jonmck

My wife and I will be going to London in mid-June and we bought a package that gives us 7 nights in a 5 star Marriott hotel in London. However, we can break the trip apart if we want and can spend say 4 nights in London and 3 in Paris at another 5 star Marriott. The entire trip would be 10 days, but I am saving one day to get to London from the US and then one day to get from Paris back to the US. So a total of 8 days. How many days should we stay in London and how many in Paris? We originally thought about doing London and then a quick trip to Scotland and Ireland....but I think it might be best to save that for another trip some day?? I didn't realize Paris was only 2.5 hours away via train.

Do you have any suggestions on itineraries for the trip? We will start in London and would take the Eurostar train to Paris. Neither one of us can speak French by the way.

We will do the normal tourist stops in London:
London Eye, Parliament Building, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, British Museum, London Tower, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Oxford, Picadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. We will also tour Lloyd's of London (since I am in Insurance). We will probably see a musical or two.

Did I miss anything? We are not real big on museums, art galleries, etc. We would like to see the highlights of some of these museums, art galleries, etc.....but don't plan on spending all day in any of these. Not sure what to try to do on each day and what is close to what, etc....any suggestions?

Now, for Paris. I have no idea what to see here....I know we will want to see the obvious attractions such as Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame cathedral, Eiffel Tower, Place de la Bastille. That is about all I know. Again, not sure what all to try to do each day and in what order.

At the Louvre, we will of course see the Mona Lisa....but I don't have any idea what else if even there....again, we are not huge art/museum people. No offense. We will look around quickly though, but we won't spend an entire day there even though you could spend MANY days in there if you love that stuff.

Thanks for any and all suggestions. We want to see as much as we can, but don't want to be dead tired every day.

yk

Assuming this is your first time to London and Paris, I think 4 days in each city would be fine. You won't be able to see everything, not even the top tourist sites in those 4 days in each city.

I like art museums, and London and Paris obviously have many great (and very large) art museums. I understand they can be rather overwhelming. My suggestion would be join a "highlight" tour given by the museums (some for a fee, some are free; see each museum website for details and tour times). I have taken those before and the guide gives a good overview of the museum and lead you thru the maze of galleries and point out to you the "best" so to speak.

In terms of how to organize your time and the sights together, many guide books have sections of "What to seen and do if you have x days" for each city. I suggest you check those out first, get a good map of both cities, and then tailor your itin according to your interests.

I understand there's a lot to see/do in London and Paris and the planning task can be quite overwhelming; but trust me, planning a trip is lots of fun!

jonmck

thanks!

nona1

Picadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square aren't really destinations in their own right - have a 20 minute wander round Trafalgar Square maybe, if you are going to one of the galleries there, but don't go out of your way for either of them. Especially don't make a special trip for Picadilly Circus. There's not really anything there.

You can spend a pleasant few hours seeing St Pauls, crossing over the 'millenium bridge' (new footbridge) then take a peak round the Tate Modern, which can be interesting even if you are not especially into art. They have free audio guides in some of the rooms. Then you can take a wander down the south bank for a bit of river-side atmosphere, see the London Eye (I think worth a ride, others don't, but interesting to see anyway), County Hall and so on.

ira

Hi J,

I would split it 50/50.

Enjoy your visit.

Mimar

I might spend a extra day or so in London, assuming you will be getting over jetlag and not always fully functional during those first 2 or 3 days.

PalenQ

As for the train - book as far in advance as possible to save big bucks

Just show up and you could literally pay $100s more.

Christina

I think 50/50 is one way to go, obviously, as you don't have clear ideas of what you want to do in either, and don't like museums. Both are great cities, so that would be fine.

Alternatively, I'd suggest maybe one more in London, less in Paris, because you can do great theatre in London and not Paris. Especially since you don't have much of any idea what to do in Paris, so it's not a big dream for you, I can tell. Without wanting to do museums so much, and language differences, I think you could make better use of your time in London, that's all.

For example, I really enjoyed visiting Hampton Court Palace outside London (and you can take a boat there on the Thames, although I thought that was too long), and that's not exactly a museum. You can also go to Greenwich, etc., and as I said, the theater.

Sure, there are plenty of things you can do in Paris or surroundings that are not museums, and you can take an hour boat ride on the Seine. Both cities have lovely parks, of course.

jonmck

we will be in London for 5 days. Then we will leave London (on the 6th day) on the Eurostar at about 11:00 for Paris. We will have the rest of the afternoon/evening on that 6th day in Paris and then another 2 full days. Possibly three full days.

So grand total:
5 days in London (at the County Hall Marriott)
2.5 in Paris. Possibly 3.5 in Paris....depending on my return airline schedule working out. (staying at the Paris Marriott Hotel Champs-Elysees)

Thanks,
Jonathan

Vttraveler

For Paris I would look at suggested itineraries for 3 days. Frommer's website has one
http://www.frommers.com/destinations...062010007.html
Fodors destination has a 5 day itinerary you could adapt.

I'd also get a Michelin green guide (or borrow one from the library) and pick out some walking tours that look appealing.
For me the most charming parts of Paris are the Ile St. Louis, Ile de la Cité, Left Bank, Marais and walks along the Seine. A bateau mouche trip on the river also gives you a different perspective on many of the landmarks.

For London, you should also be able to find suggested itineraries/walking tours that combine attractions in the same geographic area so you are using your time efficiently.

When you say Oxford do you mean a day trip to Oxford?

jonmck

Thanks! I meant shopping on Oxford street....

Sherbrooke

So when you get to Place de la Bastille what will you do after you have seen the monument? If you go on a Saturday morning you will find one of the best outdoor markets in Paris on Cours de Vincennes. (Take your street map.) There is a branch of Au Printemps department store across from the market, should you be in the mood to shop, and the store has an excellent cafeteria upstairs. If you like mussels, there is a Léon de Bruxelles restaurant on the Place, for delicious moules et frites.