Amy

My husband and I are looking into the globus 2 week city stay for london and paris. We have traveled a lot but never to europe. Has anyone done this city stay or traveled with globus? We are looking at going in early june.<BR>Thanks,<BR>Amy

janis

Amy - London and Paris are probably the two easiest places for &quot;newbie&quot; travelers on their own. I would never do a tour to them. If it was a tour of England and France - then MAYBE. (Well probably not) But there are so many travel deals out there, for both hotels and airfares, that you can likely do it cheaper independently. The connections between the two cities (Eurostar or flying) are cheap and frequent and getting around in both cities could not be easier. Day trips outside the cities are also cheap and easy. <BR><BR>Globus and other tour companies make their profit from volume, inflated airfares, group meals and excursions. Do it yourself and spend the savings on something special. And you can rent apartments that save you a lot - especially in London.

Donna

We took our first trip to Paris with a package (Trafalgar) because we had no idea how to select a hotel and thought the airport transfers and other services would be much more convenient. We were very pleased, but quickly learned we could have easily done everything on our own for considerably less. If you do decide on a package, be SURE to find the hotels on a map and make sure they are conveniently located to places you want to go during your free time.

aaa

Don't do it. Get some guidebooks and surf the net. The other posters are exactly right.

Lori

Amy, Hardly anyone on this Forum will recommend a tour, including myself. London &amp; Paris are very very easy to do on your own, trust me on that! We go to London every year as well as Paris. You do not need a tour to see the sights, nor do you need one because of language difficulities. Practically everyone in Paris (tourist industry) speaks English. You can buy airfare and put together your own trip doing what you like, not what some tour wants you to do. Just read a few guide books and ask questions on this forum, many of us go to these cities often and will be happy to recommend places of interest, hotels, give you an idea of costs, etc. You will save money and have a better time doing your own thing. Day trips (the same ones tours take you to for limited times) can be done at your own pace for less money and you can linger over what interests you. <BR><BR>If you really feel the need for some type of tour I'd suggest just buying your air and hotel as a package from one of the airlines (British Airlines, if they serve your city) has many, likewise American Airlines. You can then schedule your sightseeing around your own taste, not a tour agents. Getting between London &amp; Paris is really simple, you can fly into one and out of the other and the airfare between the two is minimal, or you can do the Eurostar. <BR><BR>Just ask questions on this Forum and we'll all be happy to answer.

Sue

You will much happier on your own in London and Paris than on a tour - don't do that! They are probably the two easiest cities in Europe to do on your own, with great underground and bus systems - extremely easy to use. And Paris especially is so much fun just to walk around and people-watch at the cafes. You can orient yourself right in the beginning on those hop on-hop-off buses. That was especially useful in London. In Paris you can walk just about everywhere! Have fun!

Amy

What we are looking is not a guided tour. It's an independent stay. Breakfast is included daily as well as an intro morning tour of well known sights in both cities. Also, transfers and eurostar tix. It's basically that we're on our own in less we don't want to be. I've checked some travel sites and am not getting anything cheaper. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.<BR>Amy

Donna

Haven't been to London, but to Paris many times. First, shop air fares for your tentative dates. For Paris hotels, a good place to start is www.parishotels.com - I recommend searching by neighborhood, along with dates. There are dozens of other websites as well. Our favorite is Invalides-Tour Eiffel area, but everyone has their own preferences regarding neighborhood for staying. You probably won't need air conditioning, but it's not a bad idea, just in case of an unseasonable heatwave. Add in breakfast for the two of you daily. A taxi from CDG to this neighborhood is about $35 for the two of you each way. See www.parisvisions.com and check the price of a half day bus tour (this can easily be arranged by phoning the office once in Paris, or having someone at the front desk arrange it for you). Having done this bit of research, you can compare going on your own versus your tour package. Be advised that it's better, really, to select the location and hotel, and choose your own Airline and flights. Once there, though, you can hop on L'Opentour (see www.ratp.fr, then click on English, then look for L'Opentour). One or two day passes are available. In the nice weather, this is one fabulous way to see Paris, and the bus stops right at all the major attractions. If your Paris dates are approximately Monday through Sunday, the Carte Orange (available at any metro station - you must bring a small photo) weekly pass is a bargain and is valid for unlimited transportation on the RER, Metro and busses (all of which are easy to use, free maps available at any station, or the next if they've run out of them). You can also purchase a 1, 3, or 5 consecutive day museums and monuments pass (good for most, but not all, sights and attractions - see www.intermusees.com). Since a package generally includes only the air fare, room, breakfast, airport transfers and one or two bus tours, you're still on your own for seeing and doing and getting around.

aaa

One more somewhat minor thing. English hotel breakfasts are generally pretty good. Not true in Paris, from my experience. Much more fun and better food (e.g., chocolate crepes which are incredible in Paris) to go to a neighborhood cafe for breakfast.

Christina

People just assumed it was a tour even though you didn't say so because they like to tell people not to take tours, even though you didn't ask for advice as to whether you should take it or not. That's really more like a package, which is similar to some of the airline deals. I know there have been posts on Fodors of quite a few folks who said they thought Globus was very good; I remember some folks thought it was one of the better companies, as I recall. If you search the board for the word globus with france or UK selected, you'll probably find some info. A lot of those packages can be very good deals and even some of the more independent types on Fodors have taken them at times because I remember them saying so (including Elvira, I think). In fact, I took a package once to Scotland and London when I was younger and spent most of the time on my own, but it was convenient for unusual arrangements outside the city and travel where there were no trains. If you're happy with it, don't worry, there's no intrinsic value to making all the arrangements and buying tickets yourself rather than having someone else do all that for you, if you end up with the same train tickets, etc.

Robbie

Dear Amy<BR><BR> I have been to England, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Germany with Globus. I Have never found a better tour deal anywhere. They have great tour guides. The hotels, food and sites included in the tours I took were first rate. I did all the checking and researching to make sure I was getting a good deal. I am going to Italy and Greece with them in April and It would have cost me more to try and arrange my own flights even through the discounted airfare sites then what I am paying for with them. I also checked the Hotel prices I would be paying on discount sites and I could not get that good a rate on my own. Granted, there are those who choose not to take tours and thats ok. I do plenty of research before I make a choice on a specific tour as will as planning a list of specific sites I want to see on my own. An option you might look into if you take the tour is to stay a few more days in London on your own after the tour. We did this and had a great time. Happy traveling. <BR><BR> Peace, Robbie

Erin

Hi Amy,<BR>It sounds like you have a great package deal...most of the London/Paris package deals I've seen are for 1 week (3 nights in each city). Like everyone else, London and Paris are very easy cities to explore on your own. Make sure you do some daytrips outside of the cities too. Enjoy!