I'm about to spend 2 1/2 weeks in Ireland and the UK. What should I do there?

[racaulk]

This Friday after work, I'm taking a red eye flight to Dublin for the beginning of a long and, might I say, well-deserved vacation in Europe. This is my first time ever leaving the United States, and I'm very excited!

:woohoo:

I will be staying in Dublin for 9 nights, and then another 7 nights in London. I'm taking a couple of excursions out into the countryside (a trip to the Cliffs of Moher in western Ireland and a trip to Stonehenge in western England), but most of my time will be in those two cities. I'm not one for typical touristy stuff where I will have to fight crowds of other tourists. I would much rather stop at some random place in the city and just walk around to see what "off the beaten path" things I can find.

Have any of you visited (or do you live in) either of those countries? If so, what things would you recommend that I do there? Any recommendations of places to visit, things to do and see, or restaurants to dine in would be appreciated.

[EstimatedProphet]

1. Drink

I hear the beer is not bad...

[racaulk]

2. Oh, I *definitely* plan to do that!

It's too bad I don't like Guinness, though. Maybe I'll learn to like it while I'm in Dublin!

:beer:

[Dr. Strange]

3. Bring us back some cool souvenirs!

You should learn a little about Stonehenge before you go:

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/player.html?channel=1804&category=24333&title=05388_00

[racaulk]

6. Hmmm...

Videos are blocked in my office, so I'll have to check the link when I get home.

What kind of souvenir should I bring you, DuStrange? :evilgrin:

[Dr. Strange]

10. Something Celtic.

With red hair.

[TZ]

11. ...

Better make sure the draperies match the curtains....:evilgrin:

[Dr. Strange]

17. I'll get right on that.

Yes, indeed!

[racaulk]

12. How would this do?

[Dr. Strange]

15. Less nads...

more bosom, please.

[racaulk]

20. Oh, you're no fun.

:P

[AlCzervik]

4. lego land in Windsor, everyone goes to see Windsor Castle, we chose Lego land instead.

In London it would be a shame to miss the museums, the British Museum, The museum of Natural History, The Albert And Victoria, The imperial war Museum and the Tate. Aslo Camden Market and do not miss going to http://www.cyberdog.net/cybershop/pages/home.php

[racaulk]

5. Excellent suggestions, all.

I was a huge Lego kid, so I think I will check that out. Thanks for the recommendations! :hi:

[AlCzervik]

7. Have a great time.

and safe travels to you.

[pitohui]

46. lego land is a chain, a shame to go to england to see a chain you can see at home

there are many fine public museums, many that you mentioned

it's worth noting that the best museums are free and therefore you can go in and out as you please

natural history and british museum are two not to be missed in my humble opinion

also don't forget that greenwich, where the royal observatory is, has some free museums, lots of green space, and you can travel on the thames on the ferry (price is cut with your oyster card) so it can be an inexpensive day esp. if you eat in a pub or bring a picnic

or greenwich is just barely zone 2, so you can get there on your zone 1/2 tube/train pass (oyster card)

many other parks and greenspaces are too well known to mention here, one that is less well known (and sadly somewhat pricey) is the preserved wetland in the barnes section of london, i'm not sure how many people remember any more, but london used to be a swamp and had issues with malaria as recently as the 1880s -- anyway it's called the london wetland center, i'm not sure how good it is in summer, it's excellent in spring and presumably in winter when you can see the migratory waterbirds

chinatown is a photogenic area with all the preserved ducks hanging in the windows

[AlCzervik]

55. it's a shame if you feel that way. I already listed museums.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

8. Blarney Stone Kissing

is disgusting.

Drink and sing and drink some more and then sleep and then find a new place to drink and sing.

[racaulk]

9. Yeah, I think I'm gonna pass on the Blarney Stone.

I hear the locals piss on it so they can laugh at the tourists who kiss it. Gross! x(

Drinking and singing...yeah, that will pretty much be my stay in Ireland. Did I mention that the main reason I'm going is for a rugby tournament? That's basically all ruggers do! :rofl:

[redqueen]

13. Never visited...

but if I were to visit Ireland, I'd like to go see the Book of Kells.

*sigh*

[RebelOne]

14. Run down to Dover, England and hope a ferry or the jet foil

and go across the channel to France. Fun trip.

[Rambis]

16. In Doolin (Cliffs of Moher tours)

Head to McDermotts pub good fun and good craic- Fenton a fine bartender will take care of ye

http://www.mcdermottspubdoolin.com/

McGanns down the road will have music too- I would stay and tool around Clare and head back to Dublin the last day.

[SacredCow]

18. Sounds like a good trip....

Take and share lots of pictures! :hi:

[racaulk]

26. Count on it!

:hi:

[CottonBear]

19. London:

Don't miss the incredibly historic Tower of London (The Crown Jewels and various suits of armor and weaponry are AWESOME!)

The British Museum (it's free so at least see some of the highlights like the Bog Man and the Egyptian mummies, the Elgin Marbles and such...) There is a really cool pub across the street where Karl Marx used to drink beer! It's a real English pub with great English beer. Some nice government bankers who worked in Whitehall bought me and my friend pints Yorkshire Bitter when they found out that we were tourists and visitn lOndon for the firs ttime.

The National Gallery (only if you like great art.)

I wished I'd seen Churchill's war room (I think it's in Whitehall.)

The weekend street markets are always fun to shop!

[Greyskye]

21. I enjoyed the Aran Islands

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aran_Islands

Very rustic, off the main tourist paths. Great live music sessions in the pubs at night. (One pub had a house bodhran that I got to use once I showed I wasn't an idiot with the thing.) I had a great time with a bike rental tooling around the big island of the three (Inis Mór).

Word of warning - the ferry service to Inis Mór is great, on large modern ferries. When I went a number of years ago, I took a very small ferry from the West Coast of Ireland to Inis Oírr, the smallest of the islands. I left my backpack below decks in the sheltered space where most of the passengers were hanging out. The sea was really rough, with 40 foot swells. I went up on deck as I was feeling a bit queasy. When I went back down to collect my backpack, some landlubber had puked all over my pack. :( At least I was able to find a hose on the dock and rinse it off before I had to put it on again. :eyes:

[kay1864]

22. In London:

I'm not a history buff by any means, but I found both of these fascinating. These are in addition to the normal recommendations (Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's, etc.):

- Cabinet War Rooms (now known as the Churchill Museum): Underground passages and rooms from which Churchill conducted the war campaign. Audio tour (self-guided) is included. Still in much the same condition as when it was abandoned, with the original maps still on the walls and telephones lining the desks.

- Museum of London (not the same as the British Museum): History of the city of London, from Roman times to the present, with lots of artifacts along the way.

For your Stonehenge trip, book with Grayline or somesuch rather than getting there on your own via train. I've done it both ways, and the DIY train version is a PITA. Gets you to Salisbury, then you have to find your own way to Stonehenge. For the same price, you can take a Grayline bus directly there, plus a visit to Bath.

Most important, get a copy of Rick Steves' Great Britain guidebook, and maybe a copy of his London guidebook (I think the London one includes the museum guides). Good recommendations for places to stay and eat (good restaurants are not London's forte, so a guidebook is really helpful). Plus they'll save you lots of time in the museums.

[Kutjara]

34. "Good restaurants are not London's forte."

This old "English food is crap" myth is getting very tired. London is second only to Paris in Michelin-starred restaurants, some of the world's greatest chefs work in London. And British chefs run the kitchens of some of the top restaurants in France (much to the frequent chagrin of the French media). England has some of the best Indian and Chinese food in the world (and I'm including India and China in "the world"). The quality, creativity, and freshness of the food I've eaten in England puts the crap pushed out by many of the restaurants I've eaten in since returning to the US to shame.

One of the quirks of the English is that they're one of the few races that don't go out to eat their own food. Unlike in China, Italy or France, where the streets are full of Chinese, Italian and French restaurants, Brits can't see the sense in going out to eat what they can easily make at home. That's the reason the UK's "national dish" (as determined by a national newspaper survey) is Murgh Tikka Masala, closely followed by Sweet and Sour Chicken.

Even the smallest English village has a Chinese and an Indian restaurant, and often a Thai place. French and Italian food is also well represented, as is Indonesian, Spanish, Greek, Turkish, "Middle Eastern", Vietnamese and Japanese. For example, you can find any cuisine you fancy within a five minute walk of Wardour St. in Soho.

The mistake tourists make is to look for "English food" (or, even worse, American food), so they invariably end up in an Angus/Aberdeen Steak House, a "Beefeater" Restaurant, or a pub, and then think the slop they're being served is "real English food." Well maybe it is, in the same sense that McDonalds is genuine American home cooking. Only tourists eat in those places (and the only slightly less crap Garfunkles chain). The only caveat is "pub grub." Pub food in the 70s and 80s was so dire that there was an opening in the market for good pub food. The "gastropub" trend resulted, in which top-notch restaurant chefs have taken over traditional pubs and remade them. In place of watery beer and dry sausages, these places serve cask-conditioned ales, cellar-stored wines, and excellent fresh food. A good guidebook like the Time Out London Guide will highlight the best ones.

Another problem is that restaurants in England are very expensive by American standards. There really isn't the equivalent of the "casual dining restaurant" over there. You either eat at McDs and Burger King or you eat in a "proper restaurant." The above mentioned Aguberdeeneater swill pits try to fill the gap, and fail miserably.

If you know what you're doing, you can have some of the best meals in the world in London. If, however, you hang around the usual tourist haunts, you'll end up with the crap that's fed to tourists everywhere.

[kay1864]

39. Michelin-starred restaurants are irrelevant to you, me, and the poster above

The odds of getting a very good to excellent meal in Paris at a *reasonable price* are quite high--even if you don't "know what you're doing". The same cannot be said for London.

The very fact that you do have to know what you're doing in London means that a guidebook is essential, as I mentioned above. Unless, that is, you only eat Indian or Chinese food in London--which I happen to love, but don't want to eat every night.

4-star restaurants may be London's forte, but scores of good, reasonably priced, easily-found restaurants are not. I can count exactly two memorable meals (with guidebook) in London. With Paris I lose count (and often without a guidebook).

[Kutjara]

57. Well, not so irrelevant to me...

...because I review restaurants for guidebooks as a sideline. ;)

In London, as long as you "eat ethnic," you're fine. The problems start when you try to get "English" or "American" food. There are a million half-baked attempts at American-style restaurants, and they're all pretty much awful. The best thing to do to have a good, reasonable priced (by British standards, anyway) meal is to stick to Italian, Chinese, Indian, Thai and Spanish.

Your observations regarding Paris are interesting. My experience was different. I had some truly horrible meals in Paris, before getting a guidebook to find the decent places. Again, that was largely because I was staying not far from the Champs Elysses, right in the heart of tourist-land, so most places were substandard ripoffs. But even the legendary Left Bank has some lousy places, more interested in making a Euro than serving good food. In the rest of France, you can pretty much pull up at any half-decent looking Bistro or Auberge and have a good meal. In Paris, however, I'd still recommend a good guidebook.

[KatyMan]

42. I would disagree slightly...

You can find good continental and Asian food in London, but prepare to pay out the wazoo for it. Pub food isn't bad, even non-gastropub food, especially if you're looking for a quick, cheap meal, like soup and a sandwich, fish and chips. I can't say that in the three years we've lived here that we've like the food very much at all, and tend to eat Italian if we eat out. Failing that, we'll usually eat at a Wetherspoon's. Weatherspoon's is a chain of pubs that serve food. Not the best food, but it's fairly consistent throughout the chain, and at least they serve real beer, which puts it above Garfunkels on the scale, but not much. We live in Maidstone, about 30 miles east of London, and a meal for 2 at a small Italian place we like costs about £30, with wine. This past Sunday I had Sunday roast and my wife a nice salad at Wetherspoon's for £14, with beer, so it depends, really on what you want to spend. I would say one doesn't come to Britain for the food. Unless you like sandwiches.

I would second the various other posts that mention museums and such in London. Most of the museums are free, which is handy. I would recommend the Imperial War Museum, the Churchill War Rooms (which charges something like £10 for admission, but also has a Churchill museum inside), the British Museum and the Museum of London. If possible, I would definately recommend going to Canterbury, it's very medieval and the cathedral is amazing. Also, in London don't miss Westminster Abbey!

In Ireland, I would recommend places like Kilkenny, Cork, Kinsale, Galway (ok,the whole country :) ) but keep in mind that Ireland doesn't have near the public transport that the UK does, so you'd probably have to take a bus or drive. If you've not driven a right side drive car before, Ireland would be pretty intimidating. Driving in Dublin is a nightmare. I've only driven in London once, but would never do it again (and, I've driven all over the place here and in Ireland). So, you might be stuck with buses and what trains there are in Ireland. Waterford is a nice place, as is the whole south coast. You might try places south of Dublin, like Powerscourt and that area. The Book of Kells is in Trinity College, Dublin (IIRC), but we've never gone to see it. The Guinness tour is great. If you can make it to Kilkenny and can stay overnight, it's a great place to wander around, great town. We stayed in Kilkenny for a week a few weeks ago, and it was great. We used to live in Slane, a ways north of Dublin and home of Newgrange. It's a nice area as well.

Sorry for the rambling, and have a great time!

[LucyParsons]

44. I wholeheartedly second this

British food is AWESOME. It's not 1950 anymore, folks.

I miss it sooooo much.

[pitohui]

49. it's very much overpriced tho, not the fault of the restaurant, the fault of the weak dollar

to my mind the food in london is just not good enough compared to what i get in new orleans or can cook myself to be worth paying those tremendous prices for

i'll do some chinatown and/or some indian food but i'll also do a lot of pub lunches and i don't mean the food, i mean my travel buddy and i have done some liquid lunches, ale is filling, and i guess we're at an age where 3 meals a day is silly anyway

also i'm a fan of grocery stores and picnics

i don't know what the traveler's budget is in this case, but if someone is used to eating three meals a day and they expect to do that affordably in london restaurants, then i think they must have a way different definition of affordable than i do


another thing we do is stay in a self-catering place and fix our own breakfast, altho you can also stay at places where breakfast is included -- either way, you get a start on the day for not a lot of money

[LucyParsons]

52. Agreed.

Also, agreed that NOLA has better food. I can't wait to go there later this summer! For Southern Decadence 08!!!! wooooo! :party:

[Kutjara]

58. If you like grocery stores...

...go to the food hall of a Marks & Spencer department store (the one on Oxford Street near Oxford Circus has one). They sell lots of yummy treats and little luxuries. The other major food retailers (in order of classiness and, of course, price) are Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury, Safeway, Asda (owned by Wal-Mart - boo hiss), and Aldi.

If you're going to be self-catering, any of the major chains sell "ready meals," which are preprepared chilled (not frozen) meals, which can be heated up in the microwave or oven. Tesco, for example, has a huge range, covering all the major ethnic foods, as well as "Southern Fried Chicken" (don't bother) and "Barbequed Ribs." Even though ready meals are sort of "tv dinners," the big difference is that they're made with fresh ingredients and aren't frozen. And many of them are really good. The complete Thai or Indian meal ranges sold at Waitrose (consisting of about five dishes each in a big box) are particularly nice.

[pitohui]

47. yes the museum of london too often overlooked

it's one of the free ones and it's quite eye opening

i had no idea about the young men who were sacrificed to the river in times gone by, they had quite a few ancient skulls from these sacrifices

things like "the cheapside horde" discovery of treasure makes the imagination spark as you wonder what other hidden treasures remain to be discovered right in town!

[KatyMan]

48. London itself is a museum,

don't you think?
But you're right, the Museum of London is really worth the trip. It's a little out of the way (Barbican, maybe?), but well worth it.

[Sanity Claws]

23. Ring of Kerry

It's on the west coast of Ireland. Google it and see whether it might interest you. You can do it on bicycle.

[kay1864]

24. And if you want to avoid jet lag:

1. Drink lots and lots of water onboard the plane. Ask for two or three bottles when they come by. Half of jet lag is dehydration.

2. Do not watch the inflight movie on an eastbound flight. By the time it starts, your landing is about 4-5 hours away. If at all possible get a sleeping pill from your doctor before you go, and take one halfway through your meal. That way you can get 4 or 5 hours sleep.

Better yet, buy your meal in the airport and eat before you board, or carry it onboard with you, so you don't have to wait for the meal cart. Then you can sleep while everyone else is waiting for their meal.

3. Don't take a nap in your hotel when you arrive. Instead, walk around, explore, get outdoors as much as possible the first day. The daylight will help your body clock reset.

[racaulk]

25. Great tips!

This will be by far my longest eastbound flight (about 7 hours), so I was concerned about jet lag. I'll take your advice to heart.

Thanks also for all of the history recommendations upthread. I'm turning into a bit of a history buff as I get older, but I still don't know that much about British history. Now may be a good time to start learning. :)

[kay1864]

30. No prob!

If you're OK with a sleeping pill, might want to call your doc tomorrow to see if he/she can phone you in a prescription (you only need one, honestly, but if you're planning any other transatlantic flight in the next few months, have him/her make it a scrip for 3 or 4)

And pack a converter if you need to take an electric shaver, hair dryer, etc.

Forgot my #1 piece of travel advice: Don't carry a wallet. Ever. Wear a money belt instead. Seriously. Pickpockets are really skilled. Keep your passport, credit cards, ATM card, and British money in it, and you never need worry.

#2 advice: Get a travel pillow for the plane. Target has them for about $5, they fold to the size of a paperback, but they keep you from gettin a sore neck from sleeping on the plane.

[pitohui]

50. well, i'm going to modify those tips a little, esp. about the water

you can ask for 2-3 bottles of water when the flight attendant comes around, and she can tell you to go to heck, airlines are cutting back on catering and this does include the drinks! i've already been caught short by this and it wasn't pretty, the air was so dry my skin was coming off in flakes by the end of the trip, do not rely on being able to ask for water, you'll get "some," but you are not guaranteed to get "enough"

better is to bring some empty water bottles thru security and once you have passed your security check, fill your water bottles at a fountain and add a little "emergen-cee" or another electrolye replacement like powerbar's new individual electrolyte replacement packages

or just buy your bottled water airside, but this is quite expensive for just water, so i prefer to bring the water bottles, i'm all about the budget, save that money for booze!

i think a throw down wallet is safe enough, with your other stuff in your money belt, because you have to have a way to carry some cash for that day's expenses, your oyster card, and so on -- if you do get hit by a pickpocket you haven't lost the important stuff like passport, ATM card, etc. -- but i find it impractical to have ALL money in the money belt, if you have to go into the money belt in public, then it's no longer secret that you're wearing one, is it? so i think you do need a little wallet for walking around money, but that's just me

[kay1864]

53. When did restrictions on drinks start? Recently?

Esp. on international flights, FAs are very aware that people get dehydrated. In fact, they usually make a second "water only" round.

I flew in December (2 hour flight) and asked for a can of Diet Coke and two waters. FA didn't bat an eye and gave them to me, along with my Sun Chips.

Agree about bringing your own (empty) bottle. I go back to the galley (not when the food cart is in the aisle) and ask if they can refill it. They're happy to fill it from the 1.5 liter bottles they have.

The OP is in Atlanta, and the ATL airport water is undrinkable. NYC might be different though.

Agree about the throwaway wallet, but you sure as heck don't want your credit card or ATM card in it. A bit o' British cash only.

[Fox Mulder]

27. Damn, I'm jealous.

I hope you have a lot of fun. :)

[DS1]

28. Arouse suspicion by covering your face for every CCTV you can see

[racaulk]

32. You're a troublemaker, and this is just further proof of that fact.

:rofl:

[RadiationTherapy]

29. Apply for citizenship?

[racaulk]

31. ROFL!!!

I don't think I will just yet, but if McCain wins in November, I may reconsider! :hi:

[redqueen]

37. Ohhhhh... I would do that in a heartbeat!

:loveya:

[Initech]

33. To quote Lewis Black - "if you drink and havent been to Ireland, get off your ass!"

[Hangingon]

35. Greystone Strand

Beautiful with good restaurants and pubs. Try the Barricuda. You can get there by Dublin mass transit. Personally, I would also visit a few golf courses, but that is another list. Be sure to tour Jameson and Guiness.

[Brigid]

36. Take me with you.

If you can't do that, you must post lots of pictures when you get back. :)

[Darth_Kitten]

38. London.....

Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, St. Paul's Cathedral (I walked all the way up to the top!!!!)
London Eye, the Southbank has some nice restaurants, etc.

Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, and if you do make an excursion out of London, go to BATH. Beautiful. Also went to Canterbury Cathedral.

You can't go wrong. Stay away from overpriced tourist traps like Madame Tussaud's, soak in the history of London. Don't go to the London Dungeon, also another overpriced tourist trap ( I never went, just heard)

See some West end shows. Have a blast!

[racaulk]

40. Thanks for the recommendations, everyone!

You all have listed some great things for me to check out during my trip. I appreciate it very much, and I will make sure to post some photos when I get back!

:hi:

[MissB]

41. I loved the city of Dingle in Ireland.

Lovely city - you could spend all day wandering the city. Not too touristy.

[LucyParsons]

43. I lived near London for four years, and I would personally recommend:

:) :) :)





...wandering around these areas: Covent Garden (touristy, but very London); South Kensington (go to Hyde Park and ask for directions to Speaker's Corner); Bloomsbury/Russell Square (quiet, literary, posh, very London ca. 1900); Oxford Street (shopping/tourist shops).




Touristy

The London Eye (the big ferris wheel on the south bank of the river)

Parliament/Westminster Abbey (you probably won't get in Parliament, but you can definitely wander around the abbey)

Piccadilly Circus (London's Times Square, big billboards)

Harrod's/Fortnum & Mason (high end shopping - check out the grocery floor, especially)

St. Paul's Cathedral

Trafalgar Square - take pictures, shoo pidgeons, admire Nelson's column, ruminate on imperialism

The Museum of London (really interesting historical overview of the city)

Plan to spend the better part of a day in the British Museum (Bloomsbury - you can go on a Virginia Woolf pilgrimage while you're in the neighborhood) - a must-see!!! Also check out all the little antiquities and overpriced bookshops in the area. That the British Museum is free is mind-blowing.

The Tower of London - also a must-see for the first-time visitor, in my opinion. Get there early, on a week day if possible - crowded.

Buckingham Palace (you can tour certain rooms inside in August when they have open days, but the rest of the time, just go and take your picture with a stone-faced guard).

Globe Theater (also in Southwark - it's something to see, if a little cheesy, too).

Also, the Imperial War Museum is fascinating if you're into WWII history.




Art

Tate Modern (in the big refurbished industrial thing in Southwark)

Tate Gallery (now Tate Britain - Millbank, Westminster, SW1P 4RG)

Victoria and Albert Museum (and the adjaent Science Museum and Natural History Museum)

National Portrait Gallery (Trafalgar Square)

Whitechapel Gallery is good for contemporary art (80 - 82 Whitechapel High Street in the East End, E1 7QX) - this whole area is great for a taste of historical, traditional, working class Britain and its cultural smacking-up-against Indian, Pakistani, and Middle Eastern immigrants. It's very British, but also very diverse. Britain IS now very diverse.




Nightlife

Soho (some good pubs and bars, gay and straight, are here). Such as the Dog & Duck (18 Bateman Street), a traditional, Victorian-decor type of place.

Cittie of York Pub (22 High Holborn, Holborn WC1V 6BN) is a GREAT traditional pub, with a, you guessed it, City of York theme. Incidentally, I also spent a year in York and highly recommend visiting the historic city if you ever have the opportunity.




Food

I know you may not be going to London to eat Italian food, but please go to Spacca Napoli (formerly Bella Napoli), 101 Dean Street, in Soho (just off Tottenham Court Road) and eat a pizza for me. Best Italian restaurant in London.

Maoz (43 Old Compton St, Soho) is great for late-night falafel and cheap chips (add mayonnaise for a real British flavor - mmmmmm!). I don't know how much it is now, but last time I went there, in about 2005, you could get a pile of chips (fries) for about £2 - or $4 in today's money. :(

If you want to try some real British food, check out St. John (26 St John Street, EC1M 4AY). You'll probably need reservations, but it's worth it, if you want to go beyond tourist fare and try, say, Rolled Pig's Spleen & Bacon, Roast Lamb & Butter Bean Puree, or Eccles Cake & Lancashire Cheese.

My friend who lives across the street recommends Fishcoteque at Waterloo Station for fish and chips (a must-eat).

The best dim sum in London is Royal China in Queensway (13 Queensway, W2 4QJ).

There’s an amazing vegetarian south Indian restaurant just off Goodge Street called Sagar. Really good, and they have dosas and even paper dosas which are thinner than crisps and bigger than your head. Also comparatively cheap.

Also, check out the Indian/Bangladeshi places along Brick Lane in the East End for a fun, relatively inexpensive time.





If you're renting a car or driving with friends, as opposed to a tour, go to Oxford on the way to/from Stonehenge. And just wander the streets.

I love the UK, and, while I never went to Ireland, I'm sure it will also be a GREAT place to visit. One of my neighbors went there for several weeks last year and came back wanting to move there. Very friendly, I hear. :hi:

Have fun!

[Connonym]

45. bring back lots of chocolate

Flakes and Malteasers and Cadbury whole nut. Eat lots of brown Irish bread and be sure to use butter (for some reason Irish butter tastes better). Yes,I do travel just for the food.

[JCMach1]

51. Avoid British food with the exception of a few deserts

Breakfast should be avoided at all costs. Have coffee,a piece of toast and pray for a good lunch!

There are a few exceptions. Indian food is usually okay... there are Indians there after all. And, some of the continental fare is decent.

Fish and chips are just a bad waste of good catfood.

The place is pretty cool though.

Be sure to see the City of London Museum.

[erinlough]

54. First off, don't take any sweaters or jackets!!!

If you are in Ireland, Hit the first shop that sells wool irish sweaters and buy yourself a couple of "jumpers", which is their word for sweaters. They smell great and you will need them even if it is summer, believe me.

I don't know if you are renting a car but practice in the parking lot a while before you hit the road, it is disorienting to drive on the "wrong" side of both the car and the road.

Then, hit the road and look for off the beaten path small towns and places. Talk to all the people you can, share a table in a pub, order potato soup and course bread, take the ferry in your car across the Shannon River, sit still and watch people in Galway square, talk to more people. I loved Ireland!

More....visit Muckross Mansion in Killarney, in fact spend a lot of time in Killarney it is charming. Go to Limerick and visit the castle. Plan a whole day to play at the cliffs of Mohr. Stay in bed and breakfasts. Buy a bodhran and play it.

Go to Clifden and have seafood. Go to Sligo and Conemara and find a "bee loud glade" to sit and read W.B. Yeats. There is too much more to mention.

Most of all.........take me back with you.

Have fun!

[Kutjara]

60. Another thing to do if you're driving.

There are a lot of "roundabouts" in Ireland and England. They use them instead of four-way stopsigns at many intersections. Remember, remember, remember: you go around them in a clockwise direction. So when you get to the roundabout, go left. I used to work near Heathrow Airport, and lost count of the number of people in rental cars going the wrong way on roundabouts. Considering that a lot of Brits just blast through them like a chicane on a racetrack (and the Irish just drive like God is personally protecting them), the consequences of coming around the wrong way are too horrible to imagine.

[kath]

56. Highly, highly recommend LondonWalks.

They do brief walking tours, as well as full day excursions called "Explorer Days", and they're fantastic. The guides are exceptionally knowledgeable.

We took a trip to Ireland and England with our daughters in 2003, and did lots of LondonWalks stuff. Hubby and I went to London in '86 and took a "Dickens' London" walking tour, the Inns of Court tour, and posibly one or two others. On our 2003 trip, we did two of the full-day trips with Richard (he of the red hat - see website) - to Bath, and the Richmond/Hampton Court trip, complete with boat ride down the Thames. Also did a "Jack the Ripper" walk with the guy who's written a book on the subject, Shakespeare's and DIckens'London, and hubby and I did one of their "pub walks" one evening w/o the kids.

They have so many wonderful topics/areas to choose from that it's really hard to decide!

Website:
http://www.walks.com/Homepage/Timetable/default.aspx
Lots of good information on their site - spend some time looking around, and you might even get some ideas for some day trips of your own. (Theirs are quite economical though, if you figure in train fare. If you have a Britrail pass they're even cheaper.)


Don't miss the Tower of London.

Also, the first day you're in London is a good day to take one of those hop on/hop off bus tours that cover all the highlights, and include a boat ride down the Thames. Great way to get your bearings, and find out about places that you might want to explore in greater detail later.

York is a very interesting city - we went there on our own for a couple of days, but I see that LondonWalks does an "Explorer Day" trip there.

Stonehenge is cool, but it's a bit disappointing to go there because you can't get close to it *at all* - at least you couldn't back when I was in UK in 1981. So you might find it a waste of a day trip to go there and stand and look at it from a distance. YMMV, but there are SO many cool places to go, and these might feel like better use of a whole day - especially since you only have 7 days in England. Maybe watch a documentary on Stonehenge, where they actually take the cameras INSIDE the circle. Read a few of the guide books and travel sites and see what they have to say about a Stonehenge trip. here are two, for starters:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g186338-i17-k521461-l3111092-Is_stonehenge_worth_it-London_England.html
http://malaysia.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080410224501AAPM41i
some think the stone circle at Avebury is better...


- we also took a tour of the Globe Theater, and later managed to get low-price(half?) same-night tickets and saw a play - a wonderful experience.

[ceile]

59. You have got to drive the Ring Of Kerry

http://www.ringofkerrytourism.com/kerry_map.html Stop in Cork City for a night (great, fun town) and then head on to Kinsale http://www.kinsale.ie/ for some truly awesome seafood. We stayed in Caherdaniel for a night-there's a great pub there w/ awesome chowder. Visit Glendalough in the Wicklow mountains right outside Dublin. Don't know who this person is, but he's got some great photos: http://www.jeremytaylor.eu/glendalough_ireland.htm
I'm so jealous!!! You are going to have a blast!!

[ceile]

61. Eat fried sausage.

I know it sounds gross, but it is the best thing I have ever eaten in my entire life. I get cravine And be sure you have curry sauce to dip it in.