London and Paris

11,785 Views | 72 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by Matsui
dylan
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We are going to spend five days in London and then five days in Paris in mid May. Any recs on tours, places, eating? We will use the Eurostar to Paris. I've heard we can book that early and also booking the Eiffel Tower early makes sense. Any other thoughts? I think I read that for Paris you can buy a museum pass which may make sense to avoid lines.
beachfront71
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AG

Check out St James hotel and Club in London then stay at the George V in Paris and you will be set.

Get your rail passes early as last minute ones are more expensive than the plane ride
JMac03
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Before I was a travel agent I used this website (and still do!) for information for traveling overseas. He talks about how to travel all over Europe.

Short story long, he talks about how you can possible do "Snap Fares" on the Eurostar - I did this and saved about half of what it would cost on the train (I was on a budget when I did my trip). But I would probably recommend just buying full price as early as possible as they will be cheaper than if you wait closer to your trip.

https://www.seat61.com/London-to-Paris-by-train.htm#Fares

When I did the Snap fares I saved quite a bit of money. The downfall is that you do not pick the exact time, you pick "morning" or "evening". If you pick morning good chances you are on the 5:40AM train as they are filling trains that have not sold out, so it would be rare for you to be on a peak train time. (I was on the 5:40AM train)

Quote:

  • You can buy these cheap Eurostar Snap tickets at https://snap.eurostar.com from 25 each way:
    - Go to https://snap.eurostar.com, you must sign up using Facebook or Twitter.
    - Booking opens as much as 30 days in advance and closes 7 days in advance.
    - You specify a date and specify morning or afternoon. The site shows which dates are available.
    - The exact choice of train is left up to Eurostar, you'll get an email confirming the train 48h before travel.
    - Just remember morning could mean the first 05:40 departure from London, afternoon the last train at night!
    - Only available between London and Paris or Brussels, not intermediate stations.
    - Only for travellers over 16, not children.
    - No refunds, no changes.
    - You can't buy Eurostar Snap tickets at www.eurostar.com site - just use it to check how much you saved!

ThunderCougarFalconBird
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AG
Get your Eurostar tickets as soon as you have dates for travel. Depending on the season, those prices can pop pretty quickly.

Same for Eiffel Tower. Eiffel Tower bookings get gobbled up far in advance and the regular line for schmucks is always massive.

Pre-order museum tickets and passes (and have them printed when necessary) before you leave the states. Especially in Paris, many of the more popular places build up big, slow lines for tickets very early.

Since you have more time in both places, see all of the "stuff" and then make sure to get off of the beaten path a little bit.
Always_Right
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London
  • purchase an oyster card (tube) and London pass, will make visiting attractions much easier
  • I've stayed in both Westminster and the Hyde Park area, prefer Hyde Park
  • Walk the city if its nice weather, St. James Park was absolutely beautiful when we were there in early October
  • Take a day trip away from the city, we visited Windsor Palace and Hampton Court, easily accessed by trains
  • Big Ben is under renovation and it won't be complete until 2020, so you will see a lot of scaffolding

Paris
  • Eiffel Tower tickets as early as you can get them, we also had dinner there, pricey but a great experience
  • Stayed on the Champs-Elysees, would recommend if you can swing it
  • Take the boat down the Seine, easy way to get around Paris and a really enjoyable ride
  • Visit Normandy and the WW2 sites if you have time, easily one of the best things I've ever done
  • Versailles is a must see, spend all day if you can, there are some cafe's and you can rent bikes or golf carts to ride around the grounds, beautiful setting
Vernada
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In Paris I've stayed at Hotel Relais Bosquet in the Rue Cler neighborhood the last four times I've been - including one business trip.

Great hotel in a great location.

https://hotel-paris-bosquet.com/en/
Vernada
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and buy Rick Steves most current book for each city now. It will help immensely and help you save plenty of time and money.
dcAg
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I recently stayed in the Picadilly Area in London and the St. Germain area of Paris. Absolutely recommend those locations!
dylan
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Thanks for all the advice. I bought both Rick Steves' books for each city. I booked a hotel in Rue Cler he recommended. I think the Eurostar tix become available 90 days before. I will definitely check our the early Eiffel Tower tix. I didn't know about the meal. I've read you can get a museum pass for Paris and Versailles sounds like a definite trip.
FriendlyAg
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Let's talk about food!

Le florimond in Paris... amazing service and reasonable price. The matrie D is something else and definitely makes the experience memorable. Talk about orchestrating a dinner. We chose the menu prixe fixe and it was like art how they picked wine for the different courses. They served us like 4 different types of foie gras and smelly cheeses. I think I honestly was drunk after that but rememeber being very happy and having 3 desserts with espresso. Amazing experience. There were tourists in there but it wasn't a tourist place and plenty of Pariseans as well. Make a reservation!!

Lavante Comptoir was a wine bar I fascinated about for a long time... finally went and loved it. Standing room and finger food with great wine. Great atmosphere.

Also, it's May. Get two bottles of ros, some olives, some cheese, some cured meats, and a baguette and go sit in a park or the edge of the river and get drunk. Then make out with your wife/girlfriend.

In London I had several good meals.

Vasco and Piero's Italian in SoHo. Family run business.. the son is the front of the house. I was feeling indecisive that night and I asked the waiter (who happened to be the head of the front of the house) what the chef would like to cook. He brought me a steak, but since I had asked about the lamb, they chef also brought out some lamb. He hand delivered it. It was the old man. The old man was still back there cooking. He said lamb cooked on a flat top was so simple, but was his favorite meal and he wanted me to try it. He didn't even know me but he loved sharing food that much. Made my night. We drank great wine here and then shut down a bar down the street.

I also made my family try some good ramen at Kanada-Ya. Ippudo is across the street and this is more of a hole in the wall place. There was about 15 people standing in line outside so we waited it out and it was definitely worth it. The onigiri was amazing and the ramen was as well.

I love both of these cities and have been to both twice, once with family and once on my own. A lot of suggestions seem to be aimed towards older/family, but on the off chance you're under 40 and may be looking for edgier opinions or things to do at night; let me know.

Both cities have class but both cities have a fair amount of charming grunge. If you're high class here, of course enjoy that, but I always think it's worth getting out of your comfort zone and doing something different. On the contrary, if you're young and a little rough around the egdes, class it up a bit and drink some fine wine and have afternoon tea on a high terrace somewhere like royalty.

Regardless, have fun and enjoy yourself!!
dylan
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I've also read that both cities have great walking tours. The same company...the jack the ripper tour is the most popular but the walking tours I've taken in other cities have been a great way to learn about the city and get dining tips etc.
whasty
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London walks is good. http://www.walks.com/
Vernada
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A good of friend of mine did one of these food tours in Paris a few months ago and said it was the best part of her trip:

https://parisbymouth.com/food-wine-tours/
Trident15
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If you have Apple Pay, I would highly recommend using that for the London Underground. It saves you money over the Oyster card and is super simple. Just touch and go.
dylan
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Food tour looks great. I definitely want to combine that with various walking tours!
TriAg2010
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blindey said:

Pre-order museum tickets and passes (and have them printed when necessary) before you leave the states. Especially in Paris, many of the more popular places build up big, slow lines for tickets very early.

Pro-tip for the Lourve: Enter via the underground entrance in the metro station. The line is much shorter than the main entrance. If you want to see the iconic pyramid, then just exit via the front at the end of your trip.

The Louvre and Versailles were my #1A and #1B favorite things we did in France.
Mustang1
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Taking my 11 yr old to Paris next year. Think he would find either of those places interesting?
TriAg2010
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Mustang1 said:

Taking my 11 yr old to Paris next year. Think he would find either of those places interesting?


I think so, but I don't know kids these days. Whenever I go to an art museum, I usually try to count how many dogs I see in paintings, which is fun at any age.

My favorite part of Versailles was the gardens and not so much the palace itself. I would have loved running around the gardens as a kid.
DallasAg2
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Get free tickets prior to visit for the SkyGarden. It is just as good as the London Eye view, unless you want to get on a ferris wheel.

Dishoom - best indian food

dylan
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I've read a number of the museums in London are free but it's worth getting a museum pass for Paris because it gets you in early and worth the cost overall.
Vernada
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dylan said:

I've read a number of the museums in London are free but it's worth getting a museum pass for Paris because it gets you in early and worth the cost overall.
One of the best parts of the museum pass is being able to pop in to some of the 'smaller' museums to catch one or two works and not feeling like you wasted money - or not seeing the work because you didn't want to buy a ticket just to see one or two pieces.
Vernada
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Eating in Rue Cler tip:

Cafe Du Marche is great - very fair prices, very Parisian experience. (expect slow service and surly but good waitstaff). Excellent Plat du jours.

Avoid Cafe Central across the street - very expensive and nothing special to justify the prices.
Vernada
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Another thought - for Paris Metro make sure you have the RATP app on your phone.

It's terrific - it live updates with best way to get from point A to B.

It also makes it much easier to use the buses - which I strongly recommend. They are easy and you get to see the city.
Cardiag
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For London. I really enjoy an afternoon tea. Sounds silly but is really a fun experience and the food is very tasty. The teas at Brown's hotel and Fortnam and Mason are a little pricey but very nice.

The Ledbury is the best dinner I've ever had. Its a Michelin 2 star but feels like a neighborhood place just off of Notting Hill.

Also I would not miss the Tower of London. The guided tour is very interesting.
dylan
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I've heard Fortnum and mason is a great place to visit for tea. Any suggestions on one day trips from London and/or Paris. I've heard Windsor, bath and Stonehenge are good for London (also Henry 8th's castle ) and for Paris: Versailles and Giverny.
Vernada
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Versailles is a very easy trip.

You might also consider Reims - Champagne capital of the world. It's a two hour train ride from Paris. Nice town. You can easily walk everywhere from the station. I wouldn't really suggest trying to do a tour on a day trip but there are some places in town where you could book some learning sessions and sample some champagne. And then there's a great Champagne bar you could head to for another relaxing bottle or three.

Personally, I'd do Reims as it's own trip and stay a for a relaxing 2-3 nights so you might want to put that on a future list. But it is very doable as a day trip.

Edit - just re-read your OP. With only 5 days in Paris I wouldn't plan on doing anything other than Versailles. I'm also a lazy traveler and would probably end up doing no day trips. Paris itself has plenty to fill up 5 days (esp when you consider you are probably traveling on day 1 and 5).
Cardiag
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Skip Bath and Stonehenge (this place is seriously boring). Oxford is a pleasant train trip then extremely walkable from the station. See everything from 14th century architecture to the pub where Tolkein and Lewis drank. Windsor was also good. But make sure to have a plan or else get swept into the mass of tourists.
dylan
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I've heard that about Stonehenge. Just seen a lot of day trips include them. Oxford appeals to me. How does that compare to Cambridge? Someone else recommended a trip to Hampton Court (Henry VIII's castle) and take a boat ride back.
Cardiag
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Have not been to Cambridge or Hampton Court. My wife has been to Cambridge and prefers Oxford for the less touristy feel. You could let Rick Steves guide you in choosing between the two.
Ragoo
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Do a fat tire tour in Paris, preferably the first evening you are there.

Eat at Chartier. We loved it and ate there twice.
https://www.bouillon-chartier.com/en/
dylan
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I really would rather see Oxford if we do a day trip. It seems London has so much to do a day trip may not make sense. We want to catch a West end play and take several walking tours. I'm sure the time will fly.
Vernada
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dylan said:

I really would rather see Oxford if we do a day trip. It seems London has so much to do a day trip may not make sense. We want to catch a West end play and take several walking tours. I'm sure the time will fly.
Always travel like you'll be back again.

Plan so that you can have a somewhat flexible schedule and make plans on the fly.

I like to only book my transportation and hotels before a trip - maybe one thing at my destination (esp is space is limited - like those Paris food tours). Otherwise, just decide at the time what I want to do.
dylan
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I like reading a work of fiction connected to a new place I visit. I'm listening to Edward Rutherfod's London right now.
Ag with kids
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Vernada said:

Another thought - for Paris Metro make sure you have the RATP app on your phone.

It's terrific - it live updates with best way to get from point A to B.

It also makes it much easier to use the buses - which I strongly recommend. They are easy and you get to see the city.
Also...even though it's only for 5 days, get the Pass Navigo Decouverte

It WILL save you money getting around.

And get the Museum Pass. It will save you money, but more importantly TIME by getting you in much quicker...
Ag with kids
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Vernada said:

dylan said:

I've read a number of the museums in London are free but it's worth getting a museum pass for Paris because it gets you in early and worth the cost overall.
One of the best parts of the museum pass is being able to pop in to some of the 'smaller' museums to catch one or two works and not feeling like you wasted money - or not seeing the work because you didn't want to buy a ticket just to see one or two pieces.
L'Orangerie...

It's got Monet's complete Water Lillies...really cool to see (of course I'm a big Monet fan, so...)
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