need suggestions and advice

You say 10 days, but how many nights do you have? Planning by nights gives you a better idea of how much time you really have. Two nights gives you one full day, three nights is two full days, etc. Each time you change location you lose at lease half a day. Assuming you have 10 nights in Europe, you could spend 4 nights each in London and Paris, and spend 2 nights in Amsterdam or Brussels. Personally I would spend 5 nights each in London and Paris. Fly into one (I would suggest London), take the Eurostar to Paris and fly home from Paris. You could choose to do a day trip out of one or both cities, but Brussels, Amsterdam and Milan are unrealistic. Assume you will be able to return to Europe another time to see more places.

Thank you very much! I'll consider your suggestion =)) yeah i know my stay is too short! If i could only stay longer but i cant cuz i have school.

Thanks again!

geanne,

It would help to have some further information concerning your trip. For example......

• Where are you travelling from?
• Does your 10 days include your two travel days?
• When is this trip taking place?
• Have you already bought your air tickets?
• Have you been to either city before?

I tend to agree with the suggestions that Andrea offered, but more information would help to provide more specific advice. One point to add is that you won't have time to visit Milan on this trip, nor would it be worthwhile to spend time doing that.

As major world capitols, London and Paris both offer lots to see and do, and you can even take day trips out of each to see some smaller towns or attractions (Bath from London, or Versailles from Paris for example) that could all easily fill your 10 days.

Having said that, if someone was determined to do a gonzo, blitz, maybe-not-such-a-great-use-of-your-time visit to other cities in other countries, there are, more than ever, budget airlines serving Europe (including easyJet, Vueling, etc.) that can jet you within the continent fast and relatively cheaply. This would work better than a rental car or train connections for someone with limited time and lots of mileage to cover. However, they sometimes use secondary (not main) airports, which you have to get yourself to, and you have airport security and early check-in time issues, which can eat into your day. They can also have more restrictive baggage policies than bigger airlines with bigger planes. As Ken noted, Milan is the most out-of-the-way of the bonus locations you mentioned.

The fast (but expensive, unless you reserve really early) Eurostar train DOES connect London with Paris and Brussels. If you're visiting Belgium, a fairly small country, there are many other great locations not far from Brussels that are worth visiting (maybe on a future trip?) including Ghent, Bruges, Ieper, Kortrijk . . .

Have a great trip either way, but consider quality of your visit in addition to quantity.

We will be coming from the Philippines and yes we already have our tickets. Our flight will be this coming dec 22 then we will arrive in london on dec 23 12:30 pm.

From london to paris we are also planning to rent a car because there is 7 of us. Do you think that's ok or taking the train is still better?

It's our first time going there.

@ cyn

Thank you for your suggestions! My mom and i are discussing about it now :) actually the only reason why i want to visit amsterdam is that because i really want to see The Frank's Museum :) so i told them that we'll just stick to London-Paris then do a side trip to amsterdam.

What can you suggest? Rent a car or ride a train? Thanks!

How are you going to drive from London to Paris? If the weather is bad (very likely in late December) the ferries might be problematic. Trains are far better, and there is no quicker or easier way to get from the middle of London to the middle of Paris than taking the chunnel! Once you are in each place a car will be nothing but an expensive pain in the tush. The tube or the metro will get you to nearly anyplace you want to see.

You may want to purchase advance tickets for the Anne Frank Museum (long lines). You can get them online at the official website. Note that the hours are shorter on some days during the holidays.

Geanne,

The last time I was in Europe, I was on a tour that did 3 days in London, 3 days in Paris, and 3 days in Amsterdam. The one problem is that one of each of those days were travel days. I did not have enough time for each city, but Amsterdam was a lovely city. the train ride is about 2.5 hours. The train I was on from Paris was not a direct train and it stopped in several cities along the way. The suggestion for advance ticketing for the Anne Frank museum is a good idea unless you want to go at the end of the day (about an hour before closing). I had no wait in line when I did that on the day I arrived in Amsterdam. I was able to walk to the museum from my hotel that was near the train station. You could take a tram and then it would be a very short walk. It would be a long day trip to Amsterdam but it would be worth it.

As said above, if you drive you will need to cross the Channel. Two options with a car; ferrries and Eurotunnel. The ferries will likely have rough seas at that time of the year.

The Eurotunnel is pretty easy - just drive to Folkestone on the M20 and drive on. Check in at the time they give you or suffer. VERY expensive unless you get tickets well in advance. Drive onto the train and remain in your car. At the other end drive off, straight onto the A16.

Note that your car hired in England will set up to drive on the left and that as soon as you disembark in France you will be driving on the right. The car you get in England will have miles per hour on the speedometer and in Europe the speeds are posted in kilometres per hour. They are very strict in France about speed now, with hidden cameras.

For 7 people plus all that luggage you will need a very large 9 seater if all the luggage fits.

Most rental agencies do not allow their cars on ferries. Check and check again.

The Eurostar is VERY easy and nothing else is as fast. It is city centre to city centre and goes at up to 300 kph.

Hi again Geanne-a couple more questions: would everyone want to go to Amsterdam (is everybody traveling together the whole time, no matter what) or would maybe some people want to go to Amsterdam and the Anne Frank museum while others might stay back in Paris or London, waiting for the Amsterdam group to come back? Also, you said you're flying from the Philippines to London, but are you flying back to the Philippines from London? Are you flying "open jaws," into Europe in one city and back home out of another, to save backtracking?

A quick, random check on skyscanner.com shows you can fly from Paris to Amsterdam or Amsterdam to London for less than $70, per person, one way. Compare that with the cost of the train and/or rental van, depending on how many folks would be making the trip to Holland and how much time you need for transportation and spending at your destination(s). If you fly, you have to get yourself out to the airport, which is likely not as convenient (or cheap) as getting yourself to the train station. The Motorway and Autoroute superhighways are fast and smooth driving, but as noted above, in big cities, driving is congested and you have to find a place to park your vehicle (which can be pricey). There are pluses and minuses with any choice, but some may be better than others for you. Also, are you looking at an apartment or home in Paris or London, rather than a hotel? Might be a way to get 7 of you a good deal on lodging, especially if you're staying for several of your 10 days.

Remember, also, that when renting a car or van, there's often a large extra cost if you pick it up in one country and turn it in in a different country, if the rental company allows that at all.

We will be flying home from Paris. Actually we're also thinking of taking the plane from london to amsterdam if it will cost us less and to save time but until now we're undecided. I think i'm the only one who really wants to go there.

Thanks for the tips!

From London to Amsterdam, Easy Jet flies very cheaply; see also www.skyscanner.com. From Amsterdam to Paris, train takes 3.25 hours and the cheapest (non refundable, nonchangeable) tiockets go on sale about 3 months ahead of your travel date at www.thalys.com. I'm glad to see that Milan has been deleted from this short trip.

If you are the only one out of 7 people who wants to go to Amsterdam, maybe you could go by yourself as a day trip from Paris. It would be a long day, but if you just want to see the Anne Frank house it can be done. That way you don't make the other people you are traveling with spend their time going somewhere they don't want to be. If you don't want to go by yourself, maybe you can go to Amsterdam on a future trip. Of course if all the people you are traveling with are children, disregard my suggestion!