Ireland, Paris, London in 25 Days
 

I'm trying to book tours now for our trip in May. There will be two moms bringing their two 23 yo college grads to celebrate. My niece (I'm mom-1) and I will head over early May for 5 nights in Dublin and a 10-day castle tour around Ireland. I'm a planner and have booked everything for this leg of the trip. (We have two full day trips out of Dublin and the first night is adjusting from the jet lag, so technically, only 2 days in Dublin - for those worried that 5 days were too many. But we're not doing the jail or Guiness or whiskey tours. I've done Alcatraz and that's all I need for jails.)

The two of us will fly over to Paris and meet mom-2 and her son who will have flown in a few days earlier and did a bit of wondering, including a day trip to Brugge and the Catacombs (which the two Irish-gals can't do for claustrophobic reasons.) The four of us have a short-term apartment and will only be in Paris for another 4 nights, then taking the Eurostar to London for 7 nights (and another apartment for the 4 of us.)

Questions:

We can't seem to purchase any Paris tours this early. And I'm not sure how many places need tours versus just wandering around on our own and I don't want to bore the niece & nephew with too many tours. I would prefer to purchase tickets and/or tours directly through the sites, like Louvre or Versailles and Notre Dame, but it seems like they don't offer bookings before three-months out of the date of tour. And these "timed" tickets are so difficult to plan the exact time you need to be there. If there is an offer to purchase a flextime ticket, I usually buy it, but it's always an up-charge and when you're buying 4, it adds up.

I really want to treat them to a dinner cruise on the Seine. It will be one of my splurges. But it will all be my treat (as is most of the trip for the kids), so adding $750 is a hard swallow for one meal & evening cruise. But if it is a lifetime memory, I am willing to do it. So, which one? And can I book it now? And it needs to be at night to see the City of Lights...lit.

Paris - Can't book and do I need to or should we wait in line?
Eiffel Tower 2nd floor elevator, Palais Garnier tour, Louvre, Versailles gardens & palace (I'm looking into the passport ticket but it's too early to purchase tickets), Notre Dame, St Chapelle tours, Montmarte & Sacre-Ceur tour and as mentioned, a very nice dinner cruise.

London -
My niece loves the Beatles, Harry Potter & horses. That being said, I'm not treating her to the expensive Harry Potter commercialized Universal tour, but rather a Harry Potter tour through Oxford New College. We're doing a lot of history, but I hope not too much. Since this is my third trip to London in under 6 years, I've seen a lot of touristy stuff, so I'm skipping the Tower of London while they go, and I'll head to the V&A Storehouse. Doing research on this travel blog, I've picked the Rubens for Afternoon Tea since we'll be in the area and I'm trying to book Buckingham Palace Tour tickets for that day too. Again, what should have a tour and what should left to be wandered?

London - Can't book yet and do I need to or should I wait in line?
House of Parliament, Sts Peter & Paul Cathedral, Buckingham Palace Tour, Gamble Room lunch. Since many of the places in London are free, we can just wander in and out as we please. But everything else is ticketed and timed. I've bought a lot of event tickets and tours already.

So, where do we need help on this vacation?

Not sure what sorts of tours you are considering in Paris - very few if any sites require tours of any kind. One exception would be Versailles which an English language tour would be good.

"I really want to treat them to a dinner cruise on the Seine. It will be one of my splurges."

I personally wouldn't. Very expensive for usually pretty meh food. I'd book a very nice dinner near the Seine and then take a cruise on Vedettes du Pont Neuf.

Re the Eiffel Tower -- sure lots of people just 'must' go up the Tower. But is it really a must? Better views from the top of the Montparnasse tower (partly because the M. Tower isn't in the views and the E. Tower is ;) )

" That being said, I'm not treating her to the expensive Harry Potter commercialized Universal Warner Brothers tour, "

I'd maybe reconsider that . . . it is absolutely amazing (use some of the money you saved not taking a dinner cruise in Paris and use it for Warner Bros.

Buckingham Palace and a posh afternoon tea must be pre-booked.

What janisj said!

The Eifel Tower is to be viewed, not to view from. The view just after sunset from the Montparnasse Tower is one of the two best views. The other is from the tethered balloon (Ballon de Paris Generali) where you float at a height equal to the Tour Eifel, as long as the weather is OK and no high winds.

Maybe I should have clarified -- you said Harry Potter 'Universal' -- That isn't what is just outside London (and an easy half day trip from central London). The Warner Bros. Studio ain't nuthin' like Universal in Orlando. An ENTIRELY different animal.

I'm taking all of this under consideration. I do recall the views from Jules Vern and stepping out afterwards. I'm not sure if that was the 2nd floor, but the views were amazing. But I'll look into Montparnasse Tower. I was hoping to enjoy a last supper on the river and trying to get one of those magical moments.

Someone had suggested a balloon tethered to the ground. I can't get this group to go on the London Eye, I'm not getting them on a balloon. But clever idea. Thank you.

I just tried Eurostar tickets again, not online yet. I will definitely book an afternoon tea. I was hoping to book the Buckingham Palace tour the same day as the tea.

Thank you all. Looking forward to more ideas. This group is a wealth of information.

You are months too early to book some of these things. Unless the King opens it up more (which is his eventual plan) the spring opening of the Palace is only for small group tours. They must be booked well in advance but not yet. Maybe try to get on their mailing list. The big general opening of the Palace is July/Aug/Sep when they are at Balmoral (though none of the family currently lives in the Palace they've been following the same pattern). I've visited in the spring on a Champagne tour (though I assume it was sparkling wine from Kent)

Being on the river at night can be magical. Dining on one of those boats, not.

Someone who loves the Beatles should really be planning a trip to Liverpool. You should really stay a night or two but it can be done as a day trip with an early start.

Our original plan was to go from Dublin to Liverpool for a few days and then meet their mom and brother in London. A significantly shorter holiday. However, plans developed in another direction. 4 nights in Paris won over 2 nights in Liverpool. I want to set them up to want to come back on their own with their partners someday. Liverpool will still be there. I'm giving them a taste of overseas travel.

I'm looking into Warner Brothers / Harry Potter tour. I softened my stance from a "hard pass" to a "maybe" based on the rave reviews here. I didn't care too much for LA Universal Studios and my partner got very sick on the Harry Potter ride. (I also didn't care for Disney in California.)

I looked into the Montparnasse Tower for the views vs Eiffel (2nd floor only), but it seems just like the Sears Tower (Willis) I live nearby.

I went to the Chicago Botanical Gardens (20 miles outside of Chicago) this weekend for the 1000 pumpkin event. I had gone many years ago and thought it was just magical. But this weekend, it didn't have the same magical feeling it gave me the first time I went. I was a bit disappointed. My point, sometimes the first time IS the magical moment, and the magic can't be recaptured just by visiting it again.

I'm looking to make magical memories for my family and me.

Is it worth a tour at Versailles and gardens or should we just wander?

What about Notre Dame? Should we take a two-hour tour? I did it at the Vatican and my other niece got bored after an hour, so we left.

Would a walking tour through Montmartre & Sacre-Coeur be worth it, beneficial, helpful or should we grab a pastry and browse through the area?

We would like to go to some markets while in Paris and London. The Bastille market looks nice.

While I also skip going up the Tour Eiffel these days (and I do love going up the Montparnasse Tower - yes the building itself is ugly, but the views from the top truly are incredible), I don't begrudge first-timers to Paris their chance to go up the Tour Eiffel! It can be difficult to get tickets, so just keep checking.

For dinner cruises - agree that the food is meh but some just love the experience. I haven't personally done it, but I've heard good things about Le Calife. If you decide you don't want to splurge, do the Vedettes de Pont Neuf Champagne Happy Hour Tour. Even if you don't drink, this specific tour is scheduled to go by the Tour Eiffel right as she starts to sparkle, and it's truly magical.

I love Emmanuel's Hidden Gems for a Montmartre tour - he grew up in the area and sprinkles his tours both with historical facts and personal anecdotes, so they're really special. He can only be found on facebook - message him to set up the tour. Tell him Rosie sent you!

Notre Dame tickets only open up three days ahead of the day you want to go, and they can be next to impossible to nab. However, if you go first thing in the morning when it first opens, you can get in by standing in the standby line and it shouldn't take more than 15-20 mins. You do NOT need to book a tour of Notre Dame - entry is free (the "tickets" are just for timing) and the tour companies are scamming people into paying money to go into Notre Dame. Stay away from those.

Yes, it's a good idea to get tickets in advance for Saint-Chapelle (also don't need a tour). Opera Garnier entrance tickets are almost always available, but if you want a tour, then book ahead of time. You don't really need a tour of the Louvre (and you don't need to book your tickets super far in advance - I've gotten them the day before), but if you want one, they offer them on their websites. Prob too early to book though. Versailles you def DO need tickets and tours are helpful. If you don't do a tour, make sure to buy a ticket that includes access to the King's Apts and the Queen's Hamlet.

We did the King's Private Apartments tour of Versailles and thoroughly enjoyed it. I also recommend the Westminster Abbey verger tour.

The advantage of going on Tour Montparnasse is that your view of the city will not include that ugly tower as you will be ON that ugly tower. It does have fantastic views - especially of the Eiffel Tower. However, I am not going to dissuade you from visiting the ET - I've enjoyed visiting it myself. Tickets for that, if I am not mistaken, are released 60 days in advance. So you will need to book in March. Unless that has changed.

Your call on Versailles. Same with dinner cruise - not my fave. Though I've enjoyed the boat tours at sunset.

I know you are re-considering the WB studio. I'm linking a very photo intensive review -- maybe overkill but gives you a great idea what it is. Real sets, real props, real costumes, amazing attention to detail - not thrill rides and such. in fact there are NO rides. https://quiltripping.com/my-wizardin...on-experience/

My position on the Eiffel Tower is that EVERYONE that gives their opinion have been up it at least once. Millions have been up the ET. That is why it is so iconic, IMO. The question is always pose is would you be disappointed if, when you left Paris and thought about your trip, would you regret not going up? That is different than never going up versus not desiring to go up again and again. I found the Tower very worthwhile, but I didn't go up solely for the views of Paris, which are amazing. Standing on something that large that is 130ish years old was enthralling, to me anyways.
While I agree with the difference in views b/w Montparnasse and the ET, you can see regular ET souvenirs, but rarely any Montparnasse ones. For me, if I wanted a tall place to view the ET, I'd chose the Arc de Triomphe as it is also interesting in and of itself. Second would be from Sacre Coeur for the same reason. Third choice would be Montparnasse, but only for its views, there is absolutely nothing else interesting about the tower, IMO.

As for Versailles, a tour of the Kings Apartments is not included in your regular ticket, so it does offer more than just the entrance. The audio guide of the regular ticket areas is very helpful for learning about what you're viewing with the significant cost extra for a guide. While the Chateau itself is amazing, I would recommend time be saved to go to the Trianon, Marie's Hameau and the gardens.

As for the Dinner Cruise, I agree with the Vedettes du Pont Neuf and pick one of dozens of nice restaurants near Pont Neuf to start the evening.

All, extremely helpful. Thank you.

Looking forward to the King's Apartments as suggested above and did the Westminster Abbey hidden gems tour last year. Next year will be Sts Peter & Paul. Worried about the tour with the twenty year olds. They can always cut out early and find a pub!

It looks fantastic. You win...wait, we'll win! The "kids" will thank you. But that was my time for the shopping at Fortnum & Mason. I might skip the V&A Storehouse and shop at F&M at that time while they're going to the Tower of London. (Twice is enough for me.) Harry Potter, here we come! (I had better watch a movie or two, again.)

Thank you for the quilltripping.com address.

I'd drop the tower in Paris and the Seine. The view from Sacre Couer is lovely.

Splurge one meal, make sure the space itself is as wonderful as the food. Does anyone have foods they cannot eat?