Though super-dark mornings are a bit of a bummer, I am definitely loving the extended hours of sunlight thanks to the time change!
Last night we had time to go for a two-mile walk and eat dinner all before the sun went down which was fantastic.
During our walk, Ryan and I had a lot to talk about! Ryan learned that he will be traveling to the UK again next week for work and we’ve been saving money for a last-minute European vacation with the intent to quickly plan a vacation around his next work trip. We wanted to piggyback on Ryan’s work travel since his airfare will be covered by his company and that will save us a pretty penny. (Plus, we’d like to do some travel before we start seriously thinking about babies!)
As we walked, we discussed planning a trip to Europe in a week (!!!) and got more and more excited about the possibility. When we previously discussed our ideal European vacation, Ireland always topped our list, so we knew that would have to be part of our trip.
When we arrived home, we immediately sat down at the computer and did a ton of research. We searched for flights to and from a bunch of different airports and tried to loosely outline a schedule. In the end, we decided that I will fly out at the end of the week and meet up with Ryan. We plan to spend a week in Ireland and three days in London and fly home together from London, but we don’t have the timeline finalized by any means. We still have a ton of research and planning to do but I could hardly sleep last night because I am so excited.
For those of you who have traveled to Ireland and London in the past – or live(d) there – I would love to hear any recommendations you may have!
Dinner
As we played around on the computer and researched away, we ate a delicious dinner of pork, roasted broccoli, lentils and rice.
The lentils and rice were absolutely delicious, but I don’t deserve any of the credit.
My father-in-law sent us a Creamy Coconut Lentils and Rice kit from the Jaali Bean to try and I simply followed the package directions. It was fantastic and so flavorful! One package makes a ton, so I’m excited for leftovers!
Question of the Morning
- I’d love any and all recommendations you may have surrounding a trip to Ireland and London! What should we see? Where should we stay? What food do we have to try?
I’ve followed your travel recommendations in the past and you guys always have the best tips!
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So exciting for you and Ryan!! I have absolutely zero tips as I’ve only left the country for Mexico. #notaworldtraveler
So excited that you are coming to the UK Julie! I love London and it is an awesome place to go. It depends what you want to do when you are there, whether you want to cover all of the tourist sites or go off beat. My picks would be Selfridges and Fenwicks for clothes shopping (and food in Selfridges!). You clearly need to try fish and chips and stock up on Cadburys chocolate!
That’s so exciting! I’m going to Ireland in October for an Irish Castle and Folk Tour. Here is the link to the travel package, it lists many of the trip highlighs, hopefully that will help give you ideas of places to visit! http://thetravelstore.ca/assets/Irish-Castle-Folk-Tour-Flyer.pdf
I’m so excited for you!!
If you read Tina’s blog (carrotsandcake) she recently posted a very similar question and got loads of great recommendations for Ireland.
oooh, i’ll definitely check them out! thanks!
That is so exciting!! If I had only one week to plan a trip, I would stressing like crazy.
As much as I know you’ll want to fill up your time with all kinds of touristy things cause you’re not there for very long, I’d recommend leaving some time open to just explore and see where your feet take you. Some of my favorite travel moments have been totally unplanned things.
i toooootally agree. ryan and i said that our favorite part of our trip to hawaii last sept. was the unplanned activities that we decided to do the morning we woke up!
I live about 30 minutes from the center of London!! You could try Westfields for shopping. It has all the best designer shops, but also most of the high street stores too! I am sure you will have a great time wherever you chose to go!
This is so exciting! One of my gfs and I just had dinner on Sunday and started planning a vacation for the end of summer and Ireland is on top of our list! I can’t wait to hear about what you guys do!
Where do i begin…. Ireland is breath taking. Make sure you go on some tours. I loved the Jameson tour. You had a tour guide (ours was hilarious) and there were numerous samples. I wasnt that impressed with the guiness tour. Try to stay in smaller towns. Go and explore. Walk through castles. Visit the Cliffs of Mohr and kiss the Blarney Stone. If you head to Dublin do the double decker bus tour. Its relatively cheap and you can get around the whole city. The food is amazing…. very Clean. The pubs have the best food and drinks. There are so many things to do in London. Make sure you visit all of the Royal areas. The building that stored the crown jewels was probably my favorite. I really enjoyed visitng the royal guard. You actually got to see and touch the horses and guards 🙂 Buckinham Palace is neat. The architecture in itself is a site to see. There are so many churches to visit. They also have a double decker bus as well. If you do not have a car these are the fastest and cheapest way to travel around. The Hard Rock Cafe in London has lots of memorabilia. Try to visit some parks as well. There is a memorial in one of them to Princess Diana. That was my favorite. Talk to people! Go out and eat fish n chips. Europe to me is all about exploration. And above all things Mind the Gap!
Ireland is my absolute favorite place in the whole wide world! Within a day of visiting there, I decided I wanted to live there when I can finally afford to. EVERYONE there is super nice and friendly and helpful! I am vegan, and everyone was so accomodating to my needs everywhere I went, and I literally mean EVERYWHERE! I don’t know where you two plan on visiting, but you can pretty much drive the entirety of the island in one day and its beautiful everywhere you go so, you two just enjoy yourselves!
Those lentils and rice sound fabulous! I am going to have to give those a try.
Isn’t Daylight Savings time awesome? I am loving the extra light at night. Summer is on it’s way!
What a fun vacation, especially since you are planning it on a whim. I am sure that you will have SO much fun :).
I just back from Ireland on Monday! There is a free walking tour in Dublin that is fantastic. If you are up for a single day bus excursion, the Wild Wicklow tour was amazing with a fantastic guide and beautiful scenery. On the west coast, the Cliffs of Moher are a must see. TheTrim Castle tour was also very neat. So fun!
Oh wow – what a huge trip to come together so fast. I am so excited for you guys! You’ll have a wonderful time. The weather in London this time of year will be colder than FL so pack a few warmer things. Thankfully, nothing as ridiculous as WI weather so you’ll be fine. 🙂
My Fiance just got back from Ireland last week! He loved it! He recommends going to the Temple Bar District, Galway, and the Jameson Distillery. Have fun!
I’m so jealous! That trip sounds amazing!
I’ve not been to London or Ireland but have had friends go to London recently. Apparently the shopping is phenomenal, check out Zara, H&M and Marc’s and Spencer. Definitely have to have a proper English style curry when you are there. As well as things like Devonshire tea and Yorkshire puddings and going to some of the local pubs. Cabs are ridiculously expensive there so be warned. Other than that have fun!
I am dying to go to Ireland one day, that would be the best trip! Ever since I saw the movie PS I love you Ive wanted to go for real 🙂
Very exciting vacation! I live in Belfast and the Titanic museum is new and very popular, but down south Kilarney and Galway are both amazing 🙂
Galway is a must! Dublin is ok, but its like other cities (except the Guiness tour!). Galway is cute and a little town in comparison.
I lived in London and traveled to Ireland a few times. Try to stay away from Dublin (touristy and expensive). I rented a car while I was there to get around and once you get used to driving on the other (wrong) side of the road and the roundabouts, it has some great views. My best advice is to try to stay away from touristy areas and restaurants, and go to the places that the actual residents go to- all of the people I met in Ireland were very friendly and loved to chat and would give good recommendations. There are tons of walking tours all over, and they can be interesting (and frustrating depending on your expectations). I could go on forever about London- high tea is a must (The Muffin Man is my favorite) and dinner on the Thames is also a beautiful experience.
I lived in London (and grew up near Palatine!) for 4 years – it’s fabulous and expensive lol! My favorite park is Hampstead Heath, so if it’s nice, it’s totally worth the couple of tube stops. It’s huge, sprawling hills and lakes, great view of the city, and tons of dog watching to do. Plus the town is great and full of lots of famous people, so you may even see Helena Bonham Carter while nosying around the shops. My favorite museum is definitely Churchill’s War Room. It’s underground and so cool. Worth the money. My suggestion would be to do some research on where you want to eat before you go. There are some great restaurants but also a lot of duds. No fun wasting a meal out on a so so place. A cool bar is Gordon’s Wine Bar near Embankment. It’s an underground candle lit wine bar, always crammed on Friday’s. Oh and Harrod’s Food Hall is obviously always worth the walk-through. Have fun!!!
Oh and you like Indian food, you should totally go to Brick Lane. It’s this row of Indian restaurants that all try and lure you in with special deals. It’s a cool experience and the food is fab!
i’ve heard the BEST stuff about brick lane! definitely want to go there!
Great idea about the curry! Brick Lane can be a bit touristy, so if you would like something authentic and really fun, head to a place called Tayyabs which is nearby. I went to there with a bunch of girl friends and we had so much fun: http://www.tayyabs.co.uk. It’s BYOB so you can have a great time AND save money by bringing your own wine and beers!
My husband and I went to eastern Ireland a few years ago, we LOVED every minute of it. I could LIVE there, it reminded me so much of our home in WV. Some cool places we went:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahir_Castle The tour at this castle is awesome, it gives you so much insight into the days when castles were used for defense.
http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/south-east/dunmorecave/ The cave tour was very cool! The website for the government agency doesn’t do it justice. We toured this on our way back from Kilkenny Castle. The Heritage Ireland site is a great resource for all the sites run by the Irish government (similar to our state and national park systems here). They have some deals you can get that will give you admission to a number of parks at a time for a discount.
http://www.kilkennycastle.ie/en/ this was the coolest castle by far. very different from Cahir, which was not a luxury palace. Kilkenny was definitely a rich person’s castle. Do the tour, it is well worth it. Kilkenny is also a very cool town to walk about and check out the shops.
The Rock of Cashel is an awesome place to tour as well: http://www.cashel.ie/tourism.php?sect=Rock Of Cashel
If you are in Dublin, go to Howth, it is right down the road from Dublin, a very short trip. There is a fishing pier there with several restaurants around it. We watched people feeding SEALS that came to the pier because of the fishing boat. They were literally three feet from us. Not sure if the seals are there year round but it was by far one of the coolest things I’ve seen.
awesome! thanks, andrea!
Yay! Ireland is the best. I studied abroad in Galway a few years ago and go back to visit Ireland every year or so now. I would only spend a day or two in Dublin and then hit the road. Galway is an incredible college town — lots of great music and pubs (King’s Head, Tis Coli, The Quays, Taafes). You should go for a run from city center down to Salthill along the water. Take a tour up to the Cliffs of Moher… they’re beautiful. And, if you want a great hike/walk, gorgeous scenery, and more “untouched” Ireland, take a cruise out to the Aran Islands for a day.
Cork is another nice, small seaside town. I wasn’t really into kissing the Blarney Stone, but decided to rent a bike from Cork and ride out to Blarney, which made it worthwhile. It was a pretty ride and the park itself was nice.
Lastly, I would really think about taking a trip up to Belfast. If you’re renting a car, there are new freeways that make traveling within the country much easier and faster than it used to be. The “black cab tours” in Belfast are eye-opening and the city itself is really great. I did a lot of wandering while I was in Belfast and happened upon the botanical gardens. They were gorgeous, even in winter.
Mostly, just make sure you visit lots of pubs for trad sessions (wander a little off the beaten path instead of just going to the tourist spots) and talk to locals — the Irish are the nicest, friendliest people. Have fun!!!
I studied abroad in Cork a few years back and I would second all of these suggestions. Dublin is worth seeing, but if there is only a week there, I would briefly stay here. I personally really liked Dingle or Doolin for a true small town Irish experience. Both have hotels available.
Also, I thought the bus tours would be a waste of time and money, but they were about 35 euro per person and took you all over the country in one day. I’m sure they wasted more than that in just has! They each were about 6-8 hours each. Plus it helps since renting a car can be a bit unnerving if you’ve never driven on the other side of the road.
But personally I love the city of Cork, it’s the second biggest in the country, but has the feel of a small town (for US standards : ) my recommendation is pick the top 5 touristy things to do in the cities you want to be in and then build non touristy things around that. Go see a rugby match, stay up all night for a trad session, and most of all, get to know the people, they are ALL the coolest people that you wish you had back home. Have so much fun, I promise you’ll want to move there.
Oh! Before I forget, if you don’t rent a car, they have incredible bus transportation that gets you all over the country for pretty decent prices. All the main routes run on time (for the most part) and can literally take you from the north to the south.
Have fun and enjoy the food! : )
Hi Julie! I have been reading your blog for a while now and I love it! I am from Ireland (and live there) and I am very excited to hear it is top of your list of places to visit!
We have the most beautiful scenery and beaches, but most of all we have the best ‘craic’ – do you know what that means lol? Google it!
I would recommend visiting Dublin for a pint of Guinness and some traditional Irish music, as well as Belfast for great shopping and to see the Titanic museum, and if you had the time visiting the Antrim Coast of Ireland to see the beautiful beaches and Giants Causeway! If you need any information please email me. You can get around Ireland easily by car as its such a small place. All the best with your planning 🙂 xxxxx
just googled it! sounds like it’s hard to define! “Put simply, having craic is having a good time or a laugh.” <-- yes???
I am so jealous!! How fun to be able to plan it on a whim!
Dublin: The Guinness storehouse is awesome, even if only for the amazing views of the city you get at the end. We also did a half-day bus tour to Malahide Castle, and while the castle wasn’t that neat, the scenery on the drive back into Dublin was awesome. And the price of the hop-on, hop-off bus tour was money well spent! Great way to get around Dublin easily.
London: Westminster Abbey is expensive, but was well worth the money in my opinion.
You’ll have such a blast!
I’m currently studying abroad in London for the semester if you need any recommendations!
how fun! i wish i would’ve studied abroad!
For three weeks my junior year in college I signed up for an Intersession trip (our college had a 4-1-4 semester schedule so for the month of January you either take one class at school every day or go abroad, and lots of trips are available). I fell in love with London and really want to return! I definitely recommend seeing a play! This is something my husband and I always plan for when we travel. The London theatre district is fantastic and if you don’t have time to plan ahead, you can buy tickets off the streets at random vendors. I also loved visiting Westminster Abbey and seeing all the famous tombs there, both royal and not, and there is the poets’ corner which is so neat. Visiting the Tower of London is fascinating (I have to admit when I first went I did not know it was actually a fortress of 11 towers and that families of the guards actually lived there). I hope you plan a wonderful trip! So exciting!
Indian food in London is the BEST! Yum! Also, eat lots of chocolate and ride the London Eye! Enjoy!
I am so excited for you and Ryan, it will be an amazing trip! My step family lives in London so whenever we are there we normally do family stuff outside of typical tourist activities but I would recommend getting real fish and chipps, so much better over there, and maybe tour one if the smaller castles, I loved hearing about all te history on the tour we did.
Wow, do I WISH I could tell you places I’ve been to in Ireland and London to help you out. When I finally get a chance to go there MYSELF I’ll be asking you for input 🙂
You are going to have an amazing trip!
Oh my goodness! So excited for you all! My husband and I traveled to Europe last October and just loved it! We went to Ireland, Scotland, England, and Spain! In Ireland the most fun was visiting the Jameson Distillery Tour (http://oldjamesondistillery.visrez.com/), and the Paddywagon tour to the cliffs of Moher (http://www.paddywagontours.com/tourView.php?id=156). Hope you enjoy your trip!
I live in Belfast, Northern Ireland and it is only a 2 hour drive from Dublin if you can make it there! It has fabulous shops, a new Titanic Quarter and many murals from the times of the Troubles which you can see by taking a bus tour. It also has a fantastic nightlife and restaurants. I would recommend Zen Belfast if you’re in the mood for Chinese/Japanese and Deane’s at Queens for traditional food. However, if you don’t have time to make it to Belfast, Dublin is fantastic. I especially recommend going to Brown Thomas not to buy but for the experience! Haha! It has high end clothes and the most gorgeous Louboutin display! Definitely take the bus tour in Dublin as you will be able to see a lot of the main sites. I would also say go to the Guinness tour, I’ve never been but my friends have and say it is soo fun. Hope you have a great time!
How exciting!!! 🙂 First of all I would recommend easyJet for cheap flights from Ireland to the UK! I live in England and I absolutely LOVE Greenwich in London! On weekends there’s a lovely market with food from around the world and they have cute cafes and there’s a big park it’s perfect for strolling around! Other than that there’s also great markets in London Bridge (Borough Market) and Notting Hill. Oh and if you visit Buckingham Palace there’s a park opposite (St James Park. If you stand with your back to the front of the palace where the guards are it’s on the right hand side just behind the roundabout … be careful crossing it’s very busy and we drive on the other side of the road!) 😀 If you walk through the park you can get into the center of town and they have so many birds and even pelicans (I saw one of them once just standing there on the path!) and it’s a nice walk over to Trafalgar Square and they have the guardsmen on horses there too which is pretty cool (just follow the huge avenue through the park and then cross the road and turn left onto a big sand filled square!) 🙂 I hope my directions make sense! 😀 😀
I can’t wait to read about your trip to Ireland because I’m planning on going this summer!!! 🙂
thanks for the easyJet rec… and all the other recs, too! 😀
A few summers ago I studied abroad in London and took a long weekend trip to Ireland. We scheduled a 3 day tour with the Paddywagon and it was wonderful. It’s a super affordable way to see all different parts of Ireland. Our tour took left from Dublin and we saw the Blarney Castle, Kilarney, and Cliffs of Moher along with countless other gorgeous sites that only an Irish tour guide would know about. Although group travel can be sometimes questionable, I think it’s so much easier than having to drive all around Ireland on your own. …and just in case you want to check it out http://www.paddywagontours.com/
perfect! thanks, taryn!
Hi Julie, I’m from Ireland. Personally I’d recommend spending maybe two days in Dublin (if Dublin is a must-see on your list) and the rest on the west coast. Since you guys like the outdoors, going for hikes etc.. then you will have plenty to do here. The west coast – Galway City, Connemara and on to Killarney and the ring of Kerry – is the most beautiful part of Ireland. If Dublin is on the itinerary then I think this alternative guide to Dublin (below) will be helpful:
http://www.designsponge.com/2013/03/dublin-design-guide.html
Hope it helps you out! 🙂
Never been to Ireland but I’ve been to London twice, once as a tourist and the other time I stayed there and lived there for 2 weeks during London Fashion week 🙂 (I’m starting a modeling career so I was running around castings and stuff!)
The first time I went I was there for 5 days and I FILLED my days with all the tourists things to do. I have to say that 5 days was barely enough there is SO much to do!!! My advice would be to list in advance what you wanna do and make sure you do your favorite things first! The tube in London is amazing and gets you anywhere you want but it’s EXPENSIVE! Get the Oyster card, its 5 Pounds just for the card but then the rate for travelling is more acceptable (still expensive lol). Dont forget to shop at TopShop and Primark in Oxford Circus, best shopping ever!!! And cute shoes at Office 🙂
Enjoy London, it’s such an amazing city!! And if ever you have time, Paris is only a 2.5h train ride away 🙂 Eurostar is cheap when you buy your ticket in advance, if ever you have more time to spend 🙂 Have fun!! xx
Julie–you guys will love Ireland! My husband and I have traveled all over the country and if you find yourself on the west coast, go for a run near the cliffs of Kilkee. So beautiful and very remote, it’s not as crowded as a major tourist attraction like the cliffs of Moher (those are lovely, too, though!). My husband and I stumbled upon the cliffs of Kilkee on our honeymoon and we literally just spent hours walking, there was even a random golden retriever that started following us, so he was our hiking buddy : ) Just the most peaceful place. If you find yourself in Cork/Blarney area, we also loved the Blarney Castle gardens (great for getting beautiful photos, if you’re into photography). Cork was a fun city, great for shopping! They also have a place that goes by a few different names—the Prince’s Street Market, the English Market, the Queen’s Market–it is an indoor market with every kind of amazing European food you could imagine! I’m a total foodie and I was in heaven. My husband and I stocked up on the goods and had a picnic when we got to our next destination! You can’t go wrong if you’re in Dublin–so many beautiful churches…and Guinness : ) The Temple Bar district is a fun area with lots of pubs! Have a great time!
Hey Julie! Very excited for you, you’re going to have an amazing time. I live in London and there is so much to do I really don’t know where to start. You can check Time Out London to see what’s going on during the days you’re visiting. I really recommend taking a long walk along the banks of the river thames, especially the south bank although it is always busy with tourists. You could stop at Borough Market (huge food market) to try all the incredible fresh food on offer. Afternoon tea at Claridges or the Ritz is pricey but an fun thing to experience, and there are lots of great bars and restaurants in the Mayfair area. I’ve seen other comments on here about Hampstead Heath – such a great idea! Shame you can’t take Sadie as she would love it. I recommend going to Parliament Hill on the Heath, walking through Hampstead village and then maybe walking down to Primrose Hill (another park with great views across London). Primrose Hill is beautiful – there are some great independent shops and restaurants.
If you need any more specific info you are always welcome to drop me an email. Have an AMAZING time!
What an amazing trip – I can’t wait to read your posts! I have never been to London….but I am planning a trip there hopefully next summer so I am interested to see everyone’s recommendations! As far as Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher was the most memorable for me. Breathtaking! I also enjoyed Kilkenny Castle, as a previous poster recommended. I loved spending time in Dublin too – so much to see and do…and great pubs!
I live in Ireland 🙂 Just outside of Co.Dublin about 45 minutes from the city. Wicklow is amazing, known as the garden of Ireland with lots of hiking and out door gardens to visit… You should head over to the West as well to Kerry, absolutely gorgeous and Galway is one of the best cities! If you want to pop me on a mail and I can let you know if hotels you’re looking at are ok and what not!
LOVE London! I live in NYC but London is one of my favorite cities. Definitely check out the Notting Hill area and Portobello Road market. So much fun! I still have a pair of earrings I got from there that I love. And definitely go to Harrods, it’s such an amazing “mall” compared to American department stores.
How exciting!!! England is my dream trip. I’ve never been there, but if I were you I would check out the Tower of London while there. I’ve heard it’s a great tour, and there’s so much history!
When in London, you HAVE to see “One Man Two Guvnors” on stage. You can get discount tickets at the TKTS booth in Leicester Square (I was just there last month and for two people we spent about $80 total for two tickets!). The show was HILARIOUS! My mom had to take her glasses off because she was crying from laughter!
Also, take some time to wander around the Covent Garden/Neal’s Yard area. There’s a great vegetarian restaurant in the area (also an awesome gelato place!) and some really funky stores and shopping. It’s so darn cute in the area!
Sadly, my only Ireland experience is the airport on my way to/from Paris. The Dublin airport, I have to say, stinks. Everything is so far away from each other!
Ireland is amazing! I would highly recommend Galway. It is a cute city with lots to do. I also loved the Aran Islands. They had awesome cliffs, but way less touristy than the Cliffs of Moher. We took a carriage ride on the islands and had a great tour guide who was very informational!
I spent a semester in Ireland 7 years ago (holy crap, I’m getting old!) and have been back 3 times since. It is my favorite place in the world! There are so many things to say, but in Dublin definitely spend a day/night in Temple Bar listening to the music. It’s a touristy area but there’s nothing like relaxing with a pint and listening to real Irish musicians play traditional music! (if you want REAL authenticity, go to Bowes on Fleet Street – that is where all the musicians go to hang out together, and the trad sessions are unbelievable!) Also, a hidden gem in Dublin is the Kilmainham Gaol – beautiful, haunting, full of history, and in a couple movies so you might recognize it. Very cheap too, but go early because tours are limited.
Outside of Dublin, I highly recommend Galway, the Cliffs of Moher, etc. on the western side of the island, which many people here have mentioned. But, if you can make it down to the Ring of Kerry/Killarney you will be blown away. It is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been, with the exception of….
Northern Ireland! It is severely underestimated in my opinion, and Country Antrim is honestly the most gorgeous place I’ve ever been. Giant’s Causeway, or really ANY part of the northern coast of Antrim is stunningly beautiful. I went during my semester abroad, and loved it so much that I made a special trip to take my mom there in January. It’s really not that far from the Republic, and totally worth the trip!
I love when people get to experience the magic of Ireland for the first time! 🙂
Hi Julie! I have been reading your blog for ages but have never commented. I am a Londoner and am very excited for you for your trip next week! Here are some recommendations:
1. Portobello & Notting Hill
I am sure you have seen the film, but the market there is fabulous! Walk down the market in the morning (a must on a Saturday). There is also fabulous shopping on westbourne grove in Notting Hill and some delicious restaurants (I would highly recommend Mediteraneo, Bumpkin (traditional english), Ottolenghi, Toms and Granger&Co. Also fantastic pubs (the Walmer Castle and the Cow are extremely popular). The area is very close to Hyde park/Kensington gardens which is beautiful
2. Borough markets/brick lane – both fantastic and delicious food! Camden Market is also fun, you will see lots of punks walking around
3. Tea – I personally love it at Dukes Hotel or at the Sanderson Hotel (where it has a mad hatter tea party twist!)
4. Soho has some fantastic bars (as well as amazing and affordable restaurants!) as does old street shoreditch area – I would particularly recommend Aqua, Sketch, or ECC in soho area for fabulous and fancy cocktails and McQueen and Caloo Calay in Old St
5. Visit Fortnum & Mason, Harrods, Selfridges
6. There are a lot of fun walking tours to do around very historic parts of London – look up online or in Time Out magazine, I have heard the jack the ripper one is fantastic and original!
7. Go to the London eye so you can see the whole of London
Sorry for the excessive recommendations! If you check out a blog called thelondoner.me the writer has a whole section of London recommendations!
Enjoy your trip
Hi Julie,
We just returned from visiting our daughter in London. She is studying there and doing an internship for Guess. Check out her blog xodiaries.com . Its beautiful with great tips!
Ireland is so much fun! The people are amazing there, so welcoming, friendly, and fun to hang out with. I’ve done a lot of European travel and they are the best!! Cliffs of Moher are amazing, and we did a tour of “Wild Wicklow” so pretty many views from the movie “PS I Love You”. I second everyone on the Jameson Tour, we also went to see beautiful Trinity College, the jail Kilmainham Gaol, St Patrick’s Cathedral… and many bars! There are some bars that are just fun to hang out in, and then some of them advertise Irish Jig performances…we did it one night and it was so much fun! They would bring people up on stage and teach you the dance moves. Make sure you bring your old student ID if you have one because you can get a lot of great discounts by being a student!!
Hi Julie! I studied abroad in Wales a couple years ago, and while there we took a week long trip to Ireland. I LOVED it! I’m so excited you have the chance to go. We spent a couple days in Dublin, and it was fun to see all the sites and the Temple Bar District was really cool–there were all sorts of pubs with live Irish music. However, I preferred the smaller towns we visited, particularly Galway. Such a fun and beautiful place! We also went on a biking tour of the Aran Islands. I’m not sure how you feel about biking, but it wasn’t overly strenuous and was a beautiful ride, right along the water. At the end of it we hiked up to some cliffs that dropped straight into the water. Scary, but awesome! This was one of the highlights of the entire trip for me! Finally, I would recommend the Cliffs of Moher, as some other commenters have noted. They were breathtaking! Have an awesome trip, I look forward to reading about it 🙂
Oh, and the Aran Islands are much less touristy than the Cliffs of Moher were, which was a huge plus for me. There were also carriage rides as well, if you aren’t into the biking side of things.
Oh how exciting! I wouldn’t have been able to sleep either…Never been to Ireland or London, but I can’t wait to see all your posts and pictures from your trip!
I’m headed to NYC in a few weeks and would LOVE any recommendations anyone has as well!