Visiting in December - Which cities do you recommend we visit?
Posted by chilloutdude22@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 26 comments
I'm visiting the UK in December with a friend. We've never been. We'll be landing in London and staying there for a few days. We would like to make our way to Ireland as well.
Where should we go between London and Ireland? We are looking forward to seeing the beautiful Christmas markets and just exploring pubs, shops, museums, history. We love it all.
What are your top cities to explore in the UK and why?
cxw448@reddit
Scunthorpe is lovely that time of year.
stebotch@reddit
That’s mean 🤣
cxw448@reddit
Maybe Slough?
stebotch@reddit
I hear that Grimsby is the place to be.
stebotch@reddit
Bath, York, and Edinburgh are good day trips.
hoosier_gran@reddit
Stratford upon Avon is always lovely at Christmas
w00tmanUK@reddit
Come to Cardiff, it's awesome here and Christmas is a wonderful time to visit. I live just outside the centre and its a doddle to get to.
alloitacash@reddit
Go to a couple of small Cotswold towns if you can. Burford and Bourton on the Water are nice.
bishopsfinger@reddit
For just 12 days, I would suggest to limit yourself to 3-4 destinations maximum. Start with London (3-4 days), then take a 2 day trip to Cambridge. You can then fly from Cambridge to Dublin via Stansted Airport which is less than an hour by taxi from Cambridge. Spend 2 days in Dublin then take a train out to Galway to see the "real" Ireland. Fly back via Shannon Airport. You'll miss a lot of the UK (Scotland is great) but I think that's all you can manage in your time period.
HalfWomanHalfBiscuit@reddit
London > York > Edinburgh > Ireland (Dublin?) York has a Christmas market but also, lots of history, pubs, shops, etc. in a very walkable package! Edinburgh also has a Christmas market but also pubs, shops, music, history - all of the things you love. Then you're at least always heading in the right direction (North).
ObviousAd254@reddit
London, Paris, and New York are magical in December!The Christmas lights, markets, and atmosphere are enchanting.Don't forget to try the hot chocolate and mulled wine.
Tim-Sanchez@reddit
I think including New York in this trip is probably out of the question for OP
Tim-Sanchez@reddit
How many days do you have overall? Staying in London and doing a few daytrips would be my recommendation, then fly to Ireland.
London has by far the most pubs, shops, live music, museums, history & art so just extending your stay there will allow you to take more of it in.
chilloutdude22@reddit (OP)
We have 12 days. Any recommendations on where to take a daytrip?
Training_Dance_3572@reddit
An overnight trip to Paris would be very possible
chilloutdude22@reddit (OP)
That sounds amazing!! How do we get there? Train? Plane?
bluejackmovedagain@reddit
It will be a bit more expensive on the Eurostar, but it's a nicer trip, there are far fewer luggage restrictions, and you don't have to waste time getting from the middle of the city to the airport. Also, while in practice it's just a normal train, there is something cool about the idea of travelling through a tunnel under the sea floor.
Training_Dance_3572@reddit
2.5 hours on the train from the centre of London to the centre of Paris.
Tim-Sanchez@reddit
Windsor would be an easy day trip if you like history. Bath is a little further away but doable.
Vespa_Alex@reddit
Birmingham has a huge Christmas market.
Do not go to Birmingham for the Christmas market.
If you want to do something different to London, I’d suggest probably York or maybe Chester.
bluejackmovedagain@reddit
Birmingham is a great place to visit at any other time of year, but the Christmas market turns the whole city centre into a nightmare.
BulkyAccident@reddit
If you have 12 days as you said in another comment then I'd do London for 4-5 days with a day trip included somewhere (Bath, York, etc) > Paris for a couple of days > Ireland. Honestly, that's probably enough if it's your first time here.
LondonCycling@reddit
Bude. For the tunnel.
CaptainPedge@reddit
How many days is "a few"? You could easily spend a week or more in London alone , doing all the things you mentioned and not run out of stuff to do
chilloutdude22@reddit (OP)
We've also thought about just staying in London and travelling to Ireland. So it's good to know that there is enough to do in London alone.
We were thinking of 4 days in London, if we do travel to other cities, as well.
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