First time to Europe?

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LAJOIE2007

You picked two beautiful and lively cities, but also two of the most expensive cities in Europe to visit, so be careful how you budget.

Yes subway/bus is good but be careful, particularly in London as fares depend on the time of day (rush hour vs. non-rush hour) and the sector(s) you're travelling in. And of course surface vehicles and subway have different fares. I don't know what the current situation is in Paris (as it's been ten years since I last used the subway there), but I'll give you the website for RATP and one for a good hop-on, hop-off tour (which I strongly recommend - ditto for London - tickets on both are good for two days).

http://www.ratp.info/touristes/index.php?langue=en
http://www.carsrouges.com/

And here's the link to London transport:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/home.aspx

Oh and a good Hop-on, Hop-off tour in London:
http://www.bigbus.co.uk/

Also remember: Pounds in London, Euros in France
Roughly:
1 Euro (EUR) = 1.35 US Dollar (USD)
1 British Pound (GBP) = 1.99US Dollar (USD)
(Source: http://www.oanda.com).

Now I'm sure you have a pretty good idea of the main sites to see in either city but I'll give just a few recommendations:

London: Don't waste your time with Harrod's and don't leave London without seeing the Tower of London or St. Paul's Cathedral.

Paris: Everybody makes a big deal about Notre Dame - let me tell you just across from it is a far nicer church, La Sainte-Chapelle, which has absolutely gorgeous stained glass windows - in fact the whole chapel is pretty much made of stained glass - it really is out of this world. Also, a must is the catacombes of Paris - very interesting.

Oh and if you want good pastry at pretty reasonable prices go to "Paul's" - I don't know the exact address but if I remember correctly, it's on the right-hand side of the Champs-Elysées as you go towards the Arc de Triomphe. There is a Paul's in London as well, right by the tower of London. And for nice views of the city (apart from Eiffel tower) go up Montmartre and on the steps of the Basilica Sacré Coeur (go to Montmartre anyway for the cafés and general ambiance - although it's lost some of it's charm - not so many quality artists anymore - but still nice.)

Enjoy your time there!

Rillifane

Paris and London are both rather big cities with a very great deal to see and do.

My own opinion is that it would be better to pick one for this trip. When your time is brief it seems to me that the time you spend traveling from one city to the other, the time getting settled into a hotel, repacking your bags to head for the other city. etc etc detracts too much from the limited time available.

NB: I'll be in Paris from October 8-29. If you're there during that time I'll buy you a drink at my favorite bar.

hawt_hollister

Paris and Berlin :)

Eater of Crayons

Spain is cheap and beautiful.

falnangel07

I think paris and london sounds splendid.... i had a trip planned out to go there i had all my money saved up and then i got sick and ended up in the hospital and couldn't go so i gave my trip to my brother for his graduation present i was sooo bummed i couldn't go but i was glad i could bless him... so enjoy going and check out everything you can... also if you don't have a g/f or b/f ... paris is the place for the romance :-* meow

Barkley Hound

You will have a great time. Don't expect hotels to be the same as the US. The rooms are pretty small in Paris. Ride the subways in both cities. It is a good way to get around. Meet you at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I will be wearing the red beret.

johnsmit

Try to travel beginning of october. Temps will be lower from end of october. From Paris or Amsterdam or London you can take a Eurolines busticket for 150 dollars which will take you to all three cities (circle). Traveltime between Paris and Amsterdam is about 8 hours (you do it in nighttime and save a day hotel. Amsterdam /London same deal and back London/Paris again same deal. Total of three days hotel saved. If you don't want to spent nights in busses consider the fast train (Thalys Paris/Amsterdam or Eurostar London/Paris or Amsterdam/Paris, buy tickets on internet and you save a lot (example Paris Amsterdam 4 hours )
Use the bus everywhere (in Amsterdam Tram). Remember underground might be faster but you spend a lot af time in dark tunnels and walking up and down endless stairs and miles from one platform to the other.
All three cities have Hopon Hopoff buses which pass and stop at major points of interest. Explication in english aboard. You get off at any point you like and get on the next bus. Every 15 to twenty minutes. Tickets valid one or two days.
Rooms in hotels might be a lot smaller then you are used to but you don't spend your time in the hotel.
In Paris stay in the 18th/19th district, London Earls court, Amsterdam Red Light district. All areas safe and reasonable priced plus it is the spot to be.

You want more specific details email me

john

cardona6969

defenitely! have fun man

Andy's Mom

Have Fun!

sharkee

Yes you will love it. Careful of the Parisians they can be rude but they do have a nice city, The city has an attitude like a woman who loves herself too much.
London is better for shopping and clubs, in fact LONDON IS BETTER OVERALL AND IVE LIVED IN BOTH.

Underground Man

Eh, I guess. How about Rome or Prague or Florence or Berlin?

Wolly

Paris and London is fine. I would suggest beginning of
October to spend 2 days in Munich and see the
Oktoberfest. Even if you are not a real beer drinker
the place is a must. Mo-rover there are quite many
interesting places to see around Munich area.

geoff

Paris and London are good cities to visit for first time travelers to Europe. If you're feeling a little more adventurous, however, I would highly recommend visiting central Europe. As far as central Europe, I've visited Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. I think for a first timer Prague, Czech Republic is an excellent choice. Its a lot cheaper than London or Paris, the people are very friendly and it is absolutely beautiful, in my opinion more so than London and even Paris.

mareeclara

For a first trip, they are probably good options....I assume you speak english, so London is a good intro, and it helps in that English is spoken widely there ( ha ha).

Paris was my first trip ( I was living in the UK) to a foregin speaking place and I admit I had the most problems of ANY other place I visited....so I suggest you get to know a bit of French if you don;t ( I only studied it for 18months at high school....YEARS ago and I really stuggled at times).......
However its a beautiful city and you can get around fine.
THere is so much to see and do there too....I had 5 days and found it a good time, but I still sped around the place and missed a couple of things I wanted to see.

They are both expensive cities too......so be prepared for that.
Take a phrase book and have fun.

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