GLBT Travelers - Flying into / out of London for 9 days - where else would you go?

I don't think I want to spend the whole time in England. I was thinking about doing quick hops to 1-2 other countries. Or maybe just one, that's very different from England.

What would you recommend? Traveling the last ten days of April.

I've been to Italy and Amsterdam and loved them. Been to Paris and had an okay experience. I was in Prague 15 years ago but I bet it's changed a bunch!

Anything special happening weather wise or event wise on the continent that I should consider? I love good food and wine, beautiful scenery (obviously it's not really beach season.)

What would you recommend? Traveling the last ten days of April.



Dublin is only a short 50 minute hop away ;)

Belgium. It's close. We went once and hopped around 4 cities in 4 days, which was incredibly easy to do.

Have you checked RyanAir and EasyJet just to see what they have open and how much the tickets are? (no, I haven't been on either, and yes, I know how horrible they're supposed to be, but it might be fun to just see what they have that's cheap, hop over, and play it by ear)

go to Germany its lovely over there, cities such as Dresden, Berlin, Hamburg are beautiful. Or go to Copenhagen another lovely city :)

All these cities are accessible easily and cheaply on low cost airlines from LGW, LTN and STN infact even BA have some cheap deals sometimes from LHR

If you want great food and wine, then France is the obvious choice. Instead of Paris, you might consider the Languedoc or Loire regions. Montpelier is a beautiful city to visit. The cities of Tours and Blois are also nice.

I also agree with the Germany recommendation. I prefer the Northern part, like Hamburg and Berlin. But the city of Dusseldorf is quite nice, too, and it's slower-paced than some of the other cities.

Have fun wherever you go!

So many choices. If you haven't been to the countryside in the UK though, I'd put in a vote for that. Yorkshire, Wales, Devon and Cornwall . . . all beautiful and a train ride away.

What about Spain, MAD or BCN?

I really love Manchester, and it's only two hours or so away from London by high speed rail.

Everywhere is so close in Europe it's quite possible to hop a flight in the early morning, spend the day in a totally different language and culture, then take the evening flight back to London again.

I'd also add a vote for Germany, especially Berlin, though make it more than just a day trip if you're going to Berlin, it has truly amazing nightlife, even if you aren't into the pub/club scene.

True remember that there are some lovely parts of the UK especially in Scotland which Easyjet serves very cheaply from LTN, STN and LGW with frequent flights out to INV, EDI, GLA and ABZ. The cairngorms are stunning.

Also Northern Ireland which is well served by Flybe and Easyjet from London is beautiful as well, the giants causeway is absolutely amazing.

Cumbria in the north of England also very beautiful with the lakes, hills and sheep farms. Accessible by Virgin high speed trains from London Euston to Carlisle and Penrith.

Theres no shortage of wonderful things to see in the UK :)

In fact even Jersey and Guernsey are worth a visit, only a 55 minute flight from Gatwick on Flybe or Aurigny and they have lovely beaches :D

I don't think I want to spend the whole time in England. I was thinking about doing quick hops to 1-2 other countries. Or maybe just one, that's very different from England.

What would you recommend? Traveling the last ten days of April.

I've been to Italy and Amsterdam and loved them. Been to Paris and had an okay experience. I was in Prague 15 years ago but I bet it's changed a bunch!

Anything special happening weather wise or event wise on the continent that I should consider? I love good food and wine, beautiful scenery (obviously it's not really beach season.)
My goodness, it all depends what you're interested in! Do you like cities, culture, nightlife, outdoors activities?

I personally would avoid Ryanair and Easyjet like the plague, they really are unpleasant operations and when it goes wrong, it goes horribly wrong. Flybe is better, and BA does occasionally have quite good deals if you're traveling at unconventional times (like the middle of the day or very late in the evening).

I have been to Ireland several times and have never, ever been impresed by it. Dublin is just a dump in my opinion - but others' opinions may differ. Personally I wouldn't waste my time.

You may wish to purchase an open-jaw ticket (flying to one destination and returning to another) as two round trips in ten days doesn't give you much time to enjoy London at all, and you'd be spending your entire vacation in airports.

For instance, you may wish to fly into Prague, spend a couple of nights there, take the train down to Vienna (about four hours), spend a few days there and then return to the UK. Whilst in Vienna you could even nip over to Bratislava for a day, it's under an hour by train. Prague has changed a lot in the past fifteen years, but is still quite timeless in many respects. Vienna is a wonderful, grand wedding cake of a city which the O/H and I just love.

You could also consider taking the Eurostar to Brussels (less than two hours from St Pancras station in London), spending a couple of nights there (that's more than enough) and then visiting somewhere like Bruges, or even Amsterdam or Luxembourg just to see them. You could then make your way back to Brussels and take the Eurostar back into the UK.

As posters above have mentioned, there is plenty to do without leaving the UK. Yorkshire (Harrogate, Skipton) are glorious this time of year, as is Cumbria (Windermere is a good place to start). Scotland is lovely, too, but a bit on the chilly side. Edinburgh is glorious and a green, glowing gem. If you're feeling adventurous, you could go as high as Skye. but transport links are tricky if you're not driving yourself.

Happy to answer any specific questions; I've been to every single city mentioned above, most several times.

Best of luck to you.

I would take a cheap flight to BUD and spend a day in the baths.

I think I should probably just focus on one other destination.

The candidates for late April are Dubrovnik, Stockholm, Budapest and Lisbon.

I think I should probably just focus on one other destination.

The candidates for late April are Dubrovnik, Stockholm, Budapest and Lisbon.
All very different, all equally lovely. Tough call. Do you have any preference?

Like someone said, Europe is chock full of amazing places. It all depends on what you're in the mood for.

If you want to be a naughty boy, then Budapest. If you're in the mood for a beachy break, then Dubrovnik. If you want to be bored to tears, then Vienna :p

Cumbria in the north of England also very beautiful with the lakes, hills and sheep farms. Accessible by Virgin high speed trains from London Euston to Carlisle and Penrith.

Hear, hear! (even if I am a little biased ;))

And even nearer than Penrith/Carlisle if travelling up from London, is Oxenholme the Lake District railway station on the mainline. That one connects with Kendal and terminates at Windermere.

Last time I went to London, I made a point of taking the Chunnel train (high speed) into Paris. The train ride is nice, and comes with a gourmet style meal.

Just my .02 cents.

What about Spain, MAD or BCN?

+1. ^