Budgeting 7 Days

What are your interests? How much time you spend in either would depend on those? How’s your mobility? You like museums? Theatre? Shopping?

It really depends on your personal interests. I would make a list of your musts in each city and go from there.

Hopefully you are doing multi-city flights to avoid the time/expense of backtracking.

Thanks, Claudia. You'll probably be sorry you asked me. But here goes: In great shape for lots of walking/exploring. Intend to hit the ground running, in spite of jet lag/time difference (Austin vs. London). British Museum is only museum on my mind. Otherwise, thinking about Globe Theatre, Tower of London, Big Ben, Westminster Bridge, Parliament, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Sky Garden, London Eye, Thames river cruise, Covent Garden, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Hyde Park, Abbey Road (pic in crosswalk), Abbey Road (Beatles) Studios. Game for hopping on an off double decker buses, using the tube (I used to take subway trains all the time in NYC). Stonehenge intrigues me, but I believe your site talked about it being a whole day trip including Windsor Castle. Changing of the guards -- take it or leave it, especially leave it if it's a time waster. All in on shopping --West End and Soho, especially visiting any cool record stores. And yes to a play. Do-able in four days? Then onto Paris: Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph, The Louvre, Champs Ulysses, Notre Dame Cathedral, Seine River cruise and dinner, Rodin Museum, great French pastries at cafes, shopping (including record stores!), Laduree for macaroons, and Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse for gourmet chocolate. Two days plenty in Paris?

Based on your lists, you do not have enough time in either place, but your Paris list is way more doable in the time allocated. The Champs Elysees will take maybe an hour and so will Notre Dame so you should be able to fit everything you mention into 2 days with very good planning and running from place to place in a mad rush. London, not so much. What you have listed will not be done in 4 days.

Given everything on your list, I think you could just stay in London, doing a couple of day trips. Plan on doing the same for Paris on your next trip.

Now let me ask another question. When you go to a good restaurant, do you order everything on the menu? Because that’s what you are trained to do here. What you have listed is 2 separate one- week trips.

If you pare both lists down a bit, then 4 nights in London and 2 in Paris would my choice. But others will say the opposite.

Are you flying out from Paris or dou you have to return to London for your flight home?

"Seems like there's more to see and do in London."

Honestly for myself I can spend 2 weeks in Paris and never get everything done. Ditto for London. so I'd beg to differ with you on there is more to do in London. Your list for both areas are more than you can possibly cover in 3 or 4 days for either.

I also agree that you could easily spend the whole week in London. If you decide to include both, I'd do 3/3. You'll lose 1/2 a day taking the Eurostar between the 2 cities.

Have you booked your air reservations yet? IF you do decide to keep both in the mix, fly open jaw - in to London and out of Paris so you don't lose a day getting back to London.

"Stonehenge intrigues me, but I believe your site talked about it being a whole day trip including Windsor Castle."

Just wanted to make sure you know that Rick Steves doesn't actually give advice here on the forum. It's a peer-to-peer platform although those answering questions are generally very well traveled! As for Stonehenge - to me that's a full day and for Windsor Castle is at least 1/2 day from London. If you just have 3 or 4 days, I'd save Stonehenge for next time and Windsor Castle as well unless you feel very strong about visiting it.

If there is an overnight non stop red eye fly it.

London isn’t cheap. Look at the Premier Inn website for accommodation. Given your interests I’d say try the Victoria PI Hub hotel or the County Hall PI.

Buy lunch deals at Tescos or Sainsbury markets. Or look for sign boards outside pubs about lunch deals.
I always go for a pub lunch. I use the loo, rest tired feet and back while enjoying a good meal and, often, a pint. Remember you don’t have to have liquor at a pub. Nor be surprised to see children, babies in prams, dogs or cats.

British Museum is large and crowded. Plan accordingly.

See if your travel dates coincide with Spitalfields Vinyl Market. https://oldspitalfieldsmarket.com/events/vinyl-market

Lastly Parliament Square is an easy walk about but you’ll need to check if Westminster Abbey will be open to the public. It’s not a cheap entrance fee.

You should investigate the London Walks website.
www.walks.com

I take a walk on each London visit. Always interesting and informative. Last trip enjoyed Royal Inns of the Court walk.

Have a good time.

Added note: I see I've taken so long to write this, it looks like some others may have expressed similar sentiments (haven't read the last several posts)

So exciting for a first trip to these wonderful cities!! You've come to the right place, at the right time, to begin your planning. This forum has been great to help me plan more realistically for several trips----though my family still tries to pack in too much every time. The best trips have been those in which we have been able to catch our breath---and have been able to taste, breathe, and feel the city.

Depending on your compelling reason for going to both cities in a 6-day trip, I'd consider saving one city for another time. It sounds as if you are in great shape, so the prospect of a future trip is conceivable. If you are doing both cities, as LIZinPA mentioned, a multi-city flight is really the way to go---fly in to one, out of the other. Just navigating to/from the airports will take time away from a long list of activities.

Do you hope to go into most of the locations (Tower of London, St Paul's, Westminster Abbey, etc) or do you just plan to see while on a city tour? The British Museum could take all day...or all week...or... Do you want to ascend the Eiffel Tower, climb the Arc de Triomphe?

My family and I were in Paris last summer for about 5 and a half days total as bookends to a family heritage trip to Luxembourg (my husband and kids got citizenship based on my husband's great great grandfather) and Germany. We did climb the Arc de Triomphe and walked the Champs D'Elysees, but we only saw the Eiffel Tower from a distance (found a spot where we could take photos with it in the background). We also saw the Tower from a river cruise, but because Queen EII had just died, the lighting show did not happen. We didn't even attempt the Louve. My husband and I had both been in the Louve briefly when in college half a century ago, and chose to spend time in Musee d'Orsay. I could've spent all day in Musee d'Orsay, but my husband was finished in a couple of hours. The lines, alone can take awhile at any of these locations. We purchased a double pass at the Rodin Museum (loved it!) so we didn't have too long of a wait at Musee d'Orsay. We spent a couple of days in the Montmarte area of Paris. We had a few pockets of time to sit and enjoy cafes.

Thanks for all the good advice. I'll definitely pare down my overly-ambitious lists. Great point on saving almost a day by flying into London, flying out of Paris. (CanAmCherie, yes, I plan to ascend at least part of Eifel Tower and Arc de Triomphe.) Too early to book flights and hotels for May 2024?

Yes, I'd say it's too early now for either flights or hotels. I suggest you look on Google Flights for options, and if you see a schedule that works set up an alert for price changes. Probably the best time to book flights is about six months out. And of course you'll have to decide whether you want a multi-city itinerary for both London and Paris or a round trip to one or the other. I agree with the posters above who feel that you're shortchanging both cities, and yourself, by trying to cram them into one week.

Many hotels won't be booking for next May until early next year -- if you go to their websites now you'll find "no availability" that far ahead. I suggest you use booking.com, which has good filters and genuine reviews, to identify some hotel options, then do your actual bookings with the hotels themselves. That will help avoid problems if anything goes wrong.

You have plenty of time to plan this trip and I hope it's a great one that makes you want to return!

I'll say that several different friends are going to France/Paris and Italy in May of 2024 and some are finding some hotels are already booked (and it's actual bookings not the fact that they haven't opened up for reservations yet). Paris is hosting the Olympics in July and while that might not impact you there may be more people traveling in May and June before the big crowds start.

I'd start looking for hotels in both locations and book AFTER you check on the cancellation policies. That gives you a place to stay and if you want to continue to look for locations/prices you can. I book directly with my hotels although I know others use big booking websites. Often if you book direct you can get a free breakfast added in.

I hope your taste of London and Paris will whet your appetite for many more trips to the cities and beyond! You will enjoy whatever you squeeze in. Don't give up on your personal plans (e.g. visit record stores) for tourist sites. We find our little wanderings often bring the most satisfaction and memories.

The Luxembourg Garden in Paris is a lovely place to catch your breath, eat a picnic lunch...

Enjoy!!

Seven days or seven nights? Getting around on London’s tube and Paris’s metro takes longer than taking a taxi. When it rains visit the British Museum and make sure the cab driver drops you off on Great Russell St. You should allow a minimum of three days in this order (or vice versa) to visit the sights you want to see on foot:

The British Museum, Great Russell St, London WC1B 3DG, United Kingdom
Soho, London, UK
Piccadilly Circus, London, UK
West End, London, UK and spend the evening at the theatre.

Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB, United Kingdom
Sky Garden, 1, Sky Garden Walk, London EC3M 8AF, United Kingdom
St. Paul's Cathedral, St. Paul's Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD, United Kingdom
Covent Garden, London, UK
The Beatles zebra crossing, Abbey Rd., London NW8 9DD, United Kingdom
Abbey Road Studios, 3 Abbey Rd., London NW8 9AY, United Kingdom

Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom
Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA, United Kingdom (skip the changing of the guard ceremony, it’s a waste of time).
Westminster Abbey, Dean's Yard, London SW1P 3PA, United Kingdom
Parliament Sq, London, UK
Big Ben Clock, 67 Bridge St, London SW1A 2PW, United Kingdom
London Eye River Cruise, Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1 7PB, United Kingdom
Shakespeare's Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, London SE1 9DT, United Kingdom

PARIS:

Take the Eurostar from London’s St Pancras Int’l train station to Paris’s Gare du Nord station (2h 30m). The sooner you buy your ticket the cheaper it is. Here’s the order you should tour Paris on foot:

Louvre Museum, 75001 Paris, France
Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse, Le Comptoir Palais Royal, 11 Rue des Petits Champs, 75001 Paris, France
Ladurée, 75 Av. des Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris, France
Arc de Triomphe, Pl. Charles de Gaulle, 75008 Paris, France
Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, 5 Av. Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France

Rodin Museum, 77 Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris, France
Notre Dame, Paris, France
Siene River Cruise, Vedettes du Pont Neuf, 1 Square du Vert Galant, 75001 Paris, France

"Getting around on London’s tube and Paris’s metro takes longer than taking a taxi."
I can't definitively comment on Paris but that's just rubbish for London.

Jhillery, We had a want to see list for London that mirrored yours for our recent trip in late June. We took about 6 days to see most of our list, but still didn’t make it to the British Museum or Abbey Road area (among other places)! We wanted to include some side trips out of London and did Windsor, York and the SE Seven Sisters area/ hike. If we hadn’t done those, we could’ve possibly gone to Paris at the end for 3 days.

We think that a good rule of thumb for us for London attractions going forward is to keep it to two a day. That way you don’t feel like you have to rush through and can really enjoy the city. Just walking through any of the parks is an enjoyable half day. We averaged walking 8-9 miles a day - and used the tube/buses! I wrote up a multi day trip report earlier- sorry for the length, but I had fun reminiscing 😊- that might be of help.

As I mentioned before, I really went back and forth about Paris, but ultimately we didn’t want to sacrifice our side trips and with those, we focused just on London. We were glad we did, but of course everyone has their own desires from their trips. In our minds we thought, “we’ll get to Paris someday”!

I hope you have so much fun regardless of what you decide! Happy planning!

Getting around on London’s tube and Paris’s metro takes longer than taking a taxi.

The traffic is bad in London but taxis are easier for tourists who don't have much time.
First, we have to buy a card that needs to be loaded.
Second, we have to find the nearest tube station.
Third, we have to take the correct exit out of the tube station.
Fourth, we have to know which way to turn when leaving the station.
Fifth, we have to find the place we're going to.

"First, we have to buy a card that needs to be loaded."

For London - no, you can tap a contactless credit card at the turnstile and at the exit instead of having to buy an oyster card.

For Paris - yes, you still need to use a loadable card such as a Navigo Easy or Navigo Decouverte depending on what the shape of your trip looks like.

You can also use the excellent bus services ion London too. Again, no pre-purchase of card needed, just a contactless card on entry. And. as most buses are double decker, you can get an excellent view of the city as you go.

you can tap a contactless credit card at the turnstile and at the exit instead of having to buy an oyster card.

Does that apply to all US credit cards?

"Getting around on London’s tube and Paris’s metro takes longer than taking a taxi."

While I do take taxis in London sometimes, in general I find the tube faster. It's an easy network to navigate - just follow the signs.

If you do prefer to use an Oyster card rather than just tapping your credit/debit card, it's a one-off purchase with occasional recharges, so it doesn't take long.

For Paris, you'd don't actually have to buy a card - I just have the IDF Mobilités app on my phone - you buy passes and tickets on the app and tap your phone.

@MaryPat - here is the link to the TFL website regarding contactless and mobile device use in the Tube. I used my AMEX card and did not try my Visa.

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/how-to-pay-and-where-to-buy-tickets-and-oyster/pay-as-you-go/contactless-and-mobile-pay-as-you-go

"Does that apply to all US credit cards?"
It applies to all credit and debit cards that can be used with contactless technology. That is pretty much all cards issued in the UK. It covers many US cards but I think there are probably still some not yet up to speed. The card needs to have the contactless symbol on it - you can see a picture of it on the tfl link above.
If your card does not have that symbol your provider should be able too send you one that does win good time for your trip.