Ambitious college student
 

Okay... I'm a college student taking a class in London for the month of July. If we get out of class at 10:30 on Thursday and want to go to Paris for the &quot;weekend&quot; (thur-sun) should we fly or take the chunnel? Money, as always, is an issue, but at the same time, time is a precious gift. Some of the top priorities as far as sight-seeing goes are: Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Versailles, The Louvre. Also regarding the Eiffel Tower, is it worth it to actually go to the top or just admire it from the ground? I suppose going early in the morning is the thing to do to avoid the crowd. Also another I'll just add on is that a few of us were interested in going to the D-day sights. I'm thinking that won't be done in our trip to Paris, but is it possible to do it from London? Or should we consider making that a separate weekend trip along with a few other places?<BR>

Let me just add on to my last message and say that I'm from Texas where you can drive for 10+ hours and still be in the state. The whole concept of just taking a four hour train ride and being in another country or walking around the city from site to site is a new concept for me.

You will have a nice weekend in Paris. It may be best to wait until you are in London before deciding on train or plane. Ryan Air has some inexpensive flights that could be better AND cheaper than the chunnel train. Don't worry if you don't get to Versailles...you'll have plenty to see in town. The Musee Carnavalet has a wonderful collection from the French Revolution. Including Louis' massive desk which is scarred from the attack. You might want to do Normandy as a separate weekend trip.

Don't forget to factor in cost and travel time to and from the airports, plus the waiting and check-in times at the airport. Trains can be almost as convenient as planes, and are certainly more scenic.

While I agree with uhoh_busted that low-cost carriers like Ryan air often have great deals, I think it is so much better to be able to take a train from the center of town to the center of town. Plus, trains are much more comfortable than planes.<BR><BR>When I traveled aborad as a college student we would often decide on Tuesday what we would do that weekend. I will never forget the time that we decided on a Tuesday evening that we would &quot;do&quot; Budapest that weekend. It took us 16 hours to get there from Paris, but we had a blast. And getting there was half the fun.

The problem with waiting til you are there is that the best air and train fares are for advance purchase. if you wait untul just before your getaway you will pay a LOT, even on the lowcost airlines. But if the Paris weekend is towards the end of your month in London you will be fine. The best fares are usually 14 or more days in advance. <BR><BR>I would definitely take the Eurostar if I could afford it. It is so easy - just go to waterloo station and 3 1/2 hours later you are in the middle of Paris. If you fly you need an hour to get to the airport and 1 to 2 hours advance check-in and then you need another hour to get into the center of Paris after the short flight. The train is actually faster.

While you COULD fly from London to Paris, it won't be on ryanair.com - - they DO fly to Paris (Beauvais) airport but not from any of London's airports (never have, as far as i know).<BR><BR>Easyjet.com serves both CDG and Orly, but only CDG from London (Luton).<BR><BR>I think your purpose will best be served by using the train.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>[email protected]<BR>