Encountering Great Britain -13 Day UK&Ireland Tour, UK Travel Guide

 

My earliest impressions of the UK were limited to the Scotland and England islands from geography class, the British Empire in history books, or Scottish kilts in comedy sketches. Later, the popularity of Harry Potter films and Jay Chou’s songs became my new impressions of the UK. Perhaps all these labels—film locations, MV pilgrimages—were the initial motivation for this trip. But once I set foot on Great Britain, the UK used its unique charm to win over those who came here. Strolling through London’s lanes and markets, weaving among Edinburgh’s ancient buildings, I was unknowingly captivated by the vintage architecture, leisurely cafés, and delightful gift shops. I soon forgot whether I came because of a book’s description or a movie’s shot. In these ten-odd days, the UK used its own scenery and culture to tell me: this is not Harry Potter’s UK, nor the UK in Jay Chou’s MV. This is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
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✿ For me, the UK is truly a great country for independent travel, aside from the “unfriendly” super high exchange rate (with good planning you can still travel on a budget). In terms of scenery, culture, and transportation, the UK is very suitable for budget travelers relying purely on public transit.
✿ Cities like London and Edinburgh are perfect for leisurely wandering. The developed public transport system provides plenty of convenience for DIY trips, and attractions scattered around the city make getting around and visiting very easy.
✿ Convenient card payments: whether dining or riding, bank card swipes work smoothly (over more than ten days, my Visa never failed and I never encountered cash-only shops).
✿ Despite its reputation as a culinary desert, the UK has some restaurants that taste quite good. Sampling local specialties is a fun part of travel (indeed, after too much fish and chips I missed spicy hotpot )~
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All in all, with a two-year multiple-entry UK visa, I’d return to Great Britain again to explore places I missed this time.

Many people ask: roughly how much does a UK trip cost? I made a breakdown of my expenses for this trip. Surprisingly, transport in the UK was the most expensive. Since I stayed mostly in hostels and even slept two nights in airports, accommodation turned out to be my cheapest major expense. Excluding extra shopping, the basic cost was about ¥18,000. I had written ¥20,000 as my budget on the visa application—seems my self-estimate was quite accurate~

▉▉[Visa Application]▉▉
I started organizing my salary statements in August 2024. I planned to apply at year-end, but my friend’s documents weren’t ready, so we postponed until after the New Year. Then a sudden Japan trip delayed it further, and I didn’t submit until April 2025. I booked VFS for April 29 at the Shenyang VFS UK Visa Center to do biometrics; on May 8 I received the passport return notice, and on May 9 I unboxed the courier. It took six working days to get the UK visa.
✍ UK visa fee: ¥1,269; return courier: ¥200 (I didn’t pay for SMS notification; email notifications were timely and sufficient).
▉▉[Accommodation Booking]▉▉
❶ London stay: Kabannas London St Pancras, 350 m on foot from St Pancras Station, right opposite the British Library.
Booked a 4-bed room with two bunk beds, ¥1,940/person/5 nights. Environment was fine; the location was extremely convenient, with many bus stops and two nearby rail stations making travel easy. No public kitchen, but the lobby front desk has a Café Bar (the hot chocolate is nice) offering free hot water and food heating.
❷ Edinburgh stay: St Christopher`s Edinburgh Original, 350 m on foot from Waverley Station. Booked a 6-bed female dorm with en-suite, two triple bunks, ¥535/person/2 nights. The environment is a bit shabby (mixed dorms require tolerance of travelers from everywhere); but the location is great and the price is cheap. There’s a public lounge café-bar—no cooking, but you can boil water and heat food in a microwave.
▉▉[Transport Booking]▉▉
☝{Flights}:
Dalian → London: ¥5,318
Edinburgh - Dublin: ¥352 (Ryanair, includes 20 kg checked baggage)
Dublin - London: ¥321.5 (Ryanair, includes 20 kg checked baggage)
☝{Train Tickets}:
★ Railcard: £28 for 2 people (we bought the Two Together Card; search for Xiaohongshu discount codes—original price is £35).
=== [Note] ===: Discounts only apply on weekends (all day) and weekday off-peak (after 9:30)!!!

Buying a 2-person Railcard requires uploading two ID photos, and it generates an image with both photos and a QR code. On the train, staff scan the QR code at the bottom-left of the image.
★ TrainPal Card: £3 per card. It’s an in-app discount card for the TrainPal app only; you must book via TrainPal to get an extra 3% off. Valid for one month, so don’t buy too early—buy it when you start purchasing tickets; limited to 10 uses. We ended up buying 9 journeys, saving around £3–£4 extra . If you take only a few trains, it’s not worth buying.
★ The 9 train journeys we bought (prices are per person after AA, i.e., discounted with Railcard and divided by 2):
❶ Gatwick Airport → St Pancras: £9.54/person
❷ London → Canterbury West: £14.54/person
❸ Canterbury West → Eastbourne: £14.39/person
❹ Eastbourne → London: £16/person
❺ London → Cambridge (round trip): £15.24/person
❻ London → York: £30.04/person (peak time, no discount)
❼ York → Edinburgh: £17.66/person
❽ Stansted Airport → Paddington Station: £25.84/person (peak time, no discount)
❾ Paddington Station → Heathrow Airport: £8.12/person
▉▉[Activities Booking]▉▉
We barely spent on tickets and paid activities, preferring free options or just viewing exteriors ~~~
❶ British Museum guided tour: £30/person, 3 hours.
❷ Cambridge punting: £15/person (£60 for half a boat for four, otherwise £12 pp), 45–60 min. Booked via Cambridge College Tours for Punting SCUDAMORE`S. Location: Scudamore`s, Mill Lane Punting Station, Mill Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1RS. Arrive 15 min early (looks flexible when not busy).
❸ Cotswolds carpool day tour: ¥700/person, meet near King’s Cross at 8:00, back around 18:30, lunch not included.
❹ Edinburgh Castle ticket: ¥195 (via Fliggy), reserved for 9:30–10:00 slot. Customer service sends a PDF of the ticket collection process and ticket number; exchange for a paper ticket at the castle box office. (Slots on the official site go fast; we couldn’t get ours, so we checked local Chinese apps; surprisingly it was slightly cheaper than the official price—official was over ¥200.)
❺ Scottish Highlands 2-day tour: ¥1,567/person, includes one night’s stay and breakfast; dinner costs extra at £16/person. Tip £12 per person per day for the guide; starts/ends at Edinburgh or Glasgow.
▉▉[Restaurant Booking]▉▉
We only reserved one restaurant in advance: Victoria House Coffee & Food, near the British Museum, for a traditional English breakfast. Reservations are free; best to book early. Seating is limited. To catch the museum opening at 10:00, the earliest slot is 8:00, which is plenty. Booking website: ******

Leg 1: 6.5 — 18:25–20:00 Dalian - Beijing (Air China)

Leg 2: 6.6 — 02:30–06:35 Beijing - London (Air China)
Due to a forced reschedule, we landed in Beijing one hour early and saw a bold Shandong Airlines jet across the way~

Jesus light in the airport~

Arrived in Beijing~

It was already dark when we deplaned

We decided to have hotpot before heading to the UK—famed as a culinary desert. Search showed there’s a Nanmen Hotpot near the airport. With through-checked baggage, we could head out lightly.

So late yet still so many people—likely airport visitors ticking off a list~

The sesame sauce was super fragrant; unexpectedly fell in love with the sesame huoshao~

Clear broth lets you taste the original flavors.

The meat was tender~

That sesame sauce was especially good

This little sesame bun was so tasty that I packed three to eat on the plane. During the long flight, they were a great add-on to the airplane meal.

Average spend ¥70
Full and satisfied, we left; it started raining in Beijing, with strong winds and sand. We hurriedly took a taxi back to the airport.
We found the gate past 11. After a quick wash, we catnapped on the empty seats and soon boarded.

Decent airplane meal~

Not sure where we were flying over, but the weather was great~

After 11+ hours, breakfast on board even had congee with marinated egg and pickles—awesome~ I thought Korean Air’s bibimbap was top-tier, but Air China’s congee breakfast now ranks first on my airline meal list

Healing combo: marinated egg + pickles~

The last half hour before landing is the longest~

Flying over the UK—the green areas look quite large

Smooth landing; immigration and baggage claim were very efficient~

Landed smoothly; took the little train to enter London~

Immigration was easy: they asked what we were doing and what our relationship was among the 4, then stamped each passport. After exiting, we quickly found the ticket machine at Gatwick Airport and got our train tickets.

You’ll need this code to collect paper tickets~

Train: Gatwick Airport → St Pancras 09:36–10:20, fare £19.08 (✔ On the TrainPal app, you can usually choose e-tickets or paper tickets, but some tickets are paper-only, so you must collect at the station. After purchase, check your order to see if it’s paper or electronic.)

It went too smoothly, so we arrived early and wandered around the station taking photos. Then a bit of drizzle fell, and it suddenly got chilly—first taste of UK rain right away~

Immigration was silky smooth; our train time was set a bit late. With nothing to do, we took photos around the station

By chance, we caught a landing plane and snapped a shot!

Rain on arrival—the rainy London felt quite cool, or maybe it was just long-haul fatigue.

Views on the way to the city

Saw London Bridge Station from the train

Spotted Tower Bridge from the window

Our arrival station was the beautiful St Pancras International—more stunning outside than inside.

From St Pancras, following Google Maps made it easy to find the hostel. It was too early to check in, so we stored luggage at the front desk (they charge £4 per bag). After dropping our bags, we kicked off our first day in London.

A 4-bed room with en-suite—great for groups; much better than mixed dorms.

〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓[Today’s Itinerary]〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓
✍ Buy stamps and mail postcards at Baker Street Post Office → 221B Baker Street → Notting Hill → Borough Market → TN partner store stamp → National Gallery

First ride was a bus to Baker Street Post Office. The bus stop opposite is St Pancras Station

Set off~

We missed our stop and walked back a bit; encountered a wedding party taking group photos on the street~

❶ International stamps: £3.2 each. They have self-adhesive backs—very convenient. (UK stamps have QR codes; it seems postcards no longer get traditional postmarks—what arrives is a machine-printed code.)
❷ Lowest denominations include 10p and 20p with a portrait design. If you’re only keeping them as souvenirs, these are fine. Even with stamps, they won’t stamp your book—unlike Japan Post, where they’ll stamp wherever you stick a stamp~

✿ The Sherlock Holmes Museum charges £20—felt pricey, and since I’m not a Holmes fan, we just checked the exterior and took photos.
✿ The museum and the 221B façade are adjacent, with a costumed staff member at the door~

✿ Took the tube from Baker Street and got off at Ladbroke Grove to check in at the Notting Hill Bookshop~

From Baker Street, take the tube and alight here; then walk to Jay Chou’s MV location—the Notting Hill Bookshop.

✿ The Notting Hill Bookshop isn’t big, and it’s crowded. Most items are books and small souvenirs. I bought hand-drawn postcards and a pop-up London book here—£6, £0.99 cheaper than at the British Museum .

❶ From Notting Hill, take the tube and alight at Monument (about 45 min, £2.9), then walk 10 min to Borough Market.

On London Bridge en route, you can see the Shard and look out toward Tower Bridge~

Cross London Bridge and Borough Market is right there~

Viewing Tower Bridge from London Bridge

Borough Market sits under London Bridge. It’s one of London’s oldest markets with a 200+ year history. It’s lively and packed—eating, drinking, browsing—though the central area can feel stuffy when crowded.

The iconic Shard.

❷ Tried the viral seafood paella—really liked it. A bit salty; some plain rice would make it perfect

We chose prawns; another version had lobster—about £20+ per serving.

❸ Checked in at Monmouth Coffee Company; ordered a flat white for £3.8. Tastes fine—on the bitter side (I personally like dark roast and a bit of bitterness)

Bus from Borough Market to the TN journal store, £1.75.

London’s red double-decker buses are great: scenic and cheap. If you have time, I recommend buses over the tube—some older Underground lines are dirty and hot, very uncomfortable, and you can’t see the scenery.

On the way, we passed a very pretty shop in a little lane—packed with people~

TN’s UK tour—I thought we’d miss Eastbourne’s but we caught the second one in London, and this store doesn’t require a purchase to stamp. So good!!!

The travel journal I brought

From the TN journal store, it’s a 10-minute walk to the gallery.

UK’s viral phone boxes are rarely clean now—many are filled with trash or covered in graffiti…

This building charges admission; the free one is across the street.

This gallery is free

The National Gallery is free. I had reserved online in China, but there was no ticket check at the entrance . The Van Gogh pendant in the gift shop is super cute, but £10 felt pricey, so I didn’t buy

Museums and art galleries are similar everywhere—visiting famous works. I mainly came to see Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”.

Came for the Sunflowers . Compared to Monet’s hazy beauty and Picasso’s abstraction, I prefer Van Gogh’s realism~

One of the gallery’s signature works.

It was past 8 when we left the gallery; the sun was setting. Right in front is Trafalgar Square.

Took some photos through the railings.

The hostel is well located—right by the British Library.

There was an event at the square and it was fenced off, so we didn’t see much and took the bus back. It was after 9 when we reached the hostel.

After a long-haul flight with no jetlag, we slid straight into a full day in the UK. Back at the hostel, we checked in, organized a bit, bought snacks at Marks & Spencer at King’s Cross, and grabbed dinner at Burger King—too tired to dine at any restaurant .

We had a simple bread breakfast at the hostel and headed to the station after 6. Wandered and took photos, and bought a coffee from the Costa cart in the station.

 

[Train: St Pancras → Canterbury West 07:40–08:34, £29.07 (2 people)]
〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓[Today’s Itinerary]〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓
✍ London → Canterbury → Eastbourne → Seven Sisters

❶ From the station, walk about 20 minutes through the lanes to find the ancient city walls and enter Westgate Garden. Stroll the old town’s small streets.

From the garden, head to Canterbury’s main street—lots of small shops to browse if you have time. There’s a post office upstairs in a bookstore-like place; look carefully or you’ll miss it.

❷ Canterbury Cathedral was under renovation; pressed for time, we only viewed it from outside.

Canterbury has lots of colorful, storybook houses—great for strolling and taking photos~

❸ The Crooked House: a small two-story half-timbered building from the 17th century. During a chimney renovation, the structure tilted. Interior columns support the roof—it really feels like it might topple.

It’s said Dickens found inspiration for “David Copperfield” here. A quote on the door reads: “...a very old house bulging over the road… leaning forward, trying to see who was passing on the narrow pavement below...”

Canterbury is perfect for leisurely wandering. Because we planned Seven Sisters rather than Dover’s white cliffs, time was tight. We sprinted from downtown to the station—luckily Canterbury’s station is small: after the gate it’s the platform. We arrived with 6 minutes to spare... quite thrilling~
[Train: Canterbury West → Eastbourne 11:23–13:45]

After exiting Eastbourne Station, we headed straight to the TN partner store.

Eastbourne Station is small with only one entrance.

All Things Analogue—the only UK store with a TN UK commemorative stamp, and it’s a Seven Sisters limited edition. Eastbourne’s post office is close to the TN store—about a ten-minute walk.

Seven Sisters–limited TN stamp~

Location of Eastbourne Post Office

We left the post office and rushed to Eastbourne Pier to catch the 15:00 green city sightseeing bus.

❶ Eastbourne’s city sightseeing bus runs every half hour and is punctual. We boarded at the pier’s starting stop and got off at three: Beachy Head, Belle Tout, and Birling Gap.

Each peak of the Seven Sisters has a name

❷ Stop No.1 — Beachy Head: see the coastline and the most beautiful views of the English Channel. Best vistas from this stop.

Beachy Head is one of the most famous coastal landmarks of the Seven Sisters. It’s the UK’s highest sea-facing chalk cliff, formed by erosion from the English Channel.

Stop No.2 — Belle Tout: view the famous red lighthouse, and you can hike to the white lighthouse for a check-in. You can also walk from here to Birling Gap in about 40 minutes.

The wind is fierce—bring windproof gear; dress like you would for a hike.

Stop No.3 — Birling Gap: you can descend to the sea, touch the ocean and the white cliff face. The visitor center’s souvenir shop sells beautiful fridge magnets.

Touching the chalk cliff face up close.

❸ From Birling Gap, we alighted at Railway Station—right next to the rail station. We were battered by the Channel’s winds at the white cliffs and frozen stiff... We dashed to a Vietnamese restaurant and ordered a steaming bowl of beef pho for £12.8—expensive but so comforting. The warmth revived us instantly.

Thin raw beef cooked by the hot broth—tender texture, super savory soup~

Fed and warm, we strolled to the rail station to rest and wait for the train. [Train: Eastbourne → St Pancras 19:05–20:50, £32]

We were early and bought a UK-limited sour Lay’s at WHSmith... the taste... better not try

London → Cambridge punting → Cambridge shopping street → Platform 9¾ → London M&M’s Store → Buckingham Palace → Westminster Abbey → Big Ben
〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓[Today’s Itinerary]〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓
[Train: King’s Cross → Cambridge 06:33–08:22, £30.48 round trip]
Early morning at King’s Cross—check in at Platform 9¾

Our train was early, so we planned to have breakfast onboard. At Pret A Manger, I bought a latte for £4. With few people at the 9¾ shop, we quickly checked in—no trolley prop, but the wall logo was fine.

Breakfast on the train: coffee plus a croissant from Marks & Spencer (among many grocer croissants, I think M&S’s are the best~)

An art and archaeology museum of the University of Cambridge, founded in 1816 through a donation by Irish noble Richard FitzWilliam. The museum has five sections: Antiquities; Applied Arts; Coins and Medals; Manuscripts and Printed Books; Drawings and Prints. Exhibits include items from ancient Egypt, Sudan, Greece, and Rome. A notable exhibit is a relief from Persepolis, Persia.

Normal adult price is £12. £60 for four ensures all four sit together on half a boat. If you don’t mind, buy single tickets—but at peak times you may be split across four boats. Buying four singles at once probably still seats you together; we stumbled here and paid £3 more per person

Our punting guide was super sunny and handsome~ We had half a boat, just the four of us, but a last-minute Chinese guy claimed he was German ... He proudly told the guide he was from Cologne, but the guide didn’t know Cologne—instant facepalm! )

We boarded near Queens’ College, so the first bridge was the famous Mathematical Bridge inside Queens’.

Construction began in 1446 and finished in 1537 under Henry VIII. It’s a prime example of late Gothic in the UK, with huge stained glass, intricate stone frames, and gravity-defying fan vaults.

Located inside Trinity College, completed in 1695.

Inside St John’s College.

Another punting embarkation point~

At Magdalene College. One of Cambridge’s oldest bridges; originally a wooden bridge called the “Great Bridge” or simply the “Cam Bridge”—from which the city name derives. It was rebuilt in cast iron in 1823.

Inside St John’s College. Founded in 1511; New Court is among Cambridge’s most beloved 19th-century buildings, completed in 1831. Its tiered and turreted façade earned it the nickname “the Wedding Cake”.

Aside from the random “German” boat-mate dampening the mood a little, punting was a great experience—time-saving and efficient, and you see all the famous bridges up close. Highly recommended~

From the punting dock, we walked along the streets.

Checked in at the Corpus Clock → took photos at the gate of King’s College → saw a ceremony at Gonville & Caius College and Great St Mary’s Church.

The Corpus Clock stands outside the Taylor Library of Corpus Christi College, opposite King’s College. Conceived and funded (c. £1 million) by John Taylor, it took five years to complete and was unveiled by physicist Stephen Hawking in 2008—now a must-see in Cambridge. Its main feature is a grasshopper-like metal sculpture called the “Chronophage”, its shell mottled with gold and plasma, reminding people of life’s brevity.