scosner

Hello. Again I am asking for help. I can not say enough great things about the advise I receive from here. I am hoping to figure out travel to and from the airport and my hotels. We (my hubby and I)will be traveling with a small carry-on and large suitcase (that's it) that is rolling. We just want to know what will be best/easiest/most convenient while not breaking the bank. We would like the cheapest option but not if it takes us hours to get to where we need to be or is extremely confusing or a load of trouble. Details are...

London- arrive LHR on 5/25 at 11am, hotel is Copthorne Tara Kensington- closest to Kengisngton High tube stop

London to Paris- from hotel to the train from London St. Pancras to Paris Nord (train leaves at 11:35am)

Paris- arrive train (Paris Nord) at 3:30pm to hotel Le Meridien Montparnasse- closest station Gare Montparnasse

Paris to Rome- from hotel to CDG, plane departs at 6:15pm

Rome- arrive FCO at 8:15pm, hotel is the River Palace- closest station Flaminio

Rome to London- will fly out of Rome at 9:35am FCO

Thanks for any help that you can give!

yk

Can you elaborate how small is the carry-on, and how big is the "large suitcase"? It'll be more helpful if you give us the dimensions.

For London, the easiest is to get a car service. Just Airports is recommended here often, just do a search here. If you want to be cheap, you can take the tube from Heathrow to Earls Court, then switch for District line to High St Ken. The trip should be just under 1 hr.

To get from your London hotel to St Pancras, you can take the tube (District or Circle line) to Kings Cross/St Pancras. no change needed. However, I don't know how far the walk is from the tube station to the Eurostar station.

To get from Gare du Nord to Gare Montparnase, you can take Line 4. It connects Nord w/Montparansse. No change needed.

From Montparnasse, you can take the AirFrance bus which connects gare Montparnase with cdg.

Cannot help with Rome.

Anyway, all the above public transportation can be done with small luggage. Expect carrying your suitcase up and down flights of stairs at stations. That's why i asked how big the "large suitcase" is.

For me (I'm a healthy mid 30s woman), I can only handle a 21" suitcase with a max weight of around 22lbs. Anything bigger or heavier is too much for me to lug. Of course, if you or your husband is a professional weight-lifter, then you won't have problem with a large suitcase.

yk

meant to add, both the London tube and the Paris metro have pretty decent websites that have a "journey planner" function. You put in the departure and arrival station, it'll tell you what/which route and how long it takes.

arcoiris

Taking the tube would definetely not break the bank, and I usually take it changing at earls court...dont like going up the steps for the district line, there is an escalato and elevator that I don't ususlly find. Have used car service on the return, about 25 pounds plus tip, not the one mentioned on this site. Have also used public transport RER in paris and same for Rome. Check their stations with city maps, that might help. Enjoy your trip.

Londonres

One option for a shared transfer service from the airport to your hotel is Dot2Dot: http://www.dot2.com/
Compare prices with other services before booking. Alternatively, you could get off the tube at Earl's Court and take a taxi (there should be step free access to street level at this station).

Your hotel should be able to recommend a minicab to take you to the Eurostar terminal and this is cheaper than a taxi. Otherwise, use only the circle line on the tube, and it will take you to the station. Then you just have to follow the exit signs for the Eurostar terminal.

scosner

Thanks you so much for your help. I will check out the website for metro travel in London and Paris. I beleive the sizes are a 21" and a 25". My hubby can carry quite the load but we will weigh it and have him carry it around before we leave. I will also contact our hotels to see what they say. Any thoughts on Rome? Thanks again!!!