If not London, where....?

[BoundaryGirl3939]

I was hoping to get to London for 2/3 nights. I love the look of the cafés, food markets, history. Looks like they have topclass bakeries.

It just seems to be so expensive there however. And some people hate the place (I know that others love it too).

Any cheaper alternatives/cities/regions on the same island?

I did visit Edinburgh years ago which I liked. I think I got sucked into the tourist cafes and restaurants though so I didn't get a proper taste for it.

York is lovely, lots of nice cafes and restaurants, history, York Minster, museums and city walls, plus the quaint little shops in the Shambles.

Thank you. I just googled my query and York came up as a possible alternative so that's good to know 🙂

York is nice with quite a lot to do for a small city. It is tiny compared to London. London has so much to do there will be something for everyone. But most good things will be busy. Borough market for example at the weekend is so packed it’s quite unenjoyable.

where are you visiting from?

Liverpool has lots to do - boat trips, museums, theatre , shopping. The people are friendly and of course there is the Beatles tour

Galway. I think the smallness of York would be nice for 2/3 days. Probably feel like you can get a handle on things but I feel like London is hard, hard work. Would probably need a year to get my bearings.

Gosh, these places are underrated. That's good to know.

And it's Borough Market that was on my brain but I think I'd be lost there as there seems to be too much choice for a first time visitor.

The first time I went it was awful tbh. There’s so much choice and so many people that you can barely move or get near anything. It’s just pretty overwhelming. There is some good food but you need to go with a plan as you cannot really look around. Not when I’ve been anyway. Maybe it’s quieter mid week in term time.

Where do you live op?

York, and Liverpool are lovely to visit. I live in Edinburgh and there’s lots to do there.

I don't think anywhere else really co.pares to London but I love it and spent 35 years living there. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Personally, I think York's a bit twee. What about Brighton, Manchester or Cambridge - possibly Bristol?

Is this a joke post?

I would second York. I also love London too lol

I'm not from England (from Ireland) and I really think there are so many beautiful underrated gems in England that I'm not aware of. Everyone just thinks to go to London. It's a confidence thing being afraid to explore.
I do believe that London is amazing once you know what you're doing and where to go.

Yes, I would love to go back. The architecture was out of this world. I was there around Halloween so it had such a spooky vibe with castle etc.

Galway, west coast of Ireland. It's a beautiful city to be honest but you need dry weather to appreciate it.

I think I'd go for Manchester. I'm a Londoner and you can't really see the less well trodden parts of London in 2-3 days and the well known parts can be overwhelming and yes, expensive. Whereas central Manchester is quite small by comparison but if you seek recommendations you should be able to get that city vibe while spending a lot less (unless you like museums, in which case London wins because of the huge range of excellent free ones).

If you go to York try and get over to Whitby an old fishing town with atmospheric streets, a ruined abbey, etc. if you’re into hiking the walk along fields and above the coast to Robin Hoods Bay is spectacular.
It has a youth hostel with single rooms you could stay there for an affordable accommodation . Lots of “ traditional “
English food such as fish and chips and cooked breakfast.

Thank you ❤️

That sounds amazing. England is very underrated in terms of tourism. It has all the amenities. These places sound like beautiful hidden gems.

Bristol and Bath. They are only 10 miles apart.

You can get a bus from Bristol Airport (its well outside the city) to either of the cities. Decide which one you're staying in and if time allows visit the other by bus or train.

York, Manchester, Glasgow (so underrated and much more “fun” than Edinburgh) Chester maybe? My DM recently did a weekend in Oxford and really enjoyed it too.

"On the same Island"? I mean, it's accurate but a rather odd turn of phrase for a country.

Bath