Danielle811

My husband and I are traveling to London and Paris at the end of June, and will be spending four full days in each city. In London we're planning to go to the London Eye, Tower of London, British Museum, Westmister Abbey, etc. Additionally we would like to spend a day (with a tour company) visiting Stonehenge. Any suggestions on tour companies and tips on what else we should see while in London? Also, I plan on utilizing public transport while we're there. What is the best pass to purchase?

I'm more at a loss of what to include in the itinerary for Paris. As neither my husband nor I has been to Paris, there is so much to see and do, but obviously we have a time constraint! Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

zeppole

My only tip is to remember that it rains often where you are going, so work up some rainy day itineraries just in case. Also, when the sun is shining, people often overlook that the public gardens of both Paris and London, are some of the greatest artworks in each city, and are very much part of the history and glory of both places. Spending some time on the Seine -- using the public transport of the Batobus -- is a great way to see the city, and I feel likewise about the Thames, although it can be harder to fit in a boat ride. But both rivers are fundamental to the life of the city, throughout history.

olesouthernbelle

You can't go to Paris & not do the 'Tour Eiffel' or the Louvre. I also recommend the Musee'd'Orsay & Versailles - which will take a day in itself to really cover all it's surrounds.

Luxembourg gardens is nice.

I would have liked to have seen the Roudin museum, but it was being renovated when we went many years ago.

Also would have LOVED to have seen Monet's gardens at Giverny, but was told it was too far from where we were staying & would therefore eat up to much valuable time in transportation. We were staying with friends just south of Paris.

I also enjoyed the twilight Baton Mouche down the Seine - the Eiffel Tower was just lighting up. It was interesting watching the view of it change with the onset of evening. Of course, there were many other things to see during the ride as well - including the original Statue of Liberty.

nancy

My recommendations for Paris:
One day visiting the Eiffel Tower, Invalides and Rodin Museum. If you finish this area in time you can visit the Museo d'Orsay.
One day visiting the Marais area - good walking guides from Rick Steves Paris and Steinbicker's Paris Day trips.
One day seeing Notre Dame, Ile St Louis area - from this area you can walk the Seine and visit many other sites.
One day in Montmartre.
If I only had 4 days these are the sites I would choose. Get the Streetwise Paris map as it will show you where all the sites and metro stations are. It was my bible for my month's stay.

As to the Louvre, I would suggest reading Rick Steves Paris guide book as it will point out the most popular sections to see - those that we've all read about. Otherwise, you'll be wandering a lot.

You might investigate the museum passes if you think you'll spend enough time in them. The pass will allow you to bypass some lines but only worth it if you use it enough. Also, I think there may be free nights in some museums. You can google the museums.

Included in all these walks you can take time to sit in a cafe and people watch. Any questions, [email protected]

Danielle811

Great suggestions, thank you so much! I know this is a common question on these forums, but with all of the walking tours available (thank you nancy!), does anyone have suggestions about comfortable, yet stylish walking shoes? I know that we'll be tourists, but I don't want it to be too blatant.

zeppole

I heartily recommend that (a) forget how you'll look and focus entirely on comfort. Carrying ballet flats to slip on before you entire restaurants is often my strategy. I put my Nikes or trainers into one of those shopping totes Parisians carry around. But when I walk around, I make sure I'm wearing shoes that will make me feel like I could walk all day and night -- because that's what you'll be doing.

(b) do not take new shoes to Paris unless you've walked A LOT in them and know they will not give you blisters or a bad back

(c) do not buys shoes you cannot try on. The most-often recommended shoes on interent boards are not suitable for many people, especially people walking 10 or 11 hours a day.

Danielle811

Thanks zeppole, I hadn't thought about keeping a pair of ballet flats with me. That's a great idea!

white_apple

Hi Danielle811, I just got back from London and Paris a few weeks ago. This time when I went to London I wanted to try out the great British tradition so I went for Afternoon Tea. There was so much choice but at the end I went to The Lanesborough at Hyde Park Corner. It was a beautiful hotel and afternoon tea was fantastic. www.lanesborough.com is the website. They were voted No.1 in London for afternoon tea. I think it is a must do in London.

Also Paris, I only had 2 days so I took the hop on hop off tour bus and it took me everywhere. So I would recommend this. Also do go and see the Lido Show in Paris during dinner. I loved it. http://www.lido.fr/us/cabaret-paris.html check thier website out.

Enjoy!

jetsetj

This may give you some ideas...

Here is our 3 day itinerary for our trip this fall.

SEPT. 25TH FRIDAY. AFTERNOON TRAIN TO PARIS FROM AMSTERDAM / FRIDAY NIGHT.. EIFFEL TOWER FROM PONT NUEF(SP) BRIDGE.

SEPT. 26TH SATURDAY ... ISLE LOUIE,ISLE DE LA CITE,
NOTRE DAME, ST CHAPPELLE, LEFT BANK, NIGHT SEINE CRUISE

SEPT. 27TH SUNDAY ....MUSEE D'ORSAY, RODIN SCULPTURE GARDEN, LUXUMBURG GARDEN

SEPT. 28TH MONDAY.....PERE LACHAISE CEMETARY, MARAIS (JEWISH QUARTER),SACRE COUER, EIFFEL TOWER AT NIGHT ( yes, again)

mohun

For guy shoes, I'll recommend Ecco Seawalkers. The vaunted Mephistos were far too expensive for me so I purchased the Seawalkers based on a friend's recommendation and walked comfortably 8 to 10 hours a day for 3 weeks in Milano, Florence, Verona, Venice and Vienna. I've always followed my dad's shoe advice and never wear the same shoes two days running (so to speak). I purchased Eccos in black and brown and changed off each day; it's better for the shoes and better for your feet. I also wore the Eccos on a 3-week trip in the UK in 2004, a 3-week trip in Central Europe in 2006, and I've purchased a new pair for our trip to Spain, southern France and London this summer. The Eccos are laced and I've worn them for business, between trips, as well.

BigRuss

One warning on the Louvre -- the building itself is a work of art, too, but it will be overflowing with tourists.

Note also that the three largest (I think) Paris art museums have different concentrations: the Louvre has primarily Renaissance art, the Musee d'Orsay (which should not be optional but should be written in pen on your itinerary) is neo-Classicism to Impressionism, and the Pompidou Centre is the three dots on a canvas stuff.

Yeah, that's oversimplifying it a lot, but if you're tastes run 1750-1926 (Monet's death), the d'Orsay is for you. And the d'Orsay contains Rodin's Gates of Hell sculpture.

memmaeve

I went to Paris last year. I struggled with the 'shoe' issue too. Finally bought some NAOT Ashley sandals. They are very expensive $130ish, but well worth it. I walked all of Paris in them for 8 days. Another tip....DO NOT WEAR SHORTS! I happened to have brought 2 'skorts' with me (skirts with walking shorts inside) which I wore every day after I realized I would look like an idiot in regular shorts.
The Musee D'Orsay is a MUST. We liked it better than the Louvre. The boat tour of the Seine, Versailles, climbing to the top of Sacre Couer and the Arc de Triomphe were great! Find Lescure restaurant on the Rue de Mondovi and eat there as many times as you can.
It was our favorite place! Also the Boucherie on Rue des Cannettes. And definitely eat at the Falafel place in the Marais...it's in Rick Steve's tour book. Have fun...there is NO place like Paris.
The Paris Museum Pass was a good deal for us...let's you go to front of the line at places like Musee D'Orsay....you can buy it inside the Louvre.

Danielle811

Thanks everyone for the tips. I bought tickets for the Louvre to avoid lines, and have the Musee D'Orsay on the itinerary for Sunday, July 5 as admission is free that day. I am a bit concerned about the number of people who may also be taking advantage of this. Has anyone had any experience with museums on Sundays in Paris? I know that NYC museums can be crazy, and was wondering if it's a similar situation?

Jetsetj, thank you especially for your itinerary. That gives me a good idea in terms of time, as we're usuing a similar timeline.

nj05047

danielle811, did you buy ur tickets for the Louvre online? my family will be in Paris in Sept too.

zeppole

danielle,

Yes, the museum is likely to be "a zoo" that day. If you want the best experience of the art in d'Orsay, you should go at another time. In general, the best time for both it and the Louvre is night time.

Also, I hope you are not relying on this message board to know about the contents of the museums and whether or not you should include a visit to any of them in this short trip. The Louvre is NOT primarily about Renaissace art, as posted above, nor is the d'Orsay focused on "neo-Classicism or Impressionism." It has significant collections of many other styles in its holdings. If you are very interested in Rodin or Monet, each has their own museum elsewhere, and other museums and locales in Paris have very important paintings. In the view of many people (including mine) the d'Orsay runs second to many other museums in Europe and America, so don't put it -- or any museum -- on your dance card because an internet poster told you it's a "MUST." Read up on it, visit the museum's webiste, and decide for yourself if you want to see it in favor of seeing and doing other things in Paris.

jamikins

As for tour groups for Stonehenge check out London Walks Explorer Days. They do a Stonehenge/Salisbury tour every Tues I think http://www.walks.com/Homepage/Stoneh...t/default.aspx

Highly recommend them!

Danielle811

nj05047,

I did buy our tickets for the Louvre online via the museum's website. I didn't purchase the express delivery, as we aren't leaving until 6/27.

nanaisfrench

hi,
as a Parisian, I acn tell you that Paris is a beautiful city .
To travel by you have the Metro (subway, very easy to use you can find a map on the www.ratp.fr )
Apart from all the stuff you'll fid in every books;
if you like shopping areas when you go out of the louvre museum go to the 213 rue St Honoré where there is the most famous Store in Paris called Colette where you'll probably see some famous people,then 1 block away theres the "place du marché st honré" with lots of restaurents,cafes with terrace
The other new area is along the St martin canal (just by the Republique place,not far from the marais)
Also not far from the marais area,you have on the other side of the Bastille the rue du faubourg st antoine,rue de la roquette that are nice
Another nice area to walk is bellow monmartre the place des Abbesses (metro abbesses)which is fun and less tourist than monmartre with great places to eat.
When you go out from the Orsay museum,go to St Germain des Prés by walking the Rue du Bac It's really beatiful and if you go by the department store THE BON MARCHE (the best) go to a hidden park located 29rue de babylone It's magic!Then from there you can go to the Rodin museum which is located in a great park (rue de varenne)
Well ther's so much more but in 4 days
If the weather 's good,go to have dinner to the cafe de l'homme ,ask to be seated outside,you'll have the greatest view on the eiffel tower ever (http://www.restaurant-cafedelhomme.com/fr/)
Enjoy your stay


ps:now in the centrepompidou there 're a Calder and a Kandinsky Exibit that are great

samegs23

I would totally recommend taking a morning or day trip to Versialles. It's about 45min south of Paris on the high speed train and it may even be part of their museum pass. We made the mistake of skipping the petit trianon and were later told it's one of the best things to see. There is also a fabulous market to get fresh food for a picnic lunch in the center of town. Great memories.

If you have the money, I'd recommend having lunch in the Jules Verne which is on the second level of the Eiffel Tower. It's pricey (~300 euros for 2 people to have lunch) but it has the most spectacular view of the city. It's also like a 2hr lunch.

We also did a dinner cruise on the Seine. The city's monuments are all lit up at night and make for a gorgeous backdrop to a wonderful French dinner on the river.We chose the company Bateaux Parisiens.

If you can find one, a french cooking class is fun too.

If you go to the Louvre, I would suggest going on a Wed late afternoon/night. As with most places in Europe, there is no A/C and being in an enclosed space with a lot of people is not fun. We went on a Wed late afternoon/evening because the Louvre is open til about 8pm, I think, and the crowds were much less than earlier in the day.

I spent 2wks in France, 8 in Paris. Honestly, I could've skipped most of Paris. The most magnificent thing to see in France is the Le Mont St Michel. It's about a 3hr drive from Paris but well worth it especially if you stay on the tiny island.

Enjoy your trip. I loved France!

bachslunch

Will second the idea of seeing the Louvre during the evening, but note that if you do, one or more of its large sections may be closed. Given how huge the place is, though, you'll have more than you can see even if just one large section happens to be open.