There’s so much to do and see in London and Paris. We were there last summer, 4 days in London (we’d been there a few times already) and 5 days in Paris via Eurostar. I thought taking the train would require less time than flying and I think it was the same. We had to go through security at the train station and it wasn’t any different from the airport process. It took almost 2 hours. We would’ve stayed in Paris for the whole time but we were meeting friends and celebrating a birthday.
I will be spending a week in Paris in May with D, who couldn’t go last time. Check out Discover Walks Paris on Facebook for many suggestions and interesting itineraries.
We did something similar to Discover Walks, ours was a free city tour at night with a volunteer, ND area to/through Ile St Germain. Special. Just us and a French grad student. Wish I could find you the reference.
Well, let me give you a dissenting opinion. It might be years before one of you has a chance to go back to Europe. Moving around is hectic, but sometimes it is worth it to see a bit more. If an overnight trip to Normandy from Paris is considered reasonable, whys is it not reasonable to hop the channel and take in a day or two in London? You’ll get a flavor, and that can have a powerful influence on how you think of Europe when you’re back in the US, whereas a couple more days sipping coffee and shopping in Paris might not add much. Honestly, I would probably try to do maybe three days in Paris, spend a couple days working your way west, perhaps to Normandie, then go over to London for a couple of days. Then train back to Paris and fly home. Or a variation on that.
Only you know your budget as well as family dreams and desires for this trip. How is your French? I also am more outdoorsy and probably more rurally oriented than some here. I like Paris and London and seeing iconic sights is exciting. But the smaller cities and smaller towns in France can be beautifully kept and magical, as well as cheaper, with more reasonably priced and good restaurants. The Loire Valley with the great houses for a day or two on rented bikes can be a great escape from Paris. St Malo is a walled city on the Brittany coast, a reasonable distance from Paris. I adored the Normandy countryside around Givernry (Monet’s house) in the spring, and you can rent bikes there as well.
If you go over to London on the Eurostar, stay at a B&B near the British museum, which is not far away from the Kings Cross station to maximize time.
Know that some of the iconic sights have significant wait times to enter, so consider the importance of each. I have never been to the Louvre, as I care more about the impressionists and visiting gardens. Get to one of the great castles, as that is Europe, Versailles, Hampton Court, or Windsor, but know that these are all a bit of a trek from the cities. Allow time to wander, get lost, and take in the small details.
It will be more relaxing if you stay for the week in London or Paris. Pick one. I recommend an apartment as well, especially in London when you will have no need for concierge help with logistics. You can always do day trips from there if you want to. No need for a car.
The alternative is Amsterdam and Brussels as one trip with a day in Bruges. This would involve a bit more moving around but it’s a short train trip between the two. (I admit, I love these cities too.)
If you are theater lovers, London could be a good pick. If you have art lovers in your family, the other two trips have their very strong merits.
But any of these destinations offers enough to keep you occupied for a week and also give you a feel for the place. Trying to do too much is stressful and turns the trip into a 3D picture book - you’re never really in it.
I’m in Europe for the first time spending six weeks in Dublin while hubby is on a work gig. This is our second week, and we haven’t begun to exhaust what there is to do and see here. I walk out every day in a new direction and just got a public transit pass yesterday to stretch those trips. We assumed we’d be heading over to England while we’re over here, but now we’re not so certain. We may tack on a personal week to London when his project ends, but we don’t see any reason to leave Ireland (too many pubs we haven’t visited yet). I’m with those who say stick with Paris or just add London.
Wow, I feel like a hermit. So many of you have traveled over there. Im glad that you have. The information and advice is incredible. You are my personal travel guides.
I’m even more excited than before.
Today will be spent researching the places you have mentioned Thanks!
Love the Paris Catacombs as well as some of the smaller museums. In order to see the Louvre collections properly you’d have to spend weeks roaming the halls but you can easily do the Orangerie or the Rodin Museum in an afternoon.
@Rocket88, In 3 days in Paris you’d have barely enough time to recover from jet lag and eat a croissant before being on the move again. There’s no advantage to seeing more stuff. 10 years from now what you’ll remember best are things that make an impression on your heart like the little Moroccan cafe in the 11th arrondissement or sketching the gargoyles from the top of the Notre Dame cathedral. The faster you’re moving the less you’ll experience.
Definitely too many, I would one or two. Amsterdam is great and the surrounding countryside is beautiful. Luxembou (tiny) and Ghent are also fun choices ( I would not bother with Brussels at all). Liege or Bruges are also nice. Or Paris. Personally I am not a fan of London but many are. If I had to chose and had only 1 week I would chose the low countries and just bounce around a bit.
I could travel with almost any of you, lol, same philosophy. Missed the catacombs (beats me how, with a historian husband, tho we’ve seen a lot of relics, old churches, and cemeteries, A Lot.) But did do the sewer tour with the girls.
OP, you go with the idea, as others say, that you will be back. Use the trip advisor and Frommer’s forums, as needed. Pick your top must-sees, then allow time to just be there, follow whims, sit in a park or cafe.
I’m on the side that says you don’t need a full day at the Louvre.
FYI - when we visited Versailles, there was a fairly long line we waited in before we got in, even for those who already had tickets. The line would have been even longer if we didn’t have tickets in advance. We took the train from Paris to Versailles and it was a very short walk from the train station.
As someone mentioned earlier, look to see when attractions are open. For example, Versailles and the Musee D’Orsay are closed on Mondays. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays.
I would recommend that for a trip in March you stick to just France. The weather is unpredictable that time of year, and while the days are getting longer, they’re still relatively short compared to summer.
Honestly, you could do a week in Paris with 3 day trips to satisfy your outdoors side. In addition to Giverny (which is bigger and more beautiful than we expected), Versailles (which is exactly as it is pictured to be), Chartres (which is best if you are really into stained glass and cathedrals. I found it “meh”), I highly recommend adding Fontainebleau to the list of possiblities. The chateau there is more original than Versailles, and you have access to the Fontainebleau Forest. If you could rent a car for the day, you would find some amazing hiking and areas of the forest to explore. (The “trois pignons” area is beautiful.) You’ll be there too early to enjoy Parc Asterix, but you could spend a day in Disneyland Paris and catch some attractions such as Crush’s Coaster that you can’t get at Disneyworld or Disneyland in the US.
As for Paris - if you are all able to climb stairs, I highly recommend climbing the tower at Notre Dame. I personally love the Louvre and could spend days there, but I know it’s not for everyone. Take a look at the “Visitor Trails” on their website to help you plan your time there if you just want to hit the highlights. If anyone is a Harry Potter fan, check out the Cluny museum to see the original “Lady and the Unicorn” tapestries. Be sure to eat lots of great food - and not just at the touristy places in the French Quarter! (I could recommend about a dozen other museums in Paris as well…)
I highly recommend the Rick Steves forums for aid in planning your trip. Lots of knowledgeable posters there. Have fun planning!
When we went to Versailles there was a ridiculously long line. But I noticed some big letters A B C D E on the building…
I couldn’t believe there was only one line for such a huge place. So H went exploring to check it out while the rest of us kept in line. Sure enough–those were also ticket lines that you couldn’t see.
Down the stairs and around a corner was a ticket line with a total of 3 people in it. Bingo!
As another user has noted, getting to Versailles is very easy and quick. RER C (which intersects with the Paris Metro at several points) is about a 5 minute walk from the palace.
@My3Kiddos - I was going to recommend Fontainebleau also. We went there for a day trip the last time we were in Paris and it was a wonderful find. We also enjoyed the day trip to Giverny especially since my H is an avid photographer. Go see Monet’s water lily paintings at la Orangerie then go to Giverny to see the paintings come to life.
We like to stay in Saint Germain des Pres near the Luxembourg Gardens. We have stayed in both apartments and hotels in this area. @ChoatieMom - H and I head to Dublin on March 1st. Please share all of your great finds with us!
When you get to Paris, there are many locations where you can purchase the paris pass. We found that with the paris pass we could skip ticket purchase lines at every site including Versailles (which can be a VERY long line) and the Louvres. Many smaller tourist spots were included in the price. Some of these spots we might not have shelled out money to see but for the prepurchased pass. I would recommend it! Also, we purchased the ticket at a smaller site where there were no lines rather than wait and buy it at the Louvre, for example.
“As another user has noted, getting to Versailles is very easy and quick. RER C (which intersects with the Paris Metro at several points) is about a 5 minute walk from the palace”
And when we were there the taxis line up to drive you to Versailles when it’s quicker to walk! The trick is that you don’t actually SEE Versailles immediately when the train stops. Just a heads up!