I am traveling to Europe this summer with my two teenagers. We are starting in London, as my daughter will have been there for a month prior for a theatre summer camp. We plan to spend two days in London (to watch her perform), then travel onto Paris for two nights, then to Dublin for three nights, Bath for two nights, and back to London for 5 nights. First, does this seem smart and feasible to those of you that are well-versed at european travel. Second, I am quite confused on the best mode of transportation between each place. Is it better to take the train, or to fly? I am trying to adhere to a strict budget, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Posted by
Freedonia
16283 posts
London to Paris--train
Paris to Dublin--Fly (kind of hard to take a train)
Dublin to Bath--Fly from Dublin to Bristol, then short train hop to Bath...or Ferry and train.
Bath to London--train or bus.
The other choice would be to do the trip in reverse...London, Bath, Dublin and Paris, and then fly home from Paris.
You'd fly into London and home from Paris. It's called an "open jaw" flight.
Posted by
Napa, CA
3580 posts
That sounds like 14 nights. I would suggest skipping Dublin and staying in Paris and Bath longer. All that flying around is expensive and exhausting. In London and Bath, breakfast should be included in the price of a room. Quick and inexpensive lunches can be made of fresh fruit and such things as pasties or sandwiches. In Paris, hotel breakfasts are usually over-priced. Cafes and bakeries are less expensive places for a cup of coffee and a pastry. Any bar that is open in the morning will usually have expresso or other coffee drinks and a basket of croissants on the bar. For 2-3 Euros you can have a quick breakfast. Some bakeries have such things as individual quiches, pizza slices, and sandwiches for reasonable prices. Shop at the many grocery stores for picnic supplies. Drink tap water and skip the expensive bottled varieties to save money.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Unless you skip Dublin altogether, I'd suggest adding one night in Paris and cutting one night in Dublin. Two nights in Bath is enough, IMO.
For Paris-Dublin either fly CDG-Dublin on Aer Lingus or Beauvais-Dublin on Ryanair. Be aware that you need to catch the shuttle bus from Paris to Beauvais three hours before your flight's departure time.
Fly Dublin-Bristol on Ryanair and take a train to Bath.
A National Express coach (highway bus) is the cheapest way to get from Bath to London.
If you decide to skip Dublin, register on eurostar.com as a resident of the UK and book cheap return (roundtrip) tickets for London-Paris-London. When available, the best offers are only slightly higher than single (one-way) fares. If you've already visited the site, clear the cookies on your Web browser and register again. The sooner you book, the cheaper the fare.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10601 posts
Hey Sacto Homey - I would spend more time in Paris and skip Dublin for this trip. If you have your heart set on both places, spend more time in Paris. Two nights in Dublin should be enough considering the time you have. I haven't been to Bath so I don't feel qualified to comment on the time you have scheduled there.
If you skip Dublin you can just go by rail and not hassle with planes and the time required before flights, etc. If I was planning this trip and had to fly into and out of London I would depart London, take the Eurostar to Paris for 5 nights, Eurostar back to London and go to Bath, then return to London. If you have not purchased your airline tickets I would fly into London (6 nights), train to Bath (2 nights), Eurostar to Paris (6 nights), fly home from Paris.
Posted by
vancouver, bc, canada
421 posts
How badly do you want to go to dublin?
I think I would have a tendency to drop it. I was first thinking that you might want to do:
London 2 nights
paris 5 nights
Bath 3 nights
London 4 nights
But checking skyscanner quickly it seems the flight gets in from paris in the evening and not sure if it is doable to get to bath that night or not.
I can say from experience bath is wonderful and can be done in two nights but seriously I think three nights is more realistic for bath. Also paris is an amazing city and I think two nights in paris is impossible.
What about flying open jaws maybe out of paris or even Dublin?
London 7 nights
Bath 3 nights
paris 5 nights
if you really want to do Dublin what about
London 5 nights
Bath 3 nights (you could do bath in 2 nights if you arrive in Bath early via train from London and add a night on to dublin or paris)
Dublin 2 nights
paris 4 nights
Posted by
vancouver, bc, canada
421 posts
also I wanted to add if dublin had to be done I think I would do bath 2 nights and increase paris for sure.
Posted by
OP
Sacramento, CA, USA
2 posts
Thanks to everyone that has responded. I think the kids and I are very seriously thinking about cutting Dublin from our trip. It makes me sad because I really want to visit Ireland, but it may just have to be another trip. I appreciate all the advice. Thanks again.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10601 posts
I understand your desire to see Ireland, but I would save it for a different trip. Seeing Dublin is really not the same as seeing Ireland. And it is so totally out of the way of the other places you want to see and not convenient to get to easily. Two nights in Paris is really only one full day - not nearly enough time! My first time there we spent 5 days and over the holidays we returned for 10 days with our daughter. I would allot Paris and London equal time if you can.