Honeymoon trip help
 

My bride and I are planning to honeymoon in England/Paris and I could use some help. Second marriage so we are both in our forties. I lived in England for a few years but it was over twenty years ago. We plan to arrive on American Airlines 25 October (LHR) and plan to spend the nights of 26, 27and 28 in London. On the morning of the 28th I want to rent a car and drive the countryside etc and return to London on the 1st to take the Eurostar to Paris. We will stay in Paris until Wednesday the 4th and return via American (CDG) that afternoon. I have several specific questions but would love to hear random suggestions as well. I am trying to maintain a budget but not at the cost of convenience. I haven't booked the airfare yet and there seem to be some reasonable deals on the website for rental cars ($91 per day luxury) from Avis. I have not selected a London hotel or a Paris hotel yet either. I need some help making the trip convenient as well as affordable. I would like to know:

1. What area of London should I select for the hotel stay (probably 4 star) in order to be convenient to pick up rental car as well as travel from LHR plus be near attractions (tower, St. Pauls etc)? I like londontown.com. What would be the best mode of travel from LHR to hotel? I would also like to chose the rental car pickup/drop off that will offer convenient travel to the Eurostar after drop off (wherever it originates). Rental pickup/drop off choices are 20 Seagrave Road, Earls Court (L03) and 243 Acton Lane, Park Royal (PR5).

2. I have read that the Oyster card is convenient for travel on the tube how/where do you purchase and use these? And what amount should I purchase for three days of London sightseeing?

3. I have read there is a museum pass for Paris that allows you to skip some ques and is comparable to admission, is there also one for London that offers entry into the major sites and can you skip ques? What is the best method for traveling to the sites? Is it hop on hop off of the red bus or tube?

4. We intend to drive to Stratford, Oxford and maybe the Cotswolds or Cornwall are we going to need reservations or will bed and breakfast show up be okay?

5. Lots of confusing things on the Eurostar website. Where exactly does it depart from in London and where exactly will it deliver us in Paris.

6. Any suggestions for hotel in Paris that is convenient to the downtown sites and close to where Eurostar will terminate? If so, what is the best method of travel from Eurostar to hotel. Eurostar allows hotel bookings on their site and says it is discounted, is this a good booking method for a hotel stay in Paris?

7. Is GPS navigation in rentals in the U.K. as helpful as it is in the U.S.?

I know, lots of silly questions and I am sure there will be more. Please offer any advice you think may help us.
thanks
Ron

You may want to re-post with a better subject that will catch the eyes of others - "Honeymoon trip help London and Paris" for example - I fear many will skip your post.

Eurostar in London is St Pancras Station and in Paris is Gare du Nord - both convenient to Tube and Metro. In Paris if your hotel is not an easy walk - take a quick cab ride - I hate dragging bags into METRO. I just booked on their site (arriving Paris on the Oct.28, overnight trip to London on the 4th and 5th and home from paris on the 8th - book now for cheapest seats.

Paris suggestion - Sounds like your first time??? Hire Micahel Osman for a day [email protected] - you can read more about him by searching here as well - he's also very reasonable in cost

Paris Hotel - first time - I'd make it easy on yourself and stay at Hotel Du Louvre - right next to teh Louvre and Palais Royal.

Some random responses to your questions.

1. In London and Paris, I'd choose your hotels based on what location you would like to be in and what hotel gives you the best value in your budget.

In London, I think The Ritz is a particularly good value at the luxury end of the market. It's a 4*, well located on Picadilly right next to Green Park. You can walk right into the park to Buckingham Palace at the opposite corner. It's convenient to the Underground for easy transportation anywhere in London.

In Paris, I love the location of Le Meurice, a true 5* with some very reasonable prices. You walk out the front door, cross the street, and you're in the Jardin des Tuileries. There's also a Metro station across the street for easy transportation anywhere.

Both hotels give special amenities to bookings through Virtuoso (upgrade at booking at the Ritz and on arrival at Le Meurice if available, complimentary daily breakfast for two in both places, and more). Do a google search for "Virtuoso travel consultant". The right TA will make the booking for you for free.

2. The Museum Pass is a definitely must in Paris. Buy them through the Concierge at your hotel or at one of the "minor" attractions on the Museum Pass list. It will save you having to wait in line to buy tickets at crowded museums like the Musee d'Orsay or the Louvre.

3. The Eurostar comes into Gare du Nord in Paris - not the neighborhood you want to spend your time in. Just take the Metro to your hotel.

Congratulations - and now to the questions:)

1) Every neighborhood in central London is convenient to every other part of central London, including St Pancras. How to get to your hotel entirely depends on WHICH hotel you choose. A car service is often the best and most convenient mode, but the tube makes sense for some areas. What is your hotel budget and what sort of atmosphere do you want. Dropping (and picking up) a car at/near St Pancras or most places in central London will be a total pain.

Have you considered flipping your trip to either 1) Countryside > London > Paris -- or -- 2) Paris > London > Countryside.

The reasons I Suggest this is to avoid using a car in London. You could land at LHR, pick up a car at LHR, drive 7 miles to Windsor for the first night. See the river, Castle, etc and recoverfrom the jetlag.

Then tour around by car for a few days, return to LHR,drop the car and travel into London. Then taxi or tube to St Pancras for your Eurostar to Paris.

(the reverse would be arrive Paris, after a few days, train to London, then out to LHR, collect a car there and tour around, return car to LHR and fly home)

2) The Oyster is bought at every tube station - no problem. How much you load on it really depends on your plans. The ticket agent in the tube station will advise you. Some willjumpin here and talk about the 2for-1's w/paper travel cards. That is a whole 'nuther issue and mostly depends on whether you plan on visiting certain major sites.

3) No need AT all to get the London Pass. For one thing, most of the museums are free. If you are visiting some of the for-pay sites -- then there are the 2-for1's above. Every site has its own best way to get to . . depends on where you are starting from.The H-o-H-o buses are for touring - not for 'transport'.

4) Stratford and the Cotswolds fit perfectly into my Windsor > countryside > London > Paris suggestion. Cornwall is a LONG ways to go in such a short visit.

5) St Pancras London - Gare du Nord Paris

6) You don't want to stay near Gare du Nord IMO. There are hundredsof hotels allover Paris -what is your budget?

7) Most rental agencies also rent GPS -- but you'll definitely want a road atlas too.

we were all posting at the same time . . . .

4. We intend to drive to Stratford, Oxford and maybe the Cotswolds or Cornwall are we going to need reservations or will bed and breakfast show up be okay?<<<

Oxford, Stratford and the Cotwsolds would make sense for a 3or 4-day side trip out of London. Cornwall (unfortunately) being further away in the extreme west of the country would be difficult to include if you really want to see anything other than just driving around.

Be aware that driving and parking in central Oxford is discouraged. There is a good park and ride system from outlying car parks, or you could use local buses.

6. Any suggestions for hotel in Paris that is convenient to the downtown sites and close to where Eurostar will terminate? If so, what is the best method of travel from Eurostar to hotel. Eurostar allows hotel bookings on their site and says it is discounted, is this a good booking method for a hotel stay in Paris?<<<

You don't really need to be close to the Eurostar terminal at Gare du Nord (which is a fairly seedy, though safe, area), just take a taxi to your hotel.


7. Is GPS navigation in rentals in the U.K. as helpful as it is in the U.S.?<<<

Yes if anything, it's even more useful. I rarely get lost when I drive in the US due to good signage and more "standardised" intersections, but I regularly lose my way in an unfamiliar part of my own country - the UK - if I don't take my satnav.

1. Easiest way to London from LHR = depends upon where you stay. Unless you're near Paddington, look into a car service (Just Airports works). You don't want a hotel convenient to LHR, it's too far from the city and you want to maximize your time in London doing stuff that is fun, not riding the Piccadilly Line from Hounslow.

Earl's Court is across town from St. Pancras (see #5 below), so that's not your best drop point. Park Royal area seems just as bad.

London is the largest city in Western Europe -- no such thing as a hotel "near [the main] attractions" because there are plenty of hotels near the Tower but they're far away from Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, South Kensington museums, the Eye, blah blah blah.

2. Here's your interactive map for Oyster locations -- they're everywhere: http://ticketstoplocator.tfl.gov.uk/LocationLocator/.

There will be two of you, and if you want to go to the Tower, Cabinet War Rooms and other places that offer two tickets for the price of one (2-4-1) on daysoutguide.co.uk, then you do not want an Oyster card, you want a "paper" travelcard -- the orange plastic coated travelcard you can get at any NATIONAL RAIL station like Euston, Charing X, etc. It's not that hard, check my name on this board -- I've posted on it before.

3. Tube; the hop on hop off bus costs an arm and a leg and gets stuck in London traffic. You can take the #9 or 15 buses and go wherever the HOHO bus goes and not have to pay the extra dough. The London museum pass is a waste -- why you need pass in London when these museums are <b>free</b>: Tate, Tate Modern, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, British Musuem, V&A, Science Museum (near V&A), Natural History Museum (near V&A), Imperial War Museum and more?

4. Dunno.

5. St. Pancras International to Gare du Nord. Surprised that there is confusion on this.

6. Dunno but tend to doubt it -- hotel booking sites are hit and miss.

Paris is big city, sights are spread out -- Notre Dame is nowhere near Eiffel Tower is nowhere near Arc d'Triomphe is nowhere near Musee d'Orsay, etc. If the weather holds, take a Fat Tire bike tour and get oriented.

7. Is it helpful in the US? I'm the wrong person to ask -- if worse comes to worst, I just follow the lights to areas that seem lively. We once found a great restaurant in Aberdeen that way just following main roads into what looked like a lively part of the center of the city.

You might want to look at www.autoeurope.com for car rentals.

Oyster cards - we each loaded 20 pounds onto our cards for about three days' worth of use.

Lee Ann

Thank you all for your responses I will repost with a different title as suggested. Lot's of good info and I will post my follow-up questions there.