<p>With your time-frame, I would choose either one place or pair Ireland with one city, or do 4/5 days each in London and Paris. Agree that Ireland is well appreciated via car, with multiple stops to smaller cities and towns. Could be a great 10 day trip- one our family enjoyed. We started in Limerick and did not get past Kenmare. This trip focused on scenery, walking outdoors, some historical sites, and sea towns. We stayed mostly in carefully researched b and bs of various sizes, as well as a few days in a luxury “manor”, which was our least favorite place. In terms of being cost effective, with great local insights and hospitality, it is hard to beat Ireland’s b and bs. Yet you have the cost of a rental car to consider unless you stay in one city. </p>
<p>I have done 5 days at a time regularly in Paris and occasionally in London. Either could be a 10 day destination with some options for local day trips offering a change of pace. August brings many restaurant/business closures to Paris, as it is a huge vacation month for the city.
In London, I have stayed in the Mayfair area, and found it convenient. In Paris, we enjoy St. Germain des Pres or the Marais, as they are great walking neighborhoods, with a lot of charm and convenience. Our preference is to stay in smaller hotels, and bargains have been few and far between in Paris lately, never mind in high season. Depending on the exchange rate, 4 stars are usually $400 + a night, for two in a smallish room, if you like popular locations. With 3 people, you might need 2 rooms or a suite, hence apt. Recommendations. Getting a breakfast included deal in your hotel price is a big help, as they tend to be generous and save on lunches. Ask hotels or check their sites for package deals or specials. Look into this early as there are some charming reasonable places everywhere and lots of people want them.</p>
<p>We drove in France (on the right side) and have the traffic ticket to prove it! I assume that having the signs in English helps but I can imagine all sorts of issues with wrong-side driving. My D2, who spent a semester in London, tells me that there are good bus tours of Scotland that go to the best points in the highlands without you having to drive (hmmm…should I be offended by that, given that she was in the car in France?).</p>
<p>One thing I noticed about the trains in the Scottish Highlands was that they went where the roads were not. I think lot of the boggy areas don’t support highways but relatively narrow train tracks are easier to build. So don’t know what the road areas look like but one had a feeling of seeing something special in roadless areas while riding the trains.</p>
<p>Sorry OP, I know you did not ask about Scotland.</p>
<p>I agree with others, trying to go to three different countries in 10 days, is not a good idea. Countryside will be cheaper than cities - and if Ireland is of interest, I’d say the countryside is why you go. My dh didn’t find driving on the left difficult at all, I had no interest in even trying, though I actually originally learned to drive on the left in Africa (but had very little practice there.) It does help that the steering wheel will also be on the “wrong” side, so you just have to remember the driver’s side is the middle of the road on two way streets. In Scotland, (and probably Ireland), lots of roads were only one lane with passing pull outs anyway!</p>
<p>A lot depends on how fancy you want your digs to be. We were fine with bed and breakfast accomodations that were not fancy, but were clean and servicable. I loved the hotel we stayed in in Paris years ago, I don’t remember the name. It was seedy looking, and in an unfashionable area , near but not really in the Latin Quarter, but actually fairly convenient. This was our view outside the window: [url=<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arènes_de_Lutèce]Ar”>Arènes de Lutèce - Wikipedia]Ar</a></p>
<p>Try the website European destinations. You plug in the dates, the cities, and some other details and it gets you the lowest rates for transportation and lodging, although you can also replace any of the cheap options with more expensive alternatives.</p>
<p>A lot of people have mentioned Stonehenge. The only good times to visit Stonehenge is on the summer or winter solstice when you’re allowed to get close to it, this is when all the pagans and druids gather to have a celebration. Any other time and it is very boring.</p>
<p>If you want to see a Neolithic ancient monument then you should go to Avebury. It’s not quite as impressive as Stonehenge but you can walk around and touch it, there’s a village built in the middle of it! You might also think about visiting Glastonbury which has a lovely ruined cathedral and the incredibly old Tor (which you might recognise from the London Olympics).</p>
<p>^^^Great suggestion. Sounds gorgeous. Where is Avebury, England, Scotland or Ireland? Stonehenge is my thing, son will probably enjoy Avebury more.</p>
<p>kef318, We took a three week trip to Scotland this past June that was very affordable. Here are some tips:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>If your dates are flexible, check Air Matrix for its calendar of lowest fares.</p></li>
<li><p>Put all your trip-related expenses on a credit card that gives 2% back for everything and doesn’t have foreign transaction fees. Two cards that come to mind are Barclaycard Arrival and Capital One Venture Card.</p></li>
<li><p>Ask questions on the TripAdvisor travel forums. The experts there will be happy to help you plan an affordable trip.</p></li>
<li><p>Stay in B&Bs. If you check the reviews on TripAdvisor, you’ll find many B&Bs that are as luxurious as 4-star hotels. They offer a full breakfast, so you can eat a light lunch and splurge on dinner. Another added advantage is the wealth of knowledge the hosts are able to share with you about the area. This is how some of our greatest experiences in Scotland came about. (FYI, your only option for accommodation outside Scotland’s cities is often B&Bs.)</p></li>
<li><p>If possible, stay outside the cities you plan to visit. Smaller towns offer much more affordable accommodations.</p></li>
<li><p>Find out if any of the areas you plan to visit offer attraction passes. In Scotland, we bought a distillery pass and an Explorer Pass that included admission to many of Scotland’s castles. Both passes saved us lots of money.</p></li>
<li><p>If you plan to rent a car, travel light so you can fit your luggage in a compact car. Diesel compacts have excellent fuel economy. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Definitely keep inmind size of car/trunk and how much luggage you are bringing if renting. I ended up upgrading to a small minivan to accommadate 4 people and luggage on a 10 day trip in Ireland. And I will say again, pay to get an automatic, even if you are used to a manual. One less thing to worry about while driving. We got a great fly/drive deal through the airline and saved a bundle on the car rental.</p>
<p>We just got back from Ireland and we rented a car. So I am going to say definitely get an automatic (and we have driven many a year with a stick). The gear stick is operated there by your left hand. Also get the super CDW insurance. It is pricey but it covers just about anything. It took us about a day to feel comfortable driving on the left. It helped to have the passenger sing out left, left, left whenever the driver was making a turn. Other than that, my money saving tips for Ireland are to stay in b & b’s. They are lovely and comfortable. Eat in the pubs (they quit serving food around 7). Use Tripadvisor and check out the forums for whatever country you are going to.</p>
<p>Another great ancient site is Newgrange. It is not far north of Dublin and it should be easy to get a bus there (or drive yourself). The area has more than 40 mounds that were built for religious purposes and three of them are quite large: Knowth, Dowth, and Newgrange. Knowth is oriented to sunrise and sunset on the autumn and spring equinoxes and Newgrange is oriented to sunrise on the Winter solstice. Dowth is unexcavated.</p>
<p>Go early, or get tickets in advance because only a limited number of people fit inside the passages and they don’t even take you over to the larger mounds unless you have a ticket. They are older than Stonehenge and likely are what spurred belief in “fairy hills”. The Celts did not build them as they did not arrive in Ireland until about 500 BC, about halfway in the lifespan so far of these structures. It is quite an amazing place!</p>
<p>In Scotland, I found Skara Brae and the Standing Stones of Stenness , Ring of Brodgar fascinating. World Heritage Site. Heart of Neolithic Orkney.</p>
Yes to this. It is expensive, but if you don’t buy it, the rental company may put a very, very large hold on your credit card. We used it in Ireland and the rental agent told us, it covered everything. Driving on those narrow roads my husband scratched the heck out of the left side of the car whenever he brushed up against the bushes which came right up to the edge of the road. It was covered.</p>
<p>Forgot something. If you stay in city hotels and have a rental car, be sure to check out parking fees. They can be astronomical! That’s one of the reasons we initially decided on B&Bs for our trip. All the B&Bs offered free parking, including those in Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Inverness, and Glasgow.</p>
<p>I also think visiting three countries is too much if you only have 10 days!</p>
<p>mamom - did you notice all the zip ties located on the wheels/rims of rental cars? I was told rental agencies started putting them on rental cars because so many American drivers were knocking the rims off the wheels by getting too close to the curbs and hitting them</p>
<p>We didn’t end up with any scratches, but within the first half hour or so that H drove in Ireland, I did have to lower my window and push the side view mirror back out after he got too close to some of those bushes!</p>
<p>Agree with getting an automatic transmission with your rental. I’ve heard those are somewhat limited, so if you know you’re going to go to Ireland and rent a car, this is one of the first things you’ll want to take care of… making reservations for the car rental.</p>
<p>Someone told us about it before we went to Ireland, so when we were there, and would be out walking somewhere, it would be fun to notice which parked cars were the rentals!</p>
<p>I just discovered two travel sites for students–saved about $800 on my daughter’s r/t flight to South Africa where she’ll be studying next semester. Since dh and I aren’t going with her, I didn’t run the numbers for fights for a non-student but, if you’re not using miles, you might want to check out studentuniverse.com and statravel.com for savings on, at least, your daughter’s flight.</p>