Customer Reviews

Britain by BritRail 2008: Touring Britain by Train

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On our trip to London we decided to avoid guided tours and go it on our own using the subways and trains. This book had all the information we needed - what stations to leave from for the different destinations, train schedules, how much tickets cost, and brief descriptions of places to visit and things to do while you were there. We took it everywhere with us. It also had extensive information on the different train passes that were available, how much they cost, and how they work. There are a dizzying array of these and the book was quite good at explaining the differences. We ended up having a fantastic time and seeing everything we wanted with no travel problems at all. Highly recommended. We were staying in London but it also lists trips leaving from Cardiff and Edinburgh, and included information on trips to Europe through the Chunnel.

Prior editions of this book always pushed a BRITRAIL Pass and now the author is directly involved in the Pass business. Rail fares are quoted as straight one ways. All sorts of special rail fares are offered in Britain -Cheap Day Returns, Saver Fares, and many others. The BRITRAIL pass is a good deal for long trips -i.e. London-Glasgow, but for short day trips cheap fares are available. The major benefit of the BRITRAIL Pass for short trips is the ability to go one way and return another but a traveller should always ask at the station for the cheapest fare. In some instances, tickets must be purchased the day before. When I contacted the author to suggest that she mention the availability of bargain fares she never responded. The book is great but take the fares with a grain of salt.