Is London/Paris Rome....
 

reasonable for a 14 day trip. The 14 days include the fligt to and from NC

Hi slow,

I suggest 2 of the 3.

If this is your first visit to Europe, fly into London and out of Paris.

Cheapest prices for London to Paris on the Eurostar is the one-day RT ticket.

www.eurostar.com.

((I))

We did a wonderful 2-week trip to London and Paris in 2004 and found it was perfect. There was time to do a daytrip to Cambridge while we were in London, we met up with London friends from this board, and we had a fabulous time. Then we took the Eurostar to Paris (for our second Paris trip) and again had plenty of time to enjoy one of our favorite cities (although they are ALL becoming favorites). We were also able to do daytrips to Versailles on one day (which frankly, I wouldn't repeat.) and one day to Chartres, which I HIGHLY recommend.

You CAN do all three cities, but to be honest, they are SO big and there is so much to do you will feel like you've really seen more if you take Ira's advise...and as you self-identify with "slowmoving" you will not feel rushed.

Thank you for your reply

Yes, this will be the first trip for myself and my 14 yr old son, and one of his friends. My wife did a 21 day tour about 5 yrs ago with my other son. They saw (went through) like six countries in those 21 days. She wants us to see it all when we go this time.

Two weeks is the max I can take off work. So, I am trying to decide whether to see a lot in a small area or see a little in a big area. We will be on a budget while there and need to keep all costs reasonable.

We will probably rent a car. I have not looked into the cost difference to fly into one city and depart from another. We are real early in the planning stage

Hi S,

A very common mistake of first-timers is the idea that Europe will disappear before they can get back, so they pack too much into one trip.

(Amercans do this when faced with a buffet, too.)

It is highly unlikely that you will nee a car. Both the UK and France have good, inexpensive public transportation.

((I))

When are you planning to take the trip? This board has an amazing amount of resources for all of the cities you are considering. Using the search function and reading trip reports will really help you a lot.

A few links to start you off:

Here's a thread about planning a family trip to London. Mr. Ben Haines posted a reply with a wealth of information about kids in London:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34774808

Here is my trip report of our 6 days in London this March (2 parents and 17yo daughter):
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34771547

Other family trip reports:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34786762
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34730329

The "London Superthread", which is old, but has lots of very useful information, including lodging:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34548473

great - thanks again for the responses. The time of year for the trip will proably be early June, 2008. I know , two yrs in advance is along time. But next summer we have a wedding to help pay for and a rim to rim hike of the Grand Canyon. - But , back to Europe.

I have read (parts) of Fodor's - Frommer's and Lonely Planet. They are narrowing things down for me, but I still have alot of work to get a general plan - I will then narrow the general plan down to a reasonable plan.

right now, i think it will be difficult to convince my wife we need to drop Italy from the equation , she has her heart set on Paris and Rome

I'll jump into this. If your wife has her heart set on Paris and Rome, do Paris and Rome. Fly into Rome and out of Paris. Rome is so incredibly busy traffic-wise, that when you get to Paris it will seem absolutely serene. If you noticed in yesterday's news, London is near the top of the most expensive cities in the world, so concentrate on Paris and Rome. With two weeks you might have time for day trips out of each city, if you want.

I've taken my family to both Paris and Rome (just got back from Rome, Paris a few years back), so my trip reports might be of some benefit if you have kids or teens with you.

I also harbor a wish to hike down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon before the kids leave home. Have you read the trip report posted on the US board last week?

No, I haven't read that report. We have been to the bottom of the Canyon once before - stayed at Phantom Ranch. This will be the first trip to the North Rim

How do I find the trip reports you are speaking of?

I agree. If your wife has her heart set on Rome and Paris, then do Rome and Paris. Save London for another trip.

You can "click" on any screen name (in blue letters) and all of that poster's threads and posts will appear. Scan for a trip report on the areas you are interetested or,

Enter keywords in the search box above and search.

There's a ton of resource on this board. Search away and happy researching! :-)

I agree with Paris and Rome, since your wife has her heart set on it. If she has her heart set on all three places, I'd do that, but it would be a more rushed trip.

I would not rent a car unless you plan on driving around the countryside. If you are based in a city, you can do day trips on public transportation, and driving in either Paris or (not in this lifetime for me) Rome would be a less than relaxing experience. Nowhere to park, confusing traffic patterns on narrow one way streets, rules that you aren't used to, both formal and informal. In Rome, it's exciting enough just crossing the street.
Drivers consider the center lines useful for advisory purposes only.

You can probably fly into Paris and out of Rome (also known as open jaw) for not much more than the price of a round trip. Search under "multiple destinations" on the travel or airline web sites. I would start with Paris, a little easier to get oriented, and many people advise against beginning a vacation with Rome, a more confusing place. Whichever way works out best for your itinerary is probably fine, though. For flights on budget airlines within Europe, check www.whichbudget.com.

Is this a family trip? Somehow I read it as just the "boys".

It will be me - age 48, wife age 45, son - age 14 and friend - age 14.

My son wants to see Abbey Road and all the Rock n roll stuff. What to do - decisions, decisions

well, shoot, then do all three! It is not the preferred way of many here, but it may work for your group. Your wife has traveled fast-paced in Europe before, and you and the boys will get a taste of three great cities, that you can use to build your next trip. The good thing is that you have lots of time to figure it out...

Slowmoving,

I also think Paris and Rome would be your best trip. You will all have a better time if you don't try to squeeze in so much.

Tell your son he can see Abbey Road on a future trip (that's even if he's still interested later...). I would not upset the balance of an entire 14 day trip to see a record studio unless everyone in your group is set on it.

ira,
re. buffet - LOL!

Well, you are discovering you can't go everywhere, see everything, and please everybody. Assume you'll be back.

If you do all 3 cities, fly into London, take the Chunnel train to Paris, and fly from Paris to Rome. Then fly home from Rome. You do not need a car. In fact, it would be a hindrance.

London will be an easy English-speaking introduction to Europe. Whereas Rome is more intense than Paris.

I am leaning toward "assume we'll be back"

Easiest/cheapest airfare/travel wise is London/Paris. Mom's dream is Rome/Paris. you've got some decidin' to do.

If it were me - It would be 6-7 days London, and 5-6 days Paris - w/ <i>maybe</i> one day trip outside of each city. But it isn't me - you and your wife need to decide.

But please don't try to squeeze in all three. You would spend 2 days traveling to/from Europe, 1 day zonked w/ jet lag and 1.5 - 2 days traveling between cities - leaving a grand total of 9+ days for 3 major cities. Not easy when travelling solo and REALLY difficult w/ four of you . . . .

Hi Slow,

&gt;...she has her heart set on Paris and Rome

&quot;If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy&quot;.

OTOH, London and Paris is easier, and cheaper than Paris and Rome.

Whatever you do, go to Paris. You will be so disappointed if you die and go to Heaven without having been to Paris.

((I))

Two weeks or two months, you won't see everything. Granted, the locations will be there in the future but your family situation will change...kids grow up. Do all three but plan very well. Pick the most important sites for all &amp; go from there. Start in Rome, fly to Paris &amp; train to London.

I did the same 3 cites for a honeymoon over 23 years ago. It took us 14 years to get back. Glad we did what we did when we did it. Enjoy the trip with your family NOW!

Since you are all talking about traveling with young teens, maybe you can help me.
We took our daughter on a 3 week trip through Europe when she was 12. We flew into London in July and all she remembers is that it was so hot and humid and she was tired and she hated it. She loved Ireland becasue it was so pleasant there.
Now we are planning a trip to Scotland next July and plan to again fly into London and then proceed to Scotland, where it will be cooler.
This is the only time of year we can coordinate this trip to all go together.
We want to spent 2-3 days in London with our daughter who will be 15 years old. What can we do with her in London to change her mind that it really is a fun, hip place to see? We did all the tourist stuff last time and I am looking for some cool things to do like Portabello Road or Chelsea outdoor markets etc. Clothes shopping would appeal to her, on a limited budget!
It will probably still be totally hot and humid, so maybe you have some ideas?
Also, can anyone recommend places between London and Glascow that might be places of interest to a 15 year old?
Thanks for any help!

hyacinthcourt, you raise a good question, but it is buried at the end of a thread that is different, and that might not get read by those who have the most information on the UK. I would suggest that you post the exact same question in a new thread, indexing it to the United Kingdom when you set up the post.

Here are my initial thoughts: I went to London with my 17yo daughter in March, and we had such a great time that we will return in August at the end of a trip to Scotland. My daughter enjoyed the ethnic food (although we ended up eating more Italian than we really wanted), some of the museums (the dresses at the Victoria and Albert, the Treasures room of the British Library), the London Eye, the shopping - especially the vintage clothing shops - and Portobello Market. Our trip report from the March trip is at: http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34771547

On our August trip, we will ride the train from Glasgow to London (goes through Edinburgh). We are looking forward to the views from the train. We will stop for an overnight at York, where we will see the Minster, the wall, the Shambles. We are thinking of skipping the Jorvik center. Yorkshire itself sounds wonderful, but we will not have the time to explore. When we reach London, Camden is at the top of her list.

Anyway, I encourage you to repost and I can give you a list of shops that my daughter likes, if that is of interest.