UK Tourist Attractions

For most of us, the sun's hanging just a bit lower in the sky these days. Summer's well behind us and it's time to get down to business.

Or not.

Not... because October holds rail potential for travel savings and perks. That makes this the perfect time to take advantage of seasonal train travel savings on BritRail passes... big savings on selected VIA Rail Canada trains... and free travel aboard the Grand Canyon Railway. Great rail deals, too: like an end-of season freebie for Orient-Express passengers... and extra Guest rewards points from Amtrak. Read on...

BritRail Seasonal Savings Trim 20%

Slow season is go season for BritRail; thanks to best-of-year travel savings from mid Autumn until late winter! Go from Lands End to London to Hadrian's Wall with a BritRail England low season rail pass. Or kick it up and combine England, Scotland and Wales with an all inclusive BritRail Britain low season rail pass. Either way you save an extra 20% off your already value-priced BritRail pass.

For busy itineraries entailing non-stop travel, there's the day-by-day convenience of a Consecutive rail pass with 3, 4, 8, 15 or 22 days, or 1 month of consecutive travel. For slower paces, Flexipass options let laid back travelers space out 3, 4, 8 or 15 non-consecutive travel days over a 2 month period.

Savings of 20% on BritRail England and BritRail Britain low season rail  passes are available for first class or second class train travel (first class limitations apply). Extra 20% savings valid only for travel between 01 November 2009 and 28 February 2010. To order your savings-priced BritRail passes now, visit the RailEurope.com website or call 1-800-622-8600 in the USA, 1-800-361-7245 in Canada.

Amtrak Guest Rewards Matches Point for Point

Good news for Amtrak Guest Rewards members: you can earn double points this fall! All train routes and travel classes are eligible so, now through 19 December 2009, your Amtrak Guest Rewards membership entitles you to double points every time you travel with Amtrak. Points are redeemable for travel with Amtrak, Carnival, Continental and more... plus purchases with merchants like Bloomingdale's, CVS, Barnes & Noble, Red Lobster and Lowe's.

You can also earn additional points by trading with any of 170 AGR partners including Hertz, Hilton and Telaflora.

To earn double points, you need to be enrolled in the Amtrak Guest Rewards program and registered to participate in the double points offer. To enroll in the AGR program online, and earn an extra 500 points, go to the AmtrakGuestRewards.com website. To take advantage of the double points offer, register at the AmtrakGuestRewards.com website using registration code 91409; or call 1-800-307-5000, select option 2, and enter the registration code.

Grand Canyon Railway offers Golden Opportunities

The calendar is slipping but its not too late to join the Grand Canyon Railway in celebrating the 50th Anniversary of its vintage diesel locomotives. Born in 1959? Boomers lucky enough to turn 50 before 2009's close have the opportunity to ride free aboard the Grand Canyon Railway! Married in 1959? Couples celebrating their Golden Anniversaries during 2009 are invited to share a romantic train ride -- free of charge -- courtesy of the Grand Canyon Railway.

To take advantage of the Grand Canyon Railway's special 50th Anniversary offer, travel must be completed by 31 December 2009 (Birthday celebrants must travel within seven days of their birth dates). To arrange free train travel for yourself or someone special, call 1-800-843-8724 and use promo code 50 ANNIVERSARY.

Orient-Express Ends the Season in Style

It's the perfect prelude to a classic journey aboard the world's most famous luxury train! Book yourself a night aboard the final Orient-Express rail tour of the season and start your holiday with two free nights at the sumptuous four-star Londra Palace Hotel in Venice.

Venice, Verona, Innsbruck, Paris, London: the classic itinerary unfolds aboard splendid Wagons-Lits carriages. Journey highlights include Alpine views at lunch, piano bar before and after a sumptuous four-course dinner, and brunch accompanied by views of the French countryside. The journey's all-inclusive price includes all table d'hôte meals and beverages.

The Orient-Express begins its last rail tour of the season on 02 November 2009. To book your compartment, visit the Orient-Express.com website -- and be sure to use promo code VP2N.

Save 50% to 75% with Express Deals Across Canada

Discover VIA Rail Express Deals, and you've tracked down the best rail values in all of Canada. If you're the spontaneous type: if you can pick up and leave on a moment's notice or if you're up for heading out in new directions, VIA Rail Canada's Express Deals open a world of rail adventure.

Deals change daily: departure and arrival points can range between Vancouver's west coast cool; the Rocky Mountain's unspoiled heights; Toronto's skyscraper caverns; Montréal's joie de vivre; and Gaspé's Atlantic shore. Offers can range from next day to 30 or more days in advance. Available traveling classes can include anything from economy coach to sleeper cabins with showers.

Known as ‘The Rock’, Gibraltar is a little bit of Britain in the Mediterranean. The ownership of this tiny piece of land has long been a sensitive issue with the neighbouring Spanish. In Greek mythology, Gibraltar (Calpe) was one of the Pilars of Hercules marking the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. The north coast of Africa is just 14 miles away and can be seen from Europa Point, making Gibraltar a place of strategic importance. Britain took control of the Rock in 1713 and it was formally declared a colony in 1830. It was also here where the HMS Victory underwent repairs after the Battle of Trafalgar before returning back to Britain with Nelson’s body. In 2002, there was a referendum where the locals overwhelming rejected any involvement by Spain in their government.

The locals are proud to be British citizens and while on the Rock, you are under no illusion that it is anything other than British. Street names such as “Winston Churchill Avenue”, the cash machines churn out £10 notes (proper ones, not like ones from Scotland), familiar high street names like Marks & Spencer, pictures of the Queen in the hotels, pubs such as the “Lord Nelson”..you get the idea. The one concession that has been made is that traffic flows on the right hand side of the road on the narrow, badly signposted one-way system of Gibraltar.

The airport at Gibraltar is owned by the Ministry of Defence for use by the Royal Air Force as RAF Gibraltar. Civilian flights share the runway which dissects Winston Churchill Avenue. This means every time a plane lands or takes off, the main street has to be closed to traffic for around 10 minutes. While this feature of Gibraltar is part of its charm, it also means that only a few flights a day can land / take off without causing severe traffic disruption. A new airport is planned which will give the airport a large increase in capacity and a tunnel under the runway which will reduce tailbacks and delays. Once completed, the new Gibraltar airport will give both Gibraltar and the Andalucia region of Spain a better air link.

There is a still a big military presence in Gibraltar with the very upper part of the rock out of bounds to the public. For the tourist, the majority of the attractions are in the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. If you have a car, you can drive the route yourself otherwise there are plenty of companies who are willing to take you. Once you’ve paid your entrance, the first point of call are the spectacular St Michael’s Caves. Around 300m above sea level, they are one of Europe’s most natural grottoes.

Next stop is Apes’ Den. The most famous residents of Gibraltar are the Barbary Macaques and they roam freely throughout the nature reserve. Despite giving the impression they are tame, visitors must remember they are wild animals who will bite. They aren’t shy about stealing food or other belongings and will almost certainly try to get into your vehicle if given the opportunity.

The Great Siege Tunnels were excavated by the British Army during the siege of 1779-1783. Visitors can’t fail to be impressed with this defence system which gives a fantastic view from the rock over the airport into Spain. The military theme continues at the Military Heritage Centre where there is an array of artefacts housed in Princess Caroline’s Battery.  The City Under Siege Exhibition demonstrates the appalling conditions the British soldiers had to survive under during the Great Siege and there is graffiti dating back to the 18th century.

The final point of interest on the Upper Rock is the Moorish Castle that dates back to the 14th century. It is located on the north-western slope and its Tower of Homage dominates the only land entrance to Gibraltar. Your entry ticket to the National Park also gets you into one more place; the 100 Ton Gun which is located down in the town. This fearsome weapon had a bore of 17.72 inches, fired a 371 kg shell which was capable of piercing 16.3 inches of mild steel at a range of 2,000 yards.

Gibraltar is well worth a visit as it is a unique place for the curious traveller either as a short break or part of a longer trip to Andalucia.

Travelers have many options that they can use to cut travel expense throughout the United Kingdom. The largest transportation expense that a traveler will encounter will be the airline fares that bring the traveler to the UK. The transportation options to travel UK cities are up to the discretion of the traveler. They are the only people who know how much time they have for a vacation and how fast they must travel to all of their travel destinations before they board a departure flight.

Many transportation options originate at Heathrow International Airport, which is in the heart of London, one of the UK primary vacation travel destinations. The airport will have an abundant assortment of taxis that people can hire very quickly that will certainly whisk them off to any hotel accommodations that they have arranged for. Some limousine transfers are available but travelers might have to wait for other passengers to board before the limousine will depart the terminal.

One of the best transportation options that tourists love the most is the British railway systems. Great Britain offers a wide network of trains that operate on certain schedules. Most of them will travel UK points of interest and others will take travelers all the way to Scotland. The railway cars will depart train depots every few minutes and give travelers the chance to experience travel UK by rail.

These trains offer travelers the best value on travel expense and they will take travelers to various points of interest throughout the United Kingdom without stressing them out one bit. The train system offers people the chance to recuperate from long shopping trips into the city because there is ample seating available in a variety of styles that allow travelers to simply, enjoy the trip and the scenery.

For travel directly into London, the British offer the subway system as one of the transportation options. People can travel UK stops very quickly because they go without stopping from Heathrow to London in about 45 minutes. The speed of these trains is increased somewhat and travelers get the chance to enjoy drinks and comfortable seating for the duration of their travel time into London.

Other than taxis that are plentiful in the major cities, travelers have one transportation mode that they were born with. Since there are many sites to see throughout London and the rest of the UK, many travelers save a lot of money by traveling on foot. There are many cafes where people can stop, eat, and take a moment to rest their feet. The choice of ales gives people a cool respite from the heat and they can listen to many accents and meet a lot of new friends.

Do you known what you want, you need? And where do you find it?Some people want to experience the best travel possible and will research travel UK destinations by comparison shopping. The internet allows people to compare all sorts of prices on every type of activity that they might want to do on vacation and even compare prices on hotel accommodations. Some travelers find lots of things that cost about the same price and the bargains stand out among them because some vacation reviews used a multiple star rating system.

Every dollar saved during a vacation will be spent on something that is sure to bring a happy smile to at least one of the travelers. Since travelers want to see a lot of smiles occurring on their trip, they make sure that there are savings found in every place that they visit when they travel UK shops on vacation. Comparing prices on all types of attractions might point out extras that allow vacationers to save money and see more while on vacation.

People can justify some expenses on a trip to be absolute necessities. They will use search travel engines though to do some comparison-shopping on the various restaurants that they can eat in and save lots of money in the process. There are many delectable food establishments throughout the UK. When people travel UK eateries by internet they find many restaurants with offerings that allow children to eat free. Some people even learn about the restaurants that should be avoided.

Travelers like to get to all points of interest throughout the United Kingdom in the fastest way possible. Being able to obtain discounted tickets for the British railway systems ahead of time allows them to save a considerable amount of money. There are many ticket vendors on the internet. Vacationers can do some comparison-shopping that can provide a large family with transportation options that they never expected to fit in the budget. This particular driver actually helped them save a lot.

Some travelers are able to travel by limousine when they first arrive at Heathrow International Airport. They found the sales ads for many transportation companies on the internet while they were in-flight. They did some comparison-shopping to find out which travel method was best and the vacationer's were able to save a lot of time and still spend very little money getting to their hotel destination. They were able to sightsee while they traveled UK roads without having to miss any bargains on eateries and attractions along the way.

The limousine driver was very knowledgeable of the shopping opportunities in the UK because the driver has had many people travel UK by limousine and ask the same questions of him on almost a day-to-day basis. The head of the family discussed these travel UK opportunities with the driver and was able to find out where flea markets were that would save them lots of money on souvenirs for family members back home.