Travel Question- London and Paris

fly into london

high speed train to paris (and a few other locales if you're interested in seeing other places)


Buy Rick Steves book Europe Through the Back Door

I can't speak for London but I can Paris.

We stayed on the Left Bank in the St Germain Des Pres area last time. Very chic and centrally located, and easy to get anywhere. We loved our hotel, it was more boutique. Hotel Madison. There are nicer places but we were very happy with it.

Get familiar with the neighborhoods (arrondisements) of Paris and where you want to stay. They have distinct personalities. They are easy to google and find out about. The lower the numbered district, the closer it is to the center of town, which is where you probably want to be.

Most people speak English. In fact virtually everyone. Don't believe the BS that they are rude. They do not smile, that's just how they are. Attempt to speak some French to them first, even if its to ask if they speak English. They will love you for it. ALWAYS say Bonjour when walking into a shop/restaurant/bar/cafe. They expect it and consider it rude if you don't.

ParisByMouth.com is a GREAT resource for food/drinks. They have lists for many different types of places and are usually really on top of the trends and latest places. Paris has some of the best restaurants you can possibly imagine.

I recommend L'ami Jean, Septime, Spring.

Take the Metro (subway) everywhere. You can take cabs and Uber if you want but the Metro is VERY easy, especially with Google Maps, cheap as hell, and there is literally a stop on every other corner. It is amazing.

I rented a Travel Wifi Hotspot last time I was there and it helped me a great deal. Could use Google Maps, Translate, etc with ease and get around.

One thing about Paris though: Try not to stick to a rigid schedule. Its a place you REALLY need to just stroll and enjoy.

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I would go to Paris with minimal plans and just wander around and find things to do. I could figure 2 full days in the Louvre. Napoleon's tomb and Army Museum is another good place. Montmartre/Sacre Coeur, Eiffel Tower, Arch de Triumph, etc. Just walk around and take the place in. Paris is a really cool place if you don't take along a shitty American (french people suck) attitude.

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Totally agree.

The one thing I would plan is food. For every spectacular restaurant, there are a lot of shitty touristy places.

Read reviews and stick to the places you want to eat, don't wing it unless you have a great concierge telling you to go somewhere.

Otherwise, yeah, just kind of stroll around.

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My vote for most short-sighted book title ever.

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Yep. Lake Bled cover is awesome though. That place is unreal.

how long in Paris?

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The Metro in Paris is the most efficient thing I've ever seen.

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Yeah. It really is amazing actually.

this is great guys, thanks a bunch.

question- what can i expect to pay for a 7/8 day trip? is that too short?

will i get laughed at if i say my budget is under $10,000?

sorry, im not an OT baller yet

well i guess so. would be a leave 7-8pm central, arrive after lunch in London.

leave late in day from Paris

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well i guess so. would be a leave 7-8pm central, arrive after lunch in London.

leave late in day from Paris

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First of all, try and do an overnight flight if you can to give you the maximum amount of day time in country.

Second, yeah, to do both cities that is not a lot of time. It would basically be ok we spent some time in this city now lets move on. I was in Paris 6 full days last time and I felt like that was kind of rushed.

If you just want to hit a few highlights and go to both just because you don't know if you will ever be back, go for it. If you want to actually enjoy either city, just pick one, personally.