A Practical Two-Week Itinerary in the UK
Day 1: Arrival and check-in.
Day 2: Morning visit to the V&A Museum (free, opens at 10 AM), afternoon at Westminster Abbey (book appointment on the official website), Big Ben, London Eye, and a walk along the Thames River to Borough Market before returning (a very exhausting day).
Day 3: British Museum (free, book on the official website, opens at 10 AM, arrived at the back entrance at 9:25 AM with almost no queue), followed by fish and chips, Covent Garden, National Gallery (free, no appointment needed), Trafalgar Square, Chinatown.
Day 4: Buckingham Palace, St. James's Park, Harry Potter Studio Tour, Harrods.
Day 5: Oxford Street Liberty, Selfridges, Sherlock Holmes Museum, Regent's Park (missed the group tour to White Cliffs, so just wandered around).
Day 6: Paddington to Oxford, afternoon at Blenheim Palace (check for ticket deals on Xianyu).
Day 7: Bicester shopping, rest day.
Day 8: Shared car tour to Cotswolds with three young ladies, very pleasant, lots of walking and photo-taking, not tiring at all.
Previously visited Biei, Japan, and found similarities between the two places. British gardening skills are impressive, with every household having various flowers and unique small houses.
Day 9: Christ Church College (Harry Potter filming location), Radcliffe Camera, Bridge of Sighs, Trinity College, Natural History Museum, dinner at a Turkish BBQ restaurant surrounded by Chinese restaurants.
Day 10: Transition to Edinburgh, absolutely stunning! Edinburgh's weather is unpredictable, sunny and rainy. Arrived around 4 PM, dropped off luggage, and climbed Calton Hill. Edinburgh is beautiful! Medieval architecture and the distant sea complement each other, with seagulls adding romance to the city.
Day 11: Edinburgh's attractions are compact, mostly walkable. From Waverley Bridge to Princes Street Gardens, Scottish National Gallery, New College, Edinburgh Castle, lunch with mussels, then Victoria Street, Rowling's handprints, St Giles' Cathedral, Elephant House Café, Greyfriars Bobby, National Museum of Scotland, and a trip to the seaside!
Saw a beautiful rainbow 🌈.
Another day of intense walking.
Day 12: Start of a three-day tour of the Scottish Highlands, departing from Edinburgh to Loch Lomond, Glencoe (007 Skyfall filming location), Three Sisters Mountains, Harry Potter train filming location, overnight in Fort William.
Day 13: Main itinerary is entering the Isle of Skye: Loch Ness, Eilean Donan Castle, Old Man of Storr, Lealt Falls, Kilt Rock, Quiraing. Day 14: Return trip, visited a whisky distillery, St Andrews (where William and Kate met), Forth Rail Bridge (featured in Jay Chou's MV "Ming Ming Jiu").
Day 15: Finally heading home! Stocked up on souvenirs!