Family of 5, with kids ages 20, 19 & 15 leaving 12/20 and returning 1/2/16. Wanting to go to London, Paris and are thinking of adding a third location. Best advise for itinerary?
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11639 posts
So you have 12 days on the ground and 4.5 of them are holidays (1/2 of 24th, all of 25th, 26th, and Jan 1). The reason I mention the holidays is because they will not be traditional "tourist days" for the most part and you may have to adjust your plans because museums and sites will close to some extent.
I would stay put in London and Paris and if you run out of inspiration in those cities, take side trips. Rick mentions many in his books. Get an apartment in each place and settle in. Maybe London the 21st (arrival day)-26th, then on the 26th use that holiday to travel to Paris and stay through New Years. Fireworks over the Eiffel Tower anyone?
Posted by
Tempe, AZ, USA
1266 posts
Imherd - I agree with the previous poster, with 12 nights, I'd fo just London & Paris. I'm not sure where you are traveling from, but I'd look at an open jaw flying into London and out of Paris.
Getting to Paris I'd look at Eurostar.com for train tickets to Paris. The sooner you can purchase the tickets the cheaper it will be. In looking at the Eurostar web site ticket purchase is available up to 180 days out.
Also as the previous poster mentioned public transportation in London on 12/24 - 12/26 will be linited to non existent. You may also want to book ahead for a Christmas dinner.
Posted by
Cape Ann, Massachusetts
3303 posts
Our family did just about these dates several years ago, maybe starting and ending a couple of days earlier. We all met in London (as one member was Junior Year abroad in Paris), took the train to Edinburgh for 3 full days, went to York where we arrived the 23rd and left the 26th. In other words we spent Xmas in York. It was lovely. One member of the family went to York Minster Xmas Eve for the ?10 Carols of Xmas?…obviously, I'm not the music person in the family. There were many young people out on the streets on Xmas Eve, surprisingly not spending the time with their families. On Xmas we had dinner out, advance reservations needed, and then went to the movies, that was about all that was possible. On Boxing day all the shops were open. We then went to London for the rest of the time and I do not recall any issues with things being closed. I know you are looking for another location in addition to London and Paris, but thought I'd let you know what Xmas is like, at least in York. No museums, but only Xmas day was a problem. York is adorable and was a mid vacation calm, we did some walks also while things were closed on Xmas. Shops also closed early on Xmas Eve as I recall as we walked the walls at that time.
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
Just stick with London and Paris. There are more than enough things to do in either to fill your time. This will be an expensive time to commute between the two cities.
The rail companies here have not yet announced which train lines will be closed over Christmas for repair work, so unless you want to risk having to drive back from say York or wherever you go, stay in London. The UK rail network this bank holiday weekend has almost shut down in parts around London whilst works are carried out!
Hotels and apartments will all charge a premium for this time of year, so book ASAP!