At the beginning of August last year, Xiaoqi went to England and Ireland, and walked around in 16 days by car. The most direct feeling was cool, which was both a trip and a summer vacation. You know, it was 36 degrees in Beijing at that time. The highest temperature in Britain is generally over 21 degrees, so I really want to come to Britain every summer. There are so many tourists in China. After the Brexit referendum, the pound depreciated. Now is a good time to visit Britain.
A friend said that Xiaoqi's family is not a cruise ship. Why don't you take a cruise ship when you go to England? Isn't it better for a cruise ship to play by car? Haha, you think too much about this. I went to England with a mission this time, and I have to compare the cruise with go on road trip, so I can listen to Xiaoqi talk to you.
In addition to her favorite cruise, Xiaoqi also likes go on road trip. Countries that are suitable for self-driving have driven a lot, and it feels good. The main reason is that they don't like the schedule of regular group tours and cursory sightseeing, and they don't have to drag their luggage to catch trains and planes, which is more casual. Compared with cruise tourism, the fun of the two is different.
My go on road trip is flying from Beijing to London, driving across England to Scotland, flying to Northern Ireland, then starting the second stage of self-driving, and finally flying back to Beijing from Dublin, the capital of Ireland. There was no turning back in the whole journey, and it took sixteen days to go back and forth.
Xiaoqi didn't drive in London, but completed the three-day arrangement by bus, subway and walking. The public transportation in London is very convenient, but the roads are narrow, and the parking fees and charges in the central area of congestion charges are expensive. It is not recommended to drive. On the fourth day, I went to Cambridge and Windsor Castle and lived in Windsor. On the fifth day in Oxford and bicester village, you can stop by Churchill Manor and live in Gloucester. On the sixth day, the beautiful colleague of Xiaoqi strongly suggested adding a day, which I understand as a country tour in Britain: Cheltenham visited sudeley castle (Sudeley Castle, an enhanced version of Downton Manor ~), Shakespeare's former residence-Stratford Town, then Broadway-Burton-bibury on the water, and then returned to Gloucester. This is a semi-circular tour, and the rural towns with British characteristics are included, which is a very good route design; On the seventh day, I set off from Gloucester early in the morning and went to Manchester via Birmingham. Needless to say, there are big cities. On the eighth day, I first went to Lancaster in the northwest corner of England. For personal reasons, Xiaoqi went to visit Lancaster University, and then crossed the middle of England to York. The road across the middle was rugged and narrow, which was really not easy to drive, but the scenery on the way was very different from other places. On the ninth day, York went to Edinburgh and decided to go to Glasgow on the way. On the eleventh day, Edinburgh Airport returned the car and flew to Belfast in Northern Ireland. The airport rented a car again and started the second self-driving tour. I drove to see the dark hedge and Giant's Dike in fire and ice. On the twelfth day, I visited the Titanic Museum, visited the scenery in Belfast, and then drove to Dublin. Xiaoqi also stayed in Dublin for three nights, one day went to Moher Cliff, the other day went to Phoenix Park to chase deer, and went shopping. On the fifteenth day, I went for a rest and flew back to Beijing in the evening. The whole schedule is relatively relaxed, with two days' drive exceeding 311 kilometers, and other times' drive is not long. The two self-driving trips are about 2,611 kilometers, of which England walked about 1,611 kilometers to Scotland and Ireland about 1,111 kilometers.
Then let's talk about the cruise tour of the British archipelago that Xiaoqi is familiar with. We usually fly directly from China to London, arrange three days of sightseeing in and around London, including Windsor, Cambridge, Oxford and Stonehenge, and then board a cruise ship in Southampton, Wales, England. The cruise ship will stop at Guernsey, the southernmost part of the British territory; Corcaigh, the second largest city in Ireland, is the capital of Corcaigh, Ireland. Dublin, the capital of Ireland; Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, has the Giant Dike, which is listed as the fourth natural wonder in Britain, and the scenery of the coastline stretching for 11 miles near the Giant Dike is beautiful. Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and the third largest city in Britain. In recent years, it has gradually developed into one of the top ten financial centers in Europe, and many Scottish companies are headquartered here. Kirkwall is the largest town, fishing port and capital of the Orkney Islands, in the east of Mainland Island in the Orkney Islands; Inverness/Loch Ness, because Furness is the northernmost city in Britain and the capital of Highland, is the most famous tourist attraction in Scotland and northern England. Loch Ness has always been shrouded in mysterious colors, and the scenery of Highland in Scotland is concentrated; Edinburgh is the center of the southern lowlands and the capital of Scotland. It is surrounded by mountains and waters, with beautiful scenery, humid and mild climate and rich cultural heritage. It is one of the most beautiful cities in Britain and is known as "Athens in the North". Newcastle is one of the core cities in England, one of the most popular cities in England in the 21th century, and the largest gathering city with satellite cities on the Tyne River, with many medieval churches and other buildings. Finally returned to Southampton.
After her own experience, Xiaoqi thinks that cruise and go on road trip are two recommended ways to visit Britain, but each has its own advantages. Let me summarize them for your reference.
Self-driving tour requires skilled driving skills, experience and psychological preparation, especially in Britain, where cars drive on the right or the left, which is contrary to that in China. The roads in Britain are generally narrow, and everyone drives very fast, even though no one slows down in the continuous mountain detours. Do your homework before you leave, and the design of the route, the arrangement of scenic spots, the location of accommodation and hotel reservations need to be arranged in advance. The most convenient thing about self-driving is that you can stop where you like when you run, and your luggage will be with you. In terms of food and beverage, I was told to eat English dark dishes before we left, but most of the restaurants I saw in Britain were not local, except fish and chips. More were Italian, Indian and Chinese food, especially in London, where Italian food was the main food, so eating too much was inevitably a bit monotonous. Although self-driving is fun and random, it takes a lot of time, and sometimes I have to give up some places. Because of time, I didn't go to Wales and Scottish Highlands this time. In addition, the choice of hotels and restaurants depends on how well the homework is done, and sometimes hotels with unsatisfactory cost performance will be selected, and the standards cannot be consistent throughout. Although go on road trip is casual, it is inevitable to pack and carry luggage frequently because he has to go to many places. In addition, in Britain and Ireland, small cars are the main car rentals, and manual car rentals are the main ones. If there are three or more people traveling together, it should be noted that many small cars can't hold three suitcases, and automatic car rentals are more expensive. For example, Xiaoqi wants to rent a medium-sized and large car with automatic transmission that can put down three suitcases. Because the route design does not go back, he chose to return the car in different places, so the cost is relatively high.
For friends who are not interested in go on road trip, cruise is the best choice. Cruises have traveled around the British Isles, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland, and the number of cities they have reached is not less than that of go on road trip. Cruises sail at night and dock during the day without bumps in the road. There is plenty of time to visit the city. You can arrange tours freely or sign up for sightseeing tours on board. There are many choices of meals, and the meals on the cruise ship in every city will change accordingly. There are many kinds of choices, so it is easy to choose your favorite dishes. You don't have to pack your bags every day. On the first day, you live in a room, hang all your clothes in the closet, and put small pieces in cabinets or drawers. Ten days is as comfortable as at home. The entertainment activities in the evening are also very rich. The land tour is still on the way to the hotel in the evening. You have already had a drink in the cruise bar or sat in the theater to enjoy the performance, and the experience is completely different. I also heard some friends say that the cruise ship's time on land is too short. In fact, it is not. Because cruise ships usually sail at night and dock in the morning, and set sail at night or even late at night, they have enough time to stay in a city, so they can arrange their time and itinerary freely. Compared with Xiaoqi's trip to go on road trip this time, the only thing missing from the cruise is the circular route near Gloucester, which is the British country tour that day. On the way, Xiaoqi got to know many British locals and European tourists. Everyone exchanged their travel experiences and found that they all suggested that you spend a week living in the English countryside and experience it slowly. Interested friends can consider it.
The last thing I want to tell you is that Xiaoqi's trip was a temporary idea. As a result, air tickets and hotels are very expensive. July and August in Britain are the best months (of course, the climate in May and June is also good), and it is also the peak season for travel. I suggest you learn from Xiaoqi's lesson and make sure to book air tickets, ship tickets and hotels in advance.