belindalouwho

Hey guys,

Family is taking a trip to London & Paris next April......I know it's all about planning, but if the dollar remains weak (or gulp! is weaker), we would appreciate any tips on free/low-cost activities to consider when abroad.

Thanks,
Belindalouwho
www.lettuceland.com

adrienne

Here's a link to a recent post about free things to do in Paris. There's also a post on London you can search for.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35143882

janisj

&quot;<i>if the dollar remains weak (or gulp! is weaker)</i>&quot;

Currently the &euro; is falling against the US$. It's dropped about 7 cents in the last week. No telling where it will be 8 months from now . . . . . .

Underhill

Both Paris (especially the Mus&eacute;e Carnavalet) and London have some free museums and beautiful parks. Our favorite park in London is St. James's; in Paris it's the Luxembourg.

dmlove

The Louvre and Musee d'Orsay are free the first Sunday of every month.

Proenza_Preschooler

I am pretty sure the Louvre is free on Friday night.

Thin

VirginiaC

If you're in London around April 21, look for activities at the Globe Theater celebrating Shakespeare's Birthday and all around the city celebrating St. George's Day. And on April 21 itself, the King's Artillery fires a 41 gun birthday salute to the Queen in Hyde Park. Best part of this, all the activities are free.

zeppole

It really needs to be shouted out that the most precious and finest historic and artistic sights in London and Paris are utterly free to the public.

This is not some assertion based on arcane research into arcane attractions. The national governments of both the UK and France have a longstanding commitment to making their national treasures available to everybody, no matter their income. That is a conviction of their democracies.

Therefore, the great public gardens of both cities - which are among the highest artistic achievements of Brisith and French culture -- have no admission fees. Most of the great churches of both cities are free, and in London the museums are free. All museums in Paris have a free or deeply discounted admission.

Both the cities have publicly subsidized performances of music and theatre, often completeluy free to the public. Even so, the five pound admission to the Globe Theater to watch the play as &quot;groundling&quot; is an amazing opportunity to experience theare art as it was experienced in its golden era.

In both London and Paris, that anytime you participate in the free democratization of culture, you are participating in an important, hard-won history, reinforcing the legacy of the French Revolution and Britain's ongoing experiment with ending class and hereditary privilege and embracing all of the world.

It's almost against the law in both London and Paris to horde the great sights or charge for them. You can have a marvelous time in both cities and see all the riches, going to dozens of places for free or a pittance.

Walk up the hill to Hampstead Heath to see the view of London that artists etched instead of taking the Eye. Likewise, climb the steps in Montmartre instead of paying to be jammed with other tourists atop the Eiffel Tower. Have a picnic by the Seine. Enjoy the Tate Modern.

Have a great time!

adrienne

Thin - the Louvre is free on Friday night to the under 26's. For those of us older than 26 there is a reduced rate in the evenings.

hetismij

VirginiaC both St George's Day and Shakespeare's birthday are April 23rd not 21st!

VirginiaC

hetismij:

In 2008, the celebrations of St. George's Day, Shakespeare's Birthday, and the Queen's birthday stretched from Saturday, April 19 -- special buskers in Covent Garden -- to Wednesday, April 23 -- entertainment and an extension of Borough Market in Trafalgar Square. On Sunday, April 20, the Globe celebrated Shakespeare's birthday with free admission and entertainment. On Monday, April 21, which as I noted is Elizabeth II's actual birthday not Shakespeare's, the King's Artillery fired a 41 gun salute in Hyde Park. They've done that on April 21 in other years, too. I was there.
One suspects that in 2009, the celebrations will again center around those dates with the bulk of the activity taking place on the weekend. The King's Artillery will continue to celebrate the Queen's birthday on April 21, unless she tells them to stop.
Consult the British Tourist Authority for complete details. In 2008, they were handing out brochures with the schedule.

suze

In both cities check for free museums, or which days are free at museums.

Many of the most famous sights in Paris are not far from each other, you can easily make a walking tour on your own, free.

Having a large, hot lunch at a restaurant (instead of dinner) is often more reasonably priced. Enjoy 'street food' (crepes in paris, etc.) Don't be afraid of the grocery store for snacks. Generally speaking food away from major tourist areas is better priced.

galeforce

When we visited England several years ago, all of the museums in London were free. We went to the British Museum and the Maritime Museum in Greenwich as well as the Royal Observatory in London. All were free. The only place we paid an entrance fee were Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London.

Kellye

I just returned from London and will have to say that it isn't admission fees to attractions that will get you. It's food! I researched carefully and found a studio flat to rent for the week (in high season) and felt like I got a reasonable value for my dollar compared to a hotel. We went to two West End shows and the ballet and that was pricey, but we got discounts where we could (TKTS, same day seats). We bought the year membership to the Historic Royal Palaces because that was a cheaper way to see several of the palaces (the break point was when you decided to see 3-it was cheaper to get a year admission). We arranged for my 14yo to get the 11-15yo Oyster card which allowed for free bus rides for her and child rates on the tube (and didn't spend more than 7 pounds on transport for her for the week), but the food got me!

We ate breakfast in and dinner a couple of times, but every other meal was out since we were out and about and it was not convenient to go back to the flat to eat since it would have seriously eaten into our time to explore (no pun intended). As an example, my daughter and I ate at a neighborhood Tex-Mex restaurant one night. We had 2 soft drinks each, an order of chips/salsa, some fajitas (for me) and a kids burger &amp; chips for her (she talked the server into that even though she is 14--she couldn't have eaten more than that honestly, so I was appreciative). The bill was 29.81. Unfortunately that was in pounds so that was more like $58USD. Yikes! That was just the two of us. This was typical. We didn't have a single meal at lunch or dinner that was less than 20 pounds for the two of us. You do the math. If the exchange rate were more favorable, it would have been o.k., but the exchange rate is awful. And, we don't eat extravagantly. My daughter is not a fancy eater and neither am I.

I wouldn't trade our trip for the world. It was wonderful and I knew it would be expensive going in. I am currently trying to organize a student tour to London next summer through ACIS, even knowing how expensive it will be to buy the one meal a day I have to on that tour, but I will definitely plan more for meals than I did this time.

Have fun.

carolll

Buy a copy of Pariscope (1 euro). It lists current exhibitions, films, lectures, etc. together with location addresses and prices of admission, if any. It comes out weekly, on either Tuesday or Wednesday.
Carol

travlsolo2

To get an overview of Paris, for the price of a bus ticket, you can take the Bus #69 Sightseeing Tour from the Eiffel Tower to Pere Lachaise Cemetery (Rick Steves Paris guidebook). I spent a couple hours in the cemetery (also info in the RS Paris book), and wish I had had more time. It was fascinating.

suze

Even if you do not have a kitchette ora frig, there are plenty of things you can make (or assemble) in a hotel room. You might want to tuck a few paper plates, paper napkins, plastic silverwear into the bottom of your suitcase. Fruit, crackers, cheese, yogurt, loaf of bread, lunch-meat, nuts, etc. all can help save your budget.