mwethington

My Husband and I are planning a 9 day low budget vacation in Edinburgh, London and Paris during the end of May 2017. We are a middle aged couple hoping to see both of the must see tourist sites (Castles, museums, art, markets and pubs etc) along with some local treasure places as well.
We are also trying to determine whether or not renting an apartment over staying at a hotel would be more affordable? We will not have a vehicle so anything clean and in a safe area near transportation or within close proximity to attractions would be great! We are also planning on using the train or bus to travel to each city. Any recommendations for better options to travel would be greatly appreciated!

MmePerdu

I also travel on a budget and one way of lowering expenses, as well as getting more bang for the bucks you do spend, is to limit the number of moves. It's hard to know from what you tell us exactly how much time you actually have. Knowing the number of nights you'll spend altogether will help.

My first thought, even before knowing the precise time frame, is to limit the trip to 2 locations rather than 3. If you indeed have 9 full days, that's 10 nights, after arriving and before leaving. With 1 day to travel between 2 locations it would give you 4 full days each which I consider enough time to begin to get a feel for a place. If you retain 3 locations with 10 nights, you'd have 2 full days in 2, 3 days in 1 and 2 travel days.

janisj

Please clarify - Is the trip 9 days altogether -- including travel to/from Europe?

If so you really don't have enough time for all three cities. 9 day nets you 6.5 days free to see and do things - and from that you also have to subtract the half a day it takes to travel between cities.

Have you booked flights yet? In to which city and home from which city?

Fill in those blanks for us and we can help . . .

(>>We will not have a vehicle so anything clean and in a safe area near transportation or within close proximity to attractions would be great!<<
All three cities have excellent public transport so no one ever needs to rent a car in any of them)

Sassafrass

Do you have 9 whole days on the ground or are you counting arrival or departure days?

Do you already have tickets? If not, with such a short time and cities some distance apart, you will definitely want multi-city or multi-destination (not two one-way) tickets.

denisea

Sounds like a great trip. I can't help with Edinburgh.

In London, the Tower of London is a favorite of mine. I also really liked the Churchill War Rooms. I think there is a Diana fashion exhibit at Kensington Palace, so if you are interested in her, I would visit Kensington Palace. I always used The Tube to get around.

In Paris, both the bus and Metro are easy to use. I am not sure how easy it is to rent an apt for only a few days. You may want to check out some of the higher numbered arrondisements for hotels that are more affordable. Do look for something close to a Metro station. That time of year, a walk on the Promenade Plantee will be nice!

I love many of the smaller museums. Musee Marmottan and LOrangerie are wonderful and far less crowded than The Louvre. If you like Impressionistic art then check them out. Saint Chapelle is beautiful , especially if you have a sunny day to make the stained glass stand out. I love St Denis, as well...it's the burial place of French kings so it's like a history lesson in a lot of ways.

HappyTrvlr

It is not worth the hassle of key pick up and final key hand off to book apartments for such a short time. If this is your first trip to these cities, a hotel front desk will be very helpful with directions, reservations.

mjs

I also am not sure how much actual time you have for your trip but I think I would limit your holiday to just London and Paris. This will hold down your costs and there is plenty to do in both cities within your time frame. Fly into London and out of Paris or the reverse depending on cost. Eurostar between the cities. An aparthotel like the Citadines may save you money on food if you prepare some of your meals in your room.

fuzzbucket

Vacation rentals are illegal in Paris. There are only 120 legal apartments listed with the Mayor's Office, and just the address is listed, not the apartment or the owner's name - so the list is useless.

Most agencies and individuals renting illegal apartments would prefer to rent for at least one week. You risk having someone cancel your reservation at the last minute in favor of someone who will be staying longer.

Do yourself a favor and stay in a hotel - you didn't give your budget, but there are loads of hotels for around 100 - 150 EU per night in Paris. Since you have come to a forum for advice, it's likely that you will need a lot more of the same. A 24/7 front desk staff will be on hand to help you with whatever you may need.

This is probably the best website for hotels - you can get great deals, and if you find someplace you like better, you can usually cancel within 24-48 hours: http://www.booking.com/

Most people prefer to stay in the 3rd or 4th arrondissements, or the 5th or 6th. This makes it easy to walk or take public transport to the usual attractions, and there are plenty of shops, cafes, etc.

fuzzbucket

PS - since you only have 9 days' vacation time, this actually means that you will have only 7 days.

If you're coming from an overseas flight, you'll lose time to jetlag.
When you depart, the normal checkout time is before noon, and you'll have to be at the airport several hours before your flight.

You could fly from London to Edinburgh on a low-cost airline, but you'd be strictly limited to only one bag apiece.
You'd spend one whole day departing from London then going back to London (or Paris) - so you'd only have 2 days to see anything in Edinburgh.

London is much more spread out than either of the other two cities, and it's difficult to get around to see what you had in mind.
London also is having problems with short-term apartments, so you should look for a hotel, using the same site I noted above.

If I were you, I'd fly into London, take the Eurostar into Paris and skip Edinburgh until you can take the time to see it properly.
Flying out of Paris will save you a lot of money, instead of going back to London.

StCirq

You don't have enough time for 3 European capitals even if you actually have 9 days on the ground, given that you have to move between them. Renting apartments for short stays like that is a terrible idea and you probably won't even find ones that will rent to you for such a short period of time. Don't even think about renting an apartment in Paris.

I'd stick with London and Paris and buy open-jaw tickets.

ssander

Ditto on the following:

1. You should only visit two cities. I prefer Paris then London...you can get from Paris to London in 2:20 by Eurostar and 1:20 by the clock due to time zone change, meaning it only wastes a half-day getting from Paris to your hotel--you can be there before lunch.

2. Don't miss the Tower of London...IMHO the one thing you should visit if you pinky can visit one thing.

Gotta go now...I'll get back with some more tips later.

ssander

KyraS

Every time you change locations, it costs you, in terms of time and money. (Often, you spend more money to spend less time travelling.)

If you have only nine days total, then I would do only one or two cities, and I would fly open-jaw/multiple destination/multi-city: fly from home city to Edinburgh, then fly home from London OR fly from home city to London, then fly home from Paris OR you get the idea. This is not the same as two one-way tickets. This saves you time backtracking.

If you have nine days PLUS days to travel to and from Europe PLUS transfer days, then maybe all three cities. I still wouldn't, but I'm generally a slow traveler (my last trip was three weeks in London).

I would take the train between Edinburgh and London, and the Eurostar between London and Paris.

You will need Advance tickets for the best price on the Edinburgh-London train, which I think is operated by Virgin, and I think those are usually sold about 12 weeks out.

For the best prices on the Eurostar, book as soon as tickets are released, six months out.

For a stay of only three days I wouldn't bother with an apartment, as to me any cost savings would be offset by the hassle and inconvenience, but your mileage may vary, and it's your trip, so you may do as you like.

For specific hotel recommendations, please provide dates and your budget in GBP/Euros, depending on the location. Otherwise I can point you towards booking.com, to get an idea of hotel prices in each city.

You do not need/want a car, in any of those cities. Transit will be more than sufficient. You will be safe; just take the usual big-city precautions.

You won't have much time in any destination, unless you spend all nine days in one place, so you will have to decide what few sights are most important to you, and plan accordingly. The only must see sights, are the ones YOU must see.

Good luck with your travel planning and hope you have a great holiday.

janisj

>> I prefer Paris then London…<<

That would make a nice 9 day trip -- but for budget travelers reversing the order would be better. In to London and home from Paris - because departure taxes/fees are much higher out of the UK.

PalenQ

We are also planning on using the train or bus to travel to each city. Any recommendations for better options to travel would be greatly appreciated!>

9 days - best case scenario:

Land in Edinburgh - 2 days enough to see highlights

Train to London -maybe stop off for a few hours in York, one of the finest looking and most interesting cities in England IME. www.nationalrail.co.uk

London- 3-4 nights

Eurostar train to Paris (about 3 hrs all told) 3-4 nights - fly home from Paris. www.eurostar.com.

That's as quick as you can do it.

Book those train tickets as early as possible for deep discounts over just showing up - for lots on trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

There is also an overnight Caledonian Sleeper Train between Edinburgh and London:

https://www.sleeper.scot/

Or fly from Edinburgh to Paris and take Eurostar "Chunnel" train to London - but note janis' advice on steeper departure fees/taxes leaving from there. but may be worth it as it would give you much of a day more all told in Paris or London.

janisj

PQ's plan is more than 9 days . . . 3 nights in Edinburgh (necessary if one wants 2 days there), 3 nights London (2.5 days - or just 2 days if you also spend a few hours in York), 3 nights Paris (2.5 days), plus the travel to/from Europe equals an 11 day trip.

Until the OP returns and clarifies how long they have for the entire trip - we are all just shooting in the dark.

PalenQ

3 nights in Edinburgh (necessary if one wants 2 days there)>

Assuming they land in morning that gives 1.5 days there - enough to see the highlights as you said in a recent thread

reformed with janis' critique:

Edinburgh 2 nights- 1.5 days
London 4 nights - 3 days
Paris 3 nights - 2.5 days
fly home next day IF you have ten days not nine.

and that is the very quickest possible by train or bus.

With 9 days only or nine nights - I'd skip Edinburgh and divide time between London and Paris. Take a short day trip out of either is possible too -like to Stonehenge or Oxford, etc from London or Reims for Champagne House tours; Normandy for D-day Beaches, etc.

Stick to hotels and I believe apartments may like a longer stay in high season at least.

janisj

>>Assuming they land in morning that gives 1.5 days there - enough to see the highlights as you said in a recent thread<<

I don't see anywhere the OP said they arrive in the early AM -- if they did land at EDI they would almost certainly connect through LHR so the chance of arriving at EDI before mid or late afternoon are slim to none . . .

But w/o feedback from the OP we are whistling in the dark so have at it.

ssander

<em> don't see anywhere the OP said they arrive in the early AM -- if they did land at EDI they would almost certainly connect through LHR so the chance of arriving at EDI before mid or late afternoon are slim to none . . .</em>

I can't find anywhere where the OP says the departure city, but American Airlines has a flight that leaves PHL at 6:40 pm and arrives at Edinburgh at 9:15 am (one stop through LHR). There probably are similar flights from other US gateway cities.

ssander

ssander

Re: budget ideas...

Here is the link to my London Bus 11 self-guided tour that I put together (with some suggestions from Fodorites):

http://www.sanderhome.com/London-Bus-11-Tour.pdf

It's over a year old, but probably is still pretty accurate.

It's formatted to fit on phones.

ssander

ssander

For a budget hotel, I recommend the Cherry Court Hotel:

http://www.cherrycourthotel.co.uk/

We have stayed there on every one of our five visits to London. Very reasonable rates (75 GBP/double) and great location of the tube and buses...two blocks from Victoria station with its three tube lines and dozens of bus lines.

(You probably aren't flying into Gatwick, but if you do, you should know that Southern Railways runs a 35-40 min. train to Victoria Station which also qualifies you for the Day's Out 2-for-1 vouchers.)

https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk

http://www.southernrailway.com

Not fancy (no real lobby, restaurant, or lift) and with tiny, tiny rooms, but Mr and Mrs Patel, who own and run it, are super friendly and helpful, and it is always clean and there are room safes. You get a "breakfast basket" each morning with fruit, juice and biscuits.



ssander