Planning first trip to europe (Paris, London) tons of questions.
 

We are planning our first visit to europe this winter during christmas to new years. Our plan is 5 days in Paris and 3 days in London. I have a few questions and a rough outline of the itinerary I was hoping to improve with the help of experience travelers!

1. Transportation from airport: Taxi, uber or shuttle? The hotel (hotel d'orsay) offers shuttle service for 65 euros.

2. Christmas day activities: I read that Eiffel Tower, Seine river cruise (which company?) and champs-elysees are open during christmas day. What else would be advised to do during that day?

3. Tmobile from US is offering international data/text and 20 cent/minute calls, would this be enough or do you suggest buying a local sim?

4. Exchange euros in the states before leaving? does chip-and-sign credit cards accepted widely in europe?

5. The current itinerary is as follows: (tried not to pack them as i don't know how long each step will take as well as transportation)

Sat 12/24: 6:55AM Arrive at CDG, Arc de Triomphe dropping off luggage at the hotel (assuming they have luggage store service?)
Sun 12/25: Eiffel Tower, Seine River, Champs-elysee (suggestion on which order? (ie. Eiffel better at morning or afternoon, etc?)
Mon 12/26: Louvre, Notre Dame, Pantheon, my reason to group these on the same day is they are all to the east side of the hotel, any suggestions on what to add to the list would be great! (as I assume these 3 won't take a whole day)
Tue 12/27: Versailles (whole day?)
Wed 12/28: Musee d'orsay, anything else suggested here?
Thur 12/29: Eurostar to London at 1PM (get to gare du nord at 12pm? eat lunch before going to the trainstation or is there recommended food options near the station? assuming we have luggage I probably prefer to eat before checking out of the hotel), arriving in London at Thistle Euston (I know its a bit far but closest in our budget)
Fri 12/30: London eye, Buckingham Palace, suggestions?
Sat 12/31: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, suggestions?
Sun 1/1: flight to US in the morning.

So that is the planned itinerary, wife wanted to see fondation louis vuitton (which day should I fit this into?) and is there similar spots worth checking out as well?

Please advise for any of these questions, thanks so much!

Your screen name sounds like a football call.

The Champs-Elysees is an avenue. Whether its stores are open is another issue.

Check the Louvre's website. Monday is normally a museum closed day. And remember even the US, where we're brutalized by our employers and get no time off ever, considers the 26th a holiday when Xmas falls on a Sunday.

Don't take Euros. The French are semi-civilized and have ATMs.

1. Taxis to central Paris are flat rate and cost less than the shuttle offered by your hotel.

2. Walk around and enjoy Paris. Do you want to go up the EIffel Tower, or just see it? You will see the Seine, and can walk along it, and I'm sure some of the river boats will run. A lot of things will be closed on this day, so just be flexible and enjoy being in Paris.

3. The T Mobile texting and data work fine. I haven't made phone calls (do you expect you will need to?), but I think what is offered by T Mobile would be all you would need unless you expect to spend long periods of time on the phone.

4. As noted above, do not buy foreign currency in the US - you will pay a lot more for it. use your ATM card to withdraw Euros in Paris and Pounds in London. Use your credit card (assuming ti does not charge extra for foreign exchange) whenever you can. We came home from Paris with lots of Euros because we found almost every place took credit cards.

Your other questions: in all of my years of staying in hotels all over the world, I have never found one that did not have luggage storage service. Personally, I wouldn't spend a whole day out of a mere five days at Versailles, but it depends on your interests. I notice you don't have the Tower of London on your London itinerary, and I highly recommend it.

There is way too much for you to do and see to cover it all in your short time in these cities, so make notes on what you want to do/see next time around.

Just time for a very quick response -- wait for lunch until you get to London (you gain an hour so you will be arriving right at lunch time).

>>Fri 12/30: London eye, Buckingham Palace, suggestions?
Sat 12/31: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, suggestions?<<

Your fri/sat have basically nothing except the Abbey. The others are either walk-by's or take very little time (the Eye). And all 4 of those are w/i a very short walk of each other so you could whip them all in a single afternoon.

1. Taxi from the approved stand. 55 euros. Not Uber, not anyone who solicits you inside the irport.

2. Have no idea, but Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf is my preferred boat cruise company -4 euro discount for buying online at their website.

3. 20 cents a minute seems like a fortune to me, but if you're only in Europe for a short while and not making lots of calls it could work for you. I would get a local SIM, but that's me.

4. No, never buy euros in the USA before leaving. Use your ATM card once you arrive, and bank with a bank that doesn't charge you fees. Chip-and-sign credit cards will be accepted everywhere, but depending on your bank you may be fleecedwith charges. Your best bet is a cc from a credit union that doesn't impose any charges at all.

You need to figure out what's open and closed on the holidays you're there. They could severely limit your time to visit things.

You itinerary has a lot of outdoor activities as if you have simply imported itineraries for spring or fall.

1. Transportation from airport. There are option depending on what you want to optimize. You did not mention this. It depends on where you are going, how much luggage you have, etc. A taxi you can just hop on at the airport is a regulated 55€ fixed price to the left bank. What your hotel is proposing is to charge you more while incurring a no-show risk.

2. Christmas day activities. There are Christmas markets. http://www.xmas-markets.org/paris-christmas-markets/ Some stay open all during the stay while others close shortly after your arrival.

3. Tmobile from US. Enough for what? The phone is usage model driven. For someone from the U.S. t-mobile is as easy as you can get. Just start using with no data roaming or text charge. If you read this forum, those with Verizon/Sprint/ATT have much harder time.

4. Exchange euros in the states before leaving? If your concern, which is not stated, is the cost, this is a math problem. Just do trial computation to do this at home. For $100 conversion, you are probably paying around 10% premium over the official rate considering ALL the cost. Now look at your Debit/ATM card foreign charge. If you are using better cards, it is either 1% or 0%. Now which do you want to use, a method with 10% charge or 1% charge? For some reason, this is a very difficult choice for many people.

4. does chip-and-sign credit cards accepted widely in Europe? Yes if you are dealing with a person who can print out a slip for you to sign. No if you are dealing with machine only unless it is a trivial amount they let you charge without PIN based authorization.

Gare du Nord has zillion places to eat before your train. Understand the special check-in time requirement for Eurostar.

I realize it's your first time, and you have the standard bucket list stops on your agenda.

But be sure to include some time in Parisian cafes/restaurants/etc so that you can appreciate why people return to Paris for more of the same, year after year.

Don't get lunch at Gard du Nord, unless you take time to have lunch at Terminus Nord or another brasserie. Gard du Nord is terrible for food. As Janisj says, eat in London. Even right when you arrive; St Pancras station has some good options. Or buy food to eat on train.

Book those Eurostar tickets ASAP- deep discounts available but they are limited in numbers - full fare is a ton more- www.eurostar.com.

You must go thru Eurostar entry at least 30-35 minutes before your train time.

I'd suggest more time to check in for Eurostar. Often, you'll get behind a group with immigration issues, and will face delays. There are places to eat, shop and bathrooms in the lounge, so waiting won't be a problem. Bring a pen to fill out the embarkation cards for your family before you enter the check in area.

If you think you might feel more comfortable having a little cash in hand when you arrive, there isn't much of a charge for asking your bank to arrange 100 or 200 EU. There are often minimums for credit cards, and many taxis don't accept them.

When you check into the Eurostar lounge in Gare du Nord, there is an ATM just across from the shopping/food area upstairs in the rear. More convenient to get GBP here than in crowded St Pancras.

With the heightened security, I'd allow 45 mins +

Thanks everyone for the replies. A few follow ups below:

1. By getting euros before the trip I meant for mostly for taxi to the hotel, being from los angeles I never rode in a taxi before and don't know if they accept credit card (as well as tipping etiquette)

2. This being our first trip and only time in the year we can get long periods off, it is why it would look like a fall/spring itinerary. But we do just want to see the touristy areas for this first trip and just want to see if we missed any must-see items (such as the Tower of London)

3. I am mostly worried about christmas day, trying to figure out what would be open and food options, so any comment on that would be greatly appreciated!

Most if not alltaxis accept credit card.
Tipping is not necessary (yeah, I know, some will)
No prob in winter - you'll find it as beautiful to walk the ChampS Elysees in the dark as in daytime. Might want to do both actually.
Xmas day - never been at that time in Paris, it is usually to be treated like a sunday : I'd expect lots of closure (muséums, banks, schools etc supermarkets) but I'm pretty sure the Seine will have a lot of people selling books and some if not most restaurants will be open.

>>1. By getting euros before the trip I meant for mostly for taxi to the hotel,<<

After you get off the plane, and go through immigration, you proceed to the luggage carousels - and while you are waiting for the bags, step a few feet to the nearest ATM and get some €

But if that worries you, just buy a few € at the Bureau de Change at LAX. You'll have tons of time to kill after clearing security.

I am looking at this:

<i>Thur 12/29: Eurostar to London at 1PM (get to gare du nord at 12pm? eat lunch before going to the trainstation or is there recommended food options near the station? assuming we have luggage I probably prefer to eat before checking out of the hotel), arriving in London at Thistle Euston (I know its a bit far but closest in our budget)</i>

According to www.eurostar.com, on 12/29, the Paris-London trains around that time for direct trains are:

11:13 Paris - 12:39 London (2 h 26 min trip)
13:13 Paris - 14:39 London (2 h 26 min trip)

Presuming 13:13 train is closer to what you thought you are taking, you will not get to London St. Pancras until 14:39. If you waited until you get to London for lunch, you are eating lunch around 15:00.

Another consideration is that your hotel, Thistle Euston, is close to London St. Pancras station. Between St. Pancras and Euston is the British Library. While you have not mentioned, it, according to http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/quickinfo/l...res/index.html, the library is closed on many days around that time, but open while you are in London including the arrival day.

I suggest going up the notre dam, and that alone took us two hours with the long wait time. Also the Louvre is huge! way bigger than I anticipated. Allow at least a couple hours for that as well. It will be cold, but nowhere near unbearable, I suggest hot chocolate at angelina's. I'm sure you've read that somewhere already though. Hit as many small cafes as you can. Other than historical sights, that was the highlight!

Yes I am talking about the 13:13 paris to london eurostar, I have already purchased the tickets to it last week. I'll make note to arrive to the train station early for eurostar.

I do plan on going up Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel tower (elevator?) and Notre Dame so I'll allocate extra time for those. We would prefer not to rush so I am planning only the must see tourist places for this trip!

As for trips this small is it worth it to purchase metro pass/oyster pass? I'll work out the math later after work but any advice on this would be great!

As for trips this small is it worth it to purchase metro pass/oyster pass? I'll work out the math later after work but any advice on this would be great!>

No - if taking more than six metro or bus trips in Paris buy a carnet of 10 tickets that equals about six or so individual fares - can be shared by anyone.

Like janis said most of your musts in London are clustered together- would not hassle with Oyster Card for at most a trip or two on the Tube or buses (cheaper I think).

<<Presuming 13:13 train is closer to what you thought you are taking, you will not get to London St. Pancras until 14:39. If you waited until you get to London for lunch, you are eating lunch around 15:00.>>

And there's a time difference too - that "14:39" will feel like "15:39" to you because London is an hour behind Paris.

For London, get a pair of one-day Travelcards for zone 1-2. Go to the daysoutguide.co.uk and make sure you follow its requirements and use the voucher for the Tower (that'll save you about $28-30 depending upon the exchange rate).

Great tips, thanks PalenQ and BigRuss!

There's a big fireworks show on New Year's Eve, down by the Thames, but you'll have to purchase tickets beforehand. It's a good show, if you like fireworks and crowds. The problem will be walking back to your hotel : )

Since you're coming off a trans-Atlantic flight, you might be a little more tired than you expect. It might be a good idea to lighten up a little on your first day in Paris.

When it's your turn in the taxi line, hand the driver the complete printed address of your hotel, including the Postal Code, and add "Forfait taxi ____ EU" - depending on your address, you'll pay either 50 EU for the Right Bank (Postal Codes ending in 1,2,3,4,8,9,10,11,12,16,17,18,19,20) or 55 EU for the Left Bank (Postal Codes ending in 5,6,7,13,14,15). This way, there will be no confusion.
There is no need to tip the driver unless he helps with the luggage. 1 or 2 EU will be appreciated, no need to give more.

There is no tipping in restaurants, cafes, etc in Paris, though many people will leave the extra small change, if there is any.

>>There's a big fireworks show on New Year's Eve, down by the Thames, but you'll have to purchase tickets beforehand. It's a good show, if you like fireworks and crowds. The problem will be walking back to your hotel : )<<

Save your money and the aggravation. You'll get a much better view on the TV in the comfort of your hotel room.

I would NOT attempt to attend the Thames-side fireworks. As Patrick says -- not only is the view better on TV, the event is a mob scene (Times Square-ish) and public transport in the area is a zoo.

Montmartre is a fun place... we enjoyed walking up the steep streets and poking round the shops
It was winter..dont know how we would've enjoyed it in the heat of summer

When you debark from Eurostar in St Pancras, look for the overhead signs saying "TAXI" and line up behind the other people. Be specific about the address of your hotel - print it, if possible.
Taxis in London might be a little more expensive than in Paris, because there is more ground to cover and more one-way streets.

they still have that New Year's Day Parade with lots of American marching bands (when I saw it a whiles ago)- seemed kind of kitschy but I guess something to do on a day when little I think is open in London.

Some of this isn't specific to the 25th, but some of it is:

http://www.parisinsidersguide.com/ch...is-france.html

I googled Xmas day in Paris and got a lot.

I don't know if it's just me but when google maps showed 40 mins from st germain des pres (where I stayed in Paris) to Eiffel Tower, I ended up taking long over two hours. I stopped so often while I was strolling along the Seine...so many beautiful vistas around, so much people watching to do, so many pics to take! Please consider that you're on a vacation, so you won't be marching from one tourist attraction to the other without changing your route impromptu, stopping by at a bakery, clicking pics, getting lost and finding your way again.

Secondly, unless you're not much into arts and museums and want to go to Louvre just because it's a must do, it sounds impractical to manage Louvre, Notre Dame and Pantheon in one day. After a while, some sort of sensory overload would lead to numbness in Louvre and you'd want to take a lunch or snack break and then get back in the game. Allow more time if you want to see at least the popular pieces of art there. I had downloaded some app back then...top 100 in louvre or something like that. I had read up about them, ticked what interested me, noted their location, and it still took me so long.

Yes like rtwin80days says it's often the things you pass when walking between major sights that can be as delightful as the site you are heading to.

I have visited Paris a zillion times in my life - seen all the main sights but am always fascinated by things I see on my long strolls, often with a vague destination but always with lots of detours. See Paris as well as the main sights - that's the problem with a bus tour - you see umpteen famous sights but little often of the cities they are in.

Taking the metro is fun but again you see just tube walls though observing fellow passengers is a delight too.

I thought you may enjoy reading a trip report from an American couple spending Christmas in Paris. There is also a report from Christmas in Nice. It might give you some ideas for things to do and what was open etc.

http://www.slowtrav.com/member/roz/index.htm

(Second report down the list.)

Kay

Paris is alive on Christmas Day - lots of folks out and about - some lesser museums even open and many smaller stores and cafes, etc.

Many towns like London on Xmas Day are dead.

Up to you but I text from Europe rather than making phone calls and T-Mobile means I do it free.

Is it really THAT necessary for you to chat verbally? If it is try using something like Skype.

I was worried as Tmobile's free data is fast enough for google and maps. I used it in China a couple years ago and it was slow to the point I could not load a map when I am outside wifi range.

I heard there are a lot of free wifis in paris and london so I am assuming that'll be less of a problem?