Pat_in_Chicago

Hi, I'm headed to London on Thanksgiving day (Thur 22 Nov) and will stay until at least Tuesday. My flight back to Chicago from LHR is on Friday 30th November at 12:20 so I have 3 days/nights free.

I can't decide where to go for the 3 free days/nights. I could stay in London, I could take the Eurostar to Paris, I could visit some other part of the UK. Any suggestions for places in the UK to visit that can be reached by train? I can't drive on the left side of the road, tried once in Ireland and hit a stone wall. I must say that the car rental agencies are very tolerant.

I've been to Edinburgh but no other city in the UK besides London.

If I go to Paris, there's a Eurostar back to London (St. Pancras) at about 6:30a.m. that gets in at about 8:00 a.m. There should be enough time to take either the tube or Heather Express and get to LHR by 10:00ish, right? Or should I be extra cautious and return to London Thursday night just to be safe?

thank you.

lynnejoel1015

I would personally do Paris! You might also consider Brussels or Amsterdam. I think those are both pretty close, also, if you want to head to the continent.

travelhorizons

Paris is a great idea. And you can fly CDG - LHR on British Air for about $92. Probably less than the train. The 7:45 a.m. flight gets in at 8:15, or the 9:25 a.m. flight at 10. (Personally, I'd take the earlier flight; you don't want to misconnect).

Andrew

I'd take the Eurostar to Paris and maybe fly back. I wouldn't count on the Eurostar (or any train) being on time enough to get you back to London to get to Heathrow on time. I doubt flights back Friday morning will be that cheap, but you never know. If it were me, I'd probably be on the safe side and come back Thursday night.

Is it possible to change your ticket to an open jaw and fly back to Chicago from Paris? While you would surely incur a change fee, it might not be much more than the cost of flying/taking the train back to London and certainly less hassle.

alanRow

Coming back - by train, plane, automobile or shank's pony - from Paris on non-connecting tickets on your day of travel means you have a significant risk of missing your onward flight. In your case that would mean you would have to pay for a one way flight to Chicago as few, if any, airlines will just put you on the next flight

If you change your itinerary so that your return flight starts in Paris it becomes the airline's problem if you miss any connection

Pat_in_Chicago

Thank you all for taking the time to provide such good suggestions. I'm traveling to Amsterdam & Bruges (first time!) in October so will probably not want to visit either again the following month.

I did look into flying back to the US from Paris but, believe it or not, airfare was an additional $330 plus the $200 change fee. Ouch! Eurostar basic rate is $70 each way, not too expensive.

Perhaps I'll stick with my original plans and visit Paris for 2 nights/3 days. I can take the 8 pm Eurostar back to London on Thursday night, get a Priceline room near Kings Cross (probably) and sleep in.

Thanks again. Pat.

janisj

Pat: good plan - but if you are getting back to London at night, I'd priceline a hotel right at LHR. They tend to be much cheaper on PL than central London.

If you were coming back during the day and had some sightseeing time - then getting a hotel near St Pancras/Kings Cross makes sense.

chimani

If you've never been to Paris, then go to Paris.

Next time you cross the pond - there are some wonderful cities in the UK. London is London; London is not the UK and if that's all you've seen then you have a great idea there - ie go check out a part of the rest of the country.

Try taking the train up North to York - won't take long. Then hop on it again and go to Durham - won't take long.

If you have loads of time - truck on up to Newcastle (check out Hadrian's Wall) and Edinburgh.

Otherwise - you can train it from Durham to Newcastle Central Stn then there is a rail link to Newcastle Airport, and fly on back to London.

Great cities and landscapes and history up there in clogland.

Enjoy.

sdhall2

We are taking a plane from London to Paris that gets there within one hour and we only paid $82 for one way. I would imagine that depending on how bad you would like to go and given your time restraints (i.e. having to be at the airport 1 1/2 hours early vs the time it takes on the train?). I would weigh your options and money and see what best suits you.

Mimar

But, sdhall, how long does it take to get to the London airport (god forbid that it's Heathrow) and then from the airport into Paris. Then ditto for the return. The train is city-center to city-center. It makes a bit of sense flying back, Paris to LHR, but you're really taking a chance on making that 12:20 flight.

I'd probably take the train back the day before, stay in central London and do a little more sightseeing there, to be sure of catching my flight to Chicago.

Pat, you could consider visiting Oxford and Bath for your 3 extra days. Both have enough to do indoors if the weather's bad. Another possibility is the city of York, with a day trip by train to Durham as chimani suggested.

KidsToLondon

Depending upon how extensively you've visited London before, but the city has more than enough to occupy your short 3 days/nights.

If you do decide to travel, keep in mind the relatively short daylight hours in late November as you plan your sightseeing.

One (of many) possibilities as an overnight, or even a long daytrip, from London is York. Great walled city with a lot to see and do, only 2 hours north of London by rail. Bath, about an hour northwest of London, is another good option.

Paris...well, who can argue with Paris? The only issue is that the City of Lights really warrants more than a side-trip. On your return to London, you might consider flying into Heathrow as an option to Eurostar. That way, at least, you'll be at the airport.

Have fun!

Dave
email at onourowninlondon.com

Pat_in_Chicago

Thank you, All, for all the help. I went ahead and booked Eurostar to Paris ($74 standard non-flexible) and back ($129 Leisure Select). The return is in the roomier section of the train and includes dinner and lots of red wine! I understand that the food isn't half bad.

Secured a priceline room at the Marriott Rive Gauche for $125 a night. First time using PL in Paris but I need to save some $$ to help finance future travel.

Janisj, thanks for the suggestion re: staying at LHR last night, it hadn't occurred to me. With the money I'm going to save on a room I was able to upgrade the return trip on Eurostar.

I've been to Paris a few times so thought of maybe going somewhere else for my 3 days but I really want to see the newly reopened L'Orangerie. 3 days should give me enough time to revisit the D'Orsay too and have a couple of good meals. And I get to ride the Eurostar!!

chimani

Good on ya, Pat.

Enjoy it.

Riding the Eurostar is something I have never done. One day maybe for the fun of it, but it is so fiendishly expensive.