Paris to London Day Trip

Hello Kaley,
Yes, you can do Paris to London via Eurostar - time is about 2 1/2 hours each way so YES it can be done - albeit it's a very, very long day. With only 6 days in Paris I would personally spend those days there - there is more than enough in Paris to keep one busy for weeks and easily for 6 days! If you want to see something other than Paris, a trip to Versailles or to Giverny makes a lovely day trip for less cost and less time travelling. However, if you all have your heart set on "seeing London" my recommendation would be to book your Eurostar tickets as soon as they go on sale to get the best price . As for an itinerary, I would suggest buying the 24 hour "hop on hop off" bus tour - which traverses most of the major tourist attractions. When it stops somewhere you are interested in seeing, you simply hop off and then hop back on to the next tour bus that comes along when you are ready to go to the next stop. You could also use the tube, but the advantage of the buses is that you can actually see London versus just a train tunnel! As for what exactly to see, that really depends on your interests. As with Paris, there is more than enough in London to keep you busy for weeks! If you decide on doing London for a day, pick up a guidebook on London and look it over and then plot out what you wish to see during your day. Good Luck!

hi, look at the eurostars web site for train costs on the day(s) you want to go and see if those costs are "reasonable". The earlier you book, the cheaper it is. its about a 2h20 minute ride and IT IS SWEET! Center of London to center of Paris or the other way around. one thing too. IF you spend your time crossing London to see things, you will spend more time in a bus or subway than actually doing things,so plan accordingly. YOu need to do your own research on what you want to do or see. I dont know what your likes or dislike are. I love horses, so i saw the changing of the horse guards and skipped the changing of the palace guards. I went to the Royal Mews (Royal Stables) and skipped the Palace. Get the idea. I dont care for modern art, but i like the old stuff. I love old Architecture and modern stuff is okay. i get the impression that london likes round buildings but i could be wrong. I spent 4+ hours in the British Museum and could have spent more time there EASILY and i probably will this sept. figure out what your likes are and what you want to do or see and go from there. By The Way (Btw) i didnt take any river cruises or bus tours, since i will be going back. For now i cant get enough of London. I love Paris too, but when i go back it will be to continue south and then beyond! Happy trails.

As others have mentioned, it can be done. It's a long day, but worth it if you think you HAVE to do it. Reasonably priced is subjective. How big is your family? Do you have a max amount you are willing to spend? We took our daughter to Paris for 10 nights. We discussed doing a day trip to London so she could see it. After pricing out the cost of the Eurostar tickets and the cost of maximizing our time in London we decided to skip it. One difference is we were there in the winter, so daylight hours were short. In August it will be light until 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. I also suggest you do the HOHO bus to see the most sites in a short time.

I've done London to Paris. Left early in the morning, spentvthe night and took an early train back. Well worth it in either direction. Since you have the urge to do this sort of thing you might look at quick short trips further afield. We've done it a few times. We call them Bonzi Trips. The most famous to date was Budapest to Moscow for Orthodox Christmas at a church in Red Square and back the next day. 3.5 hour flight $300. Then there was Jerusalem for the first day of Hanukkah one year.

If you do this, be aware that London is one hour 'behind' Paris; don't miss your return train from London :-( And another strong suggestion to buy tickets in advance online, if possible - you can realize some huge savings!

The cheapest Eurostar tickets go on sale four months before the travel date and sell out fast, so depending when in August you're going you'll need to book within the next couple of weeks.

This has been several years ago, at the time Eurostar stopped near London Eye, but this has changed. Yes, it was a long day, but we enjoyed it immensely. We took earliest from P to L, and latest train leaving L. We splurged and went first Class, very nice, good food, loved it. We pre booked London eye, did Off and on Bus ride in double-decker, cruised the River Thames.....and went to Harrods, my daughter hated it, I loved it. Wouldn't change a thing. Later, I did a similar trip....but second class, not the same or as good. Either way, I encourage you to go! Going in August will give you plenty of potential daylight, weather permitting.