Enough time in London?
 

3 nights in London, then 4 in Paris. Am I going to miss too much of both?

You can easily do 7 days in each without getting bored. I would pick one and do at least one day trip.

We've been going back to London at least once a year since 1998 and haven't seen everything we want to see yet. The lease on our timeshare expires in 2014 - we're hoping to squeeze it all in before then. :)

It depends. Will you ever have the chance to see either one of them again? Have you been to either before? Are you determined to see every "must see" item in each place, or do you just want a taste? Obviously, you can do both places in seven days - I've seen people on this forum do both in one long day - it really depends on what criteria you'll use to judge whether the visits have been a success or not.

Completely agree with rickmav - I've had a 9 day trip to Paris followed by a 5 day trip to Paris, and I can't wait to plan my next trip. I've also spent 2 days in London, then 5 days in London. I love London, but there are other places I'd like to see before I plan a trip back there.

Figure out what you'd like to do in both cities. Then figure out which of those things you'd be willing to cut to do the trip as you have planned.

Then, figure out if you'd rather just have the whole time in one city and go another time to the other city. Or maybe this trip will give you enough of a taste for each to tell you whether you'd like to go back for a longer trip in the future. Who knows?

OK - you need to sit down and really think about your reasons for going to London. If it is just to say you've been there, or if it is to see a couple of shows and 3 or 4 major sites - then 3 days is "enough". But if you want to see even a bit more of London, and places like the Tower, Westminster Abbey, St Paul's, British Museum, V&A, National Gallery, the Tates, all the parks, shopping, Greenwich, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor . . . Well even 7 days would not be "enough".

Remember - your first day - whichever city it is - will be pretty much lost to jet lag and exhaustion from your overnight flight.

If you think there is any chance you will ever get back to either city -- then choose ONE and keep it to that . . . . .

(I lived in the UK for 5 years, get back there at least once a year, have been to Paris several times, and I still haven't seen "enough" of either one) .

It depends on whether you want to see as much as possible in a city or whether you want to experience both places for the contrast. If I am spending three or four nights in a city, that is fine. I don't have the idea that I will see everything; I'm not worried about what I am missing; I enjoy my time in the city. Visiting two very different places in a week is fascinating and I do that frequently.

I had a three night stay in London last March that included two nights at the theater (one Shakespeare with Judi Dench and one Gilbert and Sullivan), a visit to Westminster Abbey and a tour through the Tower of London, Madame Tussaud's (only recommended if you really want to go, as my daughter did), a walk through St. James Park to Buckingham Palace, the British Museum, lunch and dinner in a pub or two and some nice ethnic restaurants, and enough shopping to know that the prices were too high to buy anything. What a fun weekend!

With three nights in Paris the previous year, my daughter and I went to two museums (the Jewish Museum and Jaquemart-Andre), walked through the Marais, shopped our way from Montparnasse to St. Germain, attended a concert at Ste. Chapelle, went to an art fair and brocante in Montparnasse one day and a street market in the same spot another day, took a cruise on the Seine, saw a late night movie, and ate at bistros, a creperie, and the big brasserie La Coupole. I had a terrific time.

If, however, you have a list of must-sees and feel you will be missing too many things if you have to cut the list short, you should probably stay in just one city.

If you look at almost any of the Big Bus tours you will see that they "do" each city in 3-4 days. Obviously you will just get a taste but that is what I love about travel. I "always" leave wanting more. You can see the highlights in that time period and you can have a great vacation. It will never be "enough".

I start to gain confidence in a city after being there more than a day or two. Everything seems easier and more comfortable. That's one reason I like to have at least 4 nights.

As others have already said, it depends on what you want from these cities.

For me, 4 nights in Paris is enough. But 3 nights in London isn't even close to enough.

I would recomend picking one rather than both. As to which one... If you want to "experience" a place, do Paris. If you want to "do" a place, do London.

Keith

Is there any possibility you get more vacation time?

Personally I would not go to Europe for only 7 days, and certainly not split it between 2 cities. Because for me, flying from West Coast USA and since I have an extremely hard time with jet lag and time changes, such a short trip would not be any fun. 10 days is my minimum, 2 weeks preferable if possible.

The way I look at it the biggest expense by far is your plane ticket, so adding a few more nights makes it all the more worthwhile.

Hi sg,

I would do 7 nights in Paris this and go to London for a week next time.

Well, 3 nights in London and 4 in Paris will allow time for a good introduction.
Then you can pick the one to wich you had most rather return.

I have sort of a love/hate relationship with both places. Great sites to visit in both cities, but there are aspects of both that make me very glad I don't live there for several months at a time.

There is only one place in Europe I return to year after year as a destination: The Berner Oberland in Switzerland.

"Am I going to miss too much of both?"

Well, since you asked ... yes.

Pick one (like Paris) and promise yourself a week in the other ASAP.

Spend more time in London! You will not regret it. I have been to London over 13 times now and lived there for 3 months. There is still so much I want to see and so much I love to see over and over. Have also been to Paris for 3 days. Would choose London over Paris!

Only two suggestions: to maximize your meager sightseeing time, travel from city to city in the evening, after the sights are closed. For the same reason, book &quot;open-jaw&quot; flights (<i>e.g.</i>, in to London, back from Paris).

Try this
Click at the top of this screen on Destinations, and review the good fodors info on both cities, including the suggested itineraries for short visits. If those condensed sightseeing plans seem satisfactory to you, then go for both. If you suspect you will leave one city or the other feeling very unsatisfied, then just do one.

These cities cannot be fully seen in one visit anyway, as others have said, not even in a full week. We each have different travel styles; would you rather have a little of each, or a more satisfying main course of just one?

Getting from one to the other will eat up at least half a day, unless you fly or take the train at night.