Travel to multiple countries

8 nights aren't much. I'm sure you want to spend, at the very least, 4 in London. Your plan to do London, Ireland, and also 'squeeze' a day in Paris is not very practical. You may want to check distances on the map.

You also might want to consider other sights in England, like Bath, Oxford, maybe Stonehenge.

Or you could take the Eurostar train to Paris and split your short stay between 2 very short stays (4 nights in London and 4 in Paris). Remember that 4 nights in a place is only 3 full days in a place.

Or, instead of Paris, you could fly to Dublin, Ireland (Ireland is not the same island as England, it's another island, therefore train is not an option, and bus + ferry would be too long considering your short time).

Train London to Ireland is slow, there is Wales in the way, then a ferry. Better to fly.

Most people consider 8 nights short for 3 places, especially with 2 mega-attractions like London and Paris. If you do decide to do this, see if you can do it open-jaw:

• Fly in to Dublin, 2 nights Dublin
• Fly to London - 3 nights London.
• Eurostar train to Paris - 3 nights Paris.
• Fly back from Paris.

Or, vice-verse (Paris --> London --> Dublin).
Or Just do 2 places.

They do sell SailRail train+ferry combo tickets from London to Dublin, but since the trip takes 7-8 hours each way, flying is the only practical option during a short trip. I also would stick to England, or add Paris by Eurostar train at 2.5 hours each way (not including 30-min security check-in requirement).

Is there any specific reason for you to go to Dublin and/or Paris? Something you want to do or see? Are you doing RT London and home and have your tickets already bought?

Use Rome2rio to explore the transportation options and estimated costs. You will only get the real costs when you go to the places to buy tickets and put in your actual dates. One great advantage of Rome2rio for me is that it shows a map of the routes and times needed for the various options. Those maps can help you put the distances in perspective. I did a London-->Dublin option for you as an example. I didn't realize that Dublin was as far to the north and west as it is.

I'd stay in London, or at least England, and save Dublin and Paris for a time when you can have enough time to enjoy them.

~Are you locked into RT air from London?

~Ireland: Best way is to fly from London to Ireland. Look at Ryan Air website.
Tickets will be $44 - $85 pp. You’d fly in and out of London Gatwick.

Check luggage restricitons closely.

Pick 1 place and base your time around there. Make sure you’re not far from an airport to maximize your time. So Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Belfast?
What are your interests?

www.ryanair.com

~Paris: Buy RT Eurostar tickets for a day trip to Paris.
Leave from London St. Pancreas to Paris Gare du Nord. Travel time 2:15.

Bookings open 120 days ahead, and at certain periods up to 180 days ahead.
Adults 79 pounds/$117; Seniors 69 pounds/$102

Standard (2nd Class) will save you value to spend in Paris. You are allowed to bring your own food & drink, or purchase from the two cafe-car cars.

www.eurostar.com

~Itineraries: With the time you have I’d also stick to London with side trips from London: and do Paris as a day trip.

I personally would consider a 2 N stay in Bath. From Bath it’s a short day tour to Stonhenge.

OR

Split your stay between London and Paris.

OR

Fly into Ireland somewhere: Fly over to London; Day trip to Paris, Fly home from London? Paris?

Thanks for all of the advice. We have already bought tickets, did a package deal hotel and airfare together. We are staying in London. My daughter is going to be at Oxford already for a study abroad program. So we are definately going to tour Oxford. I am rethinking adding Paris. Probably is a bit much! I would still like to see Ireland though. Sound like flying is the best option. Any recommendations on airlines? Is it better to get tickets before we go.? Or wait until we get to London?

Forget Paris (horrible movie with Billy Crystal and Debra Winger). Seriously, even with the two hour Eurostar (4 hours if you are going back to London) you are trying to cram too much into the days you have. Paris needs a minimum of 3 days
and in all honesty much more.

Fly from London to Ireland. No quicker way. Ryan Air is the cheapest ticket but you MUST carefully review luggage restrictions and factor in transit costs to Gatwick Airport.

You can definitely fly out of Heathrow on British Airways and other airlines. Start checking availability and costs NOW. MUCH better rates than waiting till your are in London.

Same thing be sure to calculate transit to the airport into your budget. Dublin airport is very modern and the majority of car rental desks are in Terminal 1.

As far as sights and on such a short time frame I'd forget Dublin but would visit NewGrange, Glendalough, Rock of Cashel, Killarney National Park and the Muckross House, Dingle and Slea Head, The Burren and Cliffs of Moher. Rick's Ireland Guide gives concise descriptions of all these locales.

Remember you want to enjoy you days in Eire so calculate drive times by adding at least an hour to whatever Google says. You'll need to be able to calculate kilometers as well. It isn't that difficult adjusting to driving on the opposite side of the road. Just be certain when you reserve your rental to ask for a compact (no need for anything larger unless you are Kareem Abdul Jabbar) and make certain it's an automatic. Also make certain you are fully insured. The roads can be tiny.

I've driven the entire island twice and I'm no spring chicken. Wasn't horrific and the freedom you have to explore is fantastic. Simply beware that there are roundabouts, sheep, bikers, lorries, traps, etc. Slow down and enjoy the natural beauty that engulfs you.

Personally, I'd save Ireland for another trip. it needs at least a week on its own and it does note have the easy rail connections available in England, Wales and Scotland. Paris has not been among my favorites, but others say you need more than a couple of days there, too. Plus, you loose 1/2 to a whole day changing locations- and spend more money doing it, too. And as you are already locked into round trip London air tickets, I'd stay put.. Really, 8 days in London is just enough to get a taste. You'd have time to do a couple of day trips (or maybe 3). Winsor and Greenwich are easy 1/2 or whole day trips while Bath, York, Cardiff Wales, Canterbury, Dover, Stratford-upon-Avon, Winchester, Brighton, Oxford, etc. are all easy whole day trips. All can be done on your own by train.

There's plenty in London itself to keep you busy. Kew Gardens are lovely any time of year, the markets are always fabulous, many, if not most of the museums are free, as is the British Library. There's churches galore and lots of parks. And I've only touched the high spots.

We've visited London more than 40 times, and I'd go back and stay for a week or more right now if I could.

You don't seem to realise just how much you can see within England & Wales. If you just fly over to Dublin - you won't really see much of Ireland.

Are you staying in Oxford as well as London? Oxford would make a fine base for doing trips to the Cotswolds (car rental would be best); Stratford-upon-Avon (by bus); & by train to Bath. Blenheim Palace is right on the doorstep of Oxford - being about 5 miles NW. Windsor can also be easily reached from Oxford or London by train. (You can also go from London to Cardiff & Bath by train).
Perhaps you have been to most of the above - hence your desire to go to Ireland?
http://www.visitcotswolds.co.uk
http://www.windsor.gov.uk
http://www.blenheimpalace.com
http://visitbath.co.uk
http://www.visitstratforduponavon.co.uk

We got a package deal through our airline with airfare and hotel and it's paid in full so we can't change that at this point. We are staying in London. I should mention that I traveled to London a couple of years ago with some friends. We stayed in London and visited Oxford and Lacock. Ever since, my husband has been wanting to go to London and it's been a dream of mine to see Ireland. It's our 25th anniversary in a few weeks and with my daughter being at Oxford for school we thought it would be a good time to go. I realize it's not much time but even if it's just a couple of days it will be worth it in my book. I am not sure when we will be able to go again so I want to make the most of it! I do appreciate all of your help. We will definately be looking into some of the suggestions posted here! :)

If Ireland is really important to you then go, but do your research so you get to see what you really want while in Ireland. I would guess flying to Dublin and staying there a couple nights would not be the "Ireland experience" you are really looking for. Since your time is so limited to see Ireland, look it over very carefully to make sure your "must sees" are doable in your time frame, otherwise you will set yourself up for disappointment.

When I think of Ireland, I think of renting a car and driving the countryside, going to pubs, hearing Irish music, etc. That takes time. Everything takes so much longer than you might think. Just do your research well.