Anonymous wrote:Thank you! We've got 8 days on the ground after landing and before returning home. We're thinking 3 days in London and the rest of the time in Scotland (although we may change the reservations to get 4 nights in London). I'd like to spend some time in Edinburgh but we've got hotel reservations for 2 nights in Glasgow because it's cheaper at that time than Edinburgh and it seems like it's easy to take the train from Glasgow to Edinburgh. It almost sounds like taking the metro.
Then we'd go from Glasgow to the coast and the Highlands (still need to figure out exactly where) before flying out of Glasgow. Thanks!

With only 8 days and never having been in London before, I'd cancel that Glasgow stop and just do a day trip or two from London. The first day will be a rough one, so you won't want to plan too much. Or just do Scotland if that's your main interest; I'm sure the train connections are good although most people seem to favor Edinburgh (unless there is a strike). There are direct flights from Dulles to Edinburgh.

Thank you! We've got 8 days on the ground after landing and before returning home. We're thinking 3 days in London and the rest of the time in Scotland (although we may change the reservations to get 4 nights in London). I'd like to spend some time in Edinburgh but we've got hotel reservations for 2 nights in Glasgow because it's cheaper at that time than Edinburgh and it seems like it's easy to take the train from Glasgow to Edinburgh. It almost sounds like taking the metro.
Then we'd go from Glasgow to the coast and the Highlands (still need to figure out exactly where) before flying out of Glasgow. Thanks!

OP, your post didn't indicate the duration or budget for your trip. You said it's your first time in the UK, so I assume London is your entry point and that you will spend some time there. London and the surrounding area offers so much that it took until our third trip before we actually moved on to the rest of English and Scotland. There really are so many iconic sights, so many museums, and so much history in London itself, that you will have trouble narrowing it down, especially on a first trip. Easy day trips you can do on your own include Windsor, Greenwich, Oxford, Hampton Court Palace, Bath, and more. We've also done tours to the Cotswolds and others via a small group (van) or private car. Lots of fun special interest tours too like Harry Potter, the Beatles, Downton Abbey, Bletchley Park.


Our last trip to the UK, we spent a few days in London, followed by time in York (a smaller city with lots of history and variety --highly recommend), and Edinburgh (during Fringe, not by choice). We took day trips from each of these cities too, for a total of about 16 nights. The LNR train is easy (there is a comfortable lounge in each station for first class passengers with snacks, restrooms, and other facilities) and the station stations were walkable to our accommodations in York and Edinburgh. The cost of the train transportation was partly offset by the much less expensive hotel, food, attraction costs in York and Edinburgh as compared to London.

Anonymous wrote:York

This

Edinburgh during fringe is great, altho hotel prices are higher. To me it’s a better time to go not a time to avoid.

Anonymous wrote:Quintessential Scotland to me is Edinburgh and the Highlands. If you can, make time for both.

Skye is absolutely magical but definitely not easy to get to, but you can hire someone to drive you there.

We did this over spring break by flying from London to Inverness on Easyjet for about $80pp and then rented a car in Inverness. We drove from Inverness to Edinburgh through the Highlands, and then from Edinburgh back to Heathrow over about a 5-day period. It was amazing.

Quintessential Scotland to me is Edinburgh and the Highlands. If you can, make time for both.

Skye is absolutely magical but definitely not easy to get to, but you can hire someone to drive you there.

Ryan air is horrible

Anonymous wrote:I recommend the train ride London to Edinburgh on LNER in first class. The tickets are not super crazy expensive, the views are beautiful and it takes 4 hours.

This. And one can buy the tickets and get seat reservations online well in advance of travel for a visible discount.

Thank you all!!

If I was gojng to one place in Scotland, I wouldn’t make it Glasgow.
I’d do one of these options:
1) fast train to edinburough. I’ve been thee during fringe and it’s crowded but no insane.
2) train to York, spend a day, train to edinvurough, overnight train back to London. This is what we did.
3) is there a way to go north of Edinburgh if you take the fast train? Maybe change to another train? If you feel like enduring urge itself will be too crowded with fringe, this is what I’d probably do. But I haven’t done that so can’t advise. But the area north from Edinburgh is where ll the gorgeous stuff you’ve seen in photos is.