Paris day trip to London

We contemplated doing this last year and decided against it. It was just too cost prohibitive for us. I would take the earliest Eurostar train of the day to London and take the latest one back to Paris. To give the best overview of London in one day I would take a hop on/hop off bus. Go on the entire route to see everything, then get off for the sites you want to see. You may get a boat trip down (up?) the Thames with purchase of the bus ticket.

How old is your granddaughter?

My big question is why would you want to do it -- Just one day. I would pack a light travel bag, put rest of my luggage in storage at the Paris hotel, and do an overnight. The hop on/off bus tickets are good for 24 hours so you could use it for the PM of one day and the AM of the next day. Just enjoy London for a day or so instead of a big rush job. And then you are exhausted the next day.

Frank is right of course.

As I said, we thought about it and decided against it. If you can spend the night there, so much the better. Even if that means paying for two places for one night it might be worth it. If you can spare two days I would still go early and stay until evening on the second day. After an overview on the hop on/hop off you will know your way around a little. London is surprisingly walkable. There is a free walking tour you might want to look into. Google Sandeman's Walking Tour. There is no cost, you just tip the guide. I have done their tours in Amsterdam and Paris.

Chloe is 11 years young. Dorsey

Most of the time, I suggest taking the hop on hop off bus, but that bus in London is terrible, and if I ever go back to London, I would never do that again. Their hop on hop off bus system is terrible. When I took it in October, I waisted time stuck in traffic, and often the bus would stop and just stay in one place for 30 minutes, so please don't waste your time doing that. If you do take a day trip to London, get a good map of the tube. Much faster, and you can get anyplace. London is worth going too, but what a shame to stay only one day. But I have to admit, I liked Paris much better than London, but that's my taste.

Walking tours are the best way, far, far better than a HoHo bus. But there are reasonably priced tours that will offer you much better quality than the Sandemann tours. These guides have to pay the company for each person that comes on their tour (the company tries to keep this fact hidden of course). They are known for being very jokey and going for the entertainment side of touring, trying to up their tip intake. Not sure how appropriate some of their jokes will be for a younger child, as some people have mentioned that they get a bit risque, others have been offended by the gay jokes that the guide made.

Most cities dislike the Sandemann tours due to lack of reporting of tips by the tour guides. Sandemanns is also well known in the expat circles for shabby treatment of their employees.

If you read Trip Advisor, you will notice that they get very few reviews and are not very consistent. If you were going to spend 10-15 euro / pounds you will get an excellent tour with some of the many other companies operating in London and the other cities of Europe.

One of the problems with London is that there is so much to see it's almost impossible to know where to start. (It's my favorite place in Europe.)

If your granddaughter is insistent on taking the Eurostar to London, and you want to do it as a day trip, then it can be done.

My suggestion is to sit down with her and ask why she wants to make the trip and what she wants to see. Then plan the trip accordingly. (She might just be interested in the train ride.)

We could give you hundreds of itineraries, but they would be the things we want to see. Once you know what she wants, then come on back with that info and we'll be able to help you plan something more precise.

Frank is right. How old is your granddaughter? If she is old enough, she may love Kensington Palace and see Princes Diana's gowns. The gowns are a work of art.

Op mentioned child is 11.

Dorsey,, I think one of the best museums I have ever seen for a child is the British Natural History Museum,, I would definately take my kids there at that age( heck,, I would go back at ANY age).

I do think if you could wing an overnight that would be nice.. there is a lot to see, but, if all you can manage is a day trip,, well , don't take first train out,, but maybe second( nothings open till at least 9:30 so no advantage to getting there at crack of dawn),, and stay as late as you want( personally,, with a child I would be off by 8 or 9 pm ).

Oh, I see now, she did say she's 11.
That's a great age, and she will enjoy so much!
How lucky for her to have a Grandmother that will take her to Europe!I agree, the "British Natural History Museum" is a must for anyone! Have a great trip!!

I have done the London Hop on Hop Off bus on two occasions and have found it a very worthwhile experience. I think it is the only way to get a feel and an overview of the city in such a short time. An overnight stay in London would be a great idea if you can manage it.

Dorsey, i would suggest an overnight too. If you are considering a guided walk, i would recommend using London walks, www.walks.com
Our guide was very good, and the fee was pretty cheap. They have a Harry Potter walk, she might be interested in that. (sundays only).