What to see in Paris & London?

[Pugdog007]

We're passing through Paris & London on our way to a 12-night Baltic cruise in July. We are only spending 2 days in each city. Neither of us have been to either city. What should we spend our limited time seeing?

 

[beckmrk04]

I have only been to Paris once, but if I had to go back and had limited time, I'd spend a lot more time at the Louvre. Then I'd see the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dam, and spend some time walking around the beautiful city. It's magnificent.

But, I am a big art lover, so I definitely did not have enough time at the Louvre the first time I went. I'd love to devote a few days to that alone on a return trip.

 

[mrsv98]

Oh man, what to see what to see...ok here's my list

London:
British Muesum
National Gallery/Trafalger Square
Victoria and Albert Museum - especially if there on Sun, they (used to at least) have a Jazz brunch
Hopper Tour of London on the Double Decker bus
Tower of London with Beefeater tour
St James Park/Buckingham Palace
London Eye - get tix by mail in advance
Westminster Abbey
St Pauls Catherdral - go up to the Whispering Gallery

Paris:
Le Louvre
Musse D'Orsay
Toulleries
L'Orangerie
Norte Dame
Boat tour n the Seine - leave from Pont Neuf
Eiffel Tower, but only to the 2nd level, going to the top is NOT worth it
Le Pompedeu if you like modern art
The Rodin museum especially the sculpture garden


Ok, ok, I know, way too much for two days each but it is hard to choose! At least you can pick and chose from these lists depending on how much you like museums and/or churches.

Have a fabulous time!

 

[beckmrk04]

oooh, I second the boat tour!

And, go up the Eiffel Tower at NIGHT!!! You'll see why it's the City of Lights!! Breathtaking!

 

[goofy's friends]

2 of my favorite places London don't miss : Tower of London with the tour (our favorite), St. Paul's, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Parliment, Picadilly Circus, Changing of the Guard is really cool too.

Paris: Eiffel Tower is a must--picnic in the park in front of it (pretty cool), Notre dame, Monte Marte (our favorite--outdoor area where you can watch artists and sample crepes, eat outside), Louvre,

Disneyland Paris is right there--a MUST right??

 

[Sonya]

London feels like a 2nd home to me. What everyone has said here I ditto. Also, when in Paris, go to the Louve if you like art. If you mostly like the Impressionists go to the Musee d'Orsay.
Also, if you go up the Eiffel Tower at dusk you can see the city in the light, at sunset, and at night.

 

[Rajah]

In London, the absolute best thing to do with limited time is to take the "hop on / hop off" bus tour by The Original Bus Company. You specifically want that one, and specifically want the "yellow" line. That will give you a very good overview of the city. Beyond that, what are your interests?

Personally, I'd skip the Changing of the Guard in favor of trying for tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys (you have to get them in advance by requesting them in writing. Other than the postage and a SASE, the tickets are free) at the Tower of London. It was so much better than the Changing of the Guard.

To help you decide more what to see and what to skip -- what are your interests? Museums? History? Shopping? Architecture? Shakespeare? Theater?

 

[Rajah]

Oh, and by the way -- the hop on / hop off bus tour *is* worth the cost (it's about £10 / person if I remember correctly) and takes about 2 hours if you just stay on the bus. Do that absolute first thing, and then you can narrow down what you want to see next. Not only will the bus tour give you the overview of the city, but it'll give you an idea of crowd levels at the places you're considering going, or if a certain attraction is closed (like Holyrood Palace was in Edinburgh for us), you'll find out before you waste your time traveling there and trying to get in.

 

[escape]

I can't really add to what's been mentioned above but I just wanted to wish you well on your upcoming cruise. Of all the cruises I've been on, the Baltic Captials Cruise was probably my favorite.

Hope you have a great time!!!

 

[palmtreegirl]

Oooh I'm so jealous!

 

[Laura]

In London, the big ones are the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. The changing of the guard is pretty boring, so unless you feel you have to see it, I would skip. The rest depends on your own preferences, like Rajah said. If you like shopping, Harrods is great. The British Museum is awesome, if you're into that. Wagamama is a restaurant chain whose first location is on Streatham Street a few blocks away. For art, there's the National Museum in Trafalgar Square.

In Paris, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame and the Arc de Triomphe are really "must-dos". I also loved the Musee D'Orsay and the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre (the view from the steps of the basilica is fantastic; I did that at night). I wish I had seen Sainte Chapelle, which is near Notre Dame and has stunning glass windows, but it was too late in the day for me to be able to view it.

For both cities, the Underground and the Metro are great ways to get around.

 

[Pugdog007]

Oh, and by the way -- the hop on / hop off bus tour *is* worth the cost (it's about £10 / person if I remember correctly) and takes about 2 hours if you just stay on the bus. Do that absolute first thing, and then you can narrow down what you want to see next. Not only will the bus tour give you the overview of the city, but it'll give you an idea of crowd levels at the places you're considering going, or if a certain attraction is closed (like Holyrood Palace was in Edinburgh for us), you'll find out before you waste your time traveling there and trying to get in.

Where do you go to pick up the bus? Should we buy tickets before leaving? We are staying at the Dorset Square Hotel.

I'd say shopping is "our thing." I want to hit the major museums (what about the Tate Modern?) but at the same don't want to be "museumed out" by the time we arrive in St. Petersburg & The Hermitage.

 

[Huggles]

In Paris, the area of Le Marais is near/around the Pompidou centre. It has loads of little fascinating shops within the cloistered areas and the immediate vicinity of the Pompidou centre has lots of moving statues. The big thing about the 'Pompidoleum' (looks like a petroleum refinery as all the ducting etc is on the outside to maximise free space on the inside) is that the escalators are on the outside in plastic tubes. You can go up these and get the most fantastic view over Paris. I believe they maybe charge for access to this now, but as the building has exhibitions within ( and shops with art work) it could be worth it if it isn't too expensive. Usually they have circus acts/ street performers in the square outside the centre so it's good for a wee rest.

Les Halles shopping centre is huge and just a short walk from the Pompidou.

If you go to the Arc de Triomphe you can look down one way to historic sites ( Champs Elysees, Tuilleries etc) and then the other way down the Avenue de la Grande Armee to the very modern La Defense arch ( A big square with a hole in the middle. All the offices are in the sides). If you are a Jean Michel Jarre fan you may recall seeing a concert which was at La Defense.

If you use the metro ( their underground system) make sure you go into the station at the Louvre as it has exhibits on show at the platform.

It used to be that the Tour Montparnasse was the tallest building in Paris and you could go up to the top for the most amazing views ( depends on weather and smog). However it is a few years since I worked in the city so things may have changed a bit.....or even quite a bit given the pace of things these days!

I loved working there and walked everywhere despite the distance. I took my husband and kids there 3 years back and showed them the things they wouldn't see on the tourist trail etc and they all thoroughly enjoyed it ( did wonder if the kids would as they are early teens and one has special needs).

It is possible to do most of the sights from the outside in one day. I recall a fellow worker took me for a walking tour just after I started. We set off at about 10 a.m and walked everywhere getting back at after 6p.m I think we even had lunch on the move! I had blisters the size of boulders but it was magic.

Have fun!

Also if planning on using the metro, buy a sort of Rover ticket. We used a 'carnet' which gave you ten tickets to use on journeys. One ticket will last you all connections etc ie the ticket which gets you underground will work on all transfers etc so long as you don't go above ground. Not the best explanation I'm sorry.
The metro is divided into zones and tickets can be purchased for only certain zones or for all zones. Remember some sights may be in one zone and another in a different zone.

 

[Sleepy]

I see London. I see France. I see someone's underpants.

Sorry, couldn't resist.