vegasrookie

Hi, y'all,

We desperately want to go to Paris and London for about 8 days or so, either in June or July '08. Have never been to Europe. Four in the family (2 teenagers). Just did a preliminary search and am boggled at the sheer number of options.

Help!

janisj

What sorts of advice do you want? Hotels? Transport? Sightseeing? Food? -- that covers a LOT of territory. Look over some of the hundreds of threads about both cities and then ask some focused questions.

But - in general -- 8 days is not very long for the 2 cities. Especially if you mean a total of 8 days. One day spent flying to, one day flying home, one day getting over the jet lag, 1/2 a day checking out/taking train between London and Paris/checking in.

So out of your 8 days you really only have 5+ full days to divide between two of the most exciting cities anywhere.

Now, if you mean 8 days plus all the travel time - then just do 4 days in each city. But even that is pretty rushed.

If you do decide on doing both cities, then fly open Jaw in to London and home from Paris. Otherwise you will lose another 1/2 a day traveling back to London.

meath1

For transport between London and Paris, consider Ryanair
http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/
They also offer buses between the city centre and the airports they fly into which are generally a ways outside the city. But the fares are great and we have found them to be very reliable and convenient.
Like janisj said, tell us more about what kind of help you need.

Ceidleh

Also helps if you give some sort of idea about how much money is in your budget to formulate better responses.

No one wants to recommend a 5 star hotel if you are interested in budget accommodation (and vice versa).

yk

We're already in May, and you're thinking of going in less than 2 months' time. You'd better hurry up.

But listen to what Janis has said so far:
8 days is not a lot of time. Does it include arrival and departure days?
If you're set on going to both cities, do plan on getting open jaw tickets.

BTW, have you even checked plane ticket prices yet?

The best way to travel between London and Paris is the Eurostar train. Forget about taking a plane - you'll waste a lot of time just getting to/from the airports.

alanRow

<<< For transport between London and Paris, consider Ryanair >>>

Why? Ryanair DON'T FLY BETWEEN LONDON AND PARIS, their "Paris" airport is an hour's drive from Paris and in the time it takes to get to the airports Ryanair does use around London, get checked in, pass through security, etc you could have been in Paris using Eurostar

bozama

For 8 days I would choose one location, London OR Paris. I love Paris so of course that would be a simple choice for me, but I enjoyed London too( actually really enjoyed a few day trips we took away from London more, loved Bath, son loved Brighton, and we both enjoyed a day at Warwick Castle and Stratford on Avon.
For Paris you could daytrip out to Versailles , Chartes, Rouen, the Loire Valley, or Giverny.

My teen boys both loved climbing the Eiffel Tower( yes the stairs to the second level, then elevator to top) and the Towers at Notre Dame, they also both loved the Catacombs in Paris, tunnels underground filled with human remains, ( google Catacombs Paris) .They both loved VErsailles , where we rented bikes also.
Strongly recommend you take either the day or night Fat Tire Bike Tour in Paris, it was tons of fun.
You will need to book now, and look for late July, June is going to be difficult to get a room and prices actually drop a bit by end of July.
Also, I have no idea where you are flying from , but Zoom ( Canadian airline) has some great deals on airfare now.

Lynneb

If you've never been to Europe I wouldn't try and do both. Also, as you haven't left yourselves long for planning it's easier to stick to one city.

There's loads to do in both cities and you will have jet lag.

As Janisj has said, you can also take trips outside of each city. If the weather is good, there are some beautiful places to visit outside London and you can just take a train.

Just another useful thing to remember: both cities are expensive so it's worth doing some research on where to eat, travel passes etc

(If you really want to do both then I recommend the Eurostar between the two cities. It's more fun than flying and quicker as you leave and arrive in the centre of each city.)

ira

Hi V,

You are going to be even more boggled by the cost of airfare. (about $1000 pp)

See www.kayak.com

Transfers from London to Paris will be about $400, if you go on Sat or Sunday in July (one-day RT fare is cheapest).

With only 8 days, I suggest either London or Paris.

Also see www.mobissimo.com for RT airfare.

If you plan for Spring Break, 2009, you will make it easier on yourselves.



Paris will be cheaper.

seafox

Given the short time frame i would suggest this:

1. pick one city (I would choose Paris)
2. Buy a guide book and pick out 5 to 10 things that interest you, plus of course a few "must see" sights. get yourself grounded and conviced you want to go.
3. Choose a hotel and room package that is centrally located and within your budget....don't book it yet. (alternatively, search this board for apartment suggestions such as www.vacationinparis.com)
4. Search your hotel on this forum and/or post for feedback. Only give it a few days - you don't want to loose your rate.
5. post your intinerary, tell us your interests too - you'll get more feedback than you will ever imagine.
6. Search this board for dining options and ask questions
7. Go and follow your plan, recognizing you will get side tracked from time to time

MomDDTravel

Hi Vegas,
I echo the question of what kind of budget you have? I travel with teens most of the time and looked into London but found it was out of my price range.

I presume you are coming from the west coast? I would do Paris for your first trip and get an apartment there - and you can do day trips via the train if you want to get a feel for another area.

We are going to Paris for 10 nights in December, rented an apartment and are planning on going to Caen to see the World War 11 museum and we might go to Reims one day as well.

You do not have a ton of time to plan.

janisj

One thing to consider when folks say Paris will be cheaper - accommodations will definitely be cheaper there - no question. But when you figure that almost every museum in London is free and almost every museum in Paris has entrance fees - it does actually just about even out.