TriAg2010 said:

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Mustang1 said:

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

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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.

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I have no idea what is going on in this painting, but it was for some reason one of my favorites in the Louvre...

Great advice on the Paris museum pass. We will definitely get those. Thanks! Sort of glad we are not traveling there now. Seems the protests this weekend are wild.

dylan said:

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Great advice on the Paris museum pass. We will definitely get those. Thanks! Sort of glad we are not traveling there now. Seems the protests this weekend are wild.

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Also, when you go, make sure it's not the first Sunday of the Month...

It's free admission to everyone that day and the line is ridiculous.

Any top food recommendations: London and Paris?

dylan said:

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Any top food recommendations: London and Paris?

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I stayed in Whitechapel back in 2016. The bartender I talked to (an Indian (dot) chick) told me to try this place which was right around the corner from my hotel.

https://needoogrill.co.uk

It was quite tasty.

good resource:

https://parisbymouth.com/restaurants/

Tagging along on this one.

Doing both places in September.

I wonder why the English have so many good bakeries but the restaurant food isn't so well considered.

As mentioned above, I always recommend doing the Fat Tire Bike Tour on First Day.

FAT TIRE BIKE TOUR - You knock out many of the bucket-list sites and you can say you saw them and not waste too much time doing it. The Bike Tour is fun too, getting to cruise through the streets of Paris with a large group makes it safer and is very enjoyable. Have Lunch or Dinner is an outdoor cafe outside the Louvre in Tuilleries Gardens is great. You can come back later and spend more time at the Eiffel Tower, Louvre and such. My kids were 8 and 11 the last time. 11 yr old boy had no problem riding with the group. 8 yr old daughter rode on a tandem behind me. She probably could have done it, but less worries at the time

DINNER CRUISE - The whole family really enjoyed the dinner cruise. Got to see all the sites, started during daylight and finished in the dark. Dinner was really good and beautiful views along the way. Highly recommend. We did a more formal dinner, but they have all types of options.

Great advice. The bike tour sounds fun. Do you remember what the dinner cruise company was?

dylan said:

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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.

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Yes. It is a pretty awesome place to visit. It's also where the famous garden maze is.

Versailles is also a must do when visiting. Unfortunately, my wife and I weren't able to make it out there when we were in Paris earlier this year because we were there only a day before catching a train to Geneva to visit friends. I went back in '99 though and it was beautiful.

When you go to the Louvre, be sure to find this classic Ducreux self portrait for a priceless selfie:

Haha. That's hilarious

Cardiag said:

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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.

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The Ledbury is outstanding but I thought Petrus in Belgravia was better.

Doing a 14 day trip this summer. 5 in London 4 in Paris and others scattered across England and France.

I churn heavy so the hotels and air are done. Just impossible to pick dining options.

culdeus said:

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Doing a 14 day trip this summer. 5 in London 4 in Paris and others scattered across England and France.

I churn heavy so the hotels and air are done. Just impossible to pick dining options.

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Go have a pint at the Cricketer on the corner of Rue des Mathurins and Rue de l'Arcade.

If Ksenia is there, tell them Eric said HOWDY...

I've heard the rue cler area of Paris is wonderful: markets bakeries and dining. Any other food recs and side trips. Henry VIII's castle sounds great. Saw the maze in the movie the Favorite.

dylan said:

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I've heard the rue cler area of Paris is wonderful: markets bakeries and dining. Any other food recs and side trips. Henry VIII's castle sounds great. Saw the maze in the movie the Favorite.

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For England: The Royal Observatory in Greenwich is cool if you're a nerd like me. You get to stand on the Zero Longitude line and be in both the east and west hemispheres.

For Paris: A day trip to Le Marais, the Jewish sector of town. Pretty cool to walk around in. There's also Jim Morrison's grave in Pere Lachaise cemetery...Or go to Pigalle, the red light district.

Greenwich should be a perfect place to visit along with the museum there. An easy day trip!

Some more London recs:

• Churchill War Rooms
• West End show, we saw Wicked and it was amazing
• Stroll around St. James and Hyde Park one afternoon, peaceful and wonderful scenery
• Walk to the top of St. Pauls Cathedral
• Stop into as many pubs as you can, mingle with Londoners
• Buckingham Palace gets a lot of pub but Kensington Palace was a great visit too, stop by lake right outside of the palace and feed the swans
• Visit Westminster Abbey more than once, there is so much to take in that one visit does not do it justice
• Take the tube somewhere, anywhere
• Take a day trip outside of the city
• Afternoon Tea...don't put your pinky in the air, it means something extremely different than what we think

Do you have any day trips to recommend? I've heard Henry VIII's castle is really nice and then go back by boat.

dylan said:

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Do you have any day trips to recommend? I've heard Henry VIII's castle is really nice and then go back by boat.

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We did Henry's Castle, some great pubs just outside of the castle as well. We also went to Windsor Castle, they city of Windsor has a great shopping district too.

Is it easy to get to both from London?

dylan said:

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Is it easy to get to both from London?

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Yes, you can take a train to both.

Perfect. I think the movie the Favorite was filmed there.

Thanks for the great contributions on this thread so far! I've added a couple of items to an upcoming trip I might not have otherwise thought about. We're going to be in Paris in early October and Mrs. Rocket Surgeon is interested in taking in the dinner show at the Moulin Rouge. Anyone ever done it before and have thoughts?

I've never done it. Have no interest. IMO, the only thing worth doing in that part of Paris is visiting Sacre Couer and then leaving. That whole part of town is seedy - and last time I was there was a weekday morning. I doubt it improves at night.

I'm sure plenty will disagree with me, but it just seems like there are way better ways to spend your time and $$$.

Has anyone tried the restaurant for lunch on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower?

dylan said:

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Has anyone tried the restaurant for lunch on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower?

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I have not. However, it's a safe bet that it is

1. overcrowded
2. too expensive
3. poor quality

I would think there are some close neighborhoods you could easily walk to and get a superior meal/experience for a fraction of the price.

Just my 0.02.

For London, go to Covent Garden and walk west through China Town to Mayfair. So much great shopping and eating in there.

Recommend St Ermin's hotel for a great home base that wasn't ridiculously expensive.

Go to Lee Ho Fook's in SoHo and get a big dish of beef chow mein

Vernada said:

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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.

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I know this is an old post, but seems like the RATP app is a good suggestion. Thx. Looking at spring break tripnto London, Paris, Switzerland, or something else

Great post. The busses in Paris are great plus you can see sights as you go. Uber worked out well in Paris.

Headed to Paris in November. Saving this!

Have fun!