Which is the best trip?

Next summer - do you mean 2015?

By England do you mean London, or over various parts of England and maybe Scotland or Wales?

For a first time, London can take quite a lot of your time and give fabulous memories in return.

If it is London, then London and Paris go together like a hand in a glove. The Eurostar train goes from city centre St Pancras International Station to city centre Gare du Nord in Paris with only a 2:17 short train ride with no changes and only a 30 minute (or so) check in time.

A lot will be determined by what you and your new spouse would prefer to see first. Amsterdam and Paris really are two completely different experiences. For being relatively close places they don't have a lot in common.

Kim,

A couple of years you were planning a trip to various parts of Europe. Did you ever go?

If so, where did you go? Did you enjoy it. What did you and fiance like best?

Thanks for the tips! We are planning more than just London. Stonehenge and maybe some castles if possible. Don't really know all the details yet.

We did go on a trip in 2011, we ended up overexerting ourselves. We went to Ireland (Howth and Dublin), Scotland (Highlands and Edinburgh), Florence and Rome. It was awesome, I liked Rome and Howth the best. But it was very tiring. We are trying to cut down this time.

Thanks for asking! :)

And yes, 2015.

I only know a little French and my pronunciation is horrible. I'm a little worried I'm going to butcher their language and I've heard they aren't the nicest. Whereas everyone in Amsterdam speaks English and Dutch, right? That probably isn't something I should be worried about though, is it?

Really, you've heard the French aren't the nicest? Such a comment reflects a "New Yorkers are snobs, Californians are fruits and nuts, Midwesterners are dumb farmers and Southerners, well Southerners, are saving Dixie cups in hopes the South will rise again generalization mentality". Not the best frame of mind to have when you travel around the world.
If you French is poor then don't use it except for uttering Bon Jour and Au revoir a measure of respect and common courtesy.
http://www.paris-culture-guide.com/french-etiquette.html

Would be best if you researched which city you'd truly like to visit and why. As noted by Nigel, London/Paris fits like a glove.
You could also fly into Amsterdam and fly out of London, in other words, book an open jaw flight.

Have you heard Europeans find Americans loud and boorish?

Kim, everyone has heard stories about the French, so it's not surprising that you might feel intimidated. As Claudia suggests simply greet the staff by saying bonjour, when you walk into a store. It's what they expect. Although, I did read somewhere that even the French are falling down on this common practice! Also, American's smile all the time. I know that I am one of the smilingest Americans around, so I'm really aware of this difference. The French tend not to smile so much, particularly with strangers. Check out this article and get some other tips.

So, put aside those types of issues when you're deciding where you want to go next and think about what you want to do. Both cities are really great. I would think about how much time you have. If you want to devote more time to England and London, then maybe Amsterdam is the better choice as Paris just has so very, very much. That's not to say that you can't have a wonderful time in Paris on a long weekend!! Many people have done that. :)

Pam

Base it on how much time you have outside England. You can see most of the "highlights" of Amsterdam in a few days. You can see a lot in Paris in a few days, but you could also easily fill a week or two. There's just a lot more there, and more spread out (though both, like London, are very walkable cities).

In places tourists frequent (hotels, restaurants, sights) you'll find English speakers to help you through things. Learn some basic words and phrases, and bring a phrasebook (RS and Berlitz are both good, others too probably) so you can read signs, understand menus, and communicate in basic ways. You may be right that more Dutch people speak English, proportionally, than French, because people from smaller countries need to know more languages. (I remember complimenting a Finnish couple on their excellent English, and their telling me, "we have to know other languages, there are only 3 1/2 million of us.") I'd echo what others have said about French attitude, they are very formal and can be put off when their guests aren't, but really the stereotypes are just that. Though after reading Claudia's posts I sometimes wonder about the Californians! ;)

Eurostar train is definitely the best London-Paris route. For Amsterdam, the simplest and quickest is to fly. Or Eurostar to Paris and then Thalys train (3+ hours) to Amsterdam. If you fly open-jaw to and from Europe you'll save time and money by not having to backtrack. Use the "multi-city" option in kayak.com or an airline website.

Have a great trip!

Amsterdam is way cheaper than Paris so if your budget is a big concern, it's easier to find inexpensive food and hotels in Amsterdam. Plus, Amsterdam can be seen in 2-3 days pretty easily.

"Amsterdam is way cheaper than Paris so if your budget is a big concern, it's easier to find inexpensive food and hotels in Amsterdam."

I disagree; I find hotels in Amsterdam to be poorer value for money than those in Paris. And friends of mine who just got back from Amsterdam, and very much enjoyed their time there, are STILL complaining about the high food prices. They've been to Paris too, but didn't utter a peep of complaint about those prices (they are used to New York city prices).

"Plus, Amsterdam can be seen in 2-3 days pretty easily."

This I do agree with. While there's always more to see with more time, if you only have a few days you can hit the highlights in that time. The physical area of tourist interest in Amsterdam is smaller than that of Paris, and there are fewer designated "sights."

We have been to both cities. We have been to Paris three times, for up to two weeks. We know a number of people who have been to Amsterdam and NONE OF THEM ENJOYED AMSTERDAM. I just communicated with somebody on Rick Steves' site, last week. She said she just returned from Amsterdam and it was beyond awful. She was there when we were there, in 1970 also. We totally disliked Amsterdam. We had planned on staying there for five nights. We cut our trip short after two nights. I doubt if you will find anybody who would pick Amsterdam over Paris. The person who I communicated with last week, said it is filthy, drugs everywhere, sex everywhere, etc. I have a friend who has to leave on her river cruise from there, in October. She has been there before also. She said they are only going to arrive the night before the cruise begins. They don't want to spend ANY more time than is necessary, in Amsterdam.

It will really depend on what you like to see & do and how much time you will spend.

Apparently Amsterdam has gone way downhill since last May? We were there last May and found a lovely city - I did not see that it was particularly dirty & as for sex & marijuana - hello - it IS Amsterdam! It's really not in your face sex & pot though.

But for me Paris - hands down! Been there 8 or 9 times and can't wait to return!

Pay no attention to the rumors about French people - while they do take their language seriously (the last complete dictionary was published 1932 - 1935, A to part of E in 1992, the rest of E to part of M 8 years later in 2000) they do appreciate a valiant effort. Learn the polite words and the rest will work itself out with pointing, hands gestures and a handy translator book or app.

Hi,
I would skip Amsterdam , If you are going to England , easy to go on to Paris. Paris is beautiful and there are hotels and food that are reasonable. You can get fairly cheap eurostar tickets from london to Paris if you get them in advance . I took eurostar 3 years ago. You can go online and print out Eiffel Tower tickets to avoid lines. Have to watch out in Paris a bit more than London for pickpockets and scams, but just be alert . Saw all the scams in Paris that have been mentioned on this site. I love the Louvre Museum. Was in Amsterdam in 1998, Van Gogh museum very nice, and Ann Frank house. No comparison to Paris.
Sharon

Hey guys, this is a honeymoon trip, right? Kim started by saying "my fiance". There's no question, Paris is romantic.

You will be fine with English. If you can, get a phrase book for food. There are lots of small restaurants that may only have menus in French, but the food and house wines are usually quite good. Avoid the restaurants very near top tourist sites with menus in 3-6 languages. They are for tourists and don't care about quality since they don't expect you to return.

The French are just fine. The English speaking traveler just has to make more of an effort to speak their language, instead of hoping to get trying to make everyone speak English. That works in most countries, but not so well in France.
Paris is worth it!

Read your question earlier today and then saw this
[http://money.msn.com/personal-finance/8-great-affordable-international-vacations]

Thought you'd find it interesting since it specifically mentions Paris and Amsterdam as expensive and the cities it mentions as alternatives.

PS- We loved Amsterdam (though3-4 days was plenty, including one day trip), but we did NOT like Paris at all.

This is another vote for Paris. I spent 4 days there and can't wait to return later this year. Distance wise, it makes the most sense. Cost wise- prob not much of a difference anyway.

As for not being able to speak French- don't worry about it. Many speak English.
I only encountered one rude person in Paris who didn't want to help me with directions. But then a waitor at a resturant proposed to me in front of my family and was as nice as can be. :) They are no different than any other city.

Amsterdam I loved and want to return to someday, but Paris and London just seem to be a better fit.