Travel to Europe for the first time
 

My husband and I (both in our mid 50s) will be travelling to Europe end Aug/Sep 2017. We are nervous since this is our first trip to anywhere. We are planning to go to London (for 10 days), Scotland for (for 1 week), Northern Ireland (for 1 week) and then Paris (for 10 days). We are looking for tours to take us around but they seem so expensive. Is is easy to get around London and do the sightseeing ourselves?? We are planning on taking a train to Edinburgh and hiring a car (how difficult is it to drive in Edinburgh??) and then a train from London to Paris?? Is this doable?? Any feedback will be appreciated.

You do not need a tour in any of those places --

Except maybe walking tours in London . . . walks.com is terrific

>> (how difficult is it to drive in Edinburgh??) <<

You do NOT want to drive IN Edinburgh -- at all!

But if you go into the countryside, yes - you can drive or, If you don't want to rent a car, this is a very good company that does short, small group tours by mini bus

https://www.rabbies.com

>>We are planning on taking a train to Edinburgh and hiring a car . . . and then a train from London to Paris?? <<

OK - If I understand your plans, you will be in Northern Ireland so why would you take the train from London to Paris. You can fly to Paris from Belfast or Dublin.

(IF you were in London immediately before going to Paris -- then yes, taking the train is great, but in either NI or Scotland you would be hundreds of miles from London)

There are some fairly inexpensive flights for the routes janisj is talking about above.

This is a good place to come for help planning your trip. With careful questions you can get all the information you need here.

These discussions always start with the recommendation to do some reading. Get some good guide books at the library or book store. Our library system doesn't have really up to date guide books, so if I don't have those, I double check times and prices online.

Good luck.

With the time you have allotted your itinerary looks very doable.
If you end your U.K. Vacation in Northern Ireland, the easiest way to get to Paris is to fly.
EasyJet is a low cost carrier that's reliable.
Rabbie's tours, as previously mentioned is a great tour outfit that offers reasonable one day tours (and longer) from Edinburgh, and London. While in Edinburgh you can take a train, on your own, to Stirling Castle, if you wish, and tour the castle. Hint, take a taxi from the train station to the castle (5pounds) and walk down hill back to the station.
If you are inclined you can also visit Glasgow by train.
SANDEMANs tours offer free daily tours in London,Edinburgh and Paris. Tipping your tour guide is appropriate.
Also, while in Paris, Paris Walks offer good tours that are very reasonable and are theme specific.
Paris offers so much, just figure out your interests and enjoy. Great city for walking and the bus and metro system is easy to navigate too.

If you are in Belfast, there are many tour operators who offer one day tours up the Antrim coast, and the Giants Causeway.
If you decide to drive, Northern Ireland is not that difficult to get use to. If you pick up a car at the international airport you will be out of the city and can head to the coast towards Ballycastle and onto the coast toward Derry.
These are general ideas, I am sure you will receive much more.

If you take low costs flights inside EUROPE pay attention to luggage. Some tickets are very cheap but do not allow for much luggage.

Thanks to all for the advice. I will keep this in mind whilst doing my research. I am sure I will come back for more tips.

If you plan to visit Northern Ireland, Scotland, London and Paris, do it in that order. Fly into Belfast for your time there, then fly to Edinburgh, then train down to London, Eurostar (train) to Paris and fly home from Paris. When you book your air tickets, ask for "open jaw" or Multi city tickets, home to Belfast, Paris to home.

This saves a lot of backtracking and also means that you are heading south in early September when the weather should be better the further south you go.

Others have given useful advices. I only want to say that it's easy to get around London/Paris and do the sightseeing yourselves. These 2 cities have the most comprehensive subway/bus system in the world, and they have a very walkable center where you can visit 4/5 main attractions at once.

If you have to move between London and Paris then eurostar train is the best. Book flights and eurostar train as soon as possible to have cheap price (eurostar opens for 6 months in advance of travel date).