London on Three days/ Paris in 3 days too
 

Does anyone have any itinerary suggestions for two quick trips, London for three days and Paris three days. I am doing them back to back with a friend August 5th-11th. We want to hit as much as we can. (I HAVE to go to Harrod's in London! and he HAS to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe, but other than that, we have no idea what to do!!) I am completely in love with the Impressionists, but will I have time in Paris to go to the museums in only three days? Which one's should I go to?!!

Thanks!!

Hi deanna,

You have time for one of two nice visits, or one whirlwind trip which will remain as a blur in your memory.

Are you flying into one city and out of the other, or will you return to your starting city? The latter removes at least one day from your sightseeing.

I suggest do one or the other. You will get back to Europe again.

If you have "time" to go to Harrods then you'll certainly have "time" to see at least one museum I suspect

While everyone would love to spend a week or two in both cities, I think you can have a grand time (assuming you have a lot of energy!) I love to do long weekends in both London and Paris and can pack a lot in.

If this is your first trip, I recommend that you do the Big Bus tour in London your first day. The tickets are good for 24 hours and you can hop on hop off as you see what interests you. It will also give you a great overview and an idea of what you want to come back and see. (I think it also gives you a coupon for something free at Hard Rock). Keep in mind, Harrods is closed on Sunday.

In Paris, you will want to go to the Orsay museum, where the impressionists are housed. This will be great because the building is fabulous and the museum takes a lot less time to visit than the Louvre. Save the Louvre for a longer visit. I also recommend a Bateau Mouches ride for another good look at Paris, while sitting. You'll be amazed at how grateful you'll be for those sitting opportunities!

Have a great trip.

If you are trying to see a lot, it is a bit of a blur, but a lot of fun. You can see most of the major sites in Paris in three days by planning your days carefully, categorizing the sites by location, verifying when they are open, and taking the metro in between. I did this on my first trip. Granted, I did not spend too much time in any one spot and this only made me want to come back, but it was thrilling. A good intro to London is by hop on/off bus. Factor in a London Walk or two.

Of course you can make three days each in Paris and London memorable! But you will need to do a bit of research first since you haven't the time to waste. If you visit www.fodors.com and click on Destinations, you will come to a brief synopsis of touristic highlights. Spend some time reading that and flesh out that information by using the text search box in this forum. Straight off the top of my head, I can tell you that if it's Imressionists you're after, you'll find them at the Musee d'Orsay, as noted above. In London, the Tate is well worth your while, and it's in a great tourist location, too.

This is my first trip to both London and Paris. I am very hopeful that I will make it back again, but just in case, I want to to the BIG things(probably read 'touristy'), like Buckinghma Palace, etc. I have been reading alot of these posts, and it seems the hop-on hop-off bus tours come very highly recomended, so I will definately have to check that out. We also have Underground and Metro passes already, so travel around the city is taken care of. Thanks for the help!

I did a 3-day tour of London a few years ago, and actually, I made 1 of those days a day trip to Dover, which I highly recommend. On the other 2 days, we got tickets to the Original Bus Tour, which is a hop on/hop off tour and comes with a Thames river cruise ticket as well. We did Tower of London, Kensington Palace, toured the inside of Buckingham Palace, which you can do in Aug., watched changing of the guards, went to Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, and some churches. We walked around alot in the parks and through the streets and got a good feel of the area. The bus tour will really help you see alot of things without taking the time to get off. You can get pictures of Marble Arch, The City, etc., without ever leaving your seat! Have fun!!

deannagld,

If you are interested I have a 3 day iteniary for both cities. email me at travelwithfriends@hotmail if you are interested....

Also, what date are you arriving in london and when are you are departing...what date are you arriving in paris and how and when you are departing...via paris or back to london.

let me know!

erinb

Both the Destinations section of this site and frommers.com have suggested itineraries for each city:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations...055020017.html

http://www.frommers.com/destinations...062020017.html

London - (1) visit Tate Modern (since you're there, see the Millenium Bridge. You can see the London Bridge from the distance), (2) Visit Big Ben, West. Abbey, the Eye, (3) Harrods, while you're there.. stop in at Harvey & Nicks..if you want to shop some more, go to Oxford or Regent St.. on your way see Picaddily...

Paris.. I'd spend more time in Paris coz I love Paris. Definitely visit the d'Orsay and Musee Marmottan (sp.?). If you have time, the Louvre.

Hi provence,

Just to make the point that it takes all kinds to make a world, I wouldn't go to 6 of the 10 things you listed. :)

ttt

We were in London last year and am returning again for a long weekend at the end of our honeymoon this year. We loved St. Pauls Cathedral so much we are returning again- Evening Song is a MUST- but can also be experienced at other churches. Hampton Court Palace, just outside London was incredible but it would take up an entire day. (www.hrp.org.uk) We actually skipped Buckingham in favor of Windsor Castle- was able to experience the changing of the guard without the crowds. My FI loved the Tower of London. A wander through Kensington/Hyde Park/Harrods was also very English.

!

Have to agree with provence:

If you like Impressionists, then Musee d'Orsay and Marmottan are the two museums to visit in Paris.
If you can fit in a few hours at the Louvre, go to the Denon Wing, which has the Mona Lisa, etc. all the "must see" art pieces.
One museum a day for a few hours is probably best. Then you can fit in the rest of the city.
If you leave the Louvre, you can walk from the glass pyramid to the smaller Arc de Triomphe (du Carrousel) through the Tuileries Gardens through the Place de la Concorde down the Champs Elysees all the way to the big Arc de Triomphe and even beyond all in one straight path!

Good views of the entire city can be found at Montmartre, the (North/South?) Tower of Notre Dame, and, of course, the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Enjoy!