neeka27

Hi there!

We are staying in London for 2 weeks & since we already have our hotel paid for it doesn't make sense for us to stay overnight in Paris. Anyways, I know you guys HATE the day trip aspect but we are okay with having an "overview" only of Paris.

ANYWAYS, the question that i would like to ask is... is there any day of the week that is better than others for our day trip? We will be in London between August 10-23. Is there any day that is less-crowded?

Second question, how much of a guarantee is Paris weather? Is August a good enough guarantee to buy my Eurostar tickets now or should we wait? Is there that much of a difference in $$?

THANK YOU! I know that was alot of Q's...

nugi

Hi neeka27,

Well, you have set yourself an ambitious task, as much of your day will be lost in travelling there and back! At best, I reckon you might have around 6 hours in Paris.

If you take Eurostar v.early (eg 6am GMT, checking in around 5.30am), you could be there around 10am /11am CET.

Best to avoid Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays, and aim to go in the first few days you are in London, avoiding the last few days as this is getting close to our Bank Holiday (last Mon in Aug), most people tend to take a holiday to tie in with that day.
Bear in mind also that much of France is on holiday itself through August, so it may be quieter than you expect.
Enjoy!

PalQ

eurostar day trip $94 return but hard to book as date nears - heart of town to heart of town. These are prices thru RailEurope in US - bit more in UK prices i believe (www.eurostar.co.uk for those) - RailEurope or agents can book in US (800-441-2387). 2.5 hours - cheap flights actually take longer if taking into account of getting to an airport, lengthy check-in hassle, getting into city center.

BTilke

Offhand, I would pick a Thursday as the best day to go...all the museums, shops and restaurants will be open (except for the ones on holiday) and you won't have week-end day trippers. But I don't know if you can get the cheap day returns for a weekday.
August is an odd time (in some ways) to be in Paris. Many neighborhoods will be business as usual (Latin Quarter, much of the Marais) and others (like the southern and western parts of the 16th) will be very quiet with many places closed for that time of year.

PalQ

cheap day returns are more available on weekdays than on busy weekends, that is on Eurostar trains - can be hard to book a day return at all on weekends. slackest time on Eurostar is Mon-Thu.

Patrick

"Second question, how much of a guarantee is Paris weather?"

The same guarantee as anywhere else in the world -- there is none. You knew that already I suspect, though.

ira

ttt

PalQ

You gain an hour when going to London, due to crossing time zone, so on the clock if you leave Paris at 7am you'll be in London before 9am! Of course you'll lose the hour coming back but you'll have a bonus hour in London!

janis

PalQ: I think you have it backwards - the OP is traveling London > Paris > London.

PalQ

Janis - thanks yup you'll lose an hour - start earlier!

lisale

My family did a similar trip to Paris from London last year and it was worth every minute. It in no way took the place of a more thorough trip to Paris, but it was much better than not going at all.

One piece of advice I would give is to buy your ticket from eurostar.com but put your country of residence as the UK. The fares were much better last year and it is worth checking out.

PalQ

www.eurostar.com day returns "from 59 pounds" - which is quite a bit more than RailEurope's $94 flat fee for any day - not from $94, but $94 - subject to availability and these can be hard to book so book early. 59 pounds at 1.80 to $ - a very favorable rate with exchange fees would be $106 for the cheapest day return ('from 59 pounds') I didn't search for exact dates but i assume many day returns are more than 59 pounds.

AisleSeat

Neeka,
I love London and Paris and trust me a visit to Paris is worth losing a night's hotel over. I will assume there are two of you. You can book a night at the 2* Hotel Andrea for two people for 84 euros.

Check them out at www.hotelandrearivoli.com or email [email protected]. It is smack in the middle of the area you want to visit (near Notre Dame, the Pompideu, and Hotel De Ville). An extra 24 hours in Paris for @ $100 ain't a bad deal.

If you do decided to overnight in Paris you can take off your track shoes and breath in the air of Paris. Enjoy.

PalQ

And you can get a $90 round trip fare Mon-Thu (RailEurope) with a minimum of one overnight stay. But if you need to go on weekends you'll probably pay much more.

AisleSeat

ttt