Greetings to the wise and well-traveled. Please advise on our best course of action, and thanks in advance for your time!<BR><BR>Hubby, son (8), daughter (6) and I will arrive in London on Dec. 28th, 2001 for three nights, then on to Paris until Jan. 8th. We'd originally thought we'd take the EuroStar to Paris on the morning of the 31st, but just discovered what a pricey trip that would be ($416 for 2 adults/2 kids, 2nd class). We checked flying, too; $440 for all four of us. So ... now we're thinking we'll rent a car in London and drive to Paris (with a ferry over the channel).<BR><BR>But should we make that trip on Dec. 31st, or wait until Jan. 1st? I'm thinking that if we stay in London we'll have three days before New Year's Eve to find something fun to do for the 2002 countdown, we'll avoid any holiday eve traffic, and we'll spend the Jan. 1st holiday (stores and attractions losed) in the car.<BR><BR>Wouldn't this be better than driving 7-to-9 hours (meals, potty breaks) to arrive in Paris in the early evening of a big party night for which we've made no plans, and then spending the Jan. 1st "holiday" in our hotel room? Or will we be in trouble trying to make the road trip and take a ferry on Jan. 1st?<BR><BR>Oh, and one more thing; I've read that perhaps we should take a bus or taxi to Dover, ferry across, and rent a car in France (Calais?) to avoid the left/right side driving difference ... opinions?<BR><BR>Thanks again! Becca (wife of Orion!)

Hi Becca<BR><BR>Take the train to Dover and the ferry to Calais. You can pick up your car (www.autoeurope.com) near the ferry dock in Calais. You don't want to be driving a car with a right-hand steering wheel in France. Since a car is not an asset in Paris, you may want to investigate taking the train from Calais into Paris. Someone else on this board may have info on how to get less expensive tickets for the Eurostar, or you may want to do a search by typing "Eurostar" into the search feature at the top of the page.<BR><BR>I'm not sure from reading your post whether you have a hotel reservation in Paris. If not, it would be a good idea to make sure you have a place to stay before you make transportation arrangements, especially with young children during the busy holiday season.<BR><BR>Bon voyage

Thanks Betsy! We'll look into the two-trains option. That option would be fun, and probably less stressful than driving!<BR><BR>As for hotel reservations, we have rooms lined up in Paris for arrival on Dec. 31st. The cancellation policy requires we contact the hotel by Dec. 26th for changes, which is what started me thinking about changing the arrival to Jan. 1st and staying an extra night in London. Do you have an opinion on that part of my dilema? Thanks very much!<BR>Becca

Hi Becca<BR><BR>I think the scheduling would depend on your preference; personally I could never get enough of Paris. You may want to check the train and ferry schedules for Jan. 1. Both could be running on reduced schedules, which may affect your planning.<BR><BR>Anyone else to advise Becca?

You can go by coach (bus), with ferry crossing included. There's only one departure for 31 December on Eurolines service EU122 which leaves Victoria Coach Station at 8.30 am and arrives at Avenue du General de Gaulle coach station at 4.45 pm. Single fare for 2 adults and 2 children is 96 pounds ($135). You can book at http://www.gobycoach.com

Alec, thank you for the thorough response! The more I read through this forum, the more convinced I become that we should plan to take the Eurostar but wait until we're in London to buy the tickets. And my instinct all along has been to travel on the 31st; I can hardly wait to get to PARIS!! Thanks again for everyone's help.<BR>Becca