javi

I have gotten opinions of all kinds and can't decide. I want votes....Go to France the 10 days or divide 5 days Paris and 5 days London?

Thanks!

logandog

divide

Underhill

Might depend on your budget; France is less expensive than London.

janisj

There is absolutely NO way anyone can give reasonable advice based on just this.

Where do YOU most want to go?
When is the trip?
Where are you flying in to?
What sorts of things do you enjoy?

(actually I know the answers to some of those questions from reading your other thread - but someone reading this won't have a clue)

javi

I was actually just told "go to London, it's incredible"! This is a last minute trip I am taking and I don't have much days left to plan. The dates are September 27-October 9. I have roundrip tickets to Paris. I've only booked hotel in Paris Set. 29-30 and October 8-9. I wasn't sure where to go in between.

javi

...I am looking for hills, country side, cute pebble streets, wild flowers on the road. I don't care much for very modern sites. I know what I want to see in Paris and I just might have to extend the days in Paris

Julie_Hurst

javi, you might also want to consider whether you will ever be able to return to either city. If not, you may want to include both. If you will return, you may want to devote your entire trip to one city & do the other city on your next trip. Also, whether you have been to either city before.

I would want to see both cities, if I felt I may never return. If returning, I would want to pick one city/area.

Regarding which city would be my first choice, I've never been to Paris so can't comment on it. However, hubby & I loooove London & always spend at least a couple nights whenever we fly to Europe.

Maybe language is a deciding factor for you? Obviously in London = no problem. In Paris, the locals want you to at least offer basic phrases - or at least try.

Whether London is more expensive depends on your plans. We don't usually do white table cloth restuarants so our London food budget is not a problem. There are good hotel prices also, if you research. The tube is not expensive & very easy to use, even for tourists. The sites are not expensive.

If safety is a factor, many may think that Paris is safer than London in today's terrorist climate.

You may also want to check temp & precipitation on weather.com for your time of travel.

I'll even throw in another decision option! You could also go to Brugge, Belgium & Amsterdam instead of London!

Decisions, decisions. Ain't life great!

Have a great trip, Julie

janisj

&quot;<i> . . . hills, country side, cute pebble streets, wild flowers on the road . . . </i>&quot;

Neither London nor Paris are big in the hills, countryside, wildflowers departments. Since everything you mention is country-ish and you are flying in/out of Paris -- I'd just stay in France, spend a few days there and the rest in another part of France.

(If you hadn't already booked your flight to Paris, I'd recommend London for a few days and the rest in Kent, or the Cotswolds, or SW England)

namaka

I just saw your other posts that janisj mentioned and WOW! I'm tired.

My opinion (and it is just that), I would either just stay in France the entire time or just Paris and just London but no other trips outside of those cities. Even with dividing, you will lose precious time traveling and won't do a whole lot of justice to either.

Last summer, our family spent 6 days in Paris (with travel days included) and didn't feel like we scratched the surface. Of course we lost some time waiting for our lost luggage to arrive. Anyways, I felt like I cheated myself and vowed to return. In fact, I just returned last week after spending 10 days all in Paris with one day trip to Versailles. I can honestly say that I have now made a big dent in Paris and don't just feel like I &quot;saw it&quot; but didn't &quot;experience&quot; it.

Good Luck with whatever you decide!

javi

I got an opinion similar to yours Julie. One person told me to go to Paris and nearby countries such as Belgium. Would you rent a car? Would it be a day trip from Paris?

Robespierre

Three or four nights in Paris - last train to London (so you don't waste prime sightseeing time) - four or three nights in London - first train to Paris.

Rent car, two nights in Normandy, return car in Paris or CDG, depending on what time your flight is. If it's early, stay at the airport the last night, if it's late morning or afternoon, spend one more night in Paris and take train to CDG.

<i>Bon voyage!</i>

StCirq

Now I'm really confused. You want to do Paris, Lyon, Montpellier, Lourdes, Nice, and Monaco, but you're also trying to decide between London and Paris and are looking for wildflowers and hills and countryside????

It's really hard to help you since you don't have a consistent theme even, never mind an idea of where you want to go....

javi

I know, it's awfull!!! I had no choice with the airline ticket to Paris. Now I know I am not getting countryside on this trip, so now it's a matter of choosing between several cities in France or divide Paris and London. I just don't see me going to Europe any time soon after this trip so I want to make a good choice with opinions of travellers that have been to Europe before

JEFF_

If you decide to only do France, here's a possible itinerary that would give you a range of experiences in a variety of quite different places.

Stay in Paris for 4 nights, take the TGV to Lyon for a quick visit and spend the night, then on to Avignon for a night or two. Rent a car and see a bit of Provence. Return the car to Arles and spend a couple nights there. Then take the TGV back to Paris for your last night.

Or...you could take the TGV direct from CDG to Lyon (or Avignon) when you get in and then spend whatever time you have left in Paris at the end of your trip.

This is ambitious , but you'll probably find that you can really see and do a lot in one day. It pretty much means you can't do many leisurely lunches or spend a lot of time just absorbing the culture. But you'll get a sense of the country and come home tired.

ira

Hi J,

For a first European visit, I often suggest both L and P.

However, considering that you are flying RT to Paris and what you say you wish to see, I suggest Paris and France.

MaureenB

Because you're flying round-trip to Paris, and you want to see countryside, I'd stay in France. Paris for the entire time, with day-trips, or why not tour the wine country? Or many other choices in France.
&gt;-

travelinwifey

I disagree that France is cheaper than London. Well, Paris at least. Paris was extremely expensive having just returned 8/4. 33ml of coke cost between $5-6 every restaurant we went to. We paid 4.25 for 3 oranges and in England 3 oranges cost $2.40. A donut at a bakery was approx. $1.30 compared to .80 in the UK. At almost every restaurant (not fast food)we passed a hamburger was 15-20 euros for dinner. Food was definitely much more expensive than the UK.

I'd do both but that's because I love England