Manchester Flight, or London Eurostar to Paris?

I think I would go the London route, because I really like traveling by train. :) I would be good with spending a day and night in London, then moving on (and I am not usually a fan of one night stays).

Have fun!

On that Monday, you could take the train to Liverpool or Chester. Both are about an hour each way. And then fly to Paris on Tuesday. No need to change hotels.

Manchester has a few decent museums like the Science and Technology museum and the National Football (Soccer) museum.

I think a peak at London is better than no London, and then you can see what might tempt you for a future trip.

Manchester to London Euston is an easy, comfortable and relatively scenic train ride of only a couple of hours, and you'll be walking distance from St Pancras International. Plenty of hotels, high and low, nearby.

Portman Square, where your Hyatt is, is the other end of town. It advertises itself as Marylebone, which is fair, but it is also a stones throw from the poor man's end of Oxford Street. Marylebone is a nice area for strolling around.

So you have choices.

Do you have Bonvoy points?

I might prefer to stay closer to St Pancras, good eating at the Coal Drops area, easy walk though Bloomsbury to the free British Museum. Tea at the British Museum or across the street. Welcome to London.

Remember to check in early enough for the Eurostar.

I'm also not a fan of one night stays, but if London is on the way, staying one night there would be my choice. Especially if you've never been to London before.

Thanks all! I'll talk with the wife and see how she is feeling. I do like the idea of spending the day "scouting out" London for future trips. Question....if we take the train in from Manchester, is there a specific station we'd go to, or a variety of them?

Forgot to add....we do have Bonvoy points so if any suggestions, I'm open! :-)

Thanks!

Trains from Manchester arrive at Euston station.

The Eurostar to Paris leaves from St. Pancras station. This is about a 10 minute walk from Euston station.

The Hyatt Regency Churchill and the nearest Marriotts are taxi rides away. I have top status at both those chains but honestly, for one night, I'd just book at the Premier Inn St. Pancras. I've stayed there a couple of times when I've had early departures from either St. Pancras or Kings Cross. No, It's not five star, or even four star, but it's clean, quiet, comfortable and convenient.

But if you want to use points, then take your pick.

I was thinking of the St Pancras Renaissance https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/lonpr-st-pancras-renaissance-hotel-london/overview/ which is right on St Pancras station, a completely redone hotel which was refurbed at the same time as all the works on the station were completed. Pretty fancy, Bonvoy level 6, starting at 60,000.

Or as said above, the Premier Inn. Two ends of the spectrum.

I'd defintely echo Nigel's recommendation for the Renaissance St. Pancras, particularly if you're using points. It's housed in a spectacular building although unless you're staying in one of the higher end suites the rooms are typical Marriott fare. Unfortunately the excellent Gilbert Scott restaurant and accompanying bar did not survive Covid and is permanently closed but I wouldn't let that dissuade you from staying there.

I've also stayed at the Premier Inn across the road. Perfectly acceptable, clean and comfortable and cheaper than the Renaissance but certainly not the same.

Wonderful recommendations everyone! Thank you, I'll check these out!

Oops, forgot about the Renaissance.

Can’t forget the Renaissance if ONLY for the stunning Booking Office restaurant lounge. Nice spot for afternoon tea or a cocktail.

EDIT: Website says open but concerned after reading the above post.

By all means take the Eurostar. It is a beautiful trip that cannot ever be appreciated by flying. My young son and I did this about 10 years ago, early morning which was beautiful to see the fog and sunlight over France. Takes 3 hours and you will not forget. Highly recommend the train !

Sure, the Eurostar is a sleek ride. But when time is of the essence, the 90-minute flight from Manchester to Paris has to be considered. I've stood in line 90 minutes just to get on the Eurostar. Flying requires more time to get to and from airports, and more time to check in, bringing the balance closer to even With easyJet and British Air competing in the sky, though, it could be cheaper to fly.

July is a while, granted. Just to update for potential converts to flying from Manchester - at the moment the Manchester airport is beset by hordes of problems. There were reports over the weekend of people waiting over 6 hours to check in and many many missing their flights.

Easyjet have just announced 100 flight cancellations due to what they call staffing issues.

Hopefully they'll have resolved the problems at Manchester airport by July. No question flying directly to Paris would be more efficient. But efficiency isn't really your goal here, you have extra time and you've never been to London. A no-brainer to me -- early train to London, most of a day sightseeing, sleep near St. Pancras, Eurostar to Paris. That's efficiency plus a taste of London.

Just keep in mind that London is a huge city full of things to see and do, and with so little time you'll barely scratch the surface. Don't try to "do it all," assume that you will return in the future with more time.