6 Days in London/4 in Paris - First time visitor - what to see?

[jgold47]

I am going with my parents to London and Paris in October. I have never been, but they and my sister (who is meeting us there), are very experianced international travelers and have been to both places many times. Since this is my first real trip with them in like 10 years, and I have never really traveled internationally, they are letting me have a lot of influence on the itinerary. Obviously I would like to see some of the normal touristy stuff, tower of london, westminster, etc... and in paris as well. What are some things I should see and/or do as a first time visitor to either of these places.

1. I dont really care for art museams
2. I want to go shopping, but not planning on anything extravagant so I dont need shop recomnedations
3. I really want to see a soccer match or something unique like that

Anyways, anything you guys can recommend I would appreciate!

 

[jgold47]

Anybody? Please dont tell me I have to spend the whole time with my parents

 

[HORNS]

How old are you? This is a serious, neutral question.

 

[jgold47]

I am 28, my sister is 25 and my parents are, well..... parents aged.

 

[HORNS]

If you like food, then I recommend you going in the morning to Rue Montorgueil, which is in the area where restaurants used to get their produce/meats. They open up early in the morning and the shops, from breads, cheeses fowl, beef, seafood, and even horsemeat, put out some of the most amazing stuff. It's a food lover's paradise and "living" museum.

There are some great restaurants in this area, with great shopping as well. One restaurant in particular, **** if I can't remember the name, that specializes in fois gras. I ate there twice when I was there because they had a foi gras carpaccio.

I'm a big fan of tea, so I recommend as well a tea purveyor named Mariage Freres, which is in the Marais area. This shop has the most amazing teas as well as a museum. This neighborhood has awesome bars ans shops as well.

Other recommendations is the Marche aux Pouces, which is an amazing flea market.

Some of the tourist stuff I recommend is a boat trip at night on the Seine river, along with a visit to the catacombs.

 

[andyw]

Rent a bike in both cities and get lost. Both cities evolved from Medievel community patterns so streets will appear chaotic and disorganized; but spending time on a bike will provide the right pace and mobility to learn essence of each.

I also suggest you take a bus tour in each city to get your bearings and bookmark neighborhoods you might want to return to for an extended visit on foot or bike.

I like the suggestions for Paris posted by Horns because of the authenticity of the Marais vicinity; it will be as unlike America as you can get. Nearby is the Place Des Vosges, Palais Royale Gardens, Place Des Victoires and the Picasso Museum ( this museum is not stuffy and fun). Another market street to consider is Rue Mouffetard on the Left Bank (5th Arr.) and dating from Roman times. Visit Pere Lachaise cemetary and commune with the famous dead and if you are adventurous, check out the ethnic neighborhoods and sample the cuisine of Morocco, Vietnam and Greece. Paris in thge fall is magnificent, the quality of light will be luminous.

Similar opportunities exist in Old London City.

Enjoy!

 

[jgold47]

good - thanks for the responses so far. seems like I have paris pretty well covered. Now anyone want to tackle london in such great detail?

 

[andyw]

London and Paris equals right brain-left brain experience...for me, London is for the head and Paris is for the soul. I always prefer to start in London, end with Paris.

In London town I like the architecture, each edifice has a story and stitched together, you can relive your elementary school history classes on Roman times through the Industrial Revolution to the modern here and now. London has four World Heritage sites that are worthy of a visit.....Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey, London Tower and St. Margaret's Church.....and some of the leading examples of modern architecture.

Things to do include taking the Tube to anywhere, visit Leicester Square and check out the nearby West End, Notting Hill for the ethnic vibe and antiques, take the boat to Greenwich and visit the Royale Observatory, and great Indian food.

 

[HORNS]

I think Westminster Abbey is an absolute must for a first-timer to London. So much history is concentrated within those walls.

 

[Tangfastic]

Get on a boat from the Houses of Parliament up the Thames to Greenwich - there's another world heritage site there - the Royal Naval College which is magnificent. The boat takes about 30 mins and is relatively cheap.

 

[HORNS]

You will also have the opportunity to see two of the three Cleopatra's Needles, which are obelisks found in London, Paris, and New York:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra's_Needles

I know you said that you're not a museum person, but I HIGHLY recommend spending some time in the British Museum. I love museums, personally, and I think that this is one of the most magnificent and historically important collections in the world. In my opinion, the Louvre doesn't hold a candle to the British Museum. This may be heresy to some of you, but I can only tolerate so many paintings of Baby Jesus, which seem to saturate the Louvre. The British Museum has extremely important artifacts from all over the world - transcending Western/Christian civilization.

 

[jgold47]

nice guys, thanks. All of these sound good. Now, on to shopping in London. Whats the recomendation

 

[Get Smart]

It's hard to go with an agenda since when you get there you'll probably find yourself just so immersed in everything that you'll just end up going with the flow and find your own way about

sounds like a great trip, we're going back to London between xmas and NYE, then back to paris at late winter/early spring.

for shopping in London, if you're not looking for anything specific the usual places to go are Harvey Nichols (my fave), from there it's a 5 min walk to Harrod's, then another 15 min walk to Selfridges. I think all 3 have their own personality and are all worth going to. Then there's Bond and Oxford St which have a slew of shops. Convent Garden is full of good stores too, and very crowded. If you're going to CG, probably best to get off at the tube station before or after Covent Garden and walk since the CG tube stop is a madhouse and you have to take these elevators to the ground level which are always packed like sardines.

btw, the top floor of Harvey Nichols has a food market and some food stalls...there's one place that makes these grilled chicken sandwiches cooked to order that are AWESOME. seriously one of the best sandwiches of its type I've had, only 5GBP and it's quite large, could easily feed 2

oh and in london you can check out the Aquarium, the Dali museum and the Robot museum which are all next to each other, right by the London Eye, which is just across the bridge over the Thames from Westminster Abbey and Parliament. They're not "museum-y" museums so you might find them fun. and there's one tour we went on that was fun, it was a "Jack the Ripper" tour where you go to all the spots where he killed the women or bodies were found. It's in the eve (appropriate) and very interesting and fun way to see the city. You also go by where Sweeney Todd's barbershop was (now a cellphone store) and where the meatpies were baked. And you go to the square where William Wallace (braveheart) was drawn quartered and executed.


then there's forum faves like Jermyn St, Savile Row but depending on your interests you may find these streets to be stuffy and boring (and expensive of course)

 

[jgold47]

cool

are there any 'vintage' areas that you can go for clothes (resale shops/thrifts)?

 

[Zebear]

Originally Posted by jgold47

cool

are there any 'vintage' areas that you can go for clothes (resale shops/thrifts)?

This would be in the Camden market area normally. Otherwise in London, I would go to the garden's such as St James and maybe some other, smaller ones, such as Berkeley square.

In Paris I recommend "Le roi du pot au feu" rue Vignon, which is a great restaurant serving a French traditional plate "Pot au feu". I also recommend that you head for Versailles, about 20 minutes by Train, and you visit the historic center of the city, which is full of history and 18th century classic architecture apart from the palace.