Stations
Although the countries of the UK are small compared to other major countries in the world, you will find that it is big on places to go and things to do. In fact, if you come to the UK and don’t travel around, you will almost certainly miss out on the diversity that’s on offer.
Even if you don’t get the chance to hop between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, you can still get a good grasp of the variety each country has to offer by venturing to UK cities other than the one you’re staying in for the day, or by staying choosing to stay in a number of hotels around the country for a few nights at a time.
However you choose to spend your holiday in the UK, you will find that getting around shouldn’t be a problem. Many people choose to hire a car if travelling is a major part of their holiday. However hiring a car means you have to master the rules of the road as well as UK road network. An easier option may be to book a hotel near a train station so you’ll have plenty of access to the UK’s public transport system. As well as being able to take the train to destinations across you the UK, train stations are usually well integrated into the local public transport network, making them the ideal place to catch buses too.
If you are planning on staying in England, then London, as the capital, is a popular destination, and if you want to stay close to a train station in London then you’ll certainly have plenty of choice. London has nine major train stations as well as stations on the underground network all of which allow you to travel effectively around London.
Each of the nine British Rail train stations is connected to the underground network so getting around London shouldn’t be a problem, however if you plan to travel further afield then you should choose the train station you book your hotel near carefully. For example if you are planning to venture to the north or to Scotland then you should book into Holiday Inn King’s Cross or Novotel London Euston, if you are planning to travel to South Wales, south-west England or Heathrow then book your hotel near Paddington train station, for example Hyde Park Paddington or Paddington Hotel in Bayswater. Alternatively choose a hotel near Liverpool Street station like St Gregory Hotel or City Hotel near London Bridge if you need to go to East Anglia, or stay in a hotel near Victoria train station for example Grange Rochester Hotel or Victoria Park Plaza Hotel if you plan to travel to Kent or Brighton or anywhere in South or South-East England. Booking a hotel near Waterloo train station like Riverbank Park Plaza or London Marriott Hotel County Hall gives you access to the South and South West of England as well as access to Europe as it’s from here that the Eurostar trains leave for destinations in France and Belgium.
However aside from simply staying near train station because it offers a convenient travel option to visit the major London tourist attractions, like the London Eye, Madame Tussauds and Buckingham Palace, many of the stations are tourist attractions in themselves. For example if you choose to stay in Premier Travel Inn King’s Cross you will be right on the doorstep of King’s Cross station where you’ll find platform 9 ¾ as featured in the Harry Potter films as the starting point of the Hogwart’s express. In the film it was actually platforms 3 and 4 that were used with the exterior shots being taken of the nearby St Pancras Station because of it’s impressive gothic façade. Staying near King’s Cross station may also be a treat for Dr Who fans as the station was featured in the novel ‘Transit’, and fans of 80’s TV star Roland Rat who was said to have lived in the sewers beneath King’s Cross.
Meanwhile if you enjoy architecture then you may want to stay at Hesperia London Victoria opposite Victoria Station so you can explore the Victorian engineering of the station. Built in 1862, you’ll find architecture and sculpture to entertain you. Alternatively the older Paddington station may an interesting distraction for those staying in Hilton London Paddington. Built in 1852-1854 by architects Brunel and Wyattt as the London terminal of the Great Western Railway, this is an impressive example of Victorian engineering.
Outside the attractions of London there’s plenty to see and do outside London as each of the local tourist information centres with tell you. And whichever city you choose to stay in you’re sure to find a hotel that suits you near a train station, from luxury city centre hotels or budget hotels in a central location.
The historic city of York is a popular tourist haunt, with attractions like York Minister and the Jorvick Viking Centre to entertain visitors. There are plenty of hotels in York for you to choose from like York Marriott the luxury spa hotel and Heworth Court Hotel a budget hotel option, however by staying in a hotel near York train station like will put you near one of the most historically important points in the UK rail network and close to the largest railway museum in the world.
Newcastle is another city in the north of England which has a rich history and the beautiful Victorian architecture of Grey Street at it’s heart. You’ll find there’s a good variety of hotels in Newcastle including Malmaison Newcastle or Copthorne Hotel, however if you have travelling on your mind you should probably opt for Royal Station Hotel and Vermont Hotel as these are close to Newcastle Central Station. As well as being a useful way to get your bearings, Newcastle Central Station is also a fascinating Grade I listed building designed by John Dobson and opened in 1850.
Due to its central location in England, Birmingham New Street Station is often see as the hub of the rail network, and passengers travelling from the south of the country to the north will often find they pass through Birmingham. All this means that if you want to explore the UK then staying at a hotel near Birmingham New Street Station like Britannia Hotel or Macdonald Burlington Hotel could be ideal. London, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol, Scotland and Wales are all directly linked to Birmingham. So if you have business in one of these cities you could decide to stay in a posh Birmingham hotel like the Crowne Plaza and simply commute to your appointments around the country. However if you are planning to venture to Stratford-Upon Avon, Kidderminster or Wolverhampton, then a hotel close to the Birmingham Snow Hill train station like Copthorne Hotel would probably be more useful.
Over in Wales, probably the most popular place to stay is the capital Cardiff. If you plan to be in Wales for a few days then it is worth venturing out to the other towns and cities to see what’s on offer, you could visit Caernarfon Castle, Cardigan Bay, the Isle of Anglesey or even Snowdonia. However to do all of this your best would be to stay in a hotel near Cardiff Central train station like The Angel Hotel.
Cardiff Central is the largest train in Wales and offers access to the local train network as well as trains into England. The station is also used for buses so even if you decide to stay a little bit further away from the station for example in a luxury Cardiff hotel like The St. Davids Hotel and Spa or a three star hotel like Cardiff Moat House if you’re close to a bus stop then you’ll still be within easy reach of the station.
Scotland is most famous for it’s kilts, bagpipes, and haggis and there’s plenty the country has to offer. From the calm tranquillity of Loch Ness lake to the Highlands of the West Coast peninsulas, there’s such a wide variety on offer, and this goes for the hotels as well, from the plush elegance of the five star Glasshouse in Edinburgh to the luxury of the spa hotels like St Andrews Bay Golf Resort and Spa to hotels with a historic interest like the Norwood Hall Hotel in Aberdeen, which is an 18th century listed mansion.
However if you want the opportunity to take as much in as possible then why not stay at a hotel in Edinburgh or Glasgow, two of Scotland’s biggest cities. For example if you stayed in Apex City or The Carlton Hotel near Edinburgh’s Waverley Train Station, not only would you be close to some of the top Scottish tourist attractions as the station is adjacent to Princes Street, Edinburgh Castle and the Princes Street Gardens, you would also have easy access to the transport network as ScotRail, Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) and Virgin trains all use Waverley, as an important point in their rail routes. Edinburgh other train station is Haymarket, hotels close to Haymarket station include Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor and Greens Hotel by staying here you’d be close to attractions like Edinburgh Quay and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.
Glasgow is Scotland’s other major city and it is home to popular hotels like Hilton Glasgow. However if you’re looking for a hotel close to the city’s Queen Street Station, then you’d be better off staying in Millennium Hotel Glasgow or Carlton George Hotel. As the main gateway to the Northern and Eastern Scotland, booking accommodation near Glasgow’s Queen Street station is ideal if you want to explore Scotland. The station itself consists of 12 platforms so as you would guess it is often very busy, and if by chance you’ve got some time before your train arrives you could take some time to look at the station building itself. Of particular interest is the glass walled bridge which has been nicknamed “Heilanman’s Umbrella” by locals because of well known tale that says that the thrifty Scots would stand under the bridge rather than buy an umbrella and venture out into the rain.
Known as the “Emerald Isle” because it’s so green all year round, Ireland is ideal for those looking for a relaxing break in one of the country’s spa hotels like the Hayfield Manor Hotel in Cork, or one of the golfing hotels like the Dunraven Arms Hotel near Limerick. However as Ireland really a big country it is worth exploring what’s around.
Belfast Central train station and Dublin Connolly train station are two major train stations in Ireland. The Dublin to Belfast route is one of the major commuter routes and these stations are linked in the network by a two-hour journey. So if you decide to stay in Dublin (the capital of Ireland) or Belfast (the capital of Northern Ireland), you have the chance to take in both cities during your stay. If this is your plan, or if you want to travel around Ireland’s other towns and cities then why not stay in a hotel near the train station.
Belfast has two main train stations Belfast Central, which is close to Waterfront Hall and Great Victoria Street station in the city centre, close to Belfast’s tourist attractions. Which of these stations you choose to stay near is down to your preference as they are connected by a local train link. You could choose to stay at Belfast’s luxury Hilton near Belfast Central train station or you could stay at one of Belfast’s city centre hotels like the Europa Belfast, which are closer to Great Victoria Street station.
Dublin has several train stations, however the two are likely to be the most useful for Ireland travellers are the Dublin Heuston station and the Dublin Connolly station as these are used for intercity travel. From these stations you can travel all round Ireland to Belfast, Sligo, Ballina, Westport, Galway, Limerick, Ennis, Tralee, Cork, Waterford and Rosslare Europort. Services from Dublin Heuston go to Tralee, Limerick, Waterford, Ballina, Galway, Cork and Kildare so if you’re planning to venture to any of these places then a hotel near Dublin Heuston like Grafton Capital Hotel or Brooks Hotel would probably be the best choice. Otherwise hotels close to Dublin Connelly station might be more useful like the Morgan or the Cassidy’s Hotel.
As you can see, wherever you choose to travel to in the UK, whether it’s England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales, there’s a great hotel near the tourist attractions and the train station which means you can enjoy more without too much hassle.