Seamus

Another niece is "aging up" and we will take her to Paris in early June (yes, I know about the French Open). We are considering tacking on a few days in London, since she is a theatre person. I can manage all the open jaw travel and other logistic issues, but would like to solicit Fodorite opinions about scheduling. I know Paris better than London, can find something to day on any given day, but am less savvy about London and things like what days the theatres are dark, etc. We will likely arrrive on either a Monday or Tuesday morning and stay about ten days total. With this arrival, would it be better to fly into London for a couple days then go on to Paris? Or into Paris with an overnight trip to London? (We will have an apartment in Paris) Or into Paris then on to London and fly back home from there?
Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

kleroux

I'd take the Eurostar and go directly from one city to the other. Trains leave almost every hour. Then fly home from your last city. London Theatres are open on Tues, not sure about Mon.

PatrickLondon

http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/

janisj

The only dark day is Sunday - and it is not totally dark. There are a very few shows on Sundays (and those generally are dark on Monday). Plus there is so much else to do on Sundays - it wouldn't be a huge problem.

Can you tack on a couple of more days? W/ 12 days you could have more than just a couple of days in London. How about 6 or 7 days in Paris (7 if your apartment only rents by the week, but many will rent for a shorter period) and 4 or 5 in London.

I'd do the open jaw and Eurostar between the two cities. I don't think it makes much difference which you do first.

Something like arr Paris on Tues, stay until Monday and then to London for 4 or 5 days.

the reasons I say more than 2 days in London is that it is HUGE, takes more time to see the major sites, has soooooo many shows on offer, and you can rent flats for less than a week's time. MANY London flats rent for less than a week - some even by the night.

Seamus

Thanks for the quick responses. Unfortunately, the time available for this trip is limited and can't be extended, which is why I am trying to optimize the schedule. I'm a pretty laid back traveler on most counts, and generally do fine with a few fixed "high points" and ad lib activities in between. My not so subtle objective in beginning this family tradition was to introduce the next generation to the joys of travel in the hopes their appetite will be whetted and first overseas trip anxiety assuaged - i.e., they will want to travel more on their own after a delightful romp with their venerable uncle. I recognize it is possible only to scratch the surface in so short a trip but would like to maximize the enjoyment of what time we have (without turning into an itinerary nazi!) Thanks again, and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated - especially if anyone knows of a good flat at a reasonable price for a short let in London.

Seamus

Patrick, thanks so very much for that great link. Looks like we will be in London Monday through Thursday and able to take in a show or two. Is the tkts booth in Leicester Square a good place to get tickets? Any tips/tricks?

janisj

<i>Is the tkts booth in Leicester Square a good place to get tickets?</i>

Definitely. Be sure you go to TKTS - the stand alone bldg on the south side of the square, NOT the so-called half price store fronts just outside of the tube station.

It's open all day long and there is really no advantage getting there before or just at opening time. In fact, first thing in the a.m. is when you'll see the longest lines.

There are separate lines for matinees and evening performance so be sure to get in the correct queue.

The staff is really good about telling you if the seats are decent or not. They really know all the theatres.

One thing - they won't &quot;run the house&quot; for you. You get the best available seats for whichever show you choose and they can't run through the computer for other seats for you. So it is a good idea to have 2 or 3 options. Then if your first choice doesn't have seats you like, you can request a different show. They will be happy to try for a different play - but not for different seats for the same one.

enzian

Vancouver Studios in Bayswater gets very good reviews. I haven't stayed there myself; we have a hotel near Westminster Bridge that we like because we walk everywhere. But it's worth a look.

Ptolly

enzian - what is the name of the hotel which you use near Westminster Bridge?