Family Travel to Uk Bus Tour Vs on Own

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In today'southward postal service I'yard going to share with you a 10 twenty-four hour period itinerary for a Great britain trip, specifically covering England and Scotland, which will allow y'all visit and travel around the Uk entirely past public transport, and in particular past bus or train.

I have written a couple of posts giving detailed itineraries for the Great britain, but those are focused on self-drive trips. I'm oft asked if they can be done past public ship, and whilst the answer is usually yeah, information technology does come with caveats as the itineraries aren't really designed around the public transport system in the UK.

With that in listen, I've put together the below itinerary for ten days in the UK that is designed to be done past public transport. The UK has an first-class public send arrangement, especially between the major cities, making it relatively easy to encounter quite a lot in a short infinite of fourth dimension. So if you are interested in travelling the Great britain past train or bus, this itinerary is for you!

Let's get started with my guide to taking a trip around the UK forb ten days by public ship.

A x Day UK Trip Itinerary
- Days 1 & ii: London
- Twenty-four hour period three: Oxford
- Days 4 & 5: Bristol
- Days 6 & 7: Liverpool
- Day 8: York
- Days 9 & ten: Edinburgh
Map of Road for 10 Day UK itinerary
10 Days in the UK: Summary Itinerary
Tips for Using Public Transport in the UK
- By Train
- By Omnibus or Coach
Is this UK Itinerary Doable with Children?
Other Options for Touring the U.k.
Where to Stay in the UK
When to Visit the UK
Further Reading for your 10 Day UK Trip

A x Day UK Trip Itinerary

Here'southward the detailed day by mean solar day itinerary for your 10 days in the UK

Days ane & 2: London

I firmly believe that no trip to the UK is complete without spending some fourth dimension in London, and that's why this itinerary is kick off with two days in the capital.

There is and so much to do in London, and even if you accept visited before, I guarantee you will find plenty to do. From classic sights like the irresolute of the guard at Buckingham Palace to visiting the Tower of London, through to afternoon teas and shopping at iconic stores like Harrods – truly, everyone will find something they dear to do in London.

We have visited London a number of times, and take put together a number of guides to the city to help yous out. Our offset tip for inspiration would be to check out our guide to spending two days in London, which should requite you some ideas, and if you have more fourth dimension to spend in London check out our detailed 6 day London itinerary.

Nosotros've likewise written a guide to getting into the city centre by public ship from all the major London airports, which you lot should find helpful for planning your inflow and departure if you are flight into the urban center.

Finally, if you're planning on doing some sight-seeing, we definitely propose checking out the London Pass, which will likely save yous coin. You tin can run into our full review of the London Pass hither.

For accommodation, London has options to suit every upkeep. Showtime your search by taking a look at the London listings on booking.com, which is our preferred way of booking accommodation when we travel. For apartments, nosotros love the curated pick on Plum Guide.

Mean solar day 3: Oxford

From London, it's about an hours train ride to Oxford, or around an hour and a half by bus. Oxford is a stunning small-scale university city that has served equally the inspiration for numerous novels and films, and was one of the locations that the Harry Potter films were shot at. Information technology's a definite must for any visit to the Britain.

A mean solar day is enough to see the metropolis as information technology's quite small. Nosotros'd recommend taking a walking bout of the city and universities, dropping into ane of the beautiful old pubs like the Turf Tavern, and perchance trying your hand at a spot of punting. There are also several great museums to explore in Oxford.

Otherwise, we're sure you'll merely savor wandering the gorgeous streets of this urban center. For a lovely view across said streets, take a walk up to the top of the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, which is correct next to the Radcliffe Camera.

For more inspiration, accept a await at our guide to spending a solar day in Oxford, a city we dear visiting so much that Jess also wrote her thoughts on visiting Oxford for a day!

For accommodation, see the options for Oxford on booking.com hither.

Days 4 & 5: Bristol

From Oxford, information technology's an hours train ride to the next city on our 10 24-hour interval UK itinerary – the lovely port city of Bristol. Buses are also available from Oxford to Bristol, and the journey is around three hours by bus.

In Bristol you'll find a rich history of ship-building and trade, as well as Victorian engineering science marvels like the Clifton Suspension Span. There's an old city center to explore, one of the virtually vibrant street fine art scenes in the United kingdom, beautifully coloured houses to photo and of course, a number of splendid museums.

Ane highlight non to miss is the SS Great U.k.. Originally built in Bristol in 1845, this was the world's first ship to boast both an iron hull and a screw propeller.

She's been beautifully restored and is at present Bristol's top company attraction. Annotation that tickets are slightly cheaper if y'all volume them online, which yous can do online here.

If y'all visit in Baronial, you'll also be able to attend Europe'southward largest annual Balloon Fiesta – the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. This takes place over four days in early August every yr, and is gratuitous to attend.

For more ideas for your visit to Bristol, take a look at our guide to things to do in Bristol, equally well every bit our guide to visiting the Bristol Balloon Fiesta, should you be lucky enough to be in town during this epic event.

For accommodation in Bristol, take a wait at the Bristol accommodation page of booking.com.

Days 6 & 7: Liverpool

From Bristol, it's fourth dimension to turn due north and head up to the dwelling of the Beatles – Liverpool! You're looking at around a three hr ten minute train ride from Bristol, which includes a modify of trains (ordinarily at Birmingham or Stafford). There are besides buses available, which take in the region of 5 to vii hours.

There'due south plenty to do in Liverpool to fill 2 days of your time. Fans of the Beatles volition desire to head to Liverpool'southward nearly pop museum – the Beatles Story. This is the earth's largest permanent exhibition devoted to i of the UK's most successful rock bands.

Liverpool has more than the Beatles though. Liverpool's historic Albert Dock waterfront expanse has been revived, and turned from a 19th century dock complex to a mod thriving allure with shops, accommodations, museums and attractions. Every bit well as the Beatles Story, you'll besides observe the Merseyside Maritime Museum, the Tate Liverpool, and the International Slavery Museum.

Finally, football fans might desire to take a stadium bout of Anfield – the abode of Liverpool FC.

For accommodation in Liverpool, come across all the listings for Liverpool on booking.com here.

Twenty-four hour period 8: York

Now we're going to head northward east across England, past Manchester and Leeds, to the beautiful historic metropolis of York – just under three hours railroad train ride away. Buses are also available, and these mostly take between four and six hours.

The walled city of York was founded by the Romans near two thousand years ago, and has seen it's off-white share of history – for a time it was even ruled by the Vikings, and was known equally Jórvík.

Today, there are nevertheless many reminders of the cities medieval past. A walk through "the Slaughter-house" is a must – a winding medieval street overhung by old, timber framed houses and lined with pretty shops.

Yous'll too want to check out the city walls – York has more miles of intact city wall than any other city in the United kingdom. Originally built in Roman times, the surviving walls largely date from the 12th – 14th centuries, and you can see both the walls and their gatehouses, besides known every bit "bars".

Finally, no visit to York is consummate without a visit to York Minster, York's Cathedral. This is i of the most impressive religious buildings in the U.k., congenital in the Gothic style, and with the present building dating from the 13th century. A highlight of any visit has to be a walk up to the height of the towers, from where you'll get a gorgeous view.

For more information on your trip to York, come across our guide to spending two days in York, which should give you lot lots of inspiration.

For your accommodation in York, check out the listings on booking.com here.

Days ix & 10: Edinburgh

Our last stop on our ten 24-hour interval UK itinerary has you crossing the Scottish edge and visiting the Scottish capital – Edinburgh.

From York, it's effectually a two.five hr train ride to Edinburgh, or five – eight hours by bus.

This is a fantastically cute medieval urban center which features a castle built atop a volcano, lovely old cobbled streets, a whole Georgian era town, quaint villages to explore and of course, all the things you would expect from Scotland – haggis, tartan, bagpipers, and whisky!

In that location is a lot to do in Edinburgh. Nosotros very much recommend a visit to Edinburgh Castle, a stroll down the Imperial Mile and some whisky sampling at the Edinburgh Whisky Experience.

If you're planning on visiting a number of the Majestic sights in Edinburgh, including Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace and the Royal Yacht Britannia, then you should consider a Royal Edinburgh Ticket. Also as giving you access to those three attractions, it too gives you a two mean solar day hop on hop off bus ticket for Edinburgh. Encounter our full review of the Royal Edinburgh ticket to run into if it might salve you coin.

For more than ideas in Edinburgh, check out our suggestions for ii days in Edinburgh, equally well every bit our guide to some of Edinburgh's hidden gems. For accommodation, come across Edinburgh's listings on booking.com.

For returning dwelling house after your UK tour is done, you have a number of options depending on where you are returning to. Edinburgh drome is just eight miles outside the city center, and offers a broad range of flights to both domestic and international destinations. To get to Edinburgh aerodrome you can take the tram or AirLink Charabanc straight to and from the city center.

If your return flight is from London, you have a number of options for returning to the capital urban center (including flying of course).

The main train station in Edinburgh (Edinburgh Waverley) is centrally located, and in that location are a number of train services that run directly to London, taking around 4 – 5.5 hours. There is also the option to accept an overnight sleeper train from Edinburgh to London – read our experience doing that here. Y'all can likewise take a coach from Edinburgh to London, which takes between 9 and xi hours.

For more than options, check out our detailed guide to getting betwixt Edinburgh and London.

And that sums upwards our route for a ten twenty-four hours UK trip across England and Scotland! Now for some helpful hints and tips to help you plan your perfect adventure.

Map of Route for 10 Twenty-four hour period UK itinerary

Here'southward a map of the route to help you out with visualizing our x day UK trip itinerary, which you tin can see on Google Maps here.

10 Days in the UK: Summary Itinerary

Hither's a quick overview of this itinerary for reference:

Days 1 & 2: London
Twenty-four hour period 3: Oxford
Days 4 & 5: Bristol
Days half dozen & seven: Liverpool
Day 8: York
Days 9 & x: Edinburgh

Tips for Using Public Transport in the U.k.

When it comes to taking public transit in the United kingdom, you have two main options, the railroad train or the bus, more commonly known as a coach.

By Train

As you tin can see from post, the train service in the UK is going to be the fastest fashion to get around for this public transport itinerary, especially between the major cities.

To become the best prices on trains, it's essential that you book in advance. Tickets purchased on the twenty-four hours are nearly always going to be more expensive. Accelerate purchase tickets will save you money and usually come with a seat reservation.

There are a number of websites for booking Britain railroad train tickets online. Nosotros recommend the Trainline service, who have been effectually for a long fourth dimension, and who we usually find to be the easiest for booking train tickets across the United kingdom.

Opt to collect your ticket at the station to salve on the ticket delivery fee – you will need the booking reference number and your credit menu to pick up the ticket. Annotation that this will usually require a PIN enabled credit menu. Alternatively, they commonly allow you lot to print your tickets at home or employ due east-tickets.

They also let y'all volume tickets for destinations all across Europe, and and then are a handy one stop shop for all your ticket needs.

If you'd prefer not to have to worry about booking all the train tickets individually, or figuring out the pricing structure, another choice is to invest in a UK runway laissez passer. These are only available to UK visitors who don't have a United kingdom passport. If that's you, you lot can likely salvage fourth dimension and coin by buying a U.k. Britrail pass.

For this itinerary, the best pass would likely be the eight twenty-four hour period consecutive pass, which would get you from London to Edinburgh through all the locations on this itinerary. These are bachelor in first or second class, depending on your upkeep and travel style. Get yours here.

By Motorcoach or Coach

Y'all tin can as well easily practise this itinerary by taking long distance bus services (called coaches in the UK). Double-decker fares are oftentimes cheaper than train fairs, although as you tin can encounter from the itinerary, they usually take quite a bit longer. We therefore would only advise them if you lot are looking to salvage the maximum amount of money, or for the shorter legs like London to Oxford, or Oxford to Bristol.

They tin can too sometimes exist a picayune easier, such as in the case of Bristol to Liverpool, as that route by train requires a change.

There are a number of long distance double-decker operators in the Uk. The two nosotros would recommend are National Express and Megabus, both of which offer a wide range of routes across the country.

From London to Oxford specifically, yous have more than choices, equally well as the in a higher place options you can have the X90 or the Oxford Tube. We'd suggest finding the road that departs from closest to your hotel to make information technology easier to become to it with your luggage.

As with the train, in near cases the best deals are bachelor if yous volume every bit far in advance as possible for a specific motorbus time.

Is this UK Itinerary Achievable with Children?

So first, I have to say that Jess and I don't have kids, so we don't have first manus experience of travelling with children. All the same, a common question from readers is whether or non this United kingdom itinerary can be done as a family.

Of course, every family is different, and at that place is no one size fits all respond. Information technology volition depend a lot on your private family and travel style.

That said, speaking to friends with children and other family unit travel bloggers, as a general dominion y'all will want to adjust your trip pace somewhat to suit the needs of your family. With this in listen, I would probably advise slowing the pace a little bit for the trip, and in this case of this itinerary, perhaps skipping i or 2 towns then you tin can travel a bit slower.

Obviously what you choose to leave out is up to you, but I would overall suggest focusing on Edinburgh, York, Oxford and London as an example, with 2 – iii days in Edinburgh / London, and 1-two days in York / Oxford.

Other Options for Touring the UK

If, having read all the higher up, you are feeling a bit overwhelmed at the idea of planning your United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland trip yourself, don't worry. We have a couple of other options for y'all to consider.

First, you lot could take a group tour of the United kingdom. This volition have you to a wide variety of sights, with someone else handling all the logistics, and letting you lot just relax and arctic out.

We take used and tin recommend Rabbie'southward Trail Burners for this sort of thing – they're a minor grouping bout operator with lots of experience and great guides. As an example, they have an eight twenty-four hour period bout that departs from London and goes to Edinburgh. Whilst the route isn't quite the same, you will still meet plenty of cool stuff.

Finally, yous can as well arrange a private tour. This volition ordinarily be a more expensive option, but will mean you tin can put something totally customised together. This is a service offered by a number of companies, we would again recommend Rabbie's Trail Burners who offer a customised bout service.

Some other choice we are happy to recommend is professional person driver-guide Robina Brown, who is a blue-badge guide offering tours across the UK. See her website hither.

Where to Stay in the United kingdom

For adaptation, in that location are a great many options to cull from, ranging from cosy B&B's through to upmarket hotels, and everything in betwixt. We're large fans of Plum Guide, just for shorter city stays like those outlined in this itinerary, you will probably detect hotels to be more than convenient.

Our go-to choice to find the all-time deals on adaptation is with Booking.com. We find they usually accept the best prices, they will price match if you happen to find a better deal, and they have a huge range of accommodation options – including apartments.
If you prefer an apartment or more of a hosted stay, then we recommend Plum Guide. Nosotros've tried many options, and have found Plum Guide to accept the nigh consequent experience in terms of quality places to stay.
If you can't discover the room or flat yous want on Plum Guide, or you desire some new options to endeavour out, we have some alternatives we also use. Nosotros advise trying Vrbo to outset with. For fifty-fifty more ideas to help you salve money and get the best choice, nosotros wrote a whole post on the best holiday cottage and apartment rentals options in the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland.

Between these options, yous should discover the best prices and places to stay for your trip, as well as a good pick of reviews and feedback to assist you make an informed determination.

When to Visit the United kingdom

The Uk is good to visit at any time of yr, although for the all-time weather and longer daylight hours, we'd definitely suggest visiting in the warmer months – from May to September. May and September are probably our favourite times of twelvemonth, the weather is normally quite reasonable but the tourist crowds are not too intense.

Christmas, and the menses leading up to Christmas, can besides be a wonderful fourth dimension to visit, when the streets and shops are all brightly lit and decorated for the festive flavor.

For a adept example of this, check out our guide to visiting Edinburgh at Christmas.