Is it feasable going to Paris from England?

Susy,

Yes, it's absolutely feasable to go from England to Paris, using the EuroStar (train). Have a look at the Man in Seat 61 website for all the details.

If you decide to go to Paris, I'd suggest booking open-jaw flights, inbound to Manchester and outbound from Paris. That will save the time and expense of returning to Manchester for the flight home.

Since this is your first tip across the pond, I'd highly recommend having a look at both the Rick Steves England and Paris guidebooks, so that you can plan efficient touring and get the most out of your visit. Be aware that you're probably not going to be able to do or see as much as you might like, so good planning is essential!

Good luck with your planning!

Hey Ken--that's a great link to the Eurostar train. I was wondering how we were gong to get from London to Paris. It helps my planning to know that it leaves from St. Pancras and arrives at Gare du Nord, In the olden days it was via Magic Bus. Guess I'm dating myself.

I don't think it's London Bridge you want to see (very boring), probably Tower Bridge:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Cmglee_Tower_Bridge_tall_ship.jpg

I missed the reference to London Bridge.

Susy, if you want to see the original London Bridge, you'll need to go to Lake Havasu (AZ) for that. The Tower Bridge is the one you'll probably want to see in London.

Hi Ken

Thank you that helps a lot with my planning. I need to bring down some my wish list. Am accustomed traveling to P.R. every summer and the island is so small you pretty much can see everything twice. So I most plan what's going to imprint a good memory of my trip. I have few months to do so! ;0)

Hi Harley Donski

Yes you are correct. That's the one I want to see. Do you think that it may be worth it to do a hop on hop off bus or boat ride?

Lol! Yes I knew that one was in the States. I truly meant the latter. Thanks.

There's so much to see and so little time!

Susy: If you are arriving in Manchester; you are super close to Wales. Spent a night in Chester which is just 1/2 hour from Manchester airport and take a drive or train to Conwy Castle and the rest of King Edward's Castles. We really enjoyed Wales because it seems removed from the hustle of the metropolitan areas. Chatsworth was wonderful. It is on the Eastside of the Midlands. We spent 6 days in London...so much to do and see. Lots of Art and History Museums...a lot are free. If Paris is on your Bucket list do it. The Eurostar is an experience in itself. If you are a senior I believe they have a reduced fare if you travel during allowed departures and returns. I might do Edinburgh on this trip and save Paris when you have a week to see it and the environs. Check out the National Trust UK online for itinerary ideas. They have Passes available for Overseas Tourists that can save you a lot.

Since you have only 12 traveling days and such a long list of things you really want to see in England, I'd advise you to save Paris for a different trip some other time.

If you were just interested in (a) London and (b) Paris, that would be doable in 12 days. But when you've got Manchester, Wales, and Liverpool high in your priorities in addition to London, you'll be very busy seeing all those destinations in 12 days.

I would suggest you really think about what you want to do and see. You are considering a lot, but if you do not know when or if you will return and things are very important to you then, with careful planning, you might be able to figure out how to most of what you want. You might only get a taste of some areas, but sometimes a taste is enough. A story as an example - several years ago, I took my then 80 year old father on what would turn out to be his last trip to his homeland. We had only 10 days due to limited vacation time on my part. I asked him to make a "bucket list" of everything he wanted to do and the places and people he wanted to see during our trip. Then I asked him to circle the must haves and number the remaining items in order of importance. After a couple of weeks of working at it, he had refined his list and I went to work putting the trip together. Visiting all of the relatives was not negotiable and so those visits throughout the country formed the framework for our trip. In addition, he wanted to travel through the Channel Tunnel - he and my mother had visited the construction site several times on previous visits - and visit the Normandy coastline to see the artificial harbor built by the British following the D Day invasion. He and my mother both grew up in London during WWII. By prioritizing his desires and being willing to stretch our imaginations, we managed to see and do every thing he wanted, including visiting his boyhood neighborhood right next to the construction taking place for the 2012 Olympics. We did rent a car to get us around some of the countryside due to his somewhat limited mobility and time constraints. Did we get to see everything in Normandy, no, but for my dad just being there and seeing the places where the invasion took place was an amazing experience. This was true of almost everywhere we went, but he was happy to do it all, although the Channel Tunnel was anticlimactic. "Just twenty minutes of being in a dark train", seeing it built was much more exciting for him. Really the message in this long post is - decide what is important to you, seeing a lot of different things or taking time to see more of a limited number or areas. That is the best part about travel - you can make it what you want it to be.

Harold's (yes not very historic) ???

Do you mean http://www.harrods.com ?

London Bridge / Tower bridge ?

If you are a fan of Harry Potter you will also want to see Millenium Bridge

You will have to decide what your priorities are, since you can't see everything in one trip, and you won't have a good trip if you spend more time in transit than in the places themselves. If you really want to go to Paris, you'll have to cut time from something else. We've all faced these decisions, and there is no right or wrong answer.

If you want some ideas about Manchester, Liverpool, and Chester, look at my report of my recent trip: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/uk-trip-report-glasgow-manchester-liverpool-in-september-2016

Don't forget Tower of London!

I think with 12 days you can easily do Liverpool/Manchester, London and Paris. :) Paris is gorgeous.

Kim

Hello Kathelen.

Wow I didn't know that Manchester is so close to Wales. I just picked it cause the flight was super cheap. It was between London and Manchester as Liverpool was 1500, London 1000 and Manchester won at 560. I was checking out that mall, now know am not a shopper but that mall looks amazing! I have been thinking about do another separated trip to France but chances are that I wont happen hence why I want to do it now. So far with all your suggestion I think I have a plan of action. 3 days in Liverpool/Wales, 3 in London and 3 in Paris leaving me with three days to do whatever or account for traveling times.

Hello Janet.
Thank you for sharing that sweet story about your father. I feel that just the fact of being there and be able to say I did that to myself is worth it enough. I may not get to see everything but I will be more than I have seen today.

Hello I.P. Enersen,

Yes Harrods. Sorry I was writing from a cell phone and it will do what it wants when it wants. LOL! Am not much in to Harry, (actually not at all) but I do want to see that cart that goes thru the wall. I seen some photos on Insta and about a 41 year old child so I be very excited if I do see it.

Hello Kim,
Yes I cant wait to see the Tower of London!!! super excited!

Thank you!!!!

This thread is exactly what I was looking for! Planning the same kind of trip in mid/late May for Liverpool (football) then London & Paris!

If you go to Paris this is what you want to see ... in order ... Notre Dame (the outside at least. The back on the river side is the prettiest. But go inside it's free) ; Sainte Chapelle (the inside don't be fooled by the exterior); the Musee d'Orsay for the impressionists (skip the Orangerie); the Eiffel Tower (long lines to go up. You decide if it's worth it); the Arc d'Triomphe ( be aware that it's in the middle of a giant round about and is mostly a photo op. But it's right by a Metro stop. Easy access) the Tuileries and outside of The Louvre. Make sure you go to the Orsay on a day it's open. These are the.best of the best in my humble opinion.

Why neglect Manchester when you're going to be there to start? Huge soccer city with two major clubs; lots of industrial history at a sprawling museum; decent regional art gallery; shops of course; the "Curry Mile" of Indian and other Asian restaurants near Manchester University (and upscale Indian restaurants in other spots too). Even a museum dedicated to the labour movement that tilts so far left that it could topple into the river; really interesting practical history.