Just beginning our plans for Europe vacation...
 

Hello,

DH and I are just starting to plan our trip to Europe next fall. We only take one vacation per year and we're aiming for two weeks (longer than any of our previous trips!).

He has been to England once, as a teenager. I've never been to Europe. My thinking was that London and Paris are good "intro" cities for a first-trip to Europe. DH thought, though, that not only should we see the cities, but also take in the sights of the other regions in both countries.

Is it reasonable to try to see the sights in London, and the various sites in England, as well as Paris and the same in France, in 2 weeks?

What destinations would you recommend for a two week first-time trip?

We're researching and reading up every day, and we're open to suggestions. Thank you!

OK - some basic planning info:

14 days will net you about 10-11 days for sightseeing/touring. 1+ day is lost flying overnight to Europe. 1 day is lost flying home. The first day "on the ground" is usually spent just getting over the jet lag and acclimating. 1/2 or 1 day is lost every time you move from one city to the next.

So - where does that leave us? Enough time for maybe 4 days in London, 4 days in Paris and a couple of days for touring a rural area near each city. Not enough time to "the sights of the other regions in both countries."

A 2 week trip based in Paris and London is a terrific intro to Europe - but not long enough to tour other regions.

You could spend 6 days in each city (plus the travel days = 2 weeks) and take one day trip from each city. Like Bath or Oxford or Dover from London. And Chartres or Giverney from Paris.

Janisj (as usual) gives excellent advice.

For me, I might do only London proper for 4 days at the start, then get on to Paris and focus on both the city and day trips to the countryside (or maybe even a 1-2 night stay somewhere during those remaining 9-10 days).

If you could book flights so you arrive London, but leave from Paris that would buy you a bit of extra time.

Thank you for your suggestions! You both sound like seasoned travelers!

Would it be "too much" to spend a full two weeks in Paris and then travel around the other regions of France? My husband even suggested just going to France to see as much of the country as possible.

As janisj correctly pointed out, you'll have 12 days on the ground. You can easily spend 4-5 days or so in Paris, spend the remaining week in different regions. It will be too hectic if you try to do London, Paris AND country-side.
Autumn--esp Sept/Oct can be a good time. As for destinations, depends on any particular interest--wine, chateau, trecking, beaches?

lynnejoel: Limiting yourselves to one country is always a good idea. Paris is definitely worth a full week (and you could fill 2 months there let alone 2 weeks). But for a first trip I probably would recommend a week in Paris and then take the second week and go one or two other areas in France. Like you could go up to the Normandy coast and see the DDay beaches, then Mont St Michel and maybe a few days in the Loire Valley visiting the chatteaux. Or you could go south and see Provence and the Riviera.

You could rent a car for the out-of-Paris week. But taking the trains is also an option depending on where you decide to go.

Oh - I was posting the same time as W9London. And I did mis-speak a bit. You won't have a full week outside of Paris - it will work out to about 4-5 days.

All your ideas sound good so far, though I would say (and I think you've already moved past this idea) that going to London and Paris only would be a bit limiting, in that (except for day trips) you wouldn't get a real feel for the countryside of either place.

In 2005, we took our son to London, Paris and the Loire Valley on a 12-day trip. If we had more time, we would have spent it in either Paris or the Loire Valley. It gave him a good initial feel for rural France (us grownups had already been to all those locations). I would say, that even with only 2 weeks, you could easily fit in London, Paris and a rural location, such as the Loire Valley, or Provence, the Dordogne, Normandy or Burgundy.

Narrow down the possibilities based on what your interests are, and the kind of vacations you've taken previously. For example, if you usually vacation in New York City, then a big-city-based trip might be good (with some countryside as well). A France-only trip works well, too, of course!

Hi L,

>s it reasonable to try to see the sights in London, and the various sites in England, as well as Paris and the same in France, in 2 weeks? <

Yes.

However, I suggest not planning on any daytrips out of London or Paris until you have spent a few days in each city and decided that you have seen all that you want to see.

Fly into L and out of P. Take the Eurostar between cities.

The cheapest rate is the one-day RT fare - about $90.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

One week in Paris and one in London will be a very nice vacation in Europe!
Both of them are big cities, with a lot of sights, so I agree with Ira and I do not think that you will have tome for day trips.
Any case, you can have a plan for 1 -2 day trips from Paris and London, and if at the end of your sejour there you will consider that you visited all, you can make these short visits out.
At one - two hours from Paris or London are a lot pf turistic sights, just take info about them and you will decide then.