8 Days London/Paris or 8 days in London vs 8 days in Paris?

I’m going to say London.

Being going there since the 70’s and always find something new to explore and enjoy.

Yes I’ve been to Paris ( 3 times) but London remains my favorite city on the planet. Was there recently ( in 2019) for another Christmas. Special as always!

You can easily fill your entire time in either city.

If you opt for both, book the Eurostar early and fly open jaw to avoid back tracking.

I would opt for Paris, as I know London well, having worked there for years, but at present, due to the ongoing Paris strikes, I would go for London. The language situation is much easier.

With that short of time, pick one and avoid losing a day changing cities. I’m always going to say London but of course you can enjoy 8 days in Paris just as well. An advantage to London is the free museums, although a small donation is appreciated. If it’s not your thing or too crowded with annoying school groups, leave. It’ll also give you the option to just spend an hour or so, the hefty admission fee at the Louvre really doesn’t make just hitting it for an hour worthwhile.

No idea what the crowds are like these days at Versailles, but it would be something I’d look at. There’s plenty in London itself to keep you busy but Windsor Castle is pleasant and I’ve never seen it so crowded as to make me wish I wasn’t there.

Agreed that you cannot really go wrong whatever you choose, as both are such great cities.

If this trip is very soon, say within the next couple of weeks, I'd opt for London to avoid the transportation issues caused by the strikes in Paris. (Of course, it's unpredictable what will happen in the future, but it's a known thing that there are strikes now.)

Otherwise, I'd probably go for a half/half split. That way can "whet your appetite" for Paris and see whether you like it in one half, but also have the known quantity of London for the other half. If you really like Paris, then you'll have been and know for the future, and even if you don't end up loving it that much, at least you will have still gone to London which you know you like.

We’ve been to London previously but only spend 2.5 to 3 days. We
really felt like we shortchanged it.

If you split the trip, then you will experience the same thing again. Twice. Consider that your arrival day (if coming from outside Europe) will be blurred by jet lag. And shortened by time spent clearing Immigration, travelling into the city, and checking into your hotel. Similarly, on the day you take the Eurostar you will lose a good half day of sightseeing , even if you take an early morning train.

For us, it would literally be a coin toss, since we enjoy both places very much. Perhaps make a list of what you'd like to do in each city, then decide which is the bigger draw for you.

Either city is excellent for a week's stay. I love both but you should go with what resonates more with you. I've spent several weeks in both cities and have never run out of things to do. I, personally, would choose Paris since you've gotten a taste of London but also agree if you are going any time soon, pick London. Paris is currently undergoing a transportation strike which is making things more difficult.

I have been to both Paris (6 days with a day trip to Versailles) and London--3 trips so far to London, hopefully many more to come as it's right up there with Budapest as my favorite city. While I loved Paris and will return, London has become an itch that must be scratched frequently :) But, since you have already been there, I like your idea of splitting the time--maybe 3 in London and 5 in Paris as it would be new to you and is certainly not lacking in things to see and do.

We've split a week between the two and we've also done a full week in London along with a full week in the French countryside.

Since you've done a short trip to London and felt shortchanged, I suggest spending all your time in one of the cities. It would be a tossup between the two, I'd love to return to both. If you've never been to Paris, I could make the argument that you really need to visit. Since you've been to London and probably did at least some of the major sites, I could argue for going back and spending a little time away from the better known attractions and enjoy the quaint charms off the beaten path.

From my perspective it comes to what interests you more, history or art? To me Paris is about its art museums whereas London offers you more history. I do agree with everyone that suggests choosing one instead of splitting time. If London doesn't fill up all of your time there are plenty of day trips that can fill any gaps.

I would go to both cities. If you loved London and have a number of things you still want to do and see, then I would suggest 4 or 5 days in London. Otherwise, since you have been to London, 3 days in London and 5 days in Paris sound right. These are two of the world's greatest cities, though they are very different in their attractions and their appeal. A 3-5 or 4-4 split does not add an inordinate amount of travel time. And in any city, regardless of how great, there is a point of diminishing returns where day 6 is not as fulfilling as day 2. If you had visited Paris previously, then to me it might make more sense to focus on one city.

And on my trips, if possible, I like to visit some place new but also return to a favorite.

I would do one city as there is so much to see and do in each city. Plus you have to take into account getting from London to Paris on the train which takes time and you will take most of the day doing that. I think if you go to both cities in only 8 days you will again feel short changed. And as you already know there are tons of day trips to take from both Paris and London. In order to make a decision on which city, read the RS guide books and other guide books, look at the YouTube Videos and look at the RS scrapbooks on this fourm.

I loved going to Windsor Castle, Hampton court, taking the London Walks during the day walks and the pub walks, spending time in the Tower of London, Churchill War Rooms, the Victoria and Albert Musuem, British Museum, taking the boat ride up the Thames to Greenwich, going to pubs, seeing the food hall at Harrods, seeing a play, going to the National Gallery of Art and the National Portrait Gallery. I have been to London several times and still have not seen it all. This year I am going for two weeks and am going to go to all the places I have not been to yet and a few I have been to! I am going to a classical concert at St Martins in the Field church and a play and taking day trips to see Downton Abbey and a day trip to Kew Gardens and a day trip to the Cotswolds. More London walks and never been to the Musuem of London or the National History Museum which are on my list for this visit.

As for Paris, I have also been there several times and am planning to go there in the near future. I love seeing the same things in Paris over and over and need to go to new places in Paris. I loved my day to Versailles and walking the extensive grounds and gardens and seeing the palace. My favorite art museums are in Paris along with the best dining. The list goes on and on as to what to see and do in Paris including a day trip to Monet's Gardens!

So I thinking splitting the days when you have only 8 days would be as you put it short changing yourselves.

I hope my comments find helpful. Now you just need to do what would be best for you. Have a great trip and safe travels!

Neither are my favourite city and I wouldn't want to spend eight days in either. So I'd split it with four in each which, for me, would be about the right time for both. With the Eurostar, travelling between London and Paris is no different really than splitting a holiday between Rome and Venice, so I wouldn't get het up about them being in different countries. If you want to pick just one, then London has more variety of sights than Paris, is easier to travel around and has better day-trip options.

The choice is hard because all the options will work well.