The UK and Ireland

[juana_antonia]

^Sis I think may Miss Selfridge sa Manila.

[glacy_rein]

Yes most of the UK brands are here already, even Hamleys nandito na.. So i suggest for photo ops nalang yung oxford..

[bonzaigirl]

^glacyrein thanks.. hehe. I only went home 2x pa lang sa Pinas after 5 years away hehe and that was just for our Meet the family and to sort out our wedding. hehe.  But what I do know is mas updated ang Pinas compared sa UK. When it comes to foreign shops and restos, meron na sa Pinas wala pa sa UK. hehe.

[glacy_rein]

^even Costa sis may magoopen na somewhere! Yeah almost all brands be it food or clothing we almost have it all from different Asian countries, EU, USA! Ewan bakit d umaasenso pa Pinas! Haha! (Off topic na tayo. Hehe!)

We're just getting ready na for our UK visit. Hindi naman ganun kalamig by September right??

[bonzaigirl]

^glacyrein the temp might be lower but not too much. Parang Baguio siguro with occasional hot afternoons. Normally september temp is about 14-22 celsius.  Bring umbrellas sis. The foldable ones. We never leave home without one hehe.  Check accuweather they normally have spot on weather forecasts. Have fun on your holiday

[glacy_rein]

^Noted!

Un nga very unpredictable talaga ang weather. Anyway hoping na maging ok lahat thanks!

[mrs. sweet]

Planning on a 2 weeks only UK trip with the kids. London, Scotland and Ireland sana balak namin. Tig ilang araw kaya para maikot lang yung top most attractions? Me and hubs went to London last year, this time, isasama namin kids.

[bonzaigirl]

^hi mrs. Sweet, when are you planning on going to the UK? And how old are your kids?
If you'll be going to Edinburgh I would sugggest 4 days 3 nights. You can  walk around on your first day. Or go try the Sandeman's free walking tour in front of starbuck's at the Royal Mile street in Old Town. Then have a ghost tour at night. It's not scary by the way. 😄 You can have a day  coach trip to the highlands, and then try and see Nessie on the Lake Loch. 3rd day, try and see Calton Hill again. Bring food. we had a very lovely time scaling the up to the big Roman Posts and watched the sun setting while having a picnic. Before that you can hike to Arthur's Mound.  Or you can check the museums. Whichever floats your boat 😄😄
As for visiting Northern Ireland, can't comment much, never really tried to go there. We did go to Wales, just for a relaxing spot on the beach. It was quite windy when we went. Small quaint quiet town. But nevertheless lovely. 

Hope this helps

[caterpillar-girl]

I agree with bonzaigirl's suggestions. May I also suggest HMY Brittania, the royal family's yacht, now a tourist attraction in Edinburgh. It's an interesting little tour. You can wander around by yourself and see the rooms, kitchens, dining places, etc. My little nieces enjoyed it. It's also beside a mall so you can go eat something after.

I love Ireland. There's not much to do in Dublin, except maybe drink Guinness in the pubs haha. Wouldn't say there's much to do for kids.  We did go for a nice hike up in Wicklow Mountains, in Bray,  just 20 mins out of Dublin. My in laws are based there kasi. Fantastic, fantastic views and perfect for picnics, but more suited for older kids. Ireland's beauty is really in its countryside, though.  Go towards places like the Ring of Kerry, Connemara, Claire, etc. Better if you can rent a car. In northern Ireland, we stayed in Belfast to watch a concert and then went for a little tour of the countryside which was really really nice. There's a place called Giant's Causeway which I think the kids will like. The tour itself is enjoyable. There's also a Titanic exhibit there if you're into that. Maybe 4-5 days also in Ireland.  1 in Dublin, 3-4 days exploring The countryside. Bitin but doable. If you can extend, better.

[bonzaigirl]

^ hi sis, but if you are going to visit Ireland, you may need to apply for a different visa as the UK visa is only for  the 4 countries  Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Ireland had long ago removed itself from the UK.

[mrs. sweet]

^I believe I asked this question, I wonder why hindi pumasok post ko. Baka nagloko net hehe Mejo OT, wala kasi ako makitang Ireland visa thread. Mahirap ba mag-apply ng visa? I read 6 weeks to process, ganun katagal??

My hubs still wants to include Ireland kahit separate visa pa daw. Malamang yung Guinness ang gustong puntahan hahaha

[shegie_285]

^When my mom applied for an Irish visa sandali lang, definitely less than 6 weeks. That was in  2012.

Scotland - Edinburgh mga 3 days ok na. I haven't been to the Highlands dahil laging winter pag napupunta ako doon and maulan so my aunt didnt recommend going. But if you will add siguro 4 days dahil it's a day trip.

Ireland - I guess sa Republic ka pupunta as you asked about the visa. Tama si sis caterpillar_girl the beauty of Ireland is nasa countryside. In Dublin, mga 2 days pwede na din. Ang charm ng Dublin is mga old pubs. With the kids you can do the viking tours instead of bus tours. Nag-enjoy pamangkins ko dito. There are several places that will educate visitors regarding the history of Ireland if you interested. I find that they are passionate about this maybe because up to now the county is still divided. Wicklow is nice nga dahil malapit lang sa Dublin. 4 - 5 days siguro to include the countryside. Go to Kerry or Connemara.

Northern Ireland - 2 days pwede na dito. Belfast is small lang.  Drive lang kayo straight to Giants causeway nga and then Titanic museum. You can do both in a day I think. Belfast is a 2 hour drive from Dublin.

London - you said you've been na. Ako dati 4 days lang ang I was able to see what I wanted to see.

[gj1206]

glacy_rein
Definitely bring foldable umbrellas! Parang may delubyo last Wednesday, tapos today ang sunny naman. So medyo schizophrenic ang weather.

shegie_285
I always thought you were in ROI! Hehe.

unwantedP
Depending on how much you want to see and how sanay you are with a lot of walking, I wouldn't suggest doing the National Gallery (or any museums) after an afternoon walking tour. If you only want to see specific paintings/collections, carry siguro. I spent around 3.5 hours at the National Gallery the first time I went, and hindi ko pa natapos lahat! I don't know, parang mas napapagod ang paa ko with museums than with walking tours...maybe because it's a lot of standing and slow walking?

Although to be fair you don't walk a great distance in the walking tours. Again, depends if sanay sa lakaran! (I'm reminded of my mom and sister kase when I took them around Sydney hehe)

[shegie_285]

^ yes sis. I live in Dublin.

[marbleslice]

Just sharing the places we got to visit during our stay in Dublin:

Dublin City Centre
- Can try the hop on hop off bus. Can go to the tourist office to avail the ticket. Almost lahat ng tourist attractions dadaanan nito... like church, castle, etc.
- Phoenix Park na malapit sa Dublin Zoo
- Trinity College
- Temple Bar
- Wax Museum
- Guinness Storehouse (Dito din ang gravity bar where you can drink Guinness habang sightseeing)


Outside Dublin, which we had to avail a day tour package from the Tourist Office
- Skerries (this one can be DIY, need to take a train)
- County Wicklow (one of the locations for PS I Love You movie)
- Cliffs of Moher (as seen on Westlife's My Love music video)
- Cork

Northern Ireland (We took the day trip package from Dublin)
- Giant's Causeway
- Titanic

[unwantedP]

Mga sis, change of plans pala kami. Kasi yun convention is nasa ExCel London, medyo malayo pala sa city (big ben etc) 1hr ata by train. And ayaw ng mom and aunt ko mag Sandeman since nakakapagod ang 3 hours walking tour. 60y/o na kasi sila. Na-lost tuloy ako sa planning.

Oct 19 - 21 kami magstay near ExCel or Canary Wharf. (22 checkout). Sa 22 near Big Ben/Tower Bridge kuha ng hotel. or isang hotel na lang para no transfers? (30mins - 1hr by train ata to city) kaso pag 1 hotel lang, sa 22 and 23 pupunta kami ng Big Ben area. Then on the 24th dun din malapit ang Eurail to Paris.

Oct 24 - 27 we will be in Paris.

The convention will be held on Oct 20 and 21 from 10am - 2pm (aunt ko lang a-attend).

Oct 19 or 20 baka sa Stratford Westfield mall since medyo malapit lang

Oct 21: London City
Oxford Street -> Regent Street -> Piccadilly Circus
Lunch in Covent Garden
Meet with aunt from convention around 3:30pm and go to Trafalgar Square and National Gallery
Watch Les Miserables in Queen's Theatre (malapit lang pala siya sa Piccadilly Circus)

Oct 22: Full day London City Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour
Downing Street
Horse Guards 
Coca-Cola London Eye
St Paul's Cathedral
The Tower of London
Tower Bridge
-River Thames Cruise- (from Tower of London to Westminster Pier) - included in the bus tour package
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament
Westminster Abbey
Buckingham Palace

Doable kaya siya in 1 day? Or too rushed? Dapat ba i-split to 2 days? Nag enter pa ba kayo sa Westminster etc or yun St. Paul Cathedral lang and Tower Bridge ang ok pasukan?

Oct 23: Since full day ang kelangan dito, we might get this
Stonehenge, Bath, Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon Tour (Stonehenge and Bath ang gusto ko, Cotswolds sa aunt ko so combination na lang nila)

[gj1206]

unwantedP
If you're doing Westfield Stratford for shopping, it'll be a bit redundant to do Oxford/Regent Street. Also, kakastress sa dami ng tao! Are you looking at specific shops to check out?

Your Oct 22 looks manageable. Pray for good weather! Hehe. If you're still staying near ExCel, you can see if convenient to take the ferry so you can end your night that way. You can get the ferry from Embankment Pier and get off at North Greenwich/Woolwich Arsenal Pier.

[unwantedP]

^wala naman sis, just wanna check the place out hehe. pero tanggalin ko na lang nga, palitan ko ng British Museum na lang in the morning. Then ok ba mag lunch sa Covent Garden area or sa may Trafalgar Square area na lang?

also, yun Oct 22 places, photo op lang ba sila or better pumasok sa loob like yun Tower Bridge? Yun Buckingham Palace sis closed na on October pala, ok lang ba sa labas lang makita yun or remove na namin sa itinerary?

[gj1206]

sis unwantedP if you're doing shopping anyway, maybe you can do Oxford/Regent Street instead? There are 4 department stores along the length of Regent Street (Selfridges, Debenhams, House of Fraser, John Lewis) plus all the other high street shops. If you veer towards Mayfair/Bond Street, then you'll see the luxury brands, plus another smallish department store Fenwick. Medyo more lakad involved nga lang, but if you wanted to shop + check the place out, at least two birds with one stone! I don't think I'm working the 21st so if you're desperate for someone to show you around, I can do.

Cov G for lunch, definitely. They're near to each other naman, so after lunch you can walk towards Trafalgar Square (10 minute walk?).

I think doable naman your 22nd sis, even if you go into Tower Bridge. Downing Street, Horse Guards, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey are all less than 15 minutes by foot, so it's that close! From Trafalgar Square nga you can go to Buckingham Palace in less than 15 minutes. Hindi siya super impressive from the outside, although my statues na maganda down the Mall

[unwantedP]

^wow thank you sis, ang detailed hehe.