Planning for future trip to London

#2- have not had a bad experience; the (very) old established companies include Evan Evans and Grey Line
#3 I have had no problems wearing casual- (clen) jeans and good shirt. It will probably be cold (and or wet) when you leave the theater so i usually have a jacket or good coat./raincoat #4 again an old extablished paris companies are Cityrama and paris Vision. Citryrama does tours in Paris as well as oneor two day or even longer tours to the surrounding countryside.( There are others). Most tour companies make accomodations (translations etc) for non-French speakers.

2- You can see most if not all of those on your own by train or bus. I would not recommend trying to combine them as the tour companies do. On those tours you spend most of your time on the bus getting from one short visit at a site to another. Windsor (and Eaton) is easly reached by train from Paddinton station. It is about a 25 min. train trip with one possible change at Slough. Trains run several times an hour and there is no need to purchase this ticket in advance as there is no savings. Windsor can be either a whole or 1/2 day. Stonehenge can be seen via a Madd Maxx tour from Bath, if you choose to visit Bath by trian (do purchase this ticket about 12 weeks in advance for a considerable savinngs). Havent' done Oxford or Cambridge. Other day trips from London are also easy, private message me with your email and I'll send you a article I wrote. If you really prefer using a tour company, Evans Evans, Grey Lines, and Golden Tours are the older/reputable companies that we have used in the past. 3- You will see all kinds of fashion at the theatres. Everything from cocktail dresses to casual pants and tops. Very clean, non-ripped, non-faded jeans with a nice top is fine. Some theatres are cold, others hot, so take a light jacket. I usually wear blackpants, a solid color T , a jacket or a "big shirt", and usually a scarf. 4- We did a day trip to Paris when the "chunnel" first opened. To be truthful, it turned me off to France totally. You might want to consider taking at least one overnight there to give it more time. If you want, you can easily take the Eurostar yourself (again book at least 12 weeks in advance for good prices), take the hop on/off bus tour and wander around on your own. Come back on the last train of the day, or stay the night- your choice.

3. Unless you are going to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert, in which case you need to add glitter, and at a minimum a huge pink feather boa. Pink hot pants, fishnets and stilleto heels would also go well.

Instead of Southwark I'd stay on the other side of the Thames. Closer to all the sights. Vancouver Apts in Bayswater is a good option. Stayed there 3 times. Never a problem. Excellent transportation options, loads of restaurants, pubs. Close to Hyde Park and Notting Hill. Take advantage of the London Walks weekend tours and some of their daily walks. Excellent opportunity for a first timer to get a feel of the historical and famed parts of London. Everything from Beatles to Jack the Ripper to little Venice. No worries about theatre attire. Just make sure you take a jacket and have a pound handy for a cup of ice cream at intermission. I would take a minimum of 3 days out of your London trip book online for a Chunnel ticket (saving money by doing this) and spend 2 full days in Paris. Have a wonderful trip.

And now, seriously. I agree with Toni. With some advance planning, you can see many of the places you want quite easily (and much cheaper) on your own. If you really want to go to Paris, look for open-jaw flights (NY-London, Paris-NY) and take the Eurostar train from London to Paris. Paris is quite easy to manage without knowing French, though having 3-4 phrases to start a conversation (good morning, etc) will usually get a friendlier response. I don't know how long you are planning for your trip, but I'd recommend 3 days in Paris. You can go to Bath by train for a day. Personally I think Stonehenge is a waste of time, but some folks do like it. Windsor, Oxford, etc., are even easier day trips. For lots of information on West End, check out theatremonkey.com. Tons of info, including discounts and best/worst seats.

Thanks for all the great tips everyone! I've got tons to think about :0)

Ron, Its Lake Ronkonkoma. Its towards the tips of Long Island in Suffolk County, just a few light years from NYC. Kennedy would be the nearest airport.

Hello Kristin. Do you have the airline tickets for flying to London ? I do not know the location of Ronkonkoma. Flying from the United States of America to England, I like a day time flight to London Heathrow Airport. American Airlines has a flight departing from Chicago's O'Hare airport at 9:00 A.M., arriving at London Heathrow Airport at 10:45 P.M. Many hotels are located near the Heathrow airport. And British Airways had day time flights, departing in the mornings, from the New York City Kennedy airport (JFK), and from the Dulles
Airport of Washington, D.C. (that airport is located in the state Virginia), arriving at London Heathrow Airport in the evenings. But I could not find information about those British Airways flights, recently. I think people travelling with British Airways from an airport in the U.S.A. to England, can get the airline tickets from the airline that they fly with going to the New York City Kennedy airport or to the Dulles airport, if that airline is a partner with British Airways. And, I think, the flight miles with British Airways can be counted in the Frequent Flier miles program of the other airline.