Need advice for London/Paris trip

[luvgoing2disney]

We are considering a trip to London/Paris next year (2018) and as I'm the planner in the family, I'm the one that "gets" to do the research. (Actually, I enjoy planning all our trips so it's really more fun than a chore). I know I could and will post questions on the UK and perhaps Disneyland Paris pages, but since those may be visited more by the locals than folks planning a trip to those locations, I thought I would post it here as well.

For those of you who have visited, did you book through an agent? if not, did you look for bundled packages? In what areas of each city should we plan on looking for hotels? Would 4 days in Paris and 1 day in Disneyland Paris be enough? In Paris, should we just stay at a "home hotel" and shuttle to the DLP? What time of the year is best in terms of weather?

I know I will have more questions, but if those of you who have done this could give me some pointers on where to begin, it would be a big help!

TIA.

 

[EMom]

Paris is a city you could spend weeks visiting, and that doesn't even cover the day trips. As much as I enjoy Disney, I'd never allot a day of precious time in Paris to DLP. Where to stay is a matter of preference. We enjoy the 7th.

 

[luvgoing2disney]

Paris is a city you could spend weeks visiting, and that doesn't even cover the day trips. As much as I enjoy Disney, I'd never allot a day of precious time in Paris to DLP. Where to stay is a matter of preference. We enjoy the 7th.

I'm sure you are correct in the time factor, and I do wish we could stay longer, but since this may be our only trip to the area, we do want to make a day of the parks. It looks like one of the prettier Disney parks, and would hate to miss going to it.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Our travel agent knows we're nuts about Disney and she advised us not to spend any time at DLP -- just too many other places to visit.

Also, avoid visiting during the summer months, as a lot of places don't have any air conditioning.

If you take the Eurostar train between London and Paris (yes, it goes under the English Channel) buy your tickets online ahead of time; they're much cheaper than buying them day of use.

On the advice of friends, we stayed in the Latin Quarter, which wasn't bad, but there was a lot of walking between the hotel and the metro (underground rail.) We should have stayed closer to the Eiffel Tower.

Be sure to take an evening river boat ride along the Seine -- very romantic and relaxing.

 

[luvgoing2disney]

All of this interest in visiting the area came about due to our son visiting right now with a grad school class. He flew into Paris, stayed for 5 days, then they went to London, where they are now. He has kept us informed of all that he is seeing and it just sounds too fantastic to not visit.

Based on the suggestions so far, we may put off the Disney part of the trip---but can't guarantee it

 

[AustinTink]

We have a hotel we love in London. It's one of the few in the city that is all-suite at a reasonable rate. Perfect central location as well. PM me if you want info on it.

 

[piccolopat]

I agree with PP that there is so much to do in Paris. A lot will depend on what interests you and your family. For example, we can spend days just going to the various museums and churches and historical sites. If that doesn't interest you, 4 days might be enough. It certainly is if all you want to do is visit the main attractions. Buy your Eiffel Tower tickets online ahead of time. You have to decide on a date and time but you will avoid the very long line that almost always develops. We did DLP as a one day excursion on our own and we were glad we did it once. If you let us know what things your family likes to do, I can give you more suggestions. We stayed at the Mayfair Hotel in the 1st for our last trip and loved it.

 

[BrianL]

Hey, if you are wanting to go to DLP then I say go for it! It has some attractions that are unique to it and you would no doubt have a lot of fun, even if you only do one day. I spend 3 days of Disney time when I was in Tokyo, and I don't regret it!

 

[CarolAnn856]

We were in Paris in July two and a half years ago as part of a longer visit to Europe. I'm not sure what the poster above meant about no air conditioning. I can't remember anyplace we visited that was uncomfortable at all, and the flat we rented had window units which kept the place quite cool.

We found the flat on VRBO, which was in the 14th arrondissement. It's a more residential area with plenty of cafes and restaurants within a short walk. We were also a block or two away from a little side street that had everything needed for meals, from a boulangerie to open air produce markets. The flat was amazing - it was on the top two floors of the building, and we had a patio off the second floor. It was lovely sitting out there at 10:00 or so at night watching the sun set with a glass of wine. It was also very close to the catacombs and a metro station, which we used to get all around the city. As a family of 4, we found that renting flats was much more economical than getting two hotel rooms, although we did that on occasion as well during our trip.

Some suggestions for things to do:

• The Paris Museum Pass can be both a money and a time saver if you plan to go to several of the museums, as it acts like a Fast Pass for entry. LINK
• The catacombs were utterly fantastic, but if anyone has issues with claustrophobia, I would recommend they skip it.
• Sainte-Chapelle is stunning, and can be a short stop during a day of exploring.
• Take the guided tour of Notre Dame if possible.
• Eiffel Tower - we loved the tour we took by Visites Spectacles, called The Romance of the Eiffel Tower tour. Don't let the name throw you, it's not a romantic tour. It's an actor playing the part of an aviator who fell in love, and he takes you through the military bunker where you learn about how important the tower was in wartime, you skip the lines (a key benefit!) and get to see the lift machinery on the way, and not only do you go to the regular observation deck, but the tour gets special access to the deck on top of the Jules Verne restaurant. The great thing about this deck is that you are the only group up there at the time, and while completely safe, it doesn't have the mesh that the regular deck has so you get the best pictures of the city this way. LINK. If you don't go that route, still be sure to book tickets well in advance. The reason I found this tour was that by the time we made our final plans for which city / which days, it was too late to get tickets from the Tower site itself.

Obviously, we loved our trip, and if you have more questions or want me to go on (and on, and on... ), just send me a PM. My daughter and I went to London last summer, and there are quite a few threads about traveling there on the UK board. Have fun planning!!

 

[sunshinehighway]

Segway tour. It was my favorite thing we did in Paris. Besides "oh that time I rode asegway around Paris" is just so fun to say.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

Don't stay near the Eiffel Tower. It is not close to any other attractions. You would be better off staying in the 1 - 5 arrondissments. The subways are easy to use and you can easily take a train to DLP for the day from Paris, and we've been to DLP twice, a day each time and I wouldn't ever bother with it again but I understand your wanting to see it.

Do take a river evening cruise along the Seine. There are many walking tours that are awesome. Saint Chappelle is much cooler to see than Notre Dame but I would visit both. Don't overbook places to see in such a short time as the entire city is fascinating, just walking around.

Consider VRBO to book your place to stay as most of the hotel rooms are very small, not family friendly. My daughter and I stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment in the 4th arrondissment, across from Hotel de Ville with a view of Notre Dame from our windows. We booked from VRBO and the owner was fantastic, the place was wonderful and I paid approx $250 US a night. It had all the Paris charm yet a new, modern kitchen. The subway was literally outside our door. The location was perfect in every way.

Stay as long as you can in Paris. May is a perfect time, weather wise.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

1 day at DLP is sufficient in my opinion. We went in 2012 and spent 2 days there. We regretted spending 2 days, as the park didn't impress us, and wished we had only planned one.

 

[Pintail]

I start with what dates and where I can get a good value on my flights, and frame the trip around that.
Googe Flight, or your favorite airline are good places to start.
The hotels in London and Paris have small rooms, an sometimes just sleep 2 or 3 max, so keep an eye on that.
The on-off buses are a real treat in both cities.
It you look at the on-off bus sites ahead of time - where they stop are the hot spots of where you want to go.
If you belong to any Airline or Hotel programs, leverage those.
Time really matters, so try to stay a reasonable distance to an on-off bus or Metro stop.
Check our where the Tesco or little supermarkets or a Pret a Manger or sandwich shop are on google maps, near the hotel. (Restaurants add up quick)
If you fly into London LHR, it is a lot of fun to take Heathrow Express (a short train ride) to Paddington Station.
It is not that expensive if you buy your tickets ahead of time.
There is a Hilton right in the stations at Paddington, that if you stay there you can drop you luggage and cab, on-off bus, or take the Metro from there.
It is fun to stay near the London Eye, but those hotels are pricey.
Have a great trip!

 

[kwelch10377]

I went to Belgium, Paris and London in Aug of 2015 over the course of 16 days. We booked everything ourselves and did not do packages. We only spent 2 days in Belgium and then 7 days in each Paris and London. In Paris we stayed in the 5th arrondissement which was only a few blocks from the Seine and Notre Dame area. In London we stayed near St. Paul's, because we got a great deal on an amazing hotel but I do wish we were a little closer to more key attractions. My advice is to pick a hotel close to some attractions you want to do and then for it to be close to the metro/tube so you can easily get around to other areas of the city.

We did do DLP for one day and just took the RER, it was really easy and not a long train ride. I had been before not too long after it opened and my friend hadn't. We just focused on rides that were unique to DLP and did do both parks. We had fun but it was soooooo crowded and hot that it hindered our enjoyment some.

Some other pieces of advice

Book as much as you can in advance including Eurostar and entrance to attractions
Depending on how many people I would suggest an apartment vs. hotel
People will suggest London and Paris passes - do your research and see if it makes sense for you based on what you want to see and if you do get it be careful about the mindset of " I need to do this attraction because it is included and I want to get my moneys worth out of the pass"
Use the Metro and Tube! We walked a lot in Paris and we paid for it in London. We were definitely cranky in London bc we were so tired and our feet hurt. Both are really easy to figure out especially if you take a look at the maps before you go
Don't try to pack in too much - figure out what you must see and then your nice to dos if you have time. Make sure you take your time to enjoy and take in the sights and the cities. It will be hard not to try and do everything.
Use TripAdvisor to help plan - the reviews are super helpful. We found a lot of good restaurant options before we went.

We loved planning our trip and are currently planning a March trip back to London.

 

[Poohforyou]

We're going to London for a week this summer. We just booked airfare and lodging this past weekend. Our original plan was to go to California but the airfare was pretty high so we started looking at other options.

Someone on another board mentioned British Airways was having a sale. In the end our tickets to London are only a few dollars more than to California (out of a NYC area airport).

We decided that a hotel room just wouldn't work for a lot of reasons so I started looking at flats to rent on several sites. We booked one with lots of good reviews. It's in a good area of the city within walking distance to lots of sites, restaurants and shops.

The flat is small but gives us a kitchen, bathroom, living room with sofa bed, bedroom for dh and me (dd will sleep on the seesofa bed), and washer & dryer for about $170 per night.

We're starting to look at what we want to do and will book some things but we love just walking around and taking in things as they come.

 

[firecracker725]

Paris is a city you could spend weeks visiting, and that doesn't even cover the day trips. As much as I enjoy Disney, I'd never allot a day of precious time in Paris to DLP. Where to stay is a matter of preference. We enjoy the 7th.

Same. I lived in France for two years and visited Paris many times, but I never stepped foot in DLP. I kind of wish I had gone, but it never worked out, and Paris in general is almost like a fantasy world to me.

That being said, definitely stay in the city and take the train there. We love staying in the 13th, near Place d'Italie. The metros are very convenient, and it's such a walkable area with great restaurants that aren't the typical tourist traps. Also, it's very affordable.

We did spend a week in London, but I don't feel educated enough to give any recs other than do your research. That place is massive. Fun though.

 

[princesspiglet]

We spent three weeks in France this past June with 1 full week dedicated to Paris and spent two full days at DLP.

We stayed in the Saint-Germain section of Paris on Rue des Quatre Vents and we were only 1 block away from Odeon metro station. We used airbnb and our apartment couldn't have been any more amazing. We absolutely loved the area were were in. Easy walk to Luxembourg gardens and palace, Notre Dame and the Louvre. Took the metro everywhere else and it was super easy. OH!- and the best gelato was only two blocks away- Amorino! I still dream about that....

Anyway, we spent 2 days in DLP at the end of our trip. We also stayed in an airbnb apartment there. We are all huge Disney fans and were kind of let down by DLP. It was cute, but it in no way compares to WDW or even DL. I think 1 day would be more than enough time to see everything. There were a lot of rides closed when we went, so were were stuck riding IASW over and over again...although it is very good! (and better than the WDW version)

Our favorites things in Paris were:

• Nighttime Segway tour with Fat Tire Tours...they are incredible!!! Ask for Allen or Luis as your guide
• All-day bike tour with Fat Tire to Versailles....this was a complete joy. We biked all over town, went to the farmers market, had fresh crepes and oj, had a picnic on the grounds of the gardens near Marie Antoinette's cottage and then explored the castle. LOVED this so much!
• Dinner at Bistro Francois Felix- right behind the american embassy. Delicious food, wonderful service, great atmosphere
• getting fresh crepes and croissants at the local patisserie (don't worry, there is one on every block)
• Macaroons at Laduree and Pierre Herme
• nighttime cruise on the Seine and seeing the lights twinkle on the Eiffel Tower

We spent a lot of time just walking around and taking in the sights, stopping for food wherever and whenever we felt like it and tried to live like a local as much as we good. We thoroughly LOVE Paris and are planning on returning in 2018!

We took the Eurostar from Paris into London for 1 day and really enjoyed it. Arrived at 9:00am and took the latest train back (I believe it was around 8pm?). We walked everywhere and went to Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Borough Market, The London Eye, Tower of London. Our favorite was the Tower. Great tour given by the Yeoman (Beefeaters). We had traditional English food- Fish and Chips and spent our day just exploring every little nook and cranny we could find. We loved it and want to go back again soon!

 

[bookgirl]

I just did a London Paris trip in September. I was celebrating my 50th birthday and due to circumstance I ended up doing this solo. Late September was great. Fringe of the Peak seasons, shorts or jeans with tshirts, I only got rain full on one day (France) and one day there were some sprinkles but nothing heavy or long.

I did Sunday thru Thursday in London (Five full days), caught the Eurostar to Paris Friday at the crack of Dawn and stayed in Paris (with Saturday being spent at DLP) till Sunday late afternoon and then returned to London Sunday night and flew home to the US on Monday Morning.

I'll tell you right now there's no way I would have gone to France UNLESS I was doing Disney. It's RIGHT THERE, and I knew I'd never plan a trip to France again so I was doing Disney. HaHa.

I planned it all myself and except for one day tour I used public transportation for everything.

I flew out Saturday afternoon (Premium Economy is worth the money if you can swing it) and arrived in London Sunday Morning at 9am. I purposely chose my hotel to be at a transportation hub (King's Cross/St Pancres). I pre-bought my Oyster Card (transportation pass) and loaded it with $35 dollars. It was sent to the US. You can buy a card on site at the airport, I just chose to pay a small fee to have it sent ahead of time and to get a tourist card.

Oyster Cards are good on The Tube, Trains (in the London and outlying areas only), buses, and River Buses (boats). Because it's preloaded it just subtracted fares until you reached the cap of a one day use ticket and then the rest of the day was free (boats do not go towards that total they are stand alone). When your card gets low you could refill it at the station using a machine (swipe pass, swipe CC, pick reload amount, and Done).

I took a direct tube line from Heathrow to King's Cross (home of Platform 9 3/4) with my luggage. No problem. I choose a hotel right next to the station and walked out and to my hotel and checked in (room was ready yea!). King's Cross has multiple tube lines and trains so I wanted it as I could get to anywhere in Central London or adjacent with no/one transfer from either a bus, a tube or a train.

I spent Sunday at the British Library (a 5 minute walk from my hotel) and then doing a bit of supply shopping at Tesco Metro (sort of like a Walmart Neighborhood Market) and just some walking around and taking in the sights.

I traveled by tube to:
Buckingham Palace
Westminster Abbey
Parliament/BigBen
London Eye
Tower of London
Oxford Street
Southbank
Thames River ( I had an afternoon Tea Cruise on the Thames)

I traveled by bus to:
British Museum (there are tubes but the bus actually had a stop right across from the Museum)

I took an Overland Train to:
Hampton Court Palace

All of these including my tube trip to and from Heathrow Airport were paid with my preloaded Oyster Card. I believe I added an additional $20 and came home with maybe about $10 on my card. (the airport desk could not refund my money as I needed to send the card back for that but I wanted to keep my card so I just considered it a cute souvenir (it actually is a keepsake designed card so not like the utilitarian ones you buy at the stations)

I took one day guided tour that had a pickup from a hotel about a 5 minute walk from my hotel to:
Windsor Castle
Bath
Stonehenge

I actually did not do any sit down resturants. I was on the go and had quick grab and go breakfasts, ate lunch at take away counters while sightseeing, and at night would do just light easy to pick up food either from the markets (M&S, Tesco, or the Farmers Market by my station).

Eurostar to Paris:

This was a separate ticket, buy early it's cheaper and they actually do run out of seats. I upgraded and it was totally worth it. I did not buy a transport card for Paris as I didn't actually take enough rides to equal the lowest priced mulitfare offer. I did use one taxi in Paris as it was easier than public transportation.

St Pancres Station is the Eurostar Station, I took it to Gard Du Nord. I had brought both a large and small suitcase. I actually checked my large bag into King's Cross' Left Luggage service and only traveled with my carry on, it was very convenient. Again I chose a hotel that was a 3 minute walk from the station. From there I could catch a bus, a train, or a Metro (underground). I was actually not all that interested in Paris as a destination but as I did want to go to DLP I decided to have a day in Paris. I went to the Eiffel Tower, walked along the Seine and then spent time at The Louvre. Saw a few things from transportation but really these were the two places I wanted to see. I had dinner that night at a street café (which is just an iconic meal that I recommend you do, it was great).

Saturday Morning I got up and caught an early train to DLP. (it is a short trip, little less than an hour) It's a one transfer route from Gard du Nord. You buy the tickets at the booth, I suggest buying both at once as the line to get a return to the city ticket at the DLP station was huge and I had been warned it would be. There are trains from London to DLP so you could go there first (I believe there is one transfer) and then base out of that area and catch the train into Paris Proper to sightsee.

I returned to Paris Saturday night. I had planned to go to Notre Dame Sunday morning before returning to London, but it was the one day of my trip that rained. Instead I opened up my French doors and slept in/watched tv/listened to the rain. I got up and got a leisurely late lunch at a local shop then got on the Eurostar back to London.

After 8 days I was busted out tired. I retrieved my luggage and just decided to go to my last hotel. I chose to splurge my last night and stayed at the Sofitel at Heathrow which connects via a walkway to Terminal 5 (international). I had dinner there, repacked all my bags and then got up Monday and flew home.

It was great! I did not regret planning my own trip and doing things in my own time. I really liked my itinerary better than the package tours I reviewed and honestly I didn't feel like an agent could have gotten me any better prices. In fact I did pay less for my trip than a friend who went a few months before me, but she was doing packages for the sake of Wimbledon and different times of the year of course. But I actually had a lot more freedom and saw much more.

I know this is long and crazy but I just wanted you to see that a self planned trip is doable.

I did upgrade transportation (both BA flights and Eurostar) and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Extra leg room, free drinks, free luggage, less crowded, more attention.
I got a CC that had no travel fees through my bank and used it almost exclusively (I did have a couple hundred Pounds and couple hundred Euros for incidentals). It was great as I had the money for the trip in a savings account at the same bank and would go in and pay off the card every other day or so (after checking it online) so that I could manage my budget and keep track of purchases and rule out any fraudulent charges.
I enjoyed doing things at my own pace and picking and choosing what I 'visited' and what I toured more in-depth.
The London Transportation System was very easy and honestly much more user friendly than the Paris Transportation.
Even having only half remembered High School French (as in maybe 6 common phrases and only basic vocabulary) Paris was very easy to communicate in most tourist venues.
Both countries were super friendly and very forgiving of the American Tourist who sometimes forgot words or needed a little guidance.

Please feel free to ask my any questions. I had such a good time and hope that you do as well.

 

[kay1864]

Paris is much cheaper to stay and eat (London is a good 50% more expensive--although with the recent devaluation in the pound, it's gotten better). ITA with the above poster suggesting a Eurostar day trip. Plus Paris food is much much better.

We went last year and used airbnb for our Paris stay. I looked in areas near Metro stops with 3-4 lines. That way you don't have to change trains on every trip (but Metro stops with 5-6 lines can mean endless walking up and down stairs to change lines). If it's an upper-level apartment, make sure there's an elevator. I got an excellent apartment for $100/night. No such luck in London, although the Tune hotels are new and clean for the same price, but super-tiny. Book Tune through TripAdvisor for free amenity packages.

A good approach is to print a map of each city, and locate the sights you want to see. Then find apartments/hotels near the majority of your sights.

As far as time of year, air travel prices dictated that for me (as well as school vacation times). airfarewatchdog.com is your friend.

If you're Harry Potter fans, a trip (and advance tour tickets) to the Harry Potter Studio Tour is a must. Plan on 4 hours plus travel time (20-40 minutes, depending on if you get an express or a local). We bought separate train tickets at Euston Station, but you can also use your Oyster card (card for the Tube). Just make sure you have at least £10 on each card.

ETA: If you do go on the HP tour, buy your tickets way in advance. For example, January is already sold out, and there's only 7 days in Feb with availability. Two months in advance is ideal.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

There is really no reason to book through an agent. And honestly, you don't need any tours. London and Paris are two of the easiest cities in the world to go out by yourself and explore. All you need is a phone, internet connectivity, google maps, and a metro pass.

OP you didn't mention how long you are spending in London? I hope at least 4 FULL days. I've been 3x and still haven't done everything.

4 days in PARIS is good enough. Of course it would be awesome if you had more but I think 4 is sufficient.

I would HIGHLY recommend you overnight in Disney Paris. Perhaps I went at the wrong time of the year (Sunday in July), but the park got unbelievably crowded. And even with fast pass, it can be a pain. By staying overnight, you can get the early park access which is VERY useful. So my suggestion would be to head to the Disney resort late in the evening, sleep, and wake up early for the park. Then at end of day, head back to Paris.

I would skip any day trips in London or Paris. The only possible exception would be in Paris for a day trip to Versailles if you're so inclined. But if it's not something you're dying to see, just stay in the city. There is so much to do in London/Paris, and given your limited time, no need to leave.

In Paris, please book a bed & breakfast. There are some absolutely lovely places to stay, and they will be cheaper than the hotels.