BarbaraS

Thanks for all the help I've received previously. We (my husband and I, my daughter and 75-year-old mother) leave for Europe in 18 days and I just have a few transportation questions and would appreciate input on restaurants/things to do.

Day 1 - Monday May 3: Arrive Heathrow at 21:00 pm. have arranged for Just Airports to take us to our hotel The Russell.

Day 2: My daughter's 21st birthday so she wants to visit Platform 9 3/4, then we'll head for the Tower of London (using our half price coupons - thanks), lunch at the Hard Rock Café, back to the hotel for Mom to rest, the rest of us may go to the British Museum, then we have tickets to see the Lion King.

Day 3: Hop On/Hop Off Bus Tour.

Day 4: Travel to Paris on Eurostar 12:00 (should we take a taxi to the station or use the metro?) We have rented an apartment in the 7th through Paris Perfect.

Day 5: Musee d'Orsay & what?

Day 6 - Liberation Day - I understand there is a parade by the Arc de Triomphe? Will the Champs-Elysees shops be opened?

Day 7 - Versailles

Day 8 - Louvre & what?

Day 9 - Eurostar back to London. Reservations at the Travel Inn County Hall (can we walk from the train station to the hotel?) London Eye

Day 10 - Changing of the Guard, Buckingham Palace, Westminster, Complete Works of William Shakespeare (half price- thanks!)

Day 11 - BMI flight to Edinburgh - one night at the Dalhousie Castle

Day 12 - Ibis Edinburgh hotel

Day 13 - Edinburgh

Day 14 - BMI to Heathrow arrive 10:00, Sir Christopher Wren House Hotel, Windsor Castle.

Day 15 - British Airways Flight to NY 10:30

rkkwan

Just an overall comment. For 14 nights, you are staying at 6 different places, if I count it correctly, and visiting London 3 times (if you count the last night at Windsor). I get exhausted by just reading the itinerary. Not sure if this is good for anybody, especially your 75-year old mom.

ron

rkkwan makes a good point but, OTOH, we travelled with my 80+ mother to France a couple of years ago and she travelled so light that daily changes would not have been a big problem for her. For us, yes, but not her!

But, to answer your questions, take taxis when you are transferring with luggage, days 4 and 9, airport transfers in Edinburgh. With 4 people, there is little or no saving going public transport, and a lot more hassle, given your inexperience and your mother's age.

Day 5, Rodin Museum or Hotel des Invalides (Napoleon's Tomb).

Day 8, I don't know, are you intentionally avoiding Tour Eiffel, Notre Dame, Sainte Chappelle, boat ride on the Seine?

BarbaraS

rkkwan - you're right the itinerary is not ideal, but Mom insisted on Eurostar and Edinburgh, and my daughter wants to spend a night in a castle and I didn't want to have to worry about making connecting flights. Hopefully the five nights in Paris, in the apartment with a washer dryer, in the middle of the trip, will make it seem less hectic. Thanks for your input.

obxgirl

BarbaraS,

You can easily walk from Waterloo to the Travel Inn Çountry Hall. Maybe a 10 minute walk.

MelissaHI

I agree with ron, I was kinda thinking you could fit the Eiffel Tower + a Seine boat tour in on Day 8. Somewhere in there, you just gotta fit in the Notre Dame.

BarbaraS

Ron - Thanks for the input. Our apartment is two blocks from the Eiffel Tower so we will definitely spend time there. Perhaps a romantic walk after Mom has gone to bed as well. A sunset cruise on the Seine the day we arrive in Paris would be wonderful.

Notre Dame and Sainte Chappelle I am sure should not be missed - perhaps after the Louvre then?

BarbaraS

obxgirl - Thanks for the response. I knew the hotel was close and didn't want the taxi driver to look at me as if I was stupid if we took a taxi to the hotel, on the other hand if I'm going to look stupid dragging my luggage along the street, I'd rather take a taxi. What would you do?

ron

I have stayed at the County Hall and I have made the walk to and from Waterloo station many times. Yes it is easy, but for your group and circumstances, take the taxi the first time with luggage. After that you can decide to walk. The cabby may be P.Oed but so what,give him a big tip if it bothers you.

I think Notre Dame/Ste Chappelle would go well with the Louvre (unless you exhaust yourselves at the Louvre!).

mdocherty

With the number of people and your 75 year old mom, taxis are cheaper and more convenient - the big tip is good for short trips.

But a question, is there a place or something that has adopted the platform 9 3/4 name in London> Otherwise, bring your own sign and stick it on the platform at Waterloo.

I like your mother's instincts. Edinburgh and Eurostar are great experiences. Dig out the guidebooks and check into the Paris sites. Staying in the 7th is right by the Eiffel Tower and walking distance to Les Invalides. You mention le Musée d'Orsay. Then I'd suggest walking up to the Seine by the Eiffel Tower and by a dday ticket on the Batobus ferry. It's get on, get off for the day and it stops right by the d'Orsay. You an cruise the Seine and travel between sights at the same time.

If you are doing Paris museums - look for the museum pass that's appropriate for you. It's in all the guide books. You can bypass all the lines waiting to get in. Alternatively, for the Louvre, there is another entrance most easily accessed by the metro station at the Palais du Louvre metro station. Little or no lines and you are straight in.

Another suggestion for next time. Look into the cheap airlines in Europe to shortcut your travel at incredibly cheap prices (www.ryanair.com and www.easyjet.com) and book an open jaw flight from the States so you don't have to do a round trip.

janis

Besides the concerns others have mentioned - your day 2 is pretty confused. Going up to Kings Cross and then to the Tower -- AND THEN expect to travel all the way across London to the Hardrock in time for lunch, then back across town to the British Museum (I know your hotel is near there). The Tower takes at least a few hours to see - more if you arrive after opening time because it gets very crowded and long lines form for everything.

Kings Cross is only one tube stop from Russell Square so just stop by to see the "site" of platform 9 3/4 any time you are traveling through the area -- you don't need to make a special trip. The Hardrock is not a place you can just show up and have lunch - there is almost always a queue stretching outside and to the corner and it takes quite a while to get in. I'd scratch the Hardrock - but if you "must", go to the one in Edinburgh. It is a lot quicker to get into.If you just want souviners from teh Hardrock you don't need to eat there - there is a gift shop around the corner -- but it also has long lines.

Anonymous

Another point about Platform 9 3/4 -- at King's Cross, the higher-numbered platforms are in an annex in the back (newish, only a century old) and there is NO wall between Platforms 9 and 10, the tracks are right next to each other. In the movies the role of Platform 9 3/4 is played by Platform 4, in the main building.

In an interview, Rowling has conceded that she might have been picturing Euston train platforms and numbers when she wrote that section.

ira

Hi barbara,

You might be interested in the Batobus on/off boats in Paris.

www.batobus.com

obxgirl

Hi BarbaraS,

Regarding walking to the County Inn Travel Inn: You'll see plenty of people on the street with luggage. You'll also see plenty others in cabs. Personally if the weather is fine, I'd walk. If you opt to ride, you might get a snarl from a taxi driver for the short distance but a larger tip will probably smooth the edges if you're inclined. (this will possibly draw the wrath of those who insist Americans tip too much)

I agree with janis that the first half of your Day 2 is going to be difficult to accomplish. Any chance that the Hardrock is your daughter's birthday request? Is it possible to defer it to your Day 3? You all will want to get to the Tower as early as possible (especially if it's a weekend day) to avoid the big crowds. A number of good pubs in the area of the Tower have been recommended here for lunch.

If the weather is not good or the crowds too large the day you plan to see the changing of the guard at B. Palace, you'll have another chance to see it at Windsor Castle.

I don't think your itinerary is overdone and you've clearly worked hard to make sure everyone gets to see what's important to them. I don't know why some people assume that those in their 70s are too frail to cut it on a trip like this. My mom is 74 and does 3 miles daily on a treadmill and resistance weight training 3 days a week. That's with a hip replacement. She can out walk me most days.

Hope you all have a great trip.

mamc

You have plenty of unscheduled time in Paris so please don't miss Ste. Chappelle. It is best to see on a sunny day in the middle of the day so the stained glass is at its most beautiful.

BarbaraS

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. The Batobus sounds great and I'll add Ste. Chappelle to the list of must sees.

My daughter plays guitar and collects the guitar Hard Rock pins so perhaps unfortunately we will be visiting the London, Paris and Edinburgh Hard Rock cafes. It does make sense to switch lunch at the Hard Rock to day 3 though - thanks.

When I checked on Journey Planner the route it gave from the Hotel Russell to the Tower of London connected through Kings Cross, so I thought it would fit naturally that morning. A previous post:

Author: Daisy54
Date: 12/23/2003, 05:17 pm
Message: Regarding Harry Potter & platform 9 3/4 - yes it is at Kings Cross Station and you can see it there - it's plainly marked (saw it last April), though of course to us muggles it will appear to be only a brick wall. Still if you're at the station anyway you might want to take a photo there for your Harry Potter fan (I did for my niece)

Perhaps it would be better to get to the Tower of London as early as possible, have lunch in a pub near the Tower and get a picture on the way back.

Great ideas - keep them coming!

missypie

If you're seeking out Platform 9 3/4, you must also see Nicholas Flammel's house in Paris. It's on the map (at least in the Paris Map Guide). It's just a few blocks north of the Centre Pompidou. It now houses a nice restaurant. In the neighborhood, besides the Pompidou, are also the Les Halles shopping center and St. Eustache church.

missypie

One more thing...the washer and dryer in the apartment we rented in Paris was a combo unit (it did the washing and the drying)...the "short" cycle took 3 hours and by then the clothes were almost dry...it was so tiny that 2 pairs of adult pants literally filled it up. Just a warning, in case yours is like that - don't wait until your last night to start the laundry.

BarbaraS

missypie - Thanks for the heads up on the Flammel house, she may be interested in finding it as well. I'll definitely start on the laundry asap - thanks for the tip.

Just a couple more transportation questions: How long should I allow to get from my hotel near Russell Square to Waterloo (at noon) and How long to get from County Hall to Heathrow for a 14:40 flight?

Thanks!

ron

Allow half an hour for taxi from Russell Hotel to Waterloo station, but do check with doorman/porter at the hotel.

I imagine you are using the same service back to Heathrow that you used on your arrival? They will advise pick up time.