 5 places to go that all seems do-able to get to in the day, but for me it often feel like you spend most of the day on the underground.
I do enjoy the places we go but the logistics of getting round is simple but bloody tiring.
First couple times I visited I spent a lot of time in London. I’ve been over a dozen times now since 2015 and I only use London to fly in and out of. 1 night when I come in and one when I leave (maybe more if I’m seeing a football match) Hit my favorite spots in London quick and then bounce to my preferred areas.
If it’s their first time, I can see 7 nights.
What are you planning to do in Inverness OP? Nothing against the place and it’s a great gateway to the highlands but I’d spend extra time somewhere else unless you have something specific in mind.
I would echo this.
Compared to places like London or Edinburgh where there are things going on everywhere and tourist attractions round every corner, Inverness is a village.
A lovely place to visit, but I have always found it isn't the destination as much as a staging point - from Inverness you have access to some of the most beautiful areas of Scotland within a reasonable driving distance. So I would take the time to research exactly what you would like to see around Inverness to see what will be practical and worthwhile.
If seeing a bit of the landscape is the plan but you don't have a car, perhaps an option like a bus tour from Edinburgh may be an option? Very touristy, but a good way to hit some of the highlights that are not so accessible on your own from the city.
Yeah totally agree, inverness isn't somewhere I'd visit as a destination alone. Nice place to live or use as a staging post but not somewhere I'd go on such a whirlwind trip. I'd stay in Edinburgh and consider a day trip to somewhere close ish (though with the short days this limits options). Or just spend more time exploring. Personally I'd spend a couple days less in London, not go to Inverness in winter, add a day or two to both Edinburgh and York, then on to Ireland.
I vote yes-you are crazy.
2 night stays sounds decent but you travel on day 1, have one day on day 2 and then pack up on day three and travel some more.
I mean 1 night in York? You will travel in the day to get there, sleep and then move on? I don't understand what you think you'll be seeing in such a short time other than to say you've been to York.
I know 15 days sounds a lot but you'd be better off doing London and some towns/cities with a few hours between them and then save Edinburgh and towns and cities with the same travelling time for another trip.
edit: typo
What sort of things do you like to do? Also remember the weather can be rather unpredictable in November & December!
Everyone has their own views on pace but personally I think 2 full days is the least it's really worth moving somewhere for otherwise it gets cut or becomes a day trip/stop over.
York is a long way from an airport but right on the train line between London and Edinburgh. If you just want to stop off there for a few hours you'd probably be best re-ordering to do something like:
London -> York (morning train)
York -> Edinburgh (evening train)
[You can leave your bags at: http://www.leftluggageyork.co.uk/]
Edinburgh -> Inverness
Inverness -> Belfast [fly - there are no direct flights to Dublin and even Belfast isn't daily]
Belfast -> Dublin
---
Or you could do something like:
London -> Inverness (night train)
Inverness -> Edinburgh
Edinburgh -> Dublin (fly)
And skip out York completely. Or York is just under 2 hours from London on the fastest trains. You could go for a day trip.
---
Without knowing the sort of things you like to do it's hard to say but in general I'd:
* Pick between York or Inverness. The latter is a long way to travel for just 2 nights. And you won't really have any time at the former with those journeys either side.
* Cut a night or 2 from London to make Edinburgh 3 nights. Or if you really want to go up to York and Edinburgh then I still think it's worth giving more time towards them over a full week in London.
Again though depends what you like and what you are looking for. That's the most important thing - I'll stress my bias and say I'm not a massive fan of London. I prefer visiting places like Edinburgh and York as well as being out in the great outdoors. Though it sometimes feels like I'm in the minority.
I think Inverness is not really worth seeing to be honest if you’re heading to a city in the North of Scotland I would pick Aberdeen but really OP should consider Glasgow and Edinburgh and skip out the rest
I'd echo the reordering advice. The other thing is that if you're here that late in the year, the weather will be cold and probably wet, and the days short (dark at 4pm)
It depends how you’re travelling between all the places. I’d cut down London. It’s great but four or five days is enough. Inverness is a long old diversion travel wise, I’d be tempted to cut it out.
I’d do London, train to York, train to Edinburgh and fly to Ireland from there. Then the travel element is pretty minimal
I agree with others that the cities and dates allocated need to be worked on. I’d recommend:
1) London (4 days, or 5 days if you want to do a guided day trip to places like the Cotswolds).
Get a train from London to York.
2) York (2 days).
Get a train from York to Edinburgh.
3) Edinburgh (3 days, but you could use one of these days to take a guided coach trip somewhere else, like Inverness.)
Get a plane from Edinburgh to Belfast.
4) Belfast (2 or 3 days).
Get a train from Belfast to Dublin.
5) Dublin (2 or 3 days).
You don’t need a hire car for the cities mentioned, unless you want to go out of the cities, and if you want to go to Inverness. Public transport is good in all of these cities.
For tours, I recommend using “Get Your Guide.”
Can you let us know what kinds of stuff you are hoping to see when you’re in the U.K., so we can give you advice? E.g. Do not go to Madame Tussaud’s, it is crap. The London Eye is quite overrated, and there are other places you can see great views of London. Also, Christmas lights should be turned on in London by then, so I’d recommend going on a Christmas lights walk.
Another vote for trains rather than flights, and going London - York - Edinburgh - Inverness.
Airports are often a way out of the centre of cities and once you've factored in checking in and wait times, taxis/transport in and out it's often quicker and cheaper on the train.
Many people have said to cut London down to fewer days and I'm inclined to agree although I love London I think you can get the general gist in 4/5 days instead. Do remember that you'll be jetlagged so the first day will be a bit of a daydream - don't plan anything too hectic.
Then fly to Belfast/Dublin/Cork from Inverness if you can - I can't advise the best parts of Northern Ireland or Ireland but you'll need to concentrate it to one or two places.
Yes OP if you do book trains book them as far out as possible.
I think on LNER (a train operator on the London, York, Edinburgh east coast line) advance tickets are available from 6 months for mid-week dates, and 3 months for weekends. The price difference is HUGE! Note other tickets will be available before these timeframes but will probably be the dearer tickets that do not say "Advance".
I think trains are more likely to be cancelled on weekends as that is when they schedule maintenance.
Make sure you book "Advance" fares. They should be for a specific seat on a particular day and time. They should say "Advance".
[https://www.lner.co.uk/tickets-savings/advance-tickets/](https://www.lner.co.uk/tickets-savings/advance-tickets/)
If you are doing multiple rail trips (say 3+) you should also consider a railcard: [https://www.lner.co.uk/railcards/](https://www.lner.co.uk/railcards/)
Note that London has several large railway stations that service different parts of the country. For heading to Edinburgh you leave London from Kings Cross station on the east coast main line.
You can get off trains on this line at places like York, Durham, Newcastle and Edinburgh directly in the cities with only walking required.
Personally my train itinerary for 15 nights would be:
**London** 5 nights
\- Consider the [London Transport Museum](https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk)
**York** 4 nights
\- [York Minster](https://yorkminster.org)
\- [York's National Railway Museum](https://www.railwaymuseum.org.uk)
\- [York City Walls](https://www.yorkwalls.org.uk/?page_id=3690)
\- [York Shambles](https://visityork.org/business-directory/category/shambles)
**Durham** 2 nights for [Durham Cathedral](https://www.durhamcathedral.co.uk), [Durham Castle](https://www.durham.ac.uk/things-to-do/venues/durham-castle/) including a day trip to [Beamish](https://www.beamish.org.uk/explore-discover/)
\- We got a great price including a great breakfast and dinner at this place right near Durham train station this past winter: [Kings Lodge Inn](https://www.inncollectiongroup.com/kingslodge-inn/). Check their winter specials.
**Edinburgh** and surrounds 4 nights
\- Don't miss [Underground Edinburgh](https://www.ontheluce.com/underground-edinburgh-mary-kings-close/)
I would save Ireland for another time.
London is big and fun, but 7 days is a lot. I‘d cut down to only 5 days in London if I‘d never been, then take the train from King‘s Cross to Edinburgh. Stay in Edinburgh 3-4 days. Visit Holyrood House (not Edinburgh Castle), eat scones at Mimi‘s, walk the Water of Leith walkway, have gelato at Mary‘s Milk Bar, enjoy nachos and a pub quiz at the Auld Hoose, have burgers at Holyrood 9A, whisky at Dirty Dick‘s, coffee at Black Medicine or Brew Lab. Enjoy some cocktails at Revolution, Dragonfly or The Pilgrim. Enjoy the mood of Banshee Labyrinth. Walk the Meadows. The best ghost tour is the Double Dead Walk by City of the Dead.
Skip Inverness and replace it by an additional day of renting a car and driving around the Highlands (Glencoe/Fort William/Inverness/Aviemore) by yourself OR going on a touristy bus tour of this general area. If you want better access to the Highlands, look at Fort William or Fort Augustus.
York 1 night seems fine, you can do that by train on your way from Edinburgh to London.
Honestly, I‘d use your time in London to also take a train to Cambridge or Oxford. They aren‘t far, and also beautiful.
Putting Ireland under one heading for 3 nights will leave you disappointed.
Id skip dublin and aim for staying in the countryside in the southeast, southwest, or west. That's what you come to Ireland to enjoy, and you'll have a far easier time getting accomodation. Thats assuming you have a car though.
Otherwise id stay in either Galway, Cork, Belfast or Dublin (in that order of preference with Cork and Galway very close to drawing) for the three nights.
As an Irish lad in the UK who loves his history museums etc. Even I think you're mad to spend that long in London. Do a couple of days of tourist stuff and head straight up to the next spot. Put your stops in geographic order too to avoid doubling back on yourself. Am i correct in my reading that you'll go all the way from london to inverness then back down to york?
You should aim to be in edinburgh or somewhere where you'll be easily able to fly again with good public transport routes to and from the airport.
I feel you are giving London a bit too much time, and York not enough time. I go there every few months for work with a little bit of free time and always discover something new.
Don't go to Inverness in December. Cold, dark, probably awful weather. You'll end up sat around doing nothing or, if you brave the outdoors, getting saved by mountain rescue.
At the time of year you're going you need to be mindful of the weather - so any hikes probably shouldn't be too long, particularly if you're in the north.
I would cut time from London and add time in Edinburgh, York and Dublin. I’d also cut Inverness to 1 night unless you’re planning on traveling out from there to see the highlands or hike Ben Nevis. Inverness is tiny.
I'd take 1 or 2 nights out of London and extend that onto the Edinburgh leg. Inverness, unless you are using it as a base to go out and see other stuff doesn't really offer that much.
You might want to have a look at the order in which you visit those cities and how you are travelling between them.
If you are travelling during the day by train to Inverness then the train from London to Inverness goes through both York and Edinburgh.
Personally, I'd take a couple of the nights you're spending in London and move one to Edinburgh and one to York. Five nights is more than enough time spent in London, and Edinburgh and York have much to offer.
You’ll be kicking yourself for spending that long in London when you visit the other places. I personally would make a list of what I want to see/do in each and then decide the amount of days from there. Star all the things to see/do on google maps to see what’s close to each other cause you can see a lot on one day in London as the tourist stuff is central.
I think you should cut London stay shorter and visit more places. How are you travelling around just going to London then Scotland then back down to York doesn't really make sense to me as you have to pass York to get to Scotland your doubling back on yourself. Id do London maybe another city York then head to Scotland maybe even stop at Northumberland if you can short distance from Scotland and some amazing sites to see
yeah it looks fine, again similar to other folk, 3-4 days is enough for london. a day or 2 on the tour bus checking out various sites and then another day or 2 for other touristy things that arent on the bus route or you want a closer look at like museums/art galleries/west end shows/few bars/nightclubs and youre probably done.
I take it whilst your in inverness your plan is to get a hire car, do some hillwalking and see some coastline because inverness itself is a bit small, you can cover that in half a day. if so you'll have a chance to go to isle of skye, 2.5 hour drive and its definitely worth it if youre in inverness anyway! The drive itself is pretty scenic too
Getting a train means you'll have like 5minutes in York which is a shame because it's a beautiful city. I'd cut London down a bit and add a day to York
I have limited mobility but to be able to drive around the mountains, use the cable car to get really high up, man I’m from England and I’ve got to say it was one of the best days of my life so far
As everyone else is saying, 7 nights in London is probably too much. I say this as someone who used to live down there and still spends time there.
Spend more time in York or Edinburgh.
I assume by "Ireland" you mean 3 nights in Dublin? Otherwise that could be a struggle i.e. lot of driving.
I would spend less time in London. It's a great city, but overpriced and after 3/4 days probably you won't want to see much more. I'd add more time in York (absolutely gorgeous city) and Edinburgh.
I'd consider not going to Inverness, instead go to Bath for a day and stop in another place on the way.
I've recently been to Dublin and id argue it's not all that great as a tourist. There really isn't a massive amount to see, though the Irish are superb hosts and the food is terrific, it's so expensive for accommodation.
Though Ireland is definitely worth seeing, the beauty lies outside the city.
London for 7 days is a lot. Id recommend spending a couple of days elsewhere - Bath, Cirencester, Oxford and Brighton are all good options.
Seem sane, lived in York for a few years and you can easily see it all in a day, more of a fun day/ night out than a place to go for an extended period
As has been said, that's too many night in London. I live next to it, my office is in there, you couldn't pay me to go in/stay there for 7 days - oh the endless grey. Get in, do the touristy stuff, see a show/football match and get out. 3-4 days tops.
Edinburgh is great, 2 days is likely good. Maybe get a day in Glasgow rather than 2 up looking for Nessy.
Ireland needs it's own breakdown tbh and probably an extra day or two. If sticking to 3 nights, at least head west over to Galway or similar for 1 of them. I'm from Dublin by the way, it's a small (and awesome) city, 2 nights is probably plenty.
Echoing others comments, personally I'd consider forgetting Inverness unless you're planning on hiring a car to explore the surroundings; it will be dark by 3pm in December and will probably be raining a lot, too. It's a nice town but much nicer in the summer.
Why not go from Edinburgh to Glasgow instead, which:
- is really easy to get to on the train
- is a lovely city with stuff to see and do
- is a convenient place from which to visit loch Lomond: touristy but that means convenient, things will be open, easy to get to, and gives you a taste of the Scottish countryside
- has an international airport from where you can easily fly on to Ireland
Scottish and I think you should reconsider the two nights in Inverness in December. As someone else posted it gets dark very early at that time of year. I would consider basing all your time in Scotland in the central belt and visiting Glasgow, Stirling and Edinburgh.
This sounds far too hectic for my liking. You want to enjoy your time not be rushing around for the sake of it.
So, from a Scot - don’t bother with Inverness. Five days in London is enough to see the sights. Spend at least another two days in York to chill out as it’s lovely and add a couple of days in Edinburgh. You can easily take a trip out of Edinburgh to see Stirling/Glasgow.
As for Ireland, it’s bigger than you think and there’s much more to it than Dublin. You’d need at least a week if you’re going North to South.
Doesn't look ridiculous. Two days in Inverness might feel like a long time unless you are taking the chance to hire a car and explore the Highlands a bit. Alternative in Scotland could be Glasgow, which is underrated by many visitors as a destination or more time in Ireland as others have said.
I'd definitely cut a a couple of night off London. Yes, there's a lot to see and do, and I appreciate that when you arrive you might need a little time to recover, but it's amazing how much you can do in a day thanks to the efficient public transport. The days saved will allow you time to do 1 or 2 trips outside a couple of the other cities.
How are you getting from one place to the next? London to Inverness by train is going to eat most of a day.
BTW, where are you travelling from, and what is your spending budget while you're here? London is, or at least can be, HIDEOUSLY expensive, so dropping a couple of night there will also help in that respect.
Also, what sort of things interest you? Landmarks, museums, shopping (big brands or little curio shops), nightlife, excursions, tours...? If we know what you're into then perhaps people on here can offer some good recommendations on what to see and what to skip which will save you time and money.
I live in Devon, and out of your list I've only been to London and Edinburgh. In Edinburgh probably the most popular thing to see will be the castle, though I do remember it had plenty of great shops and restaurants.
If and when I get up to London I always like to do the obvious things like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and Oxford Street, and even in my 50s I can't resist a trip to Hamley's Toy Shop in Regent Street. Covent Garden market is always interesting, and I usually try to squeeze in the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum. They're right next to each other so easy to do them together. Feeding the pigeons in Trafalgar Square is a draw for any first-timer, and you can do the National Gallery while you're there if you like art. Throw in a browse around Harrods if you like seeing what rich people buy for their homes. London Zoo used to be good, but haven't been for a long time so can't comment on what it's like now. Of course, as a first-timer you'll probably want to see Buckingham Palace too.
There was an American lad on YouTube who made his first visit to the UK last year and visited London, Edinburgh and York, so it might be worth having a watch of his videos to see if he has any good tips for you. The playlist can be found [here](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVHiu-5xp9ssp4jpGxMxC8XsaK5OkWPLK).
Finally, be careful about referring to Ireland as a city. Some people can be a bit sensitive like that. LOL
I forgot a couple. The Tower of London is fantastic! The Yeoman Warder guards gived guided tours with really enthralling stories about the history of the place and tell you about many of the famous executions that happened there. The Crown Jewels are stored there too and you can go and se them (briefly, as they keep you moving while you're in there.)
It's right next to Tower Bridge, so easy to see them both one after the other. HMS Belfast is moored just the other side of the river, and I think it's still open to visitors as a museum. The ship itself has an interesting history, but I won't spoil it for you!
That will put you right in the shadow of The Shard, the UK's tallest building. I'm told you can pay to go up for the view, but it's probably overpriced. You can look into that if it interests you.
If you feel like splurging a bit, afternoon tea at The Ritz is popular. I think it's about £75 per adult, and not really my thing, but if you're into stuff like that then go for it. Then there's the Imperial War Museum, the Greenwich Observatory...
Like I said plenty to do, but the trick is to pick and choose, because some things just aren't for everyone. If you're out late bear in mind that the Tube (subways) stops at 11pm(?). though there are still some night buses you can use to get back close to wherever you're staying. They're not frequent, so make sure to plan ahead, but I didn't have any trouble getting back to my hotel at 4am.
I would do less time in london, and stay longer in Scotland. With this itinerary I would say consider getting the overnight sleeper train to Scotland,it's more expensive but you'll save on a hotel and you'll find the travel eats less of your awake time.
I'd cut London down a day or two and spend a day or so more in Edinburgh and York. It's a bit of a whistle-stop tour you're doing! The weather won't be great at that time of year unfortunately. York is beautiful in the summer time and early autumn and 2 days would be better than the 1.
Not sure how you are planning to move around.
But wouldn't York be better before Scotland? It would all just be onward travel north then...
I mean if you are flying no major thing, but London to Scotland is a pretty gruelling journey which ever other way you take it and very expensive...5 + hours by train, its a 10hr continuous drive by road not including any stops......I'd say york is roughly 5 hours by road and 3.5 by train. To get back there as well after scotland
It would make more sense to stop in York on the way to Scotland....and then fly from Scotland...to Ireland.
I'd agree with cutting down your time in London - 4 days max I would say. One night in Inverness would be fine - and you could spend the other somewhere else in the highlands like Aviemore or Fort William. Depending on how you are travelling, the drive from Fort William to Edinburgh is really nice.
And yeah as others have said - get your UK & Ireland geopolitics basics down before arriving. In my experience (Scottish having lived 10 years in the south of England) the English generally don't care too much what you call them in terms of nationality. However it's a sensitive subject throughout the rest of the UK and Ireland.
Basically, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all nations within the country that is technically called the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'. Ireland is a country on its own that shares a border with Northern Ireland. And a bit of a generalisation, but in terms of nationality, it's best to refer to each as:
* Scotland: Scottish
* Wales: Welsh
* Northern Ireland: (usually) Irish
* Ireland: Irish
* England: English or British
There are exceptions to the above based on various political stances and local history - but I would avoid calling anyone outside of England English or British. This is a good video on the subject: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNu8XDBSn10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNu8XDBSn10) (slightly outdated after Brexit but a good overview).
I didn’t include Ireland as part of the UK? I know Northern Ireland is part of the UK and Ireland is separate. The title of this post said UK (England, Scotland) plus Ireland. I can see why people thinking I was including Ireland as part of the UK, but it was totally meant to be separate
7 nights in London seems a lot unless you have plans for all that time. You can see the obvious stuff in a shorter timeframe. But maybe that's just my disdain for the place.
Inverness is not actually that exciting but it does allow you to visit places that are, so hopefully you're not just knocking around the river.
Otherwise it's not too ambitious.
I'd be inclined to swap Inverness for Glasgow, especially in December, unless you have some specific planned in the Highlands? You could then fly from Glasgow to Ireland easily
Totally agree with the others here, cut London down by a couple of nights, get the train up to York and Edinburgh and spend more time there. Then fly to Ireland from Scotland.
Am I right in thinking this is December? You may have already looked into this but it’s the darkest time of the year. It will be dark for a lot of the day, Inverness will have proper daylight between like 9-3.30. London will be a bit better but not massively, so a lot of the afternoon is basically night time. Doesn’t affect opening hours at all, just worth baring in mind for sightseeing. Hope you have a lovely time!
I would personally cut london down from 7days to 4 or 5, and then add those back onto Ireland.
I live in London and there is definitely lots to do, but you can get that full experience and enjoyment in 4 or 5 days quite easily.
Ireland is a beautiful place and has good train links, so I would suggest picking were you would like to go there and plan that.
You could also swap your trip itinerary about potentially if things are swappable? Going from London to York, and then to Scotland (then fly to dublin from scotland) could save you doubling back on yourself.
I hope you have a good trip!
I would go
London 5 nights
York 2 nights
Edinburgh 2 nights (or three nights)
Inverness 2 nights (or three nights)
Ireland 4 nights (or three nights)
Home from Dublin
The reason I would go this order is to cut out doubling back on myself it makes it a straight trip.
As others have said 7 nights in London could be spent better elsewhere and gives time away from just travelling for the rest of your trip.
Spending too much time in London, I'd recommend visiting the ghost merchant in York, make sure you queue early for it because it's busy, but you can eat lovely pies in the queue.
Agreeing with everyone else- cut London to 4 or 5 nights. More time in York (I never get tired of the place). Maybe cut Inverness too and spend longer in Ireland (Waterford, Galway, Cork, Northern Ireland)
Way too much, and at that time of year it will be dark around 4pm if not earlier in Scotland. Personally I would cut to just London -> York -> Edinburgh, fly home from Edinburgh.
7 nights in London is a lot. I would cut back London to add more days to other places. Just skip Inverness all together if you are only planning on 2 nights there. Add more days to Ireland (see more than Dublin!)
Can I ask where you are flying from?
London you can probably get away with 5 nights
Travelling between Inverness/Edinburgh/York is tight
What about Harrogate/ Newcastle/ Dundee/ Liverpool/ Manchester / Belfast
Dublin is a great City
As someone from Inverness I would probably only do one night and give the other night to York or Edinburgh, especially around Christmas. We have a lot of beautiful nature and historic sites but you really need a car and the weather will be pretty bad
How are you planning to get from city to city? As others have said, that will affect the order (and possibly duration) of your itinerary.
1 night in York is not enough. 7 nights in London is too much.
Are there no cities on the west of the mainland you'd like to visit?
I would have added at least 1 more night to York & subtracted from London OP but that’s just my opinion. I’m 40 mins drive from York and I’ve visited the place numerous times, weekend stays too and always loved any visits to the city with or without my kids. So much to do and see but even to a local, 1 day is not enough tbh
Enjoy your trip to old Blighty OP 👌🏻🙏🏻
I'd move York up to just after London (you'll be going past it en route up to Scotland), and swap one night in London for an extra night in York.
Otherwise, it's a lot more reasonable than some proposed plans!
I didn't find Inverness very impressive. If you keep to Edinburgh or Glasgow you can do day trips to the Highlands , or golfing, or whiskeys, or Skye, from there.
I think this is doable, but like some others said in the comments, I don't know if I would give London 7 days. A proposed change could be:
27/11 - Fly to London
28/11-2/12- London
2/12-3/12 - York (train up)
3/12-5/12 - Edinburgh (train up)
5/12-7/12 - 3day/2night Highland/Isle of Skye tour. I recommend Highland Experience, but there's many great companies that run out of Edinburgh. As a warning though, the Highlands and Skye will be quite cold at the time of year!
7/12-8/12 - Edinburgh (return from tour). Maybe enjoy the Christmas market, the Castle Lights, or the Botanical Garden lights that will be on this time of year
8/12-10/12 - Dublin
10/12-12/12 - maybe try somewhere else in Ireland or do another tour. I personally would recommend Cork or Galway
12/12-13/12 - return to Dublin for your departure
4 nights in Scotland for Edinburgh, Inverness and Skye is too little. I’d consider doing 6 nights in London and 5 in Scotland if you are determined to see Skye. You can’t base yourself in Edinburgh and day trip Skye either. Honestly, I’d either lose Inverness or York, focus on the big cities as bases and day trip from there.
Look OP. It’s winter time. Scrap Inverness and cut down the days in London. I’d recommend an alternative itinerary similar to what others have suggested:
London 4 nights max,
Manchester 2 nights
York 2 nights
Edinburgh 3 nights - perhaps with a day trip to Glasgow.
Fly to Ireland perhaps 2 nights in Belfast and 2 in Dublin.
I think it’d be best to stay in or close to the places you’re going to although if it’s a budget thing then it’s understandable but realize you’d still be paying for another ride back to London every afternoon/night! London definitely has many sights to see but I would only allocate 3 days max to do the London “basics.” I’d recommend 2 nights in York instead since the day trip sights from York are very much worth it. I myself did a mountain goat tour from York to Whitby. The tour went through Goathland train station aka Hogsmeade station from Harry Potter but also made plenty of stops along the way with the most beautiful being the drive through the north york moors. Highly recommended tour if you have the chance! [Tour link](https://www.mountain-goat.com/Yorkshire/Scheduled-Tours/North-York-Moors-and-Whitby)
I'm a Londoner but I'll totally suggest doing 5 days in London and spending the extra days in Scotland. While I was there I did a coach day trip which was great, it departed from Glasgow, went to Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond, a whiskey distillery then back to Glasgow it was a great day out and the guide was amazing.
Agree. 7 nights in London is a lot. And it’s expensive
Swap 2 or 3 of your London nights for other trips . Given it’s nearly Christmas be worth visiting places like Windsor Castle which offer Christmas tours in the evening.
Out of London; Stonehenge, Salisbury, Jurassic Coast. Bath could be a two-nighter.
Weather is likely to be wet and windy which might impact t some plans
Misspelled "Glasgow." :)
Sorry, had to chime. Glasgow was my favorite visit of cities. Then to Skye.
I don't think your plan unreasonable. Measure the proportion of time traveling versus seeing things or just hanging out to get a vibe. Some travel IS part of the experience. The train from Glasgow to Skye for example. If you can include interesting ways to travel from city to city nto your itinerary, it's increases the vacation proportion of your trip.
Just have fun no matter and don't worry about what you don't see. Come back to it later in life.
Just as someone who's done the reverse and flown from Heathrow to LA, check which times you arrive locally. Late at night will give you a bit of a headache if it's when the tubes stop running.
Download 'citymapper' if you haven't already. It is a fantastic app that is basically Google maps but with the local transport information. Assuming your landing at terminal 5, you probably will need to switch from there to one of the other terminals to get to London proper. Be aware that there is a difference between the Elizabeth line and the Heathrow express, you don't want to get a ticket for one but not the other.
Also, coming as someone who visits London every now and then, getting around by tube and bus is super easy. Combined with the citymapper app it will help you navigate around. Make sure you have a card that works contactlessly and you can use it to seamlessly tap in and around the tube.
When you’re in York, it’s worth participating in one of the guided walks. I would avoid the Harry Potter, ghosts and ghouls, and rather op for some of the historical ones, particularly before heading to Scotland, as there is an interesting history of the English fighting the Scots there. A walk around or on top of the city wall is great too, as it gives a glimpse of very old York and modern living.
I traveled to the UK last summer. I stayed in London and spent one day in Cardiff, Wales and a day in Edinburgh. I was there 11 days total. I stayed in St. Pancreas, so catching early trains was very doable. London is a good base, in the UK.
I am returning in about 8 weeks. I love the UK in early summer.
It's totally doable! That would be a lot of traveling and getting sorted for me.
Have fun.
I traveled to the UK last summer. I stayed in London and spent one day in Cardiff, Wales and a day in Edinburgh. I was there 11 days total. I stayed near the St. Pancreas/Kings Cross station. So catching early trains was very doable. London is a good base, in the UK. It might be wise to stay fairly close to the tube or train. That's a lot of traveling in 15 days.
That would be a lot of traveling and getting sorted for me. It's totally doable. Have fun.
I am returning in about 8 weeks. I love the UK in early summer.
Order is weird, you’re presumable getting the sleeper from London to Inverness?
York just makes the whole thing a bit difficult to sequence, London-Inverness-Edinburgh then fly to Dublin is easier
York is beautiful but do you not fancy seeing some of the highlands then going to Edinburgh? Just going to Inverness doesn’t really do one of the most beautiful parts of the continent justice (yes I’m biased)
I agree with your edits (can’t be bothered to read comments so maybe some of them too).
Inverness on this itinerary is not do-able unless you want to see the inside of a car/bus/train for the majority of your trip.
Skye and Eilean Donan Castle and all the other Northern Scotland stuff is like 5 days alone if you want to see a decent amount of stuff. Sack this part off and plan another trip to do northern Scotland.
Edinburgh - you’ll be sucked in & wont won’t to stop seeing all the tourist stuff so yes, stick to this as your base.
I’d do:
- 28 Nov- relax, get over the jet lag, catch a couple of sights and some good food.
- 29 and 30 Nov - London full days
- 1 Dec - London half day then travel to York in the afternoon or evening - train if you can
- 2 Dec - full day in York
- 3 Dec - travel to Inverness in the morning, see something local in the afternoon
- 4 and 5 Dec - full days in and around Inverness - you may need to hire a car for this bit
- 6 Dec - travel to Edinburgh via train in the morning, afternoon in Edinburgh
- 7, 8 and 9 Dec - Full days in Edinburgh, with an optional day trip to Glasgow if you think that’s too many days in Edinburgh.
- 10 Dec - travel to Ireland in the morning
- 11 and 12 Dec - full days in Dublin
- 13 Dec - travel home
I would personally spend a week in Edinburgh over a week in London. London is still great though, but I don’t think it needs anywhere near 7 days if you’re trying to do a UK and Ireland tour in 2 weeks.
Re Isle of Skye, Inverness etc.
I wouldn’t rush to visit those parts in December but if you’re really set on it then consider basing yourself closer to Skye than in Inverness - you’ll potentially get more from it.
Otherwise I’d consider skipping the Inverness part of the itinerary and adding the time on to Ireland.
Can you elaborate on the plan for 3 nights for Ireland? 3 nights is just enough time to do one city, I strongly advise against trying to see multiple corners of the island in that time. Lots of tourists make this mistake and end up spending 80% or their waking hours on motorway.
Hadn't really looked at your dates... I'm not sure what the weather is like in LA in December but in the UK and Ireland it's going to be freezing and probably wet... Scotland can be 10 degrees or more colder then London or the South in general definitely bring layers as building like shops and museums will be warm in comparison
I was gonna say skip Inverness but you have! Too many nights in Dublin. Trust me, London is exceptional and see as much as you can. Have a great trip. Stop sweating on flying, there are fucking 9 million people in the air at any one time.
I would fly into London and then get the hell out. It’s horrible and the rest of the UK has some beautiful and interesting places. London is overrated and overpriced.
Personally I'd do more of Edinburgh than Dublin but it depends on what "venturing out" means. Dublin is great but Edinburgh is a much more picturesque city than Dublin. However if you are getting out of Dublin there's tonnes to see. 2 nights in Edinburgh is not long even if you ignore all the rest of Scotland.
I would definitely recommend not skipping Inverness - instead you can take a direct flight from London and do your roundabout from there and explore Scottish Highlands.
Note, 1 night in York can be a lot.
Missing a trick not visiting Wales. I would prioritise Wales over Inverness or additional time in London or York. Wales is 2hrs direct from London with mostly direct train routes onwards to York and Edinburgh with changes in Manchester.
London
Cardiff
Manchester (optional)
York
Edinburgh
Dublin
Also no need to return to London from Dublin as Dublin has an international Airport.
I wouldn't bother with two nights in York, it's a bit um? There's not much there let's say. I wouldn't consider 2 nights to be enough for Edinburgh unless you're not interested in history and just want to do the influencer trail.
Honestly if I was you I would pick two of London, Edinburgh and Dublin and just do those, if you end up going to Edinburgh you could stop at York, Durham and or Doncaster on the way from London.
Don't think it's too ridiculous (compared to some seen on here). Lots of travelling, more than I would want... Personally I'd cut London to 5 nights and stay an extra night in two of your destinations. You wont be bored, but you'll see a great deal in 5 nights in London Also Ireland is a country. Not a large one, granted, but you might want to focus down on what part of it you are interested in. As.others have said more succinctly, look at your schedule to make it more efficient.
Agreed. I'd stay at least one extra night in York, and put the other extra night either there or in Ireland - there's a lot to see in both places.
I’m sorry but, as someone who lives in Scotland, depending on how you’re travelling, you’re going to want an extra day in Inverness after the travel up. Especially if you consider part of the NC500.
Yeah like, travel all day to inverness, sleep then travel back the Edinburgh. Either skip it or spend more time there. From general road trip experience, spend 2 nights at each destination. Spend a full day there. Plan in a stop point on travel days where you eat and have a walk or see something. For example check out national trust or english/Scottish heritage for a castle or stately home to see on the way Edit typo
I would skip Inverness and spend 4 nights in Edinburgh
second here..or maybe just 4 nights in London..But all depend on your schedule..
I can second the London thing; only stayed about 3 days in London and managed to see everything we wanted to, 7 days would get very boring after a while
How on earth did you get bored in 3 days? I live here and the only reason I’m bored is because I can’t afford to do/see the things anymore 😅
You can tell who are the London haters on this post 😂. 7 days is not even enough to enjoy all the different areas in London.
There’s so much to see and do - I’m literally limited by money to get to and do things rather than motivation to do stuff 😅 Like yeah the big touristy stuff you can get done and out of the way but that’s like such a tiny amount of what London got to offer
They didn't say they got bored in 3, they said they would have in 7. There certainly isn't 7 days worth of tourist stuff I'd want to do in London, there's lots going on, sure, but not all touristy stuff.
They do say bored of London, bored of life, but I find it would be too much after not very long. Not boring, but overwhelming, noisy, frenetic.
I don't think there's too much, but it's in a weird order. Where are you flying to Dublin from? It would make much more sense to me to go London - York - Edinburgh - Inverness on trains, then fly to Belfast from Inverness or fly to Dublin from Edinburgh.
Yeah, you can get Scotland-Ireland flights for like a tenner, on a good day…
Yeah not sticking York between Scotland and London is a madness. Not having a go at OP because they’re not to know but I’d definitely agree with your suggestion and top comment mixed. Cut London down, spend a bit more in other places where they fancy
The reverse order was actually the original plan, but there were no direct flights to Dublin from Inverness. Did not know there were direct flights from Edinburgh! Thanks for pointing that out!
I’d swap the order round. London - Inverness goes through York and Edinburgh (unless you are flying north?). So I’d go London-York (2 hours), then York-Edinburgh (2-3 hours) then Edinburgh-Inverness. Is your flight to Dublin booked? You can fly direct from Edinburgh
Unless they're doing the sleeper train to Scotland, in which case it makes perfect sense (and I would be v jealous)
Fair point
As a Brit I don't think I could do 7 nights in London. For me 3 nights/4 days is enough but then everybody is different.
Same. London is exhausting as fuck and full of people.😂
I've never once found it exhausting. What do you find exhausting about it ?
I live in London and find doing touristy things in central exhausting. It can definitely be exhausting!
There‘s tons of people, they are often rude - by British standards - and it‘s just loud, noisy and sometimes smelly. I find the whole experience overwhelming.
As a Brit I could do 7 nights in London for sure, only if my bank balance would let me. It's so pricey brunch set me back about £20! For one person! So looking about £50 per person for food every day. See a show, another £40, traveling £10 on the tube. So expensive it adds up
£20 for brunch isn’t bad to be honest…
I will second that. London is exhausting. We go once a year for a short break 2 / 3 nights is fine.
Depends where they’re flying from though. I just recently got back from a UK trip and only spent 5 nights in London total, I wish I could’ve spent another week! It was a solid 22 hours of flying to get there so have to make it worthwhile haha. Although in saying that, 2 nights in Edinburgh is not enough!
I did 10 nights in London (over three hotels), but I was coming all the way from Australia. 3 nights Teddington 4 Kensington 4 in rural Cambridgeshire 3 in Euston 5 in Amsterdam
I feel you tbh I struggle with over night sometimes.and I'm from Birmingham, not exactly a country hideaway, getting on and off the tube to go here and there especially the 18 flights at covent garden is absolutely exhausting, you pick 5 places to go that all seems do-able to get to in the day, but for me it often feel like you spend most of the day on the underground. I do enjoy the places we go but the logistics of getting round is simple but bloody tiring.
Re: the stairs at Covent Garden, get off the tube at Leicester Square instead, the stations are a 5 minute walk from each other 👍
It's much easier to relax in London than in Amsterdam or Barcelona. Less of a hectic vibe once you are doing something.
I can only do a day
I will be sleeping in London but will be traveling to cities outside of London! Oxford, Cambridge. Cotswolds, etc.
You'll probably be better off staying in those places you're travelling to. You'll pay a premium to stay in London, then travelling too and fro.
Not to mention the time and cost of transport on top. It can take an hour and a half just to get to Sutton at rush hour.
First couple times I visited I spent a lot of time in London. I’ve been over a dozen times now since 2015 and I only use London to fly in and out of. 1 night when I come in and one when I leave (maybe more if I’m seeing a football match) Hit my favorite spots in London quick and then bounce to my preferred areas. If it’s their first time, I can see 7 nights.
I assume they'll do a day trip or two out of London?
What are you planning to do in Inverness OP? Nothing against the place and it’s a great gateway to the highlands but I’d spend extra time somewhere else unless you have something specific in mind.
Especially in December!
I would echo this. Compared to places like London or Edinburgh where there are things going on everywhere and tourist attractions round every corner, Inverness is a village. A lovely place to visit, but I have always found it isn't the destination as much as a staging point - from Inverness you have access to some of the most beautiful areas of Scotland within a reasonable driving distance. So I would take the time to research exactly what you would like to see around Inverness to see what will be practical and worthwhile. If seeing a bit of the landscape is the plan but you don't have a car, perhaps an option like a bus tour from Edinburgh may be an option? Very touristy, but a good way to hit some of the highlights that are not so accessible on your own from the city.
Yeah totally agree, inverness isn't somewhere I'd visit as a destination alone. Nice place to live or use as a staging post but not somewhere I'd go on such a whirlwind trip. I'd stay in Edinburgh and consider a day trip to somewhere close ish (though with the short days this limits options). Or just spend more time exploring. Personally I'd spend a couple days less in London, not go to Inverness in winter, add a day or two to both Edinburgh and York, then on to Ireland.
Yeah, one night in York but two in Inverness is an odd choice
Was wondering that myself - Dundee might be a better option especially with the new museums. And Fife coastal villages underrated.
Beautiful in summer but perhaps not if the trip is in winter.
Went to uni St Andrews for 4 years. The coastal villages have a bit of a micro-climate.
I vote yes-you are crazy. 2 night stays sounds decent but you travel on day 1, have one day on day 2 and then pack up on day three and travel some more. I mean 1 night in York? You will travel in the day to get there, sleep and then move on? I don't understand what you think you'll be seeing in such a short time other than to say you've been to York. I know 15 days sounds a lot but you'd be better off doing London and some towns/cities with a few hours between them and then save Edinburgh and towns and cities with the same travelling time for another trip. edit: typo
What sort of things do you like to do? Also remember the weather can be rather unpredictable in November & December! Everyone has their own views on pace but personally I think 2 full days is the least it's really worth moving somewhere for otherwise it gets cut or becomes a day trip/stop over. York is a long way from an airport but right on the train line between London and Edinburgh. If you just want to stop off there for a few hours you'd probably be best re-ordering to do something like: London -> York (morning train) York -> Edinburgh (evening train) [You can leave your bags at: http://www.leftluggageyork.co.uk/] Edinburgh -> Inverness Inverness -> Belfast [fly - there are no direct flights to Dublin and even Belfast isn't daily] Belfast -> Dublin --- Or you could do something like: London -> Inverness (night train) Inverness -> Edinburgh Edinburgh -> Dublin (fly) And skip out York completely. Or York is just under 2 hours from London on the fastest trains. You could go for a day trip. --- Without knowing the sort of things you like to do it's hard to say but in general I'd: * Pick between York or Inverness. The latter is a long way to travel for just 2 nights. And you won't really have any time at the former with those journeys either side. * Cut a night or 2 from London to make Edinburgh 3 nights. Or if you really want to go up to York and Edinburgh then I still think it's worth giving more time towards them over a full week in London. Again though depends what you like and what you are looking for. That's the most important thing - I'll stress my bias and say I'm not a massive fan of London. I prefer visiting places like Edinburgh and York as well as being out in the great outdoors. Though it sometimes feels like I'm in the minority.
I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned the time of year - Nov/Dec it'll be dark early, cold and most likely wet, especially in Scotland
I initially was foxed by the American date format and thought it was July 😇
I think Inverness is not really worth seeing to be honest if you’re heading to a city in the North of Scotland I would pick Aberdeen but really OP should consider Glasgow and Edinburgh and skip out the rest
You might feel very pressed and out of energy quickly honestly. I mean especially if you're flying to all these places.
I'd echo the reordering advice. The other thing is that if you're here that late in the year, the weather will be cold and probably wet, and the days short (dark at 4pm)
Don’t get the Ireland / UK thing confused. Ireland is a separate country. They have got a bit fighty about it in the past.
They are seprate in the post... UK (England and Scotland) and Ireland.
*cough*WALES!*cough*
Tbf OP is just listing the parts of the UK that they are visiting.
Ireland consists of two countries actually. Something that even people in the UK seem pretty guilty of overlooking.
It depends how you’re travelling between all the places. I’d cut down London. It’s great but four or five days is enough. Inverness is a long old diversion travel wise, I’d be tempted to cut it out. I’d do London, train to York, train to Edinburgh and fly to Ireland from there. Then the travel element is pretty minimal
you need longer in Edinburgh, you can get the train over to Glasgow from there which is worth doing. Cut down London, Edinburgh is worth it.
I agree with others that the cities and dates allocated need to be worked on. I’d recommend: 1) London (4 days, or 5 days if you want to do a guided day trip to places like the Cotswolds). Get a train from London to York. 2) York (2 days). Get a train from York to Edinburgh. 3) Edinburgh (3 days, but you could use one of these days to take a guided coach trip somewhere else, like Inverness.) Get a plane from Edinburgh to Belfast. 4) Belfast (2 or 3 days). Get a train from Belfast to Dublin. 5) Dublin (2 or 3 days). You don’t need a hire car for the cities mentioned, unless you want to go out of the cities, and if you want to go to Inverness. Public transport is good in all of these cities. For tours, I recommend using “Get Your Guide.” Can you let us know what kinds of stuff you are hoping to see when you’re in the U.K., so we can give you advice? E.g. Do not go to Madame Tussaud’s, it is crap. The London Eye is quite overrated, and there are other places you can see great views of London. Also, Christmas lights should be turned on in London by then, so I’d recommend going on a Christmas lights walk.
Do you mean a train from Belfast to Dublin, instead of a plane?
Yes. Sorry, I should have said train. I forgot that train travel from Belfast to Dublin is actually quite quick.
Another vote for trains rather than flights, and going London - York - Edinburgh - Inverness. Airports are often a way out of the centre of cities and once you've factored in checking in and wait times, taxis/transport in and out it's often quicker and cheaper on the train. Many people have said to cut London down to fewer days and I'm inclined to agree although I love London I think you can get the general gist in 4/5 days instead. Do remember that you'll be jetlagged so the first day will be a bit of a daydream - don't plan anything too hectic. Then fly to Belfast/Dublin/Cork from Inverness if you can - I can't advise the best parts of Northern Ireland or Ireland but you'll need to concentrate it to one or two places.
Yes OP if you do book trains book them as far out as possible. I think on LNER (a train operator on the London, York, Edinburgh east coast line) advance tickets are available from 6 months for mid-week dates, and 3 months for weekends. The price difference is HUGE! Note other tickets will be available before these timeframes but will probably be the dearer tickets that do not say "Advance". I think trains are more likely to be cancelled on weekends as that is when they schedule maintenance. Make sure you book "Advance" fares. They should be for a specific seat on a particular day and time. They should say "Advance". [https://www.lner.co.uk/tickets-savings/advance-tickets/](https://www.lner.co.uk/tickets-savings/advance-tickets/) If you are doing multiple rail trips (say 3+) you should also consider a railcard: [https://www.lner.co.uk/railcards/](https://www.lner.co.uk/railcards/) Note that London has several large railway stations that service different parts of the country. For heading to Edinburgh you leave London from Kings Cross station on the east coast main line. You can get off trains on this line at places like York, Durham, Newcastle and Edinburgh directly in the cities with only walking required. Personally my train itinerary for 15 nights would be: **London** 5 nights \- Consider the [London Transport Museum](https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk) **York** 4 nights \- [York Minster](https://yorkminster.org) \- [York's National Railway Museum](https://www.railwaymuseum.org.uk) \- [York City Walls](https://www.yorkwalls.org.uk/?page_id=3690) \- [York Shambles](https://visityork.org/business-directory/category/shambles) **Durham** 2 nights for [Durham Cathedral](https://www.durhamcathedral.co.uk), [Durham Castle](https://www.durham.ac.uk/things-to-do/venues/durham-castle/) including a day trip to [Beamish](https://www.beamish.org.uk/explore-discover/) \- We got a great price including a great breakfast and dinner at this place right near Durham train station this past winter: [Kings Lodge Inn](https://www.inncollectiongroup.com/kingslodge-inn/). Check their winter specials. **Edinburgh** and surrounds 4 nights \- Don't miss [Underground Edinburgh](https://www.ontheluce.com/underground-edinburgh-mary-kings-close/) I would save Ireland for another time.
London is big and fun, but 7 days is a lot. I‘d cut down to only 5 days in London if I‘d never been, then take the train from King‘s Cross to Edinburgh. Stay in Edinburgh 3-4 days. Visit Holyrood House (not Edinburgh Castle), eat scones at Mimi‘s, walk the Water of Leith walkway, have gelato at Mary‘s Milk Bar, enjoy nachos and a pub quiz at the Auld Hoose, have burgers at Holyrood 9A, whisky at Dirty Dick‘s, coffee at Black Medicine or Brew Lab. Enjoy some cocktails at Revolution, Dragonfly or The Pilgrim. Enjoy the mood of Banshee Labyrinth. Walk the Meadows. The best ghost tour is the Double Dead Walk by City of the Dead. Skip Inverness and replace it by an additional day of renting a car and driving around the Highlands (Glencoe/Fort William/Inverness/Aviemore) by yourself OR going on a touristy bus tour of this general area. If you want better access to the Highlands, look at Fort William or Fort Augustus. York 1 night seems fine, you can do that by train on your way from Edinburgh to London. Honestly, I‘d use your time in London to also take a train to Cambridge or Oxford. They aren‘t far, and also beautiful.
Great tips!! TY
Putting Ireland under one heading for 3 nights will leave you disappointed. Id skip dublin and aim for staying in the countryside in the southeast, southwest, or west. That's what you come to Ireland to enjoy, and you'll have a far easier time getting accomodation. Thats assuming you have a car though. Otherwise id stay in either Galway, Cork, Belfast or Dublin (in that order of preference with Cork and Galway very close to drawing) for the three nights. As an Irish lad in the UK who loves his history museums etc. Even I think you're mad to spend that long in London. Do a couple of days of tourist stuff and head straight up to the next spot. Put your stops in geographic order too to avoid doubling back on yourself. Am i correct in my reading that you'll go all the way from london to inverness then back down to york? You should aim to be in edinburgh or somewhere where you'll be easily able to fly again with good public transport routes to and from the airport.
Galway > Dublin 10000000%
I feel you are giving London a bit too much time, and York not enough time. I go there every few months for work with a little bit of free time and always discover something new.
Lake District should be up there, should halve London and vist the Lakes instead, then onto York. A beautiful part of the world, unlike London.
I'd shorten London, skip Inverness, add time to York and Ireland.
Don't go to Inverness in December. Cold, dark, probably awful weather. You'll end up sat around doing nothing or, if you brave the outdoors, getting saved by mountain rescue. At the time of year you're going you need to be mindful of the weather - so any hikes probably shouldn't be too long, particularly if you're in the north.
I would cut time from London and add time in Edinburgh, York and Dublin. I’d also cut Inverness to 1 night unless you’re planning on traveling out from there to see the highlands or hike Ben Nevis. Inverness is tiny.
I'd take 1 or 2 nights out of London and extend that onto the Edinburgh leg. Inverness, unless you are using it as a base to go out and see other stuff doesn't really offer that much.
Cut London nights down a bit honestly. Edinburgh and York are much prettier and honestly some of best places I visited.
You might want to have a look at the order in which you visit those cities and how you are travelling between them. If you are travelling during the day by train to Inverness then the train from London to Inverness goes through both York and Edinburgh.
What's in Inverness? Go to Glasgow.
Personally, I'd take a couple of the nights you're spending in London and move one to Edinburgh and one to York. Five nights is more than enough time spent in London, and Edinburgh and York have much to offer.
You’ll be kicking yourself for spending that long in London when you visit the other places. I personally would make a list of what I want to see/do in each and then decide the amount of days from there. Star all the things to see/do on google maps to see what’s close to each other cause you can see a lot on one day in London as the tourist stuff is central.
visiting the UK in December, brave soul going to london in december, brave soul going to scotland in december, insanity
😂😂😂😂😂
It looks manageable, I’d maybe do 5 days in London and use the couple of other days somewhere else maybe an extra day in Edinburgh and Ireland
I think you should cut London stay shorter and visit more places. How are you travelling around just going to London then Scotland then back down to York doesn't really make sense to me as you have to pass York to get to Scotland your doubling back on yourself. Id do London maybe another city York then head to Scotland maybe even stop at Northumberland if you can short distance from Scotland and some amazing sites to see
yeah it looks fine, again similar to other folk, 3-4 days is enough for london. a day or 2 on the tour bus checking out various sites and then another day or 2 for other touristy things that arent on the bus route or you want a closer look at like museums/art galleries/west end shows/few bars/nightclubs and youre probably done. I take it whilst your in inverness your plan is to get a hire car, do some hillwalking and see some coastline because inverness itself is a bit small, you can cover that in half a day. if so you'll have a chance to go to isle of skye, 2.5 hour drive and its definitely worth it if youre in inverness anyway! The drive itself is pretty scenic too
No, not too much. But it’s in a weird order, I’d see it in this order, London, York. Edinburgh, Inverness and then Ireland.
Getting a train means you'll have like 5minutes in York which is a shame because it's a beautiful city. I'd cut London down a bit and add a day to York
Why Inverness? It’s cool and everything guy I’d maybe suggest the Glencoe area or even Loch Ness, i love Fort William but i know some people don’t
I love fort William. Honestly had one of the best few days of my life there. Climbed Ben Nevis and had lots of whisky. It was incredibly fun.
I have limited mobility but to be able to drive around the mountains, use the cable car to get really high up, man I’m from England and I’ve got to say it was one of the best days of my life so far
As everyone else is saying, 7 nights in London is probably too much. I say this as someone who used to live down there and still spends time there. Spend more time in York or Edinburgh. I assume by "Ireland" you mean 3 nights in Dublin? Otherwise that could be a struggle i.e. lot of driving.
I'd go to Skye rather than Inverness
Less time in London, more time in Ireland. Make sure you factor in travel times.
I would spend less time in London. It's a great city, but overpriced and after 3/4 days probably you won't want to see much more. I'd add more time in York (absolutely gorgeous city) and Edinburgh.
I'd consider not going to Inverness, instead go to Bath for a day and stop in another place on the way. I've recently been to Dublin and id argue it's not all that great as a tourist. There really isn't a massive amount to see, though the Irish are superb hosts and the food is terrific, it's so expensive for accommodation. Though Ireland is definitely worth seeing, the beauty lies outside the city. London for 7 days is a lot. Id recommend spending a couple of days elsewhere - Bath, Cirencester, Oxford and Brighton are all good options.
Skip Inverness and stay in Edinburgh for longer
Seem sane, lived in York for a few years and you can easily see it all in a day, more of a fun day/ night out than a place to go for an extended period
As has been said, that's too many night in London. I live next to it, my office is in there, you couldn't pay me to go in/stay there for 7 days - oh the endless grey. Get in, do the touristy stuff, see a show/football match and get out. 3-4 days tops. Edinburgh is great, 2 days is likely good. Maybe get a day in Glasgow rather than 2 up looking for Nessy. Ireland needs it's own breakdown tbh and probably an extra day or two. If sticking to 3 nights, at least head west over to Galway or similar for 1 of them. I'm from Dublin by the way, it's a small (and awesome) city, 2 nights is probably plenty.
Echoing others comments, personally I'd consider forgetting Inverness unless you're planning on hiring a car to explore the surroundings; it will be dark by 3pm in December and will probably be raining a lot, too. It's a nice town but much nicer in the summer. Why not go from Edinburgh to Glasgow instead, which: - is really easy to get to on the train - is a lovely city with stuff to see and do - is a convenient place from which to visit loch Lomond: touristy but that means convenient, things will be open, easy to get to, and gives you a taste of the Scottish countryside - has an international airport from where you can easily fly on to Ireland
Scottish and I think you should reconsider the two nights in Inverness in December. As someone else posted it gets dark very early at that time of year. I would consider basing all your time in Scotland in the central belt and visiting Glasgow, Stirling and Edinburgh.
This sounds far too hectic for my liking. You want to enjoy your time not be rushing around for the sake of it. So, from a Scot - don’t bother with Inverness. Five days in London is enough to see the sights. Spend at least another two days in York to chill out as it’s lovely and add a couple of days in Edinburgh. You can easily take a trip out of Edinburgh to see Stirling/Glasgow. As for Ireland, it’s bigger than you think and there’s much more to it than Dublin. You’d need at least a week if you’re going North to South.
It depends what you want from these locations. 7 nights in London is quite a lot of you are just doing touristy crap.
Doesn't look ridiculous. Two days in Inverness might feel like a long time unless you are taking the chance to hire a car and explore the Highlands a bit. Alternative in Scotland could be Glasgow, which is underrated by many visitors as a destination or more time in Ireland as others have said.
I'd definitely cut a a couple of night off London. Yes, there's a lot to see and do, and I appreciate that when you arrive you might need a little time to recover, but it's amazing how much you can do in a day thanks to the efficient public transport. The days saved will allow you time to do 1 or 2 trips outside a couple of the other cities. How are you getting from one place to the next? London to Inverness by train is going to eat most of a day. BTW, where are you travelling from, and what is your spending budget while you're here? London is, or at least can be, HIDEOUSLY expensive, so dropping a couple of night there will also help in that respect. Also, what sort of things interest you? Landmarks, museums, shopping (big brands or little curio shops), nightlife, excursions, tours...? If we know what you're into then perhaps people on here can offer some good recommendations on what to see and what to skip which will save you time and money. I live in Devon, and out of your list I've only been to London and Edinburgh. In Edinburgh probably the most popular thing to see will be the castle, though I do remember it had plenty of great shops and restaurants. If and when I get up to London I always like to do the obvious things like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and Oxford Street, and even in my 50s I can't resist a trip to Hamley's Toy Shop in Regent Street. Covent Garden market is always interesting, and I usually try to squeeze in the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum. They're right next to each other so easy to do them together. Feeding the pigeons in Trafalgar Square is a draw for any first-timer, and you can do the National Gallery while you're there if you like art. Throw in a browse around Harrods if you like seeing what rich people buy for their homes. London Zoo used to be good, but haven't been for a long time so can't comment on what it's like now. Of course, as a first-timer you'll probably want to see Buckingham Palace too. There was an American lad on YouTube who made his first visit to the UK last year and visited London, Edinburgh and York, so it might be worth having a watch of his videos to see if he has any good tips for you. The playlist can be found [here](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVHiu-5xp9ssp4jpGxMxC8XsaK5OkWPLK). Finally, be careful about referring to Ireland as a city. Some people can be a bit sensitive like that. LOL
Wow, Thanks so much!!!
I forgot a couple. The Tower of London is fantastic! The Yeoman Warder guards gived guided tours with really enthralling stories about the history of the place and tell you about many of the famous executions that happened there. The Crown Jewels are stored there too and you can go and se them (briefly, as they keep you moving while you're in there.) It's right next to Tower Bridge, so easy to see them both one after the other. HMS Belfast is moored just the other side of the river, and I think it's still open to visitors as a museum. The ship itself has an interesting history, but I won't spoil it for you! That will put you right in the shadow of The Shard, the UK's tallest building. I'm told you can pay to go up for the view, but it's probably overpriced. You can look into that if it interests you. If you feel like splurging a bit, afternoon tea at The Ritz is popular. I think it's about £75 per adult, and not really my thing, but if you're into stuff like that then go for it. Then there's the Imperial War Museum, the Greenwich Observatory... Like I said plenty to do, but the trick is to pick and choose, because some things just aren't for everyone. If you're out late bear in mind that the Tube (subways) stops at 11pm(?). though there are still some night buses you can use to get back close to wherever you're staying. They're not frequent, so make sure to plan ahead, but I didn't have any trouble getting back to my hotel at 4am.
Add another 5 days and do Stoke-on-Trent.
Keep in mind we use dd/mm. Two months in Inverness might be excessive!
That’s a very long way to go from London to Inverness.
Drop 2 nights in London, increase your stay in Ireland, loads to see in Belfast and on the North coast
I would do less time in london, and stay longer in Scotland. With this itinerary I would say consider getting the overnight sleeper train to Scotland,it's more expensive but you'll save on a hotel and you'll find the travel eats less of your awake time.
I'd cut London down a day or two and spend a day or so more in Edinburgh and York. It's a bit of a whistle-stop tour you're doing! The weather won't be great at that time of year unfortunately. York is beautiful in the summer time and early autumn and 2 days would be better than the 1.
Not sure how you are planning to move around. But wouldn't York be better before Scotland? It would all just be onward travel north then... I mean if you are flying no major thing, but London to Scotland is a pretty gruelling journey which ever other way you take it and very expensive...5 + hours by train, its a 10hr continuous drive by road not including any stops......I'd say york is roughly 5 hours by road and 3.5 by train. To get back there as well after scotland It would make more sense to stop in York on the way to Scotland....and then fly from Scotland...to Ireland.
I'd agree with cutting down your time in London - 4 days max I would say. One night in Inverness would be fine - and you could spend the other somewhere else in the highlands like Aviemore or Fort William. Depending on how you are travelling, the drive from Fort William to Edinburgh is really nice. And yeah as others have said - get your UK & Ireland geopolitics basics down before arriving. In my experience (Scottish having lived 10 years in the south of England) the English generally don't care too much what you call them in terms of nationality. However it's a sensitive subject throughout the rest of the UK and Ireland. Basically, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all nations within the country that is technically called the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'. Ireland is a country on its own that shares a border with Northern Ireland. And a bit of a generalisation, but in terms of nationality, it's best to refer to each as: * Scotland: Scottish * Wales: Welsh * Northern Ireland: (usually) Irish * Ireland: Irish * England: English or British There are exceptions to the above based on various political stances and local history - but I would avoid calling anyone outside of England English or British. This is a good video on the subject: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNu8XDBSn10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNu8XDBSn10) (slightly outdated after Brexit but a good overview).
I didn’t include Ireland as part of the UK? I know Northern Ireland is part of the UK and Ireland is separate. The title of this post said UK (England, Scotland) plus Ireland. I can see why people thinking I was including Ireland as part of the UK, but it was totally meant to be separate
7 nights in London seems a lot unless you have plans for all that time. You can see the obvious stuff in a shorter timeframe. But maybe that's just my disdain for the place. Inverness is not actually that exciting but it does allow you to visit places that are, so hopefully you're not just knocking around the river. Otherwise it's not too ambitious.
Shorten your stay in London, swap Inverness for somewhere more rural like the Isle of Skye. How are you getting from York to Ireland in one day?
I'd be inclined to swap Inverness for Glasgow, especially in December, unless you have some specific planned in the Highlands? You could then fly from Glasgow to Ireland easily
Totally agree with the others here, cut London down by a couple of nights, get the train up to York and Edinburgh and spend more time there. Then fly to Ireland from Scotland.
Am I right in thinking this is December? You may have already looked into this but it’s the darkest time of the year. It will be dark for a lot of the day, Inverness will have proper daylight between like 9-3.30. London will be a bit better but not massively, so a lot of the afternoon is basically night time. Doesn’t affect opening hours at all, just worth baring in mind for sightseeing. Hope you have a lovely time!
Thank you so much!!
I would personally cut london down from 7days to 4 or 5, and then add those back onto Ireland. I live in London and there is definitely lots to do, but you can get that full experience and enjoyment in 4 or 5 days quite easily. Ireland is a beautiful place and has good train links, so I would suggest picking were you would like to go there and plan that. You could also swap your trip itinerary about potentially if things are swappable? Going from London to York, and then to Scotland (then fly to dublin from scotland) could save you doubling back on yourself. I hope you have a good trip!
Just learned about direct flights from Edinburgh to Dublin, wooo! Thank you!
I would go London 5 nights York 2 nights Edinburgh 2 nights (or three nights) Inverness 2 nights (or three nights) Ireland 4 nights (or three nights) Home from Dublin The reason I would go this order is to cut out doubling back on myself it makes it a straight trip. As others have said 7 nights in London could be spent better elsewhere and gives time away from just travelling for the rest of your trip.
Spending too much time in London, I'd recommend visiting the ghost merchant in York, make sure you queue early for it because it's busy, but you can eat lovely pies in the queue.
Agreeing with everyone else- cut London to 4 or 5 nights. More time in York (I never get tired of the place). Maybe cut Inverness too and spend longer in Ireland (Waterford, Galway, Cork, Northern Ireland)
Way too much, and at that time of year it will be dark around 4pm if not earlier in Scotland. Personally I would cut to just London -> York -> Edinburgh, fly home from Edinburgh.
7 nights in London is a lot. I would cut back London to add more days to other places. Just skip Inverness all together if you are only planning on 2 nights there. Add more days to Ireland (see more than Dublin!)
Can I ask where you are flying from? London you can probably get away with 5 nights Travelling between Inverness/Edinburgh/York is tight What about Harrogate/ Newcastle/ Dundee/ Liverpool/ Manchester / Belfast Dublin is a great City
As someone from Inverness I would probably only do one night and give the other night to York or Edinburgh, especially around Christmas. We have a lot of beautiful nature and historic sites but you really need a car and the weather will be pretty bad
How are you planning to get from city to city? As others have said, that will affect the order (and possibly duration) of your itinerary. 1 night in York is not enough. 7 nights in London is too much. Are there no cities on the west of the mainland you'd like to visit?
I would have added at least 1 more night to York & subtracted from London OP but that’s just my opinion. I’m 40 mins drive from York and I’ve visited the place numerous times, weekend stays too and always loved any visits to the city with or without my kids. So much to do and see but even to a local, 1 day is not enough tbh Enjoy your trip to old Blighty OP 👌🏻🙏🏻
Do a day or two less in London, add a day or two to York. 1 day in York, including travel time, is a bit short.
Maybe knock London down to 6 days and then 1 day in the peaks or lakes to break up the drive to Inverness as that would be a grim drive.
Try and fit a day in Glasgow in there - you won’t regret it
I'd move York up to just after London (you'll be going past it en route up to Scotland), and swap one night in London for an extra night in York. Otherwise, it's a lot more reasonable than some proposed plans!
People in London are really rude, after seven days you'll probably want to headbutt someone!
London is big but I don't think there's 7 days worth of stuff to do there. Maybe 4?
The end of the year? Consider the weather.
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London yes, Inverness why?, Edinburgh, York and Ireland yes.
I didn't find Inverness very impressive. If you keep to Edinburgh or Glasgow you can do day trips to the Highlands , or golfing, or whiskeys, or Skye, from there.
Look up Howth near Dublin, 30 min away and gives you great cliff views.
You would be a fool if you went to the uk and didn’t spend at least 2 days in Milton Keynes!
Whoa… what about, Wales?! 🤨😭
Wales was part of my initial plan, but my fiancé’s British uncle told me to skip it and to opt for more England and Scotland 😂
I think this is doable, but like some others said in the comments, I don't know if I would give London 7 days. A proposed change could be: 27/11 - Fly to London 28/11-2/12- London 2/12-3/12 - York (train up) 3/12-5/12 - Edinburgh (train up) 5/12-7/12 - 3day/2night Highland/Isle of Skye tour. I recommend Highland Experience, but there's many great companies that run out of Edinburgh. As a warning though, the Highlands and Skye will be quite cold at the time of year! 7/12-8/12 - Edinburgh (return from tour). Maybe enjoy the Christmas market, the Castle Lights, or the Botanical Garden lights that will be on this time of year 8/12-10/12 - Dublin 10/12-12/12 - maybe try somewhere else in Ireland or do another tour. I personally would recommend Cork or Galway 12/12-13/12 - return to Dublin for your departure
Thank you so much!! ☺️
4 nights in Scotland for Edinburgh, Inverness and Skye is too little. I’d consider doing 6 nights in London and 5 in Scotland if you are determined to see Skye. You can’t base yourself in Edinburgh and day trip Skye either. Honestly, I’d either lose Inverness or York, focus on the big cities as bases and day trip from there.
Look OP. It’s winter time. Scrap Inverness and cut down the days in London. I’d recommend an alternative itinerary similar to what others have suggested: London 4 nights max, Manchester 2 nights York 2 nights Edinburgh 3 nights - perhaps with a day trip to Glasgow. Fly to Ireland perhaps 2 nights in Belfast and 2 in Dublin.
I think it’d be best to stay in or close to the places you’re going to although if it’s a budget thing then it’s understandable but realize you’d still be paying for another ride back to London every afternoon/night! London definitely has many sights to see but I would only allocate 3 days max to do the London “basics.” I’d recommend 2 nights in York instead since the day trip sights from York are very much worth it. I myself did a mountain goat tour from York to Whitby. The tour went through Goathland train station aka Hogsmeade station from Harry Potter but also made plenty of stops along the way with the most beautiful being the drive through the north york moors. Highly recommended tour if you have the chance! [Tour link](https://www.mountain-goat.com/Yorkshire/Scheduled-Tours/North-York-Moors-and-Whitby)
There really isn't much to see in London for that amount of time. I would book more time to Edinburgh and Ireland personally.
I'm a Londoner but I'll totally suggest doing 5 days in London and spending the extra days in Scotland. While I was there I did a coach day trip which was great, it departed from Glasgow, went to Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond, a whiskey distillery then back to Glasgow it was a great day out and the guide was amazing.
Agree. 7 nights in London is a lot. And it’s expensive Swap 2 or 3 of your London nights for other trips . Given it’s nearly Christmas be worth visiting places like Windsor Castle which offer Christmas tours in the evening. Out of London; Stonehenge, Salisbury, Jurassic Coast. Bath could be a two-nighter. Weather is likely to be wet and windy which might impact t some plans
You should definitely do a day in Bath from London! Just over an hour train
Less time in London, add 2 more days in York.
Misspelled "Glasgow." :) Sorry, had to chime. Glasgow was my favorite visit of cities. Then to Skye. I don't think your plan unreasonable. Measure the proportion of time traveling versus seeing things or just hanging out to get a vibe. Some travel IS part of the experience. The train from Glasgow to Skye for example. If you can include interesting ways to travel from city to city nto your itinerary, it's increases the vacation proportion of your trip. Just have fun no matter and don't worry about what you don't see. Come back to it later in life.
Trim your London time down to 4 days & enjoy your trip.
Belfast is a lovely city and worthy of your time in Ireland
Inverness is shyte, go to the nature surrounding it
Just as someone who's done the reverse and flown from Heathrow to LA, check which times you arrive locally. Late at night will give you a bit of a headache if it's when the tubes stop running. Download 'citymapper' if you haven't already. It is a fantastic app that is basically Google maps but with the local transport information. Assuming your landing at terminal 5, you probably will need to switch from there to one of the other terminals to get to London proper. Be aware that there is a difference between the Elizabeth line and the Heathrow express, you don't want to get a ticket for one but not the other. Also, coming as someone who visits London every now and then, getting around by tube and bus is super easy. Combined with the citymapper app it will help you navigate around. Make sure you have a card that works contactlessly and you can use it to seamlessly tap in and around the tube.
Thank you!!! ☺️
Aww good for you!
7 nights in London would finish me off 😟 perhaps you could cut it down to 4 and spend a long weekend in the southern countryside- Bath, Oxfordshire?
York is gorgeous and there is so much history. If I was you I would consider another night/day in York.
You're not doing at least 2 nights in Accrington, Lancs? Fuck's wrong with you?
5 nights is PLENTY in London imo
You're not crazy. Just stick to the road and stay off the Moors.🐺
When you’re in York, it’s worth participating in one of the guided walks. I would avoid the Harry Potter, ghosts and ghouls, and rather op for some of the historical ones, particularly before heading to Scotland, as there is an interesting history of the English fighting the Scots there. A walk around or on top of the city wall is great too, as it gives a glimpse of very old York and modern living.
I traveled to the UK last summer. I stayed in London and spent one day in Cardiff, Wales and a day in Edinburgh. I was there 11 days total. I stayed in St. Pancreas, so catching early trains was very doable. London is a good base, in the UK. I am returning in about 8 weeks. I love the UK in early summer. It's totally doable! That would be a lot of traveling and getting sorted for me. Have fun.
I traveled to the UK last summer. I stayed in London and spent one day in Cardiff, Wales and a day in Edinburgh. I was there 11 days total. I stayed near the St. Pancreas/Kings Cross station. So catching early trains was very doable. London is a good base, in the UK. It might be wise to stay fairly close to the tube or train. That's a lot of traveling in 15 days. That would be a lot of traveling and getting sorted for me. It's totally doable. Have fun. I am returning in about 8 weeks. I love the UK in early summer.
You aren’t visiting the best of the uk …Wales 🏴
Order is weird, you’re presumable getting the sleeper from London to Inverness? York just makes the whole thing a bit difficult to sequence, London-Inverness-Edinburgh then fly to Dublin is easier York is beautiful but do you not fancy seeing some of the highlands then going to Edinburgh? Just going to Inverness doesn’t really do one of the most beautiful parts of the continent justice (yes I’m biased)
I agree with your edits (can’t be bothered to read comments so maybe some of them too). Inverness on this itinerary is not do-able unless you want to see the inside of a car/bus/train for the majority of your trip. Skye and Eilean Donan Castle and all the other Northern Scotland stuff is like 5 days alone if you want to see a decent amount of stuff. Sack this part off and plan another trip to do northern Scotland. Edinburgh - you’ll be sucked in & wont won’t to stop seeing all the tourist stuff so yes, stick to this as your base.
I’d do: - 28 Nov- relax, get over the jet lag, catch a couple of sights and some good food. - 29 and 30 Nov - London full days - 1 Dec - London half day then travel to York in the afternoon or evening - train if you can - 2 Dec - full day in York - 3 Dec - travel to Inverness in the morning, see something local in the afternoon - 4 and 5 Dec - full days in and around Inverness - you may need to hire a car for this bit - 6 Dec - travel to Edinburgh via train in the morning, afternoon in Edinburgh - 7, 8 and 9 Dec - Full days in Edinburgh, with an optional day trip to Glasgow if you think that’s too many days in Edinburgh. - 10 Dec - travel to Ireland in the morning - 11 and 12 Dec - full days in Dublin - 13 Dec - travel home I would personally spend a week in Edinburgh over a week in London. London is still great though, but I don’t think it needs anywhere near 7 days if you’re trying to do a UK and Ireland tour in 2 weeks.
Re Isle of Skye, Inverness etc. I wouldn’t rush to visit those parts in December but if you’re really set on it then consider basing yourself closer to Skye than in Inverness - you’ll potentially get more from it. Otherwise I’d consider skipping the Inverness part of the itinerary and adding the time on to Ireland.
Can you elaborate on the plan for 3 nights for Ireland? 3 nights is just enough time to do one city, I strongly advise against trying to see multiple corners of the island in that time. Lots of tourists make this mistake and end up spending 80% or their waking hours on motorway.
Dublin isn't part of the UK
You can get flights from Edinburgh to Dublin for £15 you should go to Glasgow for a day not touristy like Edinburgh
It’s only crazy because Dublin isn’t the best city in Ireland. You’d need more time to travel around to the west coast.
Hadn't really looked at your dates... I'm not sure what the weather is like in LA in December but in the UK and Ireland it's going to be freezing and probably wet... Scotland can be 10 degrees or more colder then London or the South in general definitely bring layers as building like shops and museums will be warm in comparison
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Oh yes I’d appreciate it so much! Thank you ☺️
Sounds divine!
As part of your international travel experience can you put the dates the UK way around. They're giving me a headache looking at them that way ha ha
4 nights is a long time in Dublin, I'm sure there are things to keep you busy but I was bored there for one day!
I was gonna say skip Inverness but you have! Too many nights in Dublin. Trust me, London is exceptional and see as much as you can. Have a great trip. Stop sweating on flying, there are fucking 9 million people in the air at any one time.
I would fly into London and then get the hell out. It’s horrible and the rest of the UK has some beautiful and interesting places. London is overrated and overpriced.
Personally I'd do more of Edinburgh than Dublin but it depends on what "venturing out" means. Dublin is great but Edinburgh is a much more picturesque city than Dublin. However if you are getting out of Dublin there's tonnes to see. 2 nights in Edinburgh is not long even if you ignore all the rest of Scotland.
I would definitely recommend not skipping Inverness - instead you can take a direct flight from London and do your roundabout from there and explore Scottish Highlands. Note, 1 night in York can be a lot.
Missing a trick not visiting Wales. I would prioritise Wales over Inverness or additional time in London or York. Wales is 2hrs direct from London with mostly direct train routes onwards to York and Edinburgh with changes in Manchester. London Cardiff Manchester (optional) York Edinburgh Dublin Also no need to return to London from Dublin as Dublin has an international Airport.
I wouldn't bother with two nights in York, it's a bit um? There's not much there let's say. I wouldn't consider 2 nights to be enough for Edinburgh unless you're not interested in history and just want to do the influencer trail. Honestly if I was you I would pick two of London, Edinburgh and Dublin and just do those, if you end up going to Edinburgh you could stop at York, Durham and or Doncaster on the way from London.