London and Paris

[DVC2004]

So. My husband really wants to go to Europe. We are thinking about visiting London and Paris next year. We would spend about 8 days, probably mostly in London and then the last 3 days for Paris, reserving one day for Disneyland Paris. This would just be us 2. Unfortunately, there are no properties in either city for exchange through DVC with RCI. So dissappointing!

What I am thinking of and wondered if anyone as done- is staying in a moderately priced place in both places such as a Best Western. I really would prefer to save the money for tours, sightseeing and food. I can't imagine we will be spending any time in our hotel other than to sleep. I just need clean and close by to transportation as we won't be driving. Has anyone here travelled to these cities and done the same- or has any tips? We are thinking of flying to London and doing 4 to 5 nights there, than taking the Eurostar and doing the couple days in Paris and sightseeing. We can use points if we wish to stay onsite at Disneyland Paris but probably will only visit there one day. I think it would be too much of a pain to base out of DLP roomwise travelling back and forth to Paris.

Any advice, suggestions, tips are welcome. I have not been to Europe since I was a teen and he has never been. Also we would be going in either Jan- Feb or March which I know is cold cold cold but the savings for the off season travel is significant. I live in Chicagoland, too, so I am used to it.

Thanks!

[Daisy'sMom]

The Millenium Mayfair in London is wonderful. Close to Oxford ST and the tube is a quick walk away. Hyde Park is close and we were also close to alot of the embassies, including ours. (Which turned out to be a blessing when MIL lost her passport) We love the TUBE, it is easy and clean. We found it easier than the buses. Evans Evans has some great tours. I can't help you with Paris. We haven't gotten there yet. Loved the Tower of London and Stonehenge was magical. Try one of the many nightly tours, they are so much fun.
PS-what they call superior hotel is a moderate hotel here. Keep that in mind.

[SBETigg]

My best friends are headed to London for a week in a few weeks. I was supposed to be going, too, but stuff happens (two kids in college, tuition bills). Anyway, they're renting a house for the week and got a great deal, cheaper than many hotels and they are right in the heart of everything with easy access to transportation and the bonus of having a true neighborhood experience. You might look into house/apartment rental sites. I could give you the one they used via private message if you like.

[NewDVCowner]

Both London and Paris have great public transportation. I stayed on the cheap in both the Latin district in Paris and the Notting Hill area in London and both of them had easy access to the underground. Can't remember the names of the hotels but neither of them were 'name' hotels like Best Western. I think I found a package deal on air and hotel on an online travel website.

[MNNHFLTX]

What is your budget/night for London? We've been there twice, the first time staying outside the City in a suburb called East Croydon. The hotel was Jurys Inn, I believe? Very inexpensive and a 5 minute walk to the railway station. It was an easy 20 minute trip into Victoria Station by train. Nothing fancy, that's for sure, but comfortable. It was also convenient for us as our flights were in and out of Gatwick and we also caught the train from there.

Our second time in London we stayed at within the City proper at a neat boutique-type hotel called Base2Stay in Kensington--modern interior but built inside old Georgian row-houses. It's location is very close to Earl's Court tube station, which made it convenient for our flights in/out of Heathrow this time, as well as catching the tube to other points in central London. It gets very good reviews on Tripadvisor and is not too expensive compared to other properties in the area.

I haven't been to Paris yet, although the plan is to possible go there next summer. One thing I can say for sure is that you could spend your entire eight days in London and still only see a fraction of all the interesting sights there. If you don't think you will get back, you can make do with 4-5 nights in London and few in Paris too, as you mention. But if it were me I would make separate trips, if possible, or extend your vacation time. You will spend the first day or two of your trip getting acclimated to the time change, which could affect your energy level and ability to sightsee. Anyway, just a thought.

If/when you do go to London, I would highly recommend the British Museum (huge, unbelievable collection of, well--everything), the National Gallery (huge, unbelievable art collection, many by the most famous artists of our time), the Tower, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral. Those are what I would consider "must-sees". We also took a tour of the Houses of Parliament that was very interesting. Of note--twice on our trips we attempted to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Once it did not happen, for some unknown reason, the other time it took place but was overshadowed by medical personnel attending to a young woman that had fallen off of the Victoria Memorial just in front of the palace, which she had perched to see the ceremony and was hurt quite badly. So my impression of the event is under-whelming to say the least. I wouldn't pass up on some other more interesting activity to see it, that's for sure.

[DVC2004]

Thanks everyone. Well I found a deal on air for about $1400 (total for 2) for round trip from Chicago. I thought that seemed good. As far as budget...I don't really know because I know it's expensive out there, particularily London. I would really like to pay $200 or less per day on accomodations...but I don't want to stay in a dump, just clean and good location is enough for us...I figure if we could stay within $200 to $250 per day for tours and food/expenses we'be good. Am I totally off base? I really don't know how to budget for an overseas trip since we haven't done. So per my may $4000-$5000 total...I don't know...there's alot I don't know here!

[MNNHFLTX]

Thanks everyone. Well I found a deal on air for about $1400 (total for 2) for round trip from Chicago. I thought that seemed good. As far as budget...I don't really know because I know it's expensive out there, particularily London. I would really like to pay $200 or less per day on accomodations...but I don't want to stay in a dump, just clean and good location is enough for us...I figure if we could stay within $200 to $250 per day for tours and food/expenses we'be good. Am I totally off base? I really don't know how to budget for an overseas trip since we haven't done. So per my may $4000-$5000 total...I don't know...there's alot I don't know here!

I think your budget is reasonable for two people--that was a good deal on airfare! Lodging will be the biggest expense, food is also more expensive over there but not so bad if you like to eat at pubs (which is what we preferred anyway) or ethnic restaurants. Transportation via railway or the Tube is reasonable too. Keep in mind that the national museums and art galleries are free, so you can see a lot of stuff for very little money. They will charge you for entrance into Westminster, the Tower of London and St. Paul's.

From my own research for our trip next summer, I think Paris may be more expensive for food, but less expensive for lodging.

[DVC2004]

Thanks- I also checked out Base2Stay Kensington and it looks perfect- thank you for the recommendation. For our dates it looks like about $159 per night. Which is better than I hoped. Also seems like it is in a nice location.
I never realized how little I know about travelling abroad until now.

[MNNHFLTX]

Thanks- I also checked out Base2Stay Kensington and it looks perfect- thank you for the recommendation. For our dates it looks like about $159 per night. Which is better than I hoped. Also seems like it is in a nice location.
I never realized how little I know about travelling abroad until now.

It's in a fantastic location, you'll love it! The rooms are small but immaculate and updated. There is a Sainsbury just a few blocks over so you can pick some breakfast foods or such to keep in the fridge in the room. And right around the corner near the Earl's Court tube station there are many little shops and restaurants, even a post office. Our favorite place to eat was the Blackbird Pub, and there is also a Wagamama nearby (Google it if you haven't heard of it!)

[Mickey'sGirl]

When we don't stay with my brother in Crouch End, we like to stay in Russell Square. It is right on the Picadilly Line of the Underground, and you can take the Tube right in to it from Heathrow (without changing lines!!). Awesomely convenient to the British Museum, Covent Gardens and all of the West End theatres. We always find it easiest to purchase a travel card from the London Underground which allows us to venture about on transit without thinking about having the fares etc. We have stayed about a dozen times at the very moderately priced and anything but fancy "President Hotel". You might also consider purchasing a London CityPass which can get you access to many of the city's sights.

Also wanted to add, that London and the UK in general, is VERY different from the rest of Europe. It is so culturally similar to North America (food, entertainment, language), that it will not likely seem too foreign for you. Paris, on the other hand, is a whole nuther thing. You will get good exposure to "different" in Paris ... Food, language, customs, TV. Wait til you see French TV!

[Tick-Tock]

You might want to check out Rick Steves's resources (especially his books) for tips about traveling in Europe. He has good walking tours, for example, and sometimes offers advice about things that make visiting crowded sites a lot easier (we benefited from a tip about a bag check behind St. Mark's in Venice that allowed us to skip a very, very long entrance line).

[Awesome_guy]

I can only speak for Paris (just got back) but not for London.

Disneyland Paris, at Marne La Vallee, as you probably know, is a solid 1/2 hour RER train ride out from Central Paris (not counting waiting for trains, although they're pretty continual). I wouldn't home-base there other than your day(s) at Disney just because of distance/time. We did two days at Disney and did two nights out there both nights before our Disney days.

We found on-site at DLP too pricey (although the daily EMH for Fantasyland would be a nice perk. We stayed at the Marriott Village on Golf Disney and found it to be good value (and convenient for both city transit and private shuttle for a nominal fee to/from the two parks). The price for a full townhouse was similar to Radisson Blu/Novotel/etc. for our search. The amenities (hot tub, pool, shop, etc. were nice); there's also a little village with a little bit more totally walkable, Bailey Romanvallier (sp?) from the Marriott. We're not owners, we just booked online, but the whole place had a really nice feel and was super secure. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for somewhere a little more economical.

As far as in Paris itself, there are abundant Best Westerns, Novotels, and Holiday Inns. We wanted to be in the central arodissements and had a bit of a preference for St. Germain. We booked Hôtel Odéon (a boutique-type one similar in price to Best Western, in fact a bit cheaper) prior to going for our early days there and were totally satisfied. It was quaint but the staff there was amazing! ... It also had L'Occitane toiletries, haha. Later on in our trip we did a surplus hotel website where you book on stars/location without knowing which it will be until you pre-pay and it ended up being a 4-star Holiday Inn. Admittedly, the rate was great but when it was revealed our second St. Germain stay would be a Holiday Inn I was a bit cautious, but it ended up being a great one. ... Each brand tends to have a full spread, I guess. It, again, was well staffed and a bit more North American than others we'd encountered. Location was great and everything met all our needs. It was so close, in fact, to the Luxumbourg Gardens that we ended up doing daily jogs there before seeing everything else.

I don't know how you're getting around but Paris is so so walkable, metro-able, and cab-able once you're in that central area; once you're in that area you should have no trouble getting where you need to be.

Review sites are so accurate I find, once you take out people who had really specific issues and people who tend to praise everything.

Enjoy! Hope this makes some sense.

[Pongo]

We stayed in Earls Park in London. It is near the convention center and much cheaper than staying in the city center. We were walking distance from the tube station and it only took minutes to get to central London. Very reasonable rates and lots of restaurants in the area.

[TwinPrincesses]

We just spent the summer in Europe. 4 days in London, a week in Paris and then picked up a rental car and drove through France, northern Spain and Switzerland and Germany. I grew up in Europe and go quite a bit--always on a budget. This past trip was a graduation present for our son, so there was three of us.
Both London and Paris were fabulous. We stayed at the Doubletree at Victoria Station, it was free since we used my husband's Hilton points. Great breakfast buffet and I really liked it. It's very easy to get to from the airport, you can take a coach bus right to it. Both London and Paris have excellent subway systems. I could write a novel on the subject of visiting. I would recommend you read Rick Steves and trip advisor. In London I would recommend the Tower (take the beefeater tour, don't miss it), seeing the Parliament in session (it's free), Westminster Abbey, the Churchill War rooms and Churchill museum, seeing a musical in the West end (tickets are cheaper in London than in the US and you can get half price tickets the day of if you are flexible on what to see), and don't miss the British museum, it may sound boring but it isn't. See a play at the Globe theatre, standing room tickets are dirt cheap and what an experience. Don't miss seeing Big Ben lit up at night--it was the ultimate Peter Pan experience for me.
Taking the Eurostar is super easy, so fast and convenient. You can buy tickets about 3 months ahead of time and it's cheaper plus some trains sell out. When you go to ST Pancras to get on the train, you can go to the Kings Cross right next door, and see Platform 9 3/4.
I really loved Paris also. A nice hotel in Paris proved out of our price range, so we rented an apartment instead through Vacation rental by owner. The apartment was fabulous, even had a washer/dryer and free overseas calls and was 7 minutes from Notre Dame. I would do that again, but not this particular apartment, it was located just upstairs from a noisy disco and noise went on until 4am. These were my favorite places in Paris: Taking a boat tour on the Seine, Orsay museum, Louvre on Friday nights when it's open late, Luxembourg gardens, the Latin quarter, Orangerie and we loved our side trip to Versailles which is super easy to reach by RER train.
Anyway--the food is great, especially the bakeries. Have fun!