My husband & I leave for Europe in two weeks and will be spending 3 nights in London, 3 nights in Paris and 4 nights in Dublin. I know what I want to do and see in Paris but I'm a little overwhelmed with London and have no clue about Dublin. I'd like to take a day trip to Stonehenge but with only 3 nights in London I don't know if it's worth it this trip. Can anyone help? Also, what is a good day trip for Dublin?

Three days is barely enough to do justice to the main sights in London. Assuming the London attractions appeal to you, I'd recommend sitting down and working out a basic itinerary. Other postings on the forum will help and my London friends will no doubt give suggestions. <BR> <BR>Regarding Stonehenge, I honestly wouldn't bother unless you're particularly interested. I'm always surprised foreign visitors put it so high on their list of priorities; it's not as large or visually striking as you might think - its mainly the great age that is impressive.

Its really easy to try to cram too much in. Doing too much running around will leave you with less of an impression of the place and more of a feeling of being tired and not having enough time to really sink your teeth in. Any large city will easily keep you occupied for 3-4 days without day trips. Allow yourself time for wandering around, sitting in parks, getting off the beaten track, etc. so that you get a feel for the place you are visiting. I can't give you any specific recommendations for London or Dublin aside from this (haven't been there - yet....). I have found that picking only one major thing to do each day (e.g. one museum, etc.) is about all I can handle before overload sets in. It sounds like a great trip you have planned - have fun. <BR> <BR>P.S. A search on this forum for London or Dublin should yield tons of useful information.

My husband and I went on our first Europe trip, to London and Paris, in June. We were in each city a week. My favorite things we did in London? An after-dinner cruise on the Thames (it gave us a nice overview of the city), a Pub walk at night through Original London Walks, seeing the changing of the guards, visiting the Tower of London for the crown jewels, the Tate Modern Museum, and seeing the musical, "Buddy". <BR> <BR>It sounds as if you already have Paris planned, but try to work in an evening at Montmartre if you can. <BR> <BR>Enjoy your trip!

Hi, <BR> <BR>If this is your first trip, and you are only spending 3-4 days per city, don't bother with day trips. There is so much to see right where you will be, don't tire yourself out running around. Believe me, the traveling you will do just to go from Paris to London to Dublin will be enough! I think you should spend 4 nights in London and 3 in Dublin though... <BR> <BR>Each city - I would highly recommend the Time Out City guidebooks. I love 'em. In London, of course get the Time Out weekly magazine - a very comprehensive list of weekly things-going-on about town. (no I do not work for Time Out). The books visit neighborhood by neighborhood, highlight restaurants and accomodations, as well as other stores, quirky businesses, sights, music venues, etc. <BR> <BR>Definitely go on an Original London Walks (not a substitute). Go on a double decker bus ride. Buy an A-Z street guide and walk everywhere. Check out the various flea/outdoor markets they have. Go to Highgate Cemetery. Go to a pub, or two or three. Hang out in Piccadilly Circus or Leicester Square. Check out the Cabinet War Rooms and the Imperial War Museum. St Pauls and Westminster Abbey. Big Ben - how could you forget that. <BR> <BR>Go to Covent Garden, take in a West End show, check out the myriad museums there! You can find anything at all you may want, in London. "He who has grown tired of London has grown tired of life, for London holds all the pleasures that life can afford." <BR> <BR>whew. <BR> <BR>Dublin - definitely take in a historical tour, put on by the students at Trinity College. FASCINATING. also go on a Literary Pub Crawl - hilarious as well as very interesting. First stop - go to the Tourist Info Office and pick up some info on what's-going-on. walk through Temple Bar - lotsa bars and restaurants there too. <BR> <BR>I am running out of steam (plus I am at work) and Paris simply has too much to do, do write it all quickly. Take at least a roll or two of film per day. Visit all the museums you can handle. walk walk walk walk everywhere. Hang out at a sidewalk cafe. Visit the bookstores along the Seine. Visit the various outdoor markets. Get a museum pass at the Metro - cheaper than individual tickets, and you get to jump to the front of the line (your own line, actually). Go on a Bateaux Mouche ride. Visit Pere Lachaise cemetery. <BR> <BR>What I have found to be helpful, is to get a number of books (or websites tips) and make a cheat sheet of things I'd like to see or do when I get where I am going. Anything which piques my interest, or if I really wanna get that special gift and a book or someone points out a cool place to find it - on the cheat sheet it goes. I also include addresses & phone numbers on it too. Kind of a "top ten list" (or top forty) of stuff. Obviously there is no way I will get to it all but it's kind of like going on a treasure hunt. <BR> <BR>I could go on and on but I better get some work done.. <BR> <BR>have fun! <BR> <BR>Beth

London is such a fabulous city, I would pass on Stonehenge for this trip. Hopefully, you'll have a chance to return, I've been three times and still have a list of things I want to see. <BR> <BR>The Tower of London is one of my favorite places in London, I've gone back on each trip. Go early in the morning, visit the crown jewels before the crowds and then go on a beefeater tour (starts near the entrance, included in admission). <BR> <BR>In the evening, try to catch one of the Original London Walks, we enjoyed the Jack the Ripper tour. Also try to see a show, there's a 1/2 price ticket booth in Leicester Square for same day tickets and you can also try going directly to the box office to see if there are any returns. <BR> <BR>If you enjoy open air markets, try Portobello Road on Saturday. <BR> <BR>If you enjoy palaces and castles, you might consider Hampton Court or Windsor Castle, both about a 1/2 hour outside of London by train so you could combine with another activity that day if you're ambitious. <BR> <BR>If London is your first stop, remember that jet lag will most likely steal part of the first day if you're coming from the US. We usually try to go until about dinner time, last time we had to take a nap during the day. <BR> <BR>Since you already have Paris figured out, I'll offer my three favorite Paris tips. First, get a museum pass if you plan on seeing multiples places in a day, almost everything in Paris is included with the exception of the Eiffel tower and the best part is skipping the long admission lines. Second, go to the top of the Samarataine department store for a free view of Paris. Third, grab a picnic lunch at the supermarket and enjoy it at one of the wonderful outside locations in Paris. The Rodin museum was my favorite spot. <BR> <BR>

Jan, <BR> <BR>From London - A day trip to Stonehenge is definitely too much if you are taking a train. I was very disappointed in my visit, it was pouring raining and we herded off the bus (from Salsbury) did a 15 minute tour of the rocks, went to the gift shop then back on the bus. If the weather had been nice I don't think it would have been much better. Due to the amount of tourist it is hard to appreciate the significance of the site. The cathedral at Salisbury was the only thing that made the visit worth a day of our short trip. <BR>I agree with the other writers, there is alot to do in the London area, much easier have day tours can be made to Windsor or Hampton Court(my favorite). <BR>A warning for the British Isles - be careful of Sunday - We got to Windsor Castle midday - 5 minutes after the castle closed to tours - big disappointment. <BR> <BR>If you want to get out of Dublin for a day - take the Dart north to Hoth or South to any of the small towns. The southern route runs along the water. Hoth is a boating a golf town with great views and fun pubs. The towns to the south are more low key but fun to wonder around to see daily Irish life. <BR> <BR>Have fun and drink a pint for me! <BR>Aileen <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Jan, I am going to be the first to suggest that you reverse the time spent in London and Dublin. Four nights is more than generous for Dublin whereas 3 nights is minimal for your first taste of London. Can't you add another day to London and subtract from Dublin. For London you need to follow your interests--everyone is different. It may be history, shopping, royal stuff, legal stuff, great restaurants, small neighborhoods, theatre, etc. As soon as you've thought about what YOU want to see and what your dh wants to see, then you can begin to narrow it down a bit. You've gotten wonderful suggestions here, but unfortunately can't possibly do them all. And, yes, I agree with the poster who say don't bother to see Stonehenge. It's a far way requiring switches of transportation and in my opinion, a terrible disappointment now that they've put up the fences! We are both history buffs, but Stonehenge doesn't do it for us. If you want a daytrip, possibly Windsor or Hampton Court or even a boat trip to Greenwich for your first England visit. If you still wanted a daytrip from Dublin after reducing it to 3 days, going south through the Wicklow mtns. is pretty. And, if you think NYC is a theatre town, you have to experience London--we could do theatre every night there. Often traveled from Chicago just for the theatre (it wasn't that much farther than NYC!)Friends just returned and are raving about Mamma Mia. Enjoy.

Stonehenge is disappointing as you're not allowed near the stones.The large circle at nearby Avebury is better - don't visit Stonehenge without seeing Avebury.(circle cuts right through Avebury village). <BR>Not in itself worth a day out of London for, but the journey lets you see some countryside, a day away from cities. <BR>The most dramatic circles in the UK are in the Northern & Western isles, nobody goes there so you get access.

Hi, <BR>I have some sightseeing notes on London and on Paris, if you'd like to see them please email me. <BR>I agree that 3 nights in London is not enough to scratch the surface. If you can take another day from Dublin, do it. <BR>If you want a half-day trip from London, <BR>Windsor Castle or Hampton Court are doable. Stonehenge is ok, I found it very disappointing, but even a fan might admit that on a very short first trip to London perhaps Stonehenge might be skipped. Unless it's a dream of yours.