Rosiecheeks,

I'm not going to try to tell you what to see or do. You've done your research and made your choices with the knowledge that you will be back.

What I, and I think others on this board (although I know you must feel you are getting a lot of flak) would like to do is help you have THE most enjoyable experience possible.

Knowing that you need to get back to London to fly home, choosing one other place besides London would give you a great trip, especially since you aren't crazy about flying.

My suggestion would be to spend one day in London to help get over jet-lag - do something to orient yourself to the city. A walking to with www.walks.com would be ideal.

Then train to Paris, spend 4-5 days there including one day trip to Versailles, Giverny, Chartes etc. Do like you did for London - pick your highligts. Then train back to London for the remainder of your trip, following your planned itinerary.

So much help, thank you :)

Hey Rosie, choosing what to do in Paris isn't a hassle, it's great fun working out what you would like to see. I like the idea of going straight to Paris when you land in London and then spend the second half of your time in London and fly straight home from there.

Why don't you tell us what your interests are and then we can help you plan out your days in Paris so that you get the best value out of them. The city is quite spread out and you can waste a lot of time doubling back and forth if you don't have a logical plan of some sort.

Don't worry about running out of things to do, there is lots to see and do in Paris. I've had about 3 weeks in Paris over two trips and have barely scratched the surface.

You've chosen two beautiful cities to visit, I hope you enjoy them both.

I'm going to Paris in September! It sounds like you've been to London before - have you already been to Paris? I am so very excited - I've never been. Top four for me are Musee D'Orsay, St. Chappelle, Notre Dame, and the Louvre. I'm going to the Eiffel Tower of course but it isn't at the top of my list. I have what seems to be about a 3-4 hour walk planned in the Latin Quarter with a visit to the Cluny Museum (Middle Ages). I love museums and am going alone.

I'm sure if you love shopping, many Fodorites can tell you where to go! Enjoy!!!

amamax2'ssuggestion makes sense. The main reason I suggested going straight on to Paris instead . . . It eliminates one set of traveling into central London/checking in/packing/checking out/traveling/checking in/traveling.

So - say you land at LHR in the AM, you can book an onward flight and be in Paris in time for Lunch. Spend the next 4 nights in Paris, take the Eurostar to London and settle in for the rest of your time.

This would be less hectic and a more efficient use of your time.

janisj's suggestion is also a good one if you don't mind one more flight.

I was trying to avoid you landing at LHR and then having to make the Eurostar, just in case the plane is delayed, etc.

I was also thinking that by doing something that first day to orient yourself, you could make adjustments (if necessary) to your London schedule prior to actually carrying your itinerary out.

"<i>I was trying to avoid you landing at LHR and then having to make the Eurostar, just in case the plane is delayed, etc. </i>"

I never suggest landing in London to take the Eurostar to Paris the same day. That is simply too much hassle.

And I personally think getting all the initial travel out of the way would actually help w/ the jetlag. The hassle of getting into London only to leave the next morning would just prolong things IMO.

It used to be that the best price you could get for the Eurostar was a RT London-Paris-London. Like many people, we booked that and simply never used the return to London. (The price savings were that good.)

janisj,

I think you misunderstood my post. Of course you didn't suggest that! I was agreeing with you that flying on would be a smart thing to do, for all the reasons you state.

But the OP said she wanted to avoid flying if possible. She wants to take a train.

So I was explaining why I suggested she spend the first night in London. Believe me, I always think your advice is fantastic! :))

Rosie,

You should also check prices of the Eurostar vs adding on a flight...the cheapest train seats for Sept are probably gone by now, so it may be worth "grinning and bearing" another quick flight.

"<i>But the OP said she wanted to avoid flying if possible. She wants to take a train.</i>"

I understand that. But she needs to know that changing terminals at LHR (or possibly not even having to change terminal) is a lot less nerve wracking than crossing London to St Pancras.

Planning Paris is a hassle? How is that? There are a million guidebooks, videos, and websites out there to guide you. Not to mention thousands and thousands of posts here on Fodors. What led you to consider a stop in Paris to begin with?

I also find it perplexing that you are planning a REALLY short trip to Europe and are worried about "all the extra time" you have. Heck, you have barely enough time to see anything as it is. Most people have exactly the opposite problem - they want to cram way too much sightseeing into a short period. You seem to think you're going to be at loose ends because there's not enough to do and see, which is just so, so wrong. People spend weeks, months, in London and Paris and never, ever run out of things to do. I sincerely doubt you'll have more than a second of wasted or "down" time in either city.