Bindery

I found a deal for my wife and I for RT to Paris from Newark and 4 nights hotel for 650 each.
We live in Tampa, FL but have American Air miles for 2 round trips to NYC.
We can leave on March 22 and come back on March 31. After the 4 nights in Paris we would take the Eurostar to London and rent a car and see the English countryside (including the Warner Bros Harry Potter Park outside of London, my wife really wants to see it), then take the Eurostar back to Paris to fly home.
We have been to both Paris and London before. We would use 1 day in Paris to take a trip to see the Normandy Beaches and D-Day memorials. I’m sure there are a lot of things we didn’t see in Paris last time we were there.
I don’t think we would go into London, when we arrive we would find someplace to rent a car and maybe use B&B’s to stay at.
I would have a lot of details to work out, but I would appreciate any comments anyone would have on this plan.

JAMH

How will you not go into London if you take Eurostar to London? You will be in London when you get off the train. What time is your flight home from CDG? Depending on the timing, it could be a problem taking a train from London to get to CDG in time for a departing flight. If I could I would do the UK part of trip immediately upon arriving and do the Paris part of the trip at the end. A one day tour of WWII sites in Normandy that departs from Paris will be a 14-hour day. If all the time that you have is one day, then so be it but if you could add an overnight that would make it a lot easier.

thursdaysd

So you only have four days for England? You may be better off doing day trips from London.

janisj

Quick note: If your point is to see that countryside definitely do NOT take the Eurostar in to London St Pancras! Either fly CDG to LHR, or take the Eurostar to say Ashford and pick up a rental car there. Or you can add on an onward train ticket to your Eurostar booking to a station up the libne an out of London.

You do not want to be driving from St Pancras/Kings Cross. The other option would have you arriving at St Pancras, taking the tube out to LHR and collecting a rental car there -- so IMO you should just fly to LHR.

janisj

. . . or as thursdaysd suggests, just stay in London and do day trips.

But IF you want to be outside of London, don't take the Eurostar to central London.

elberko

I have 2 thoughts:

You are going to use a fair amount of time and money to use this "deal". Are you really going to save much in the end?

I wonder if March is the best time of year for a driving tour of England.

janisj

>>I wonder if March is the best time of year for a driving tour of England.<<

Not 'best' - but there is certainly nothing wrong w/ touring in March. Nothing at all.

travelhorizons

Instead of taking the Eurostar, you could be better off FLYING from Paris to Heathrow or Gatwick. Just time your return flight to CDG so that you have a crazy amount of time in-between flights. You don't want to have any risk of misconnecting.

Flying into CDG will be a lot easier than getting from Gare du Nord to the airport.

PalenQ

Paris to Bayeux -train -pick up mini-bus tours to highlights of nearby D-Day sights- best you can do on a day trip.

Book Eurostar ASAP for deep discounts- either one way or return.

For lots on French trains check www.voyages-sncf.com; www.eurostar.com for Paris-London v.v.- for general info on trains check www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.seat61.com- great advice from latter on booking your own discounted tickets.

WoinParis

Same as everybody.
Depending on where in England you want to go check easyjet flights. Manchester and Leeds are pretty easy but ther must be much more.
One day trip to Normandy is short. Very short. I'd do a 2 days trip at least.
Actually I did a 3 nights trip and have left a lot for another time.
Or go to Loire valley and skip England.
Nothing there anyway. No good wine and they drink their beer warm
I know : I read it in 'Asterix et les Bretons'.

annhig

if you want to see the southeast of England flying to LGW could make sense, but I might get Eurostar back to Paris so as to be reasonably sure that i wouldn't miss my flight home. This is very easy from LGW - get a Thameslink train direct to St Pancras from the station in LGW - it takes about an hour and they run very frequently.

however, given the shortness of your trip, and your interest in Normandy, I think that I would go there straight from CDG, spend a few days there and then end my trip in Paris.

janisj

>>Instead of taking the Eurostar, you could be better off FLYING from Paris to Heathrow or Gatwick.<<

There are no flights from Paris to Gatwick. It would have to be LHR or another UK airport.

travelhorizons

Veuling has an evening flight from CDG to LGW.

PalenQ

>>Instead of taking the Eurostar, you could be better off FLYING from Paris to Heathrow or Gatwick.<<

I can see flying from London to CDG timed with your return flight but flying from Paris to London- ???- maybe to- Gatwick if going to be in southeastern England - or take Eurostar trains to Ashford International -takes just two hours (one on the clock as you gain an hour going to Britain) with rail connections to all of SE England -no hassling with airports or getting to CDG from central Paris.

MmePerdu

If you don't want to stay in London, and you plan to be in Normandy, why not just go there, spend a night and take a ferry on to the south coast of England, pick up your car and see some countryside. Return the car to either LHR or Gatwick and fly back to CDG before your flight home. You might even go back the evening before, possibly stay at an airport hotel for simplicity's sake.

MmePerdu

OK, I accept no flights from Gatwick, so return the car at Heathrow and fly back to CDG from there.

StCirq

I'm no expert on this, either, but I was going to suggest exactly what Mme Perdu did if you're going to be on the Normandy coast anyway. Seems to make a lot more sense than going back to Paris to either fly or take the train.

MmePerdu

And it lands them right in the south, likely one of the nicest areas for that time of year. And one of my favorite parts of England, so much to see.

buzzcolin

Possible Snow in the SE of England in March and rough seas crossing the Channel!! I would rather stay in France and maybe visit Brittany. Dinan is a wonderful small town and from there you could hire a car and travel to Ile Mont San Michel and then on to the Normandy beaches. Makes more sense. Leave England for another time.

annhig

or take the overnight ferry:

https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/f...king-303?st=f2

You can get an overnight ferry from Caen to Portsmouth then pick up a car and drive up through southern England to LGW. Winchester, Arundel, the Chichester Basin, Brighton, the South Downs, Lewes would all be worthwhile places to see as well as Portsmouth itself.