best day trip from London to Mont St Michel, Rouen, Paris or Brugges?
Jan 16th, 2012, 10:05 AM
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best day trip from London to Mont St Michel, Rouen, Paris or Brugges?
Hello!
We will be in London for a week in mid- March and we really want to do a day trip either by ferry or train out of England to somewhere beautiful and historic place. We want to leave very early in the morning and come back late at night. We will have two kids, age 13 and 16 and they are easy to travel with. Please share your suggestion. Thank you.
We will be in London for a week in mid- March and we really want to do a day trip either by ferry or train out of England to somewhere beautiful and historic place. We want to leave very early in the morning and come back late at night. We will have two kids, age 13 and 16 and they are easy to travel with. Please share your suggestion. Thank you.
Jan 16th, 2012, 10:22 AM
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Why don't you plug in your destinations to get the sense of travel time first. You can use http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query2.exe/en.
You can then research the cities reachable as a day trip.
You mean England is not beautiful or historic? ...just kidding...
You can then research the cities reachable as a day trip.
You mean England is not beautiful or historic? ...just kidding...
Jan 16th, 2012, 10:26 AM
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Of your list, only Paris and Bruges are really possible in a day by train, unless you charter a plane. Most major Western European cities can be got to and back in a day by scheduled plane, but it'll kill your budget.
Straight Eurostar to Paris: Eurostar to Brussels (buying the London to Any Belgian Station deal), changing there for the train to Bruges. I believe it's possible to go one way via Lille, though I'm not sure the "same price as Brussels" deal applies in that case.
Straight Eurostar to Paris: Eurostar to Brussels (buying the London to Any Belgian Station deal), changing there for the train to Bruges. I believe it's possible to go one way via Lille, though I'm not sure the "same price as Brussels" deal applies in that case.
Jan 16th, 2012, 11:27 AM
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Meant to add that 3 hours one way doesn't include getting to st pancras station to catch the eurostar or the time for checkin or security so add another hour at least to either end. Also consider how early and late your transit is to get to stations...if you book too early the tubes may not be running so you may need to take a taxi for example.
Jan 16th, 2012, 04:52 PM
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I think only Paris is really doable. the others would involve so much time in travel that you have next to no time to see anything at the sight. I'm not sure it's possible to do Mt St Michel at all without spending a night there.
Jan 17th, 2012, 01:42 AM
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It would be a hell of a long day, no matter which one you chose. Paris would be the one with the shortest travel time from A to B but the Eurostar itself takes about 2hrs 15 mins plus as jamikins says, you need to allow time for security, immigration, check in time etc.
Why not pick somewhere in the UK for a day trip? Plenty to choose from, how about Cambridge, Oxford, Bath, Brighton, Windsor etc etc. London Walks www.walks.com has some 'Day Trips from London' where you travel as a group (on the train) and get a couple of guided walks at your destination. Their guided walks in London are terrific as well, good value and always interesting.
Actually I just thought Lille might be an option, it's on the Eurostar route (not all trains stop there though) and closer to London than Paris or Belgium.
Kay
Why not pick somewhere in the UK for a day trip? Plenty to choose from, how about Cambridge, Oxford, Bath, Brighton, Windsor etc etc. London Walks www.walks.com has some 'Day Trips from London' where you travel as a group (on the train) and get a couple of guided walks at your destination. Their guided walks in London are terrific as well, good value and always interesting.
Actually I just thought Lille might be an option, it's on the Eurostar route (not all trains stop there though) and closer to London than Paris or Belgium.
Kay
Jan 17th, 2012, 03:54 AM
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It IS a long day, but if you go to bed early, catch the first Eurostar out and an evening one out, you could very easily do Paris OR Bruges.
I did this many, many times and my journey started way out in Maidenhead, catching a train to Paddington had something like 5:30 in the morning and getting home around 11 pm. It was tiring, yes, but certainly not hell.
Some general advice: whether in Paris or Bruges, be prepared for your energy to flag in mid to late afternoon. Use that downtime for a restoring tea or coffee (or beverage of your choice) at a cafe. Mid-March can be chilly - happily many cafes in Bruges have fireplaces. Pick one of those. In Paris, I used to take my mid-afternoon break at Cafe L'Esplanade in the 7th overlooking Les Invalides - mostly because it has very comfy chairs and serves pots of Mariage Freres tea.
http://www.10best.com/destinations/f...de-lesplanade/
For Bruges, I've always thought Thursday was the best day for a daytrip - everything's open and you don't have the week-end crowds.
I did this many, many times and my journey started way out in Maidenhead, catching a train to Paddington had something like 5:30 in the morning and getting home around 11 pm. It was tiring, yes, but certainly not hell.
Some general advice: whether in Paris or Bruges, be prepared for your energy to flag in mid to late afternoon. Use that downtime for a restoring tea or coffee (or beverage of your choice) at a cafe. Mid-March can be chilly - happily many cafes in Bruges have fireplaces. Pick one of those. In Paris, I used to take my mid-afternoon break at Cafe L'Esplanade in the 7th overlooking Les Invalides - mostly because it has very comfy chairs and serves pots of Mariage Freres tea.
http://www.10best.com/destinations/f...de-lesplanade/
For Bruges, I've always thought Thursday was the best day for a daytrip - everything's open and you don't have the week-end crowds.
Jan 17th, 2012, 04:35 AM
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Paris.
1) One-way is 2 hr 15 min (as opposed to 3 hr 30 min one way to Bruges). Both times do NOT include the time from Victoria station to St. Pancras stations).
2) It's the most desirable destination on your list.
3) It's PARIS!!
1) One-way is 2 hr 15 min (as opposed to 3 hr 30 min one way to Bruges). Both times do NOT include the time from Victoria station to St. Pancras stations).
2) It's the most desirable destination on your list.
3) It's PARIS!!
Jan 17th, 2012, 04:56 AM
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" you could go to Mount Saint Michaels in Cornwall in 2.5 hours with no customs . Same feel as St Michel Trains leave from Euston station"
The nearest heliport to Euston is a good 45 minutes away, so you might just make it to St Michael's Mount in 2.5 hrs if you hire a VERY fast helicopter and it's got its engines running.
Otherwise, the single train journey to Penzance from Paddington, followed by the cab to Maraizon, takes pretty much exactly the same time as the return train journey to Bruges, via Brussels, and back again. You might just do it in a day if you come straight back as soon as you've caight a glimpse from the cab.
The nearest heliport to Euston is a good 45 minutes away, so you might just make it to St Michael's Mount in 2.5 hrs if you hire a VERY fast helicopter and it's got its engines running.
Otherwise, the single train journey to Penzance from Paddington, followed by the cab to Maraizon, takes pretty much exactly the same time as the return train journey to Bruges, via Brussels, and back again. You might just do it in a day if you come straight back as soon as you've caight a glimpse from the cab.
Jan 17th, 2012, 07:56 AM
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Paris is probably hte best. Early morning train, get to central Paris, then Metro to starting point.
Of course you would not be able to see everything in one long day. But in terms of beauty and history, lots to match that description.
With the limited amount of time you have, I'd suggest not going into any museums. In terms of areas with concentration of things to see..
Palais Royal/Louvre/Tuileries/Place de la Concorde/Champs Elysee/Arc de Triomphe/Passages (?)
Sainte Chapelle/Notre Dame/Ile St Louis/Seine
Trocadero/Eiffel Tower
Place des Vosges
Luxembourg Gardens
Montmartre
You will need to plan well.
Of course you would not be able to see everything in one long day. But in terms of beauty and history, lots to match that description.
With the limited amount of time you have, I'd suggest not going into any museums. In terms of areas with concentration of things to see..
Palais Royal/Louvre/Tuileries/Place de la Concorde/Champs Elysee/Arc de Triomphe/Passages (?)
Sainte Chapelle/Notre Dame/Ile St Louis/Seine
Trocadero/Eiffel Tower
Place des Vosges
Luxembourg Gardens
Montmartre
You will need to plan well.
