England and France and ....

Jen - What is your time frame? i.e. Late May, or Early October. How many days are you planning on taking? Keep in mind to subtract 2 days. 1 day for travel to Europe, and 1 day for travel home.

Hi there,
we are planning on 15 days- not including travel time. Mid-late May is the timeframe.

thanks!

Jen: I suggest you start by making a list and reading about the places which interest you. Visit your library and search the web for detailed info.

Then make a day by day itinerary so you can plan your time.

Go to the Graffiti Wall home page and click on "Plan your Trip". Then click on the items which interest you in "Planning and Packing". Study the other sections there also.

Allow more time than you think you will need for each activity so you are not rushed. Set aside a few hours each week to walk a park and to rest.

You will come home having enjoyed your travel much more.

Jen; have you been to Europe/London/Paris before? Could make a difference for suggestions. Geoff

I have been to Portugal a dozen times. Recently returned from Spain and Portugal in fall 2008.

Never been to England or France though. would also like to fit in Brussels or Amsterdam? don't know what is doable?!

thanks!

If you are visiting your sister in London, she will have a good idea of what your likes are and should be able to guide you to the right places. Paris (like London) has so many places to see, you need to read up on it as someone else suggested. Do you like musems, art galleries, history, or do you want to get out of the city and see the surrounding countryside? Only you can answer these questions. Get Rick's "Paris" if you have not done so already and read up on the possibilities - they are just about endless.

Thanks for the advice.

My sister is in school in London. She can show me around the city for sure. but I'm looking for some ideas about days trips, etc.

i guess I will do some more reading.

How about Bath, Windsor Castle, and/or Stonehenge as side trip from London? I'm sure your sister will have suggestions. After 4-5 days though, I'd take the chunnel over to Paris and spend the rest of the time there (with day trip to Versailles). But read guidebooks, learn about the sights, decide what you are most interested in seeing and plan accordingly.

Jen, with 15 days on the ground (minus jetlag day one), you should be able to fit in another stop besides London and Paris. With your sister in London that'll make it easier to find your way around that grand town.

For the big three-oh, Paris will be a great celebration, and can't think of a better spot for it.

IMO, with about 14 days, the other place to visit should be in south England and/or somewhere to/from Paris. My choice because of possible language issues would be Bath for an overnighter (2 days including travel).

Sister will show you London (and what a joy that will be) for 3/4 days and then off to Bath by train. You can see the main sights (on foot) in Bath (Abbey, Roman Baths, Pulteney Bridge, costume museum, etc. - you check the others of interest) easily in an afternoon plus morning (leave London in the early AM). Back to London, overnight with sis and then off to Paris.

Under the channel by Eurostar and into Paris in under 4 hours. If you do Paris in 4/5 days, plus Versailles (one day), not a lot of time to spare.

My calculations with the above itinerary would be about 12/13 days including travel time for Bath/Paris. Bit of flexibility to consider Normandy (D-Day beaches/Bayonne), and if you forget about Bath, consider Brussels/Bruges.

On a 2 week trip all my choices are included above; you can mix and match as best suits. Holland is a favourite of mine but with only 14/15 days, a stretch to visit IMO when London/Paris are in the mix. Have fun, Geoff.

Jen - For day trips out of London check out www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com for cheap ticket prices. Right now you can make reservation out to May 10th.

Why not consider either Cardiff Wales or Inverness Scotland. They are two of my favorites. Easy to do from London before going to Paris. If you prefer the continent- consider Vienna or Salzburg.

Jen,

Not sure what your interests are, but my hubby and I spent a week in London in Sept--we did a day trip to Windsor but other than that, we stayed in London. Then we went to Paris for 3 days, the Loire Valley for 2 days and Bordeaux for 2 days and flew home from Paris. We had an absolute blast, but wouldn't have wanted to try to fit in more. If you want 3 cities, I would recommend flying into one, spending 4 days in each and flying home from the last one. As far as 'whatever makes sense' you could make a case for about a gazillion places, you should decide what's important to you.