London or Paris?

I thought you got pretty good answers in your first couple of tries at this question.

Have you given up on Crawley? The only way to be there would to pick the side of the coin with London on it. If you pick Paris it isn't practical to get to Crawley.

I would agree that we've gotten great answers. However, we are now certain that we want to go to either Paris or London, and are no longer looking for alternatives, and so with this much more narrow view we would like to seek any final advice - we're still having such a difficult time deciding between Paris and London!

We would go to Crawley to visit friends if we chose London, but obviously not if we went with Paris. So, I would say we are not constrained by needing to go to Crawley (on 10/22, as previously said), but instead want to know where and why regarding Paris and London. Thanks!

If you've done all the research, and have gotten opinions on this site and still aren't sure...
Here's what i do when caught between 2 good choices.
1) Clear out any thoughts from mind
2)Flip a coin....
3) See what your first reaction is to what it comes up.. If its disappointment , go to the other place. If its happy/relieved, go there...
Often, we think we don't have a preference, but deep deep down inside , we do.

Win Win

Ha! I think that's a fair observation (regarding having a preference). The tough thing is, I can hear someone claim that one or the other is "best" - totally immerse myself in their perspective - and then I read a counterpoint and am like, "Oh goodness, now I want to go to Paris/London again!" Maybe convenience will end up winning the day? Is heading down to Paris going to be more convenient; and slightly less costly? However, there is a part (a rather large part) of me that says we would prefer London (and the surrounding area) at the end of the day. Oh, but then what about the fact that anniversary in Paris just seems so charming, and settling on France seems perhaps a bit more adventurous, and exotic - different - from what we're used to?!

Very good! Well, the sentiment of enjoying a "second breakfast" might just make us more amenable to a "proper English" one!

As far as us being "better placed to decide," it has been close to 20 years since either of us have been; and we were both much younger and different. Also, much changes culturally in that amount of time. It wasn't long ago that you would be warned of the poor food in the UK, insipid beer and coffee in the US, etc. etc. Now, the UK has some of the best food around, and we here in the US have much, much improved beer and coffee (I'm a local roaster who also enjoys brewing, if you're wondering!)!

Assuming you liked both when you were there before, you will have a great time in either city. Since this is a relatively short trip, pick the one that is the easiest and fastest to get to, which presumably is Paris.

Thank you, Carroll! I think that is good, practical, simple advice.

Actually London by train from Brussels and Paris by train from Brussels is just about exactly the same amount of time. And you get to London and set your watch back by an hour.

Excellent point, Nigel. That hour will certainly be at least a bit valuable. Also, we might be able to use our credit card travel rewards on Eurostar, but I know we can't on Thalys (it's coded as 'Freight' or some such). We were originally going to train back to Brussels for a couple of days and fly back home (that's what our current airline tickets are for), but are considering buying a one-way ticket back from either Paris or London.

I have been to both and highly prefer London. Not a fan of Paris at all. But, as you have been to both also it really is about what the 2 of you prefer.

Thanks for your input! May I ask why you so much preferred London over Paris??

Go to Paris!

Decision made ;)

Hey now! :p

While votes certainly help, we would really, REALLY appreciate any reasoning behind your votes! :-)

I vote for Paris - and who needs a logical reason. I just love it more than London. As wonderful as London is, and I loved my time there and there's so much to see, it does not call me back. You can have more than one love, but one will always be the preeminent love, and for me that's Paris. I certainly think it's more romantic for an anniversary.

Caveat: one person's opinion.

EDIT: if cost is any issue, then Paris will be cheaper on the train than London, since London will be Eurostar and it may already be too late to get the best advance fares.

A fair caveat, indeed; however, I would say that while an objective, "logical" reason could be hard to come by, hearing folks' anecdotes and sentiments as to why they prefer the one or the other (or both!) would be very helpful. It is more like a conversation that way. :-)

And I appreciate your 'EDIT' as well, Nancy - good advice!

Hearing people's reasoning - as unscientific as it may be - would be so, so great! So, my dear friends of the RS travel forum, WHERE and WHY?! :-D

DH and I faced the same dilemma when we were planning our upcoming trip. Rather than abandon one city, we extended the trip by a week so we could do both. Lol.

But seriously, to add to Nancy's edit, if budget is a concern, Paris will likely be cheaper to stay IN, as well as to travel to. I love London, but we've found accommodations, food, and transportation more expensive than Paris. And few places are more romantic than Paris.

CJean, that was very concise and very helpful! Budget is certainly a consideration. We also like - no, LOVE - the idea of going to little shops and markets to grab groceries to prepare at our airbnb (which I think we're mostly resolved on using). I love to cook, and so while we'll definitely enjoy meals out (especially for anniversary), cooking "at home" with different ingredients, and a different market experience will be very gratifying!

I have never compared the prices of staying in either London or Paris - when my wife and I travel we have a nightly limit that stay within, regardless of where we go we find that it is possible to stay within our budget. And we tend not to suffer in comfort within our - quite low - budget.

Most B&Bs in London include a full English breakfast, most places in Paris charge extra.
Most, if not all, attractions in Paris charge admission, almost all museums in London are free to the public and there are a number of rooftops which have free roof gardens with incredible views so no need to use the London Eye or the Shard. Can't do that nearly as easily in Paris.

So it is horses for courses, I'm afraid.

LOVE - the idea of going to little shops and markets to grab groceries to prepare

While every arrondissement in Paris has at least one market, it is hard to beat Borough Market in London.

You realize you all are killing me, right?! London, Paris, Paris, London...back and forth we go!

Then again, perhaps Mr. Nigel isn't exactly unbiased?! ;-)

London, to us, seemed tighter, more crowded and claustrophobic. By comparison, Paris seems wide open and more comfortable, not as intense, not as crazy. Paris is a better city to end a trip on than London, imo.

A very tough call choosing between Paris and London, since they are both among my top favourite cities in Europe, both have a lot pluses and both some minuses, but not important enough to keep me away from either. If you end up unable to decide, flip a coin.

I'm unbiased.

Happen to live 65 miles from London and work there every day. Travel to the continent frequently and have often spent time in Paris.

I can get around both cities standing on my head.

I sees it as I sees it and that's how I writes it.

PS, Paris doesn't have change ringing on the church bells; London doesn't have Paris Plage in the summer.

From personal experience, I would say London. I find Parisians to be very... aloof and even rude sometimes. Paris is beautiful, no doubt. But I find London more diverse, interesting and colorful.
However, reading your details, I'd say Paris! It all boils down to personal preference.

Nooooooooo...you can't do that...you can't say both! :-p

At this point Nicholas I think your best bet is to take the advice from a previous poster. Flip a coin and then see how you react to the result. If you're happy with the result, then you got it, if you're disappointed, then go to the other one. According to your post you have both been to Paris and London before, so do neither of you have a preference based on previous experience or is it that you each have a different preference and are hoping to get some answer here that sways one or the other of you?

On the other hand, if it's going to come down to logistics - which is 'easier' to get to, or which may be less expensive, etc - then let that be your decider and you'll have to resign yourself to be happy with that choice.

Either way, you can't go wrong, they are both wonderful and worth as much time as you can give them. And hopefully you'll be able to go back for the other one at another time.

Good luck.

London-I just feel more at home there(but I have been there more times and lived there for a month)-and using the train to do all the great day trips-and there's so much variety of things to see. I don't think Paris has as many easy day or overnight trips by train (Cambridge, Salisbury, Bath, Dover, Cardiff, Cotswolds, even York! just for a start!) but I bet someone will call me out on that one! That said, I liked France much better after our last trip(of 4) where we drove to Chartres and Chenenceux(which I never spell correctly)
And I prefer the British Museum and National Gallery to the Louvre-not quite as big so easier to navigate.
And do you have to make London(and its expensive hotels) your base? If you base in Bath (not my favorite place, but a good location to base) you could take tours or drive to Cotswolds, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Cardiff.

Nancy, again thanks for the thoughtful contribution.

I notice that if I even do the "coin toss" in my head, I feel a little bit more comfortable with London. With that said, there is something about Paris - an anniversary in Paris - that keeps nagging at me! On top of that, knowing that it is probably the more economical choice, and a bit more logistically convenient, it makes the decision even tougher.

However, I do put stock in what people say about the attitudes we may encounter in each place. I do expect Parisians to be less approachable, even if I don't totally agree that their cultural tendencies mean that they're rude. I do remember folks in London being very pleasant, which I remember enjoying quite a bit. I love British accents, and while it is perfectly enjoyable - and even more foreign and exotic feeling - to be in a place where you don't speak the language, I like the idea of going to a quaint pub and getting to know the locals.

My wife is out of town, or I would be pestering her more to help us make a decision, but I fear I will have to be the decisive one. We are both of pretty similar mind, won't have a hard time agreeing, but she may be a bit more wishy-washy. The coin toss idea sounds fun, though, too. If we can't make up our minds, perhaps we'll just make a date out of flipping a coin with some appetizers and wine/beer!

Cala, good idea on making another place your base! We actually like the idea of being in a cute village, and then making some trips into London.

Another thing I've noticed from responses was that while perhaps more people prefer Paris (and maybe that's not even true), those who don't prefer Paris have fairly strong feelings about it, while those who don't prefer London seem to have less of a, may I say, visceral, response - and are more "ho hum" about their preference?

London is much more spread out than Paris is, so you will most likely have to take mass transport if you want to do anything.
I find the transport options very confusing - Oyster Card, Travel Card, on and on.
I go to London once a year during Christmas and find that it is horribly expensive - and I live in Paris.

On the other hand, Paris is spread out over about a 2.5 x 3 km range, which is where most people want to see museums, the Eiffel Tower and whatnot. So it is much more "walkable", and the transport options are easy-peasy.

Don't expect much good food in Paris. London has better food, hands-down.
Wine is very good - and cheap - but beer is not very good in Paris, unless you get Belgian beer. Look for Happy Hour - but you'll have to take what they give you.

You should be aware of the restrictions regarding AirBnB and other vacation rentals in Paris. There is a new law which will begin in October, which requires that a registration number be posted on the listing website, to prevent money-laundering. If you don't see the number, I might not take the chance.

Frankly, I would opt to stay in a nice, moderately priced hotel where someone changes the sheets and towels every day.

Parisian apartments aren't always that nice - especially the beds.

Les Ombres has a great view of the Eiffel Tower, and very good food for the money.

Wow, chexbres, that was one of the most helpful responses I have received yet! One thing that surprises me is the consistent sentiment that London has much better food. I would probably have assumed the opposite.
Perhaps one thing we'll have to consider is how diverse we want our trip to be. It seems to me that Paris will be closer to the Belgian experience than London; with more Belgian beer instead of some new, British pints, for one thing!

Even though I am more familiar with London, in this case, I would opt for Paris. I like to minimize the agita factor in travel. Sure, I can and do overdo and overplan, but stepping back and assessing what is less frenetic has often worked for me. Paris seems the more easygoing choice in terms of transportation decisions and maybe in terms of settling on a specific day to travel. If you let all the decisions rest on your mind and London seems easier, go for it.

Had you not been locked into flights via Belgium, I would have suggested flying into Heathrow and spending some days before moving onto Belgium and then departing via a quick flight back to Heathrow and home.

Good Journey.

Thanks so much, Debbie! That is wise advice, and we would like to remove stress and anxiety from the planning and logistics as much as possible.

Now maybe, as I alluded to in a previous post, if we wanted to do England/London more economically, we could stay somewhere quaint and affordable (is there such a place?!), and then head into London for our anniversary; or some such configuration?

And another thing (I promise I'm not trying to keep my post on top!), I think my wife and I would prefer casual cafes and market/shopping strolls to big sights; all the while knowing that each city can accommodate our site seeing desires.