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England travel guide

Travel Through History in England

One of the biggest draws for visitors to England is the living history found throughout the country. From the mysterious pillars of Stonehenge  to the famous hands of Big Ben, the sights of England are those right out of our history books.  When it comes to World War II, England offers even more for the history buff.

Though the fighting of World War II took place all over Western Europe, for those with a keen interest in the war, England is a perfect base for seeing many of the most important sights. There are nearly a dozen important World War II sights in England and France so if you can stretch your trip to both countries with a eurail pass, you can see even more.

Check out the Churchill War Rooms in London and the sober Battle of Britain Memorial in Kent and then head over to France for a trip to the battle-scarred beaches of Normandy and the small town of Sainte-Mère-Église, where it is said that a soldier’s parachute became hooked on the town church, and he survived the battle by hanging there pretending to be dead as the fighting went on below.

Once you’ve had your fill of history for the trip, take in some of the more lighthearted activities in the area. There are plenty of things to do in Normandy, for example. Visit the beautiful Mont St. Michel, tour Monet’s gardens, and make your way along the cider route. Though the ugly past of World War II still haunts much of England and France, the present couldn’t be more beautiful.

Photo by: heatheronhertravels

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Los Angeles Transportation

Getting from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon

grandcanyonAs two of the certain must-visit places in the US, Los Angeles and the Grand Canyon are easily combined in one trip, but getting from one to the other isn’t quite as straightforward as you might expect. There is a small airport at the Grand Canyon, but there aren’t scheduled flights from major airlines, so it can be a little tricky unless you know how to pull this off.

For the purposes of this article, we’ll be discussing the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, as this is where the vast majority of the tourist infrastructure and famous views can be found. The North Rim is actually a long drive from the South Rim, and it’s much harder to reach from Los Angeles as well. The South Rim is a far better place to visit for first-timers as well, so forget the North Rim for now.

Los Angeles to Grand Canyon

  • Distance apart: 410 miles / 660 kilometers
  • Driving distance: 502 miles / 808 kilometers

Quick summary

Unless you intend to actually spend some time in either Phoenix or Las Vegas, which isn’t a bad idea now that we mention it, then driving to the Grand Canyon is probably the best bet for most people. You can also fly to one of three airports or take a train or bus, but all of those options won’t get you all the way there.

Flights from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon

This is where it gets complicated. There is a small airport near the Grand Canyon, but it only does charter flights, mostly out of Las Vegas and for aerial tours of the area. This means if you are intent to fly you have 3 options.

Fly into Flagstaff, Arizona (FLG) – This small airport is about 90 miles south of the South Rim, and has a few regular flights that have surprisingly low fares if you book in advance. There’s a bus company called Open Road Tours and they have regular coaches to the Grand Canyon from Flagstaff.

Fly into Phoenix, Arizona (PHX) – This is a huge city and airport about 240 miles south of the South Rim. From here you can rent a car cheaply and it’s a lovely drive as well.

Fly into Las Vegas, Nevada (LAS) – This growing city is about 280 miles from the South Rim, and a bit less to the North Rim. Rental cars tend to be cheap, but then again the drive itself isn’t much farther than driving all the way from Los Angeles.

Trains from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon

You can’t take a train all the way to the Grand Canyon, but you can take it directly to Flagstaff, which is only about 90 miles away. From there you can take the Open Road Tours bus to the Grand Canyon. One tricky thing is the trains usually leave in the evening, so you arrive in Flagstaff the next morning.

Journey time: About 10 hours
Typical price: About $59 each way
>>Amtrak site

Buses from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon

The bus situation is exactly like the train situation, mentioned above. You can take a Greyhound bus to Flagstaff and then the Open Road Tours bus from there. It’s a bit slower, and even a bit more expensive than the train, but at least you have the option of traveling during the day.

Journey time: About 12 hours to Flagstaff
Typical price: $64 one-way if you buy online in advance, and up to $85 if you buy on the day.
>>Greyhound website

Driving from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon

This might be your best bet, since all the other methods are complicated and indirect anyway. You can get specific directions on any online map site, but the quick version is you find your way to I-40 out of Los Angeles, and then drive about 420 miles to Williams, Arizona, at which point you’ll take AZ-64 north for about 70 miles and you are there.

Journey time: About 8 hours

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Accommodation Los Angeles

Which area of Los Angeles should you stay in?

hotelsignRecently a friend was planning on visiting Los Angeles from the San Francisco area, and since it was their first visit to La La Land in about 15 years I decided to help out with some suggestions. It then occurred to me that this is one of the most confusing hotel cities on the planet and I should write something about this. My friend had everything up to his OAK airport parking handled, but didn’t even know which part of the city to stay in.

Where to stay in Los Angeles if you aren’t sure

Many first time visitors book their flights to LAX, and then look for a hotel near the airport because that sounds convenient. While it is convenient, and they’ve built dozens of hotels in that area because of that, it’s actually a terrible part of town to stay in unless you have specific business in that area. There are hundreds or even thousands of hotels in Los Angeles, and unfortunately they are spread out all over.

My best tip is that if you are coming into the city for something specific, and especially if you need to spend more than one day at that thing, stay near there. In other words, if you want to go to Disneyland or something else in Anaheim for two or more days, it’s not a bad idea to stay near there. The same is true of the San Fernando Valley for Universal Studios or other attractions near there.

Areas to consider

Santa Monica/Venice Beach

This is always my choice for those who can afford it, and fortunately there are quite a few discount hotels in the area, even though real estate prices are high. Santa Monica has good public transportation compared to the rest of the city, plus decent nightlife, dining, and shopping, and of course a really nice beach.

Hollywood

I lived for several years in Hollywood and unless you are after something very specific, it’s likely to be disappointing. If you want to attend some TV show tapings and that sort of thing, it can be fun, but don’t stay here if you want to see celebrities or things like that, because you won’t.

Downtown

This area is actually getting better, after several decades of work, but it’s still quite remote from most of the tourist attractions, in spite of being “downtown.” If you aren’t going to a convention or don’t want to learn about ethnic neighborhoods, it’s probably better to stay elsewhere.

South Bay

Assuming you are renting some wheels, this is another great choice. The cities of Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Manhattan Beach all have loads of small hotels in them, yet the area still feels like it’s “locals only.” There’s great food and nightlife and excellent beaches and recreation. The only trouble is it’s not too close to much else. At least it’s way nicer than Downtown.

LAX area

As mentioned in the intro, there are many hotels around the airport, and unless you have some specific reason to stay near the airport, don’t.

The Westside

This is a confusing city and I can’t explain it all here. But suffice to say, if you can afford it and you want a bit of glamour then staying in West Hollywood is far better than staying in the real Hollywood, and staying in Beverly Hills or Westwood is great too. There are cheap hotels just a mile or two from the city limits of the cities mentioned above, and since they are technically in Los Angeles proper they can’t charge much more.

San Fernando Valley

There’s no reason to stay on the other side of the Hollywood Hills unless you have your own thing going on. Hotels are a bit cheaper on that side of the hills, and you’ll see why once you check in.

Orange County

If you want to see Disneyland and some beaches even better than those in Los Angeles, consider staying in Costa Mesa or Newport Beach. You have many options of places nicer than those in Anaheim, and you are still close to Disneyland.

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Los Angeles Transportation

Getting From Los Angeles to New York

Los Angeles is a large city located in California that is full of traffic and mayhem. However, many people love to visit on vacation. Los Angeles is home to an estimated 3,849,378 people, some of which are celebrities. Los Angeles has a number of beaches around the area. Some of these beaches are full of people that would be fit for any Hollywood movie, definitely a sight to see. Los Angeles offers hundreds of places to shop for the top name brand products. This city is ranked very high on the places to see list.

Why would anyone want to leave Los Angeles for New York, and what is the best way to get there? The answer is this; New York really isn’t that different from Los Angeles. New York just like Los Angeles is full of Traffic and even more mayhem. The population of the New York metro area is an unbelievable 19,490,297 people, far more than Los Angeles. This city also ranks very high on the places to see list. How do you get from Los Angeles to New York?

By Plane

By far the most popular way to get between these two famous cities is to fly. Since this route is so popular, quite a few airlines have nonstop flights going between the cities all day every day. If you can find a nonstop flight then it should take about 5 hours in the air, though of course the time spent at the airports will add many more hours to that. If the best deal is a flight that connects along the way, you could be looking at 7 to 10 hours from LA to NYC.

Because these two airports are so large and so busy, it is easy to find extremely cheap direct flights. It is not uncommon to find direct, round trip tickets for around $200 at the absolute minimum, but $300 roundtrip is a more normal cheap fare, and during peak travel seasons you might have to pay $500 roundtrip even for the cheapest flights.

Search tip: Los Angeles has 5 major airports and New York has 3, and you can check all combinations if you use the codes QLA to NYC instead of LAX to JFK, but unfortunately the QLA code (for all Los Angeles airports) doesn’t work in all search engines, so if it doesn’t then search for LAX to JFK and use the “search nearby airports” button.

By Bus

Maybe flying isn’t for you, if not you could take a bus. Buses leave out of Los Angeles heading for New York regularly. However, I must warn you, taking a bus ride from Los Angeles to New York will take almost 3 full days. The bus will stop in many different locations along the way, which makes the drive much longer than if you drove straight through to New York. This is more than likely the cheapest way to get from Los Angeles to New York, the cost for a bus ticket runs about $175 each way on Greyhound’s normal fare, but they do sometimes have promotional specials. You will have to add cost for food, drinks, snacks, or anything else you may need on the long ride.

Check the official Greyhound website for all the details, but be warned that the site is confusing and hard to use.

By train

If you fancy the idea of crossing the country by train, just like the Ricardos and Mertzs did when Ricky had ended his Hollywood stay on “I Love Lucy,” then you might be disappointed to know that it’s slow and way more expensive than you’d imagine. First off you take one train from Union Station near Downtown Los Angeles all the way to Chicago, which takes a bit over 42 hours. Then you change there for a different train that goes the rest of the way to New York City, and this leg takes just over 20 hours. There is usually a few hours between these trains, so you are looking at almost 3 full days to get from one city to the other.

The normal fare is around $240 each way, so it’s usually more expensive than flying as well. And of course that’s just for a normal seat in coach, which might not be so comfortable after the first 18 hours or so. Still, the scenery across most of the country is great, and it can be very relaxing as well. There are occasionally good promotional fares on Amtrak, so if you are lucky you might find something cheaper than this. All the information can be found on the official Amtrak website.

By Car

Next you could just drive yourself from Los Angeles to New York. This is another cheaper way to travel, but again you will have to add in for food items as well as hotel rooms you may need, for a break along the way. Driving will take about 43 hours of drive time, the trip is 2,788 miles one way. The fuel cost for the trip in a vehicle with 20 MPG will cost around $300 or more, depending on gas prices at that moment. Most of the drive will be on I40 East, where you will pass through Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. On this drive you will also go through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

While taking this drive you will definitely want to take you’re time and enjoy the ride. With all these different states you will be driving through, there are numerous things to see on the way. The deserts of New Mexico and Arizona are actually quite beautiful, full of wild life. Just keep you’re eyes open, that way you can catch a glimpse of some natural wonders and beauty that you will definitely pass by on you’re way from Los Angeles to New York.

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Featured Articles Los Angeles Transportation

Getting from Los Angeles to Anaheim

matterhornAnaheim is a suburban city located 25 miles from Los Angeles in the Orange County of California. This city is known for its theme parks, sports team and a convention center. The main attractions of the city include Disneyland resort, Adventure City Anaheim Garden walk, Angel stadium and The Grove of Anaheim. Anaheim Convention Center here is also the largest convention center on the American west coast. Anaheim is also known for its sports teams namely Anaheim Ducks in the NHL and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the MLB. Its proximity to Los Angeles attracts several tourist here. If you plan a travel from LA to Anaheim there are a lot of travel options that are available.

But in spite of all these choices, most people are probably interested in going from somewhere in Los Angeles to Disneyland, so those options are spelled out below.

By Car

The traveling distance from Los Angeles is approximately around 26 miles from Downtown Los Angeles to Anaheim, a bit over 30 miles starting from Hollywood, and around 40 miles if you start from the Santa Monica/Venice area. Even coming from one of the closer areas, it is at least a 30-minute drive by car from Los Angeles and at times it might take up to a hour and a half or two hours, depending upon the traffic. There is also a option of renting cars from Los Angeles if required. Since cars are so dominant in this area, this is definitely the most popular way to do it, but you have other options.

By Bus

One could take LUXBUS from Los Angeles. There are two daily departures from Los Angeles to Anaheim. One being at 7.30 in the morning which could be the most comfortable option. There is also another bus service available at 3:30 in the evening. In both the cases the travel takes around 1 hour approximately. The ticket prices are around $32 for one way and $52 for a round trip. Tickets can be reserved in advance.

There are LuxBus tourist packages that are available. One could say this is a slightly expensive option to get to Anaheim. But the buses are very comfortable to travel. It is also worth its price because the seats are really good and it’s a luxury bus. There are also Greyhound buses that run between Los Angeles and Anaheim. There are around 7 buses daily available. The first bus is at 5.45 in the morning and last at around 6 in the evening. The travel by Greyhound takes around a hour. Buses are available every 2 hours.Tickets can be around $8 to $15 depending on the bus you take. This Greyhound buses are much more economical when compared to the LUXBUS which is really expensive. Anaheim is also well served by two public transport systems Metro and OCTA, but using these local services could take many hours each way if you are going a longer distance.

By Airport Shuttle

There is also a option to take airport shuttle from Los Angeles airport. At around $13 this is a much cheaper option compared to the Luxbus. The bus is know as the Disneyland Resort Express could be a very good option whether you travel alone or as a group. This service, operated by the Grayline Bus Company, is also a convenient and reliable mode of travel. At around $13 per head this could be a cheaper and better option than the LuxBus. There are also Super shuttles that are available from Los Angeles International Airport to Anaheim.These shuttles need not be booked in advance. There are Super shuttles around every 15 minutes and the cost is around $15-$20.

By Train

Finally, if you’re going by train there are two rail systems namely Amtrak and Metrolink available in Anaheim. One could take a Amtrak train from Los Angeles. This is more flexible because there are a lot of trains that are available. The journey by train is also very quick at 39 minutes. There are around 10 trains daily and we can travel in the time that suits us the most. The tickets are also very easy to get. The first train is around 6:00am and trains are available all around the day. The trains depart from the station almost every hour. The last train is around 7:15 in the night. The cost of the ticket is usually around $12. This could be the cheapest option to get to Anaheim from Los Angeles.

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Los Angeles Transportation

Getting from Los Angeles to San Diego

San Diego, the second largest city in California, is almost always a sunny 72 degrees. With 70 miles of beaches, you can visit it for a day of fun surfing, sailing or lying on the clean sand. Others come to the warm city to see the many family attractions including the world famous San Diego Zoo, home to the giant panda, or to visit Sea World where the famous whale Shamu will put on a spectacular show. Whatever the reason for a visit, thousands of people migrate from Los Angeles to San Diego every week.

By Plane

There are a few ways to get to San Diego from Los Angeles. While the two cities are only 116 miles apart there are airlines that offer flights between them. Alaskan Air has a 45-minute flight that is around $330. American Airlines also offers a similarly priced flight, which is about the same flying time. Finally, United offers a flight for $350, which is also about 40 minutes. In other words, unless you are rich and crazy, you are probably going to want to find another way of getting between these two cities. When you factor the flight time along with the airport check-in and security time, plus getting to and from each airport, this method will take longer than driving almost every time.

By Bus

A bus is a more economical way to get to San Diego. The LuxBus offers an $88 dollar roundtrip ticket from Los Angeles to San Diego and takes approximately 3 hours each way. The bus departs from many major hotels within both cities at regularly scheduled times, giving a door-to-door non-stop service. It is a large coach bus referred to as “airline on the ground” due to it’s snack and drink service, leather seating, on bus movies and a restroom facility. The Greyhound bus is very inexpensive, around $35, and departs frequently every day. Buses depart and arrive at Greyhound terminals of which there is only one in both Los Angeles and San Diego.

By Train

The train is a cheap, hassle free way to travel from Los Angeles to San Diego, avoiding traffic en route while leaving from central locations in each city. Amtrak offers a $68 roundtrip ticket which leaves Union Station in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, arriving approximately 3 hours later at the marina in San Diego. The train has a snack car, a baggage check in, and a selection of seating classes, which vary in price. With beautiful views along the route from each city, the train has the ease of flying without the price.

By Car

Finally the most popular way to travel between the two cities is by car. Whether renting a car from your local rent-a-car location or using your own automobile, this is the cheapest way to get to San Diego. The ride is about 2 hours but can be upwards of 3 hours or more if there is heavy congestion on the freeways, which is true much of the time. You begin by taking the San Diego Freeway Interstate 405 going South. You then take the exit towards California 73/California 55/San Diego merging onto the California 73/Corona Del Mar Freeway. After about 17 miles you will take the Interstate 5 South freeway where you will hit a partial toll.

The I-5 S. Freeway is beautiful, running right along the Pacific Ocean. Along route I -5 S. as you get closer to the city you will pass the Marine Base Camp Pendleton, a base located right on the Ocean, started in 1942 and a major training location for the Marine Corps. Once you have passed Pendleton you will take exit 17 which will put you directly into downtown San Diego, home to the famous Gas Lamp quarter. From here you can easily find a place to stay, restaurants to eat in and things to see and do.

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Los Angeles Transportation

Getting from Los Angeles to San Francisco

San Francisco is one of the largest cities in California, settled in 1776 by the Spanish. The Gold Rush in 1848 caused thousands of people to rush into the city, making it the largest city on the whole West coast at the time. The 1906 earthquake had a huge impact on the city, although it was rebuilt. Today, San Francisco serves as a tourist destination for millions thanks to its cable cars, Chinatown and the famous Golden Gate Bridge.

By Plane

Traveling to San Francisco by plane from Los Angeles is about the easiest way to get there. Surprisingly, flying from Los Angeles to San Francisco doesn’t cost much more than a train ride, plus you’ll get there in an hour and a half. There are four places to fly out of in the Los Angeles area. Jet Blue Airways is the best choice, offering the best prices. You can also use Southwest Airlines at LAX, flying straight to San Francisco. You’ll need to check their website directly for fares. You can compare fares at online travel sites to find the best prices using the airline code LAX for Los Angeles and SFO for San Francisco. Flights range from $75 to $150 each way, and if you find a good promotional fare it might be as little as $99 roundtrip.

By Train

Most people don’t think of travel by train these days but it’s still affordable and easy. The Amtrak Coast Starlight line will take you from the Union Station in Los Angeles all the way to Oakland, California, taking about 11 hours. It costs $52 one way. The train won’t take you all the way to San Francisco but offers a great way to see the sights and experience a train ride. You can easily rent a car once in Oakland and finish the drive to San Francisco, giving you a car while you’re there, or take a bus to San Francisco. You can also take the train to San Jose and transfer to Caltrain which will take you all the way to San Francisco. Both of these options give you the experience of a train ride which fewer and fewer people try these days.

By Bus

You can also get to San Francisco by bus, which is a very easy way to get there. You can take a GotoBus from Monterrey Park, which is near downtown Los Angeles, all the way to San Francisco. You’ll need to leave early in the morning because only one bus trip is done per day; don’t miss it. The cost is about $50 one way, making it a good option for many people. The trip on Gotobus will take about seven and a half hours.

You can also take the California Shuttle Bus, which will pick you up in Los Angeles and take you straight to San Francisco. The shuttle bus leaves only at noon and midnight, or every 12 hours. The trip takes seven and a half hours, just like the GotoBus, although the shuttle bus is cheaper. Fares start at $5 but you’ll usually pay around $40 roundtrip for a shuttle bus to San Francisco.

By Car

Driving is the way most people get from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The trip begins where the I-10 meets the I-405, ending up at the Golden Gate Bridge into the city. The fastest way to drive there is to take the I-405 to the I-5 North toward Sacramento. From there, continue to the I-580 and then the I-80 into San Francisco. You can also take the coastal route, although it can be difficult and time consuming. To do this, take the US 101 to the CA 1, following the coast. You can also take the back way to San Francisco by taking the I-405 to the CA 14, continuing on the US 395 North. Follow the 395 east to the Sierras, crossing Yosemite National Park and heading west into the city. When you’re traveling to San Francisco by car make sure you avoid afternoon traffic and allow yourself time for stops.

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Los Angeles Transportation

Getting from Los Angeles to Las Vegas

Every year millions of people travel from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Located about 228 miles from Los Angeles, Las Vegas is considered to be the entertainment capital of the world offering visitors a wide a variety of gambling activities, shows and many different events for the whole family. Founded in 1905 the city experienced its largest amounts of growth towards the end of the 20th century as this was the first major American city to offer legalized gambling.

Known for its dry desert climate Las Vegas is a city that is filled with lights and entertainment while sitting right in the middle of the dessert. Its close proximity to Los Angeles makes it an ideal spot for many people who live there to have the chance to have a nice short term get away. For the residents of Los Angeles this means that they can be able to travel a short distance to be able to enjoy what this oasis in the desert has to offer. While the distance between the two cities is not that far there are many different options that you have available when traveling between Los Angeles and Las Vegas such as:

By Car

This is one of the most common ways to travel between the two cities, depending on where you live the entire trip could take approximately fours and should connect you to Interstate 15 that will take you in a northeast direction to Las Vegas. In general you can be able to a rent a car from any of the major car rental agencies with a credit card in addition to being at least 25 years old. If you are leaving at a heavy traffic time (which is most of the time in many parts of Los Angeles) then the first 30 miles could take you 90 minutes or even more. So if you left at 4am then you could be in Las Vegas by 8am or maybe 8:30, but if you leave Los Angeles at 4pm, then you might not arrive in Vegas until 10pm or so. In other words, plan your exit time carefully.

By Train

While there once was a train that ran from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, it is a thing of the past. There is no longer a passenger train that runs from state to state. There had once been talk of building a super train between the two major cities, but they are nothing but whispers at this point in time. So be clear that there is no train and no plans to be a train between the cities any time soon.

By Bus

There are two bus lines that offer regular service between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Greyhound and Go To Bus. Greyhound usually takes about five to seven hours and it costs approximately $60.00 one way. While Go To Bus leaves once a day from several different commuter locations, the trip takes about five hours and it costs between $30.00 to $88.00 one way or $45.00 to $133.00 round trip.

By Shuttle

Viator offer luxury shuttle service between the two cities to include: movies, snacks, beverages, reclining seat and an on board attendant for just $80.00 each way. These shuttles leave once a day from pick up points in Los Angeles at: downtown, Hollywood, LAX Airport, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills hotels. Form Las Vegas these shuttles have pick up and drop off points at: the Flamingo, Golden Nugget as well as Harrah’s.

By Air

When you are traveling the between the two cities by air the cost is about the same as the other forms of travel, in addition you can arrive at your destination within about an hour and ten minutes. Southwest is generally the cheapest carrier offering discounted air fares between the two cities and they have service to the following airports with in the Greater Los Angeles area: Los Angeles International, Burbank, Orange County or Ontario in addition to Las Vegas. However, the major airlines also fly between the two cities and have various specials from the different Los Angeles airports.

Clearly there are many different options available for traveling between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Some of the different options that you have available when traveling between the two cities include: traveling by car, traveling by plane, traveling by bus and traveling by shuttle. All will allow you to easily be at either destination within a few hours and the cost for traveling to them is not that expensive. This means that you can be able to have any enjoyable trip that everyone will remember while at the same time not having to worry about how much money you are spending to go to either destination.

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Accommodation Edinburgh Travel Tips

Edinburgh Hostel Reviews – Trekker’s Hostel Highlights

Greetings and salutations fellow travelers, I hope you are all starting the new year off with plans and dreams of travel. To help you with this task here is a wrap-up of my reviews during my recent trip to Edinburgh. Well I did not stay at every hostel I did spend many hours visiting and touring them and have written a basic review and guide to 7 of the main hostels in Edinburgh.

Click on the links below for the full review of each hostel, including maps and photos for each location.

Castle Rock Backpackers : The 3rd of the Macbackpacker Tour Hostels in Edinburgh is located right at the base of Edinburgh Castle. It has great decorations based off Scottish life and history scattered throughout the hostel and is one of my favorites.

Edinburgh Backpackers : Back in 2000 this was the very first hostel I ever stayed in and it was a great experience then and you won’t be disappointed now. Located between Waverly Station and the Royal Mile, it is easy to get where you need to be going. With many amenities such as TV lounge and pool table, it has something for everyone. Just beware the very steep hill to get to it.

High Street Backpackers : Another of the Macbackpacker Tour locations, located opposite the Royal Mile Hostel, this is a bigger building with a full kitchen and lounge area. It is a great spot for the single traveler or a group.

Prince’s Street East Backpackers : Located not on the main Prince’s Street as you might assume but rather in a little alley that takes some exploring to find, this hostel’s dark and dingy entrance makes many think twice before entering. Well it has character, it’s confusing halls and dark appearance may be intimidating for the single first time traveler or even the veteran traveler for that matter.

Royal Mile Backpackers : Home of Macbackpacker Tours, this small hostel is cozy and laid back. Located right off the Royal Mile it is in a prime tourist area. There isn’t much in the way of a kitchen, but there is enough to equipment to get by. The super friendly staff make it a perfect place to take a load off.

Smart City Hostel : Located down the hill off the Royal Mile, this is one of the newer hostels in Edinburgh and brings all the modern amenities with it. Due to its large size it is more suited to groups of all ages and size. For the single traveler there isn’t much vibe and may seem a little sterile compared to some of the other hostels in the city.

St. Christopher’s / Belushi’s Bar : Just up the stairs from Waverly train station and right where the airport bus drops you off, for location you can’t get much better than this. One of the quirky things with most if not all St. Christopher’s is the lack of any kind of kitchen but the presence of a pub and restaurant on the main floor. So if you are not planning on saving money by cooking yourself and want a place close to the station this is a perfect stop.

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Accommodation Portugal

Traveller’s House – Lisbon, Portugal – Trekker’s Hostel Highlights

Opened on October 6, 2006, Traveller’s is located in the middle of Rua Augusta, the main tourist street in Lisbon, in an area called Baixa, known for being the most central and historical. Walking distance from the ferry and a short bus trip (#91) from the airport, its location makes it the ideal hostel to swing by during your stay in Lisbon.

Along with the ideal location, Traveller’s House also offers daily activities for a small fee, such as wine tasting, happy hour, bar crawl, piri piri chicken (spicy Portuguese marinade) and petiscos (Portuguese Tapas/snacks). Breakfast is included, and at €18-22 a night you might expect this to be cold cereal and watered down juice, but that is far from the truth. In the dining area you sit down at a comfy table with a placemat, utensils and all the condiments you would need. Then the house mom comes up and asks how you would like your eggs. A very pleasant, and delicious surprise, especially if you have enjoyed the bar crawl the night before.

The dorm rooms are super comfortable with large bunk beds and fantastic storage. In the large built-in lockers under the beds there are also individual safes for you to store your passports and money. The showers have superb water pressure, always an important factor after a long day of touring, and the wood accents throughout the house gives it a warm homely feel. The common room comes complete with huge bean bags and a comfy couch. There is free internet and a small TV room, both of which are super comfortable and perfect for vegging out and recovering. The staff completes this perfect package with their enthusiasm, knowledge of local info and generally making you feel like you are part of the family.

Traveller’s House
Rua Augusta, 89, 1st floor
1100-048 Lisbon
Portugal
Official Traveller’s House website

More Traveller’s House photos