Planning a trip to london, Paris, Switzerland, Amsterdam.

missy

New Member
Hi,

I am planning a trip to london, Paris, Switzerland, Amsterdam.

Anyone have any idea how to move about this places? From Paris to Switzerland. Any MUST-VISIT places of interest in Switzerland, Paris, Amsterdam?
 


vist

New Member
You can fly SIN to London.
From London, you can either take Euro Express (train) or short flight to Paris. From Paris you can use inter rail link to other places in Europe. Are you below 26? If yes you can buy the inter rail pass.
With inter rail, your first and last stop will be Paris. And from Paris you go back to London and back to SIngapore.

How long are you planning to go there?

MUST VISIT places you can easily read up from websites. Just search on google.
Switzerland: many cities in Switzerland. which one you intend to go?
Paris: depends on what you like, but personally Lourve museum is unmissable. Eiffel Tower of course. For me, I would also think Versaille Palace is unmissable. You can go if you have time. Take the Paris underground (about 45mins) to Versaille. Back and forth, you need at least half a day as the palace is huge. Go in the morning as they close at 4 or 5 pm.

Amsterdam: personally again, I think red light district is a must. And it is the only city in Europe (and also Holland) where drug is legal. Many people go there to drink a cup of coffee where heroine in added. Be careful when you are in that area though. Generally for Amsterdam, you have to walk around to have a feel of the city vibes, people, houses by the river etc... Also, if you read about Anne Frank, may be good to see the house which she hid during the Nazis period.
 

lilacz

Member
Hey SSF, im also planning to go Europe this year.When r u planning to go?I plan to go ard May, will start to do "homework" in March, maybe we can share notes then.
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Heard from some in the forum can stay in the Youth Hostel which is cheap and good, somemore breakfast included!
 

hoshi5

New Member
May is a good time to visit, coz it's just b4 the hot summer season...
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For London: do visit Big Ben, Buckingham palace, for shopping: Oxford circus, picadilly....
Paris: Arc De Triomphe... effiel tower, for shopping: champ leseyee... sorrie, dunno the exact spelling...

Yes, youth hostel is roughly abt 10-15 pounds per night, but do note that each room has abt 6-10 beds, also, u need to share the common toilet.. be extra careful with ur belongings as well since ter's lots of strangers ard...
 

oraia

New Member
hello,

just to share...i stayed at a nice little motel off kensington v near the gloucester tube station called stuart hotel i think. it's beside the holiday inn hotel...within walkg dist to harrods. nice and cheap. even includes breakfast i think. some of the youth hostels can be even more expensive, like the baden powell hostel which is 2 min walk fr stuart hotel. if u book online it's even cheaper.
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champs elysee is most exciting!
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if u are a fan of LV, u hv to start queuing at like 7 am. they open at 9 am. hehehe...
 

cute_devil

New Member
how about Venice? wud love to experience the gondola.
Any idea how to go there on our trip to London, Paris, Switz?
 

kawaii

New Member
i've returned from london and paris last month. enjoyed free and easy tour.

felt that it's much cheaper to fly budget airline from london to paris or point to point rather than taking the eurostar (more expensive).

and if you book early, say at least 2-3 months earlier on the website, there're more discounts on airfare and accomodation.

london and paris are easy places to walk around. suggest you walk around via foot as you'll tend to explore more things. preferrably buy a Paris Visite Pass (1-day, 3-day or 5-day, zone 1-2:central Paris or all 5 zones) that allows multiple access on metro, RER, and buses in Paris.

for paris, don't miss your shopping in Opera as this place is more for the Parisians (i heard) and more variety, rather than along the Arc de Trimophe - shops are more for tourists. must visit Versailles and spend the whole day there.
if you love musuems, do spend the whole day at Louvre and Musuem Rodin. or if you've some free time, you can also visit the Paris Disneyland.

the best month to go is still end April to early May right before their summer holidays.

happy holiday!
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rhs

New Member
Paris:
Versailles is not very pretty in winter time. No flowers and all fountains are off. We skipped Disneyland too since we don't think it's fun to go to theme park in cold weather.
For souvenirs, there's a small shop along the river (near Notre Dame) called Maison de Paris. The owner is very nice and willing to give discounts. We compared with other shops around the area and find his is the most reasonably priced.
For winter jackets and fleece tops, there's a huge sport shop called Decathlon near Arc de Triomphe. Fleece top is very cheap there.
Buy a carnet (a pack of 10 train tickets) if you stay for few days as it's cheaper. Visite Pass is also a money saver but you must plan carefully to maximise its use. Do note that some attactions are closed on certain day (e.g. Louvre is closed on Mon, Versaille on Tue, etc)

London:
There's a no-frill hotel right behind London Eye called Travel Inn County Hall. Not a backpacker hotel or bed & breakfast but they only provide minimal facility (no shower gel & shampoo). Location is convenient, you can walk to Big Ben, Buckingham, Westminster Abbey. Carnet is also available for London's tube (train).
 

freesia

New Member
Hi chloe_goh
If you like to go to Venice, you can take a transfer flight from Paris. This was what I did last Dec.
 

seiko

New Member
amsterdam's red light district was certainly an eye opener. Muz remember no pix 2 be taken when you're there. While we were there, some joker in our froup snapped a shot ( wif flash somemore )... after that, my tour guide made us walk as fast as we cld out of the place lest we get hounded by the pple there.
Okie, if you're with Chan Bros, they'll take u to Coster Diamonds. If u buy a diamond fr them, they'll guarantee u the same price when u take it back to trade in for an upgrade.

For Switzerland, one muz ascend Mount Titlis. Lovely scenery. Of cos the cable ride made my legs wobbly, but the scenery was def worth it.

For Paris
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of cos muz go c the Moulin Rouge show. Interestingly, it wasnt the topless dancers which caught our attention, but the fillers ( acrobatic acts, magic shows etc ) that really got us tickled n entertained. Per person cost 110 Euro. For shopping, of cos can visit Printemps or Galaries Lafeyette which r side by side. Their Xmas deco was awesome!

We visited Venice in Dec... plus the day we were there, it happened to be the 15th of the lunar mth. so the seas were choppy. Besides, the waters smelt like long gao water, so we decided against taking the gondola.
Loved the shopping there. There r many branded shops there. Gucci is way cheaper there than in
Sing. Also, for souvenirs, u cld buy Venetian masks which r so lovely they almost the perfect gift to take home. Except that the big ones ( ceramic types ) r real heavy. Venice happened to be the coldest place we visted in Italy in Dec.
winds r strong, so do be well covered if you're heading there in Winter.
 

mint

New Member
Hi,
Amsterdam is really amazing... If you are doing free and easy, get the amsterdam pass so that you can hop on and off their transport. Also included are admissions to most museums and places of interest. Book their local day tours to go see the windmills, cheese factory, etc. Also dun miss the flower market. The blooms are really beautiful. Sigh!! I miss that place already. Visit this website: http://www.simplyamsterdam.com

When in London, don't forget to go on the London eye. Try and catch a musical if you can too. Mamma Mia is divine if you are a fan of ABBA.
 

seiko

New Member
Hi mint
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talking bt cheese... we were at this place wif lots of windmills n cheese factory ( cant remember the name though )... n when i 1st stepped out of the bus, i remember i was greeted by strong magi mee seasoning smell! *hahaah* later found out its actually the cheesy smell. WOW! lovely!
 

mint

New Member
Hi,
Ya, I also remember the smell. Haha!! Aiyah, now I miss the cheese liao. I bought the cheese with herbs type and thinking that no body will eat it, I only bought 1. But when my brother tasted it, he ate it non-stop and it finished in less than 2 weeks since I came home. Now regret cos should have bought more. Anyone knows if I can get the henri wellig brand cheese in Singapore?
 

oraia

New Member
hi kare2711,

the hotel i stayed in london is called stuart hotel. near baden powell house youth hostel, in kensington, about 3 min walk fr gloucester tube station.

it's 2*, so it's basic. nothing fancy. but clean and decent and the staff are nice.
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just a tip: book online -- the rates are significantly cheaper cos the pound is so strong!
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missy

New Member
wow! thanks for all your response. I was busy taking down notes
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i have a some qns:

Vista
1) how much was the flight from SIN -LON. Which airline?
2) I am 26 this yr. Am i still entitled to inter rail pass?
3) can you share with me the sequence of places you go in Europe?
4) Pardon me...but what does Lourve museum have? paintings?

lilacz - i am not sure when i am going but look out for natas in mar 21 weekend.
sure we can exchange notes.

oraia

5) how do you get to Stuart hotel from London? Do they provide free shuttle service?
How much is it?
6) Where is champs elysee ? How to get there? How much cheaper is LV as compared to Singapore.

kawaii
7) how much is the domestic flight from lon to paris as compare to eurostar?
8) How much is Paris Visite Pass ?
 

miinttt

New Member
Hi,

from london to paris, u can take easyjet...
very cheap, flight journey is abt an hour...
the flight ticket is depending on how early u book the ticket...really cheap..
 

alhana

New Member
SSF,

The Louvre is one of the most famous art museums in the world. It has many famous art pieces like the Mona Lisa, ancient sculptures from Greece, Egypt, etc Mummies, tapestries, antiquities. The Mona Lisa is over rated .... but there are some paintings that are really beautiful. Some can take up a whole wall (like the Coronation of Josephine & Napoleon - gorgeous). The Louvre is huge, and u can easily spend a whole day there. But if ure not into such things, then skip it coz its not for everyone.

As for the Champs Elysee, u can walk there from the Louvre. Paris is lovely for walking..we walked everywhere..from the left bank to the right. We only took the Metro when our feet really started aching after all the walking. If ure taking the metro, think its only one stop away fr the Louvre. But if u can..walk. Dunno abt LV..not into such things.

The Paris Visite Pass can be quite pricey..chk out the site

http://www.eurailtickets.com/parisvisite.htm

Much cheaper is the Carte Orange. See
http://www.gisparis.com/paris/paris_subway.htm#carteorange

Eurostar is expensive. I paid US75/pax for a one-way ticket from LHR to Paris. Good thing is that u arrive right smack in the city centre. But if ure looking to save money, their budget airlines are a cheaper way to go.
 

missy

New Member
Thanks min and alhana for the info! :D
now i have the info from lon to paris.. thereafter, where do you suggest i go? is it switzerland?

i guess shld be via inter rail link.
any idea abt the cost from travelling from one region to another?

also where in switzerland shld i go? i look fwd to stay at a castle for one night. anyone stayed in any before ??
 

oraia

New Member
hello SSF,

eh... if u don't have alot of luggage, you may wish to take the tube -- not sure whr u are arriving from heathrow or waterloo (eurostar)...
in anycase, the tube is quite convenient, cos the hotel is v near gloucester tube station. the last time i was there, i think i called for a mini-cab.
don't take the normal london cabs if u are gg to and fr the airport. it's gg to cost a bomb. the hotel will call for a mini cab for u if u are gg to the airport.

not sure if there is an airport transfer...can't remember... u may wish to surf ard on the web/ email stuart hotel for more info.

champs elysee is a 'must see' if u like shopping.
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eh..... LV is slightly more than half price i think. or about two-thirds the price here. depends on the euros. the queues are v v v v v v v long..... and each passport is entitled to 4 items. (not sure).

well, that was then, when it was pre-euros times, i'm not sure what's the situation now. but i think it's still alot cheaper than singapore.

hope this helps!
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missy

New Member
hi oraia,
i guess i will be arriving at heathrow airport.
so i will take a tube to gloucester tube. how long is the ride? how much is the ride?

wow...LV is so cheap then. ok will make a pt to go there in Paris...shhh....must keep this a hidden itinery from my hubby. hahaa...

so did you buy a lot of stuffs? you mean ppl in europe queue LV shop every other day? or is it just the tourist? any other brands like maybe prada and gucci around vicinity?
 

missy

New Member
Hi oraia,

saw this for stuart hotel posting:

the write up on the web said small and friendly, sounded good. wasnt expecting a palace but the reality was much different. It is scruffy, dirty walls, chipped paintwork and furniture,no hot water, shower didnt work properly, holes in carpets, not to mention unspeakable stuff on floor! unfriendly surly staff. Being a woman staying on her own, I felt insecure and cut my visit short. THIS HOTEL NEEDS CLOSING DOWN!

This Hotel was really poor, the room was very small and poor in all kinds of ways. The breakfast was also really poor. So I would not recommend this to anyone....


Is it true??
 

_angel

New Member
Hi SSF,

I went to Europe last Dec. The LV there is cheaper than singapore but becos of the strong euros, the difference become minimal if ur item price is cheap. For example, the bag that i bought is much cheaper there than in Singapore. The diff was abt 300+. But the key pouch that i bought was about the same as if u buy here in Singapore.
There wasn't any queue at the LV shops ard Europe but there was a long queue at Heathrow airport when i was collecting my tax refund.
plus the staff there in europe are quite unfriendly so very difficult to get any assistance fr them.
 

oraia

New Member
hi SSF,

eh? hmmm... when i went it was ok leh....

don't tell me it fell apart after 2 yrs?!!
actually my best fren who lives about 2 min walk away fr stuart hotel went in and recee-ed for me before recommending me the hotel last time. when i went i found it quite good value for $$. (i stayed alone there too for 2 nites).
even had breakfast included...

mabbe to play it safe, u shd look ard at a few more hotels... or more reviews etc.
 

oraia

New Member
hi SSF,

sorry, just saw ur earlier posting. i think fr heathrow, it's quite a ride to glouscester. can't rem. will chk up the tube map for u when i get home. (hope i rem!)

eh... i didn't get anything at LV, cos i saw the queues and thought no pt queuing... hehe. i went alone, so i decided to cover more sights instead and do shopping at the other shops along champs elysee.

but i did buy a pair of ferragamos tt i'd been eyeing at printemps. also relatively cheaper than in SG. oh, and if u are a fan of clarins pdts, it's v cheap there...
 

missy

New Member
hi oraia,

thanks for your prompt reply and helping me check up the tube map.

oh clarins is cheap. something i can look fwd to.
Harrods is another place that i must make a pt to shop.

let me know if there is any other hotels/b&b that you guys have stay, i am planning ot note down the preferred accomodations.

thanks...
 

lilacz

Member
Thanks everyone for sharing ur experience!Definately helped alot in my planning!Guess its too early to book now since im only going in May.Actually quite worried cuz Europe to me is a very dirty country and has horrible racial discrimination, hope the scenery will compensate for all these.Anyone went clubbing there?I plan to club in Amsterdam.Is it safe?
 

seiko

New Member
SSF, LV is not that cheap over there. after conversion n all, the bag i bought cheaper by 100 plus only. But i saved almost 300 on my Gucci ( cos i checked out the price difce when i got home ).

I bought 1 bag at Spanish STeps, the other at Venice. Luckily i did that, cos i was with Chan Bros, and we onli staying in France for a nite, the schedule was so packed that we cldnt even squeeze a trip down to LV. dunno if LV or Gucci wld be cheaper at France? My Gucci bag was made in Italy ( maybe that explains the cheaper price ) but LV was made in France. So maybe it'll cost cheaper i France?
 

alhana

New Member
SSF,

Try this website for cheap accomodation in Europe :

http://www.eurocheapo.com

Covers many major european cities, and the editors review the hotels on a regular basis. It was valuable when I was planning my trip to Paris. It was tough getting a cheap room in Paris, and i managed it thru this website. Note tt the hotels reviewed are not affiliated to the site...so ure getting unbiased views of the hotels.

Lilacz,

Its not too early to start planning now. I was already sourcing air tix, accomodation starting from Feb (left in late May). Of coz I did F&E, so its better to plan early... if ure going group tour, then yeah, maybe its still early. I've only been to UK n Paris, and I didn't get any discrimination vibe. In fact, pple were lovely in some parts of England, Scotland. Dirty? Maybe some parts, but the countrysides are beautiful. Like most major cities, European cities also have their seedy 'dirty' sides, but the old architecture, cobblestone streets are v picturesque as well. Very old world feel, something u dun really get in Singapore, what w all the high-rise buildings here.
 

kare2711

New Member
About LV .. I don't think the difference in price is much different from Singapore now. Yes, the bigger items are going to be cheaper, but with the very strong euro, it's only going to be S$100++ cheaper. Still, if you're going to Paris, and don't mind the waiting time (average 45 minutes), then go ahead and buy it from there. Thank goodness for the Tax Refund, I say
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Also, it's not true that you're limited to 4 items from LV. I think just don't show like you're buying for sale, but you're genuinely buying for yourself, then they would allow more than 4 more.

As for the Paris Visite card, don't get it. A total rip-off. However, go with the Carte Orange. So worth it!

And if you do have a PDA, download the s/w called Metro. Last I downloaded it was free. Not sure about it now. But it features the Metro as well as the Tube. You just have to enter your stop, your destination stop, and then pronto, they will tell you which line to get on, where to change trains (if needed) and where to get off. Also included is the duration of the whole ride. Plus, it has auto-complete in the entry fields. I couldn't live without this program when I was in Paris.

I go with the others who recommended walking around in Paris. It's such a walkable and beautiful city, it's a pity not to explore by feet.
 

oraia

New Member
hi SSF,

oops, i checked my tube map, but it doesn't show the zone in which heathrow is situated. sorry...

yeah, clarins is cheap
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but hehe... harrods is expensive loh... ;p just to go toilet costs 1GBP.
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hi lilaz,

europe is fine, i'm sure. don't worry ok? i'm sure u'll hv a lovely time. i encountered a few unpleasant encounters here and there, but overall, the ppl are nice and friendly. i even got excellent service in paris, which is rather surprising, after all the "horror stories" i heard.
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rhs

New Member
Hi kare2711,
My hotel was Travel Inn County Hall. It's within walking distance from Waterloo Station. We came to London using Eurostar which stops at Waterloo, so it's very convenient.
 

missy

New Member
hi rhs,
i was looking at travel inn county hall. i like that the hotel is just steps away from London eye. but after conversion, it is like about 200 SIN dollars. are london hotels all that ex? wow...imagine staying there for 3 nights and it is already 600 bucks! whoa!! by the way, is that any GST like in Singapore?? or nett rate?

how to get to travel inn from heathrow airport?
can you guide me? the length of the journey as well?

ALL, how many days do you think is require in London? its too ex and i don't think i will stay too long. better to move on to Paris :D
 

alhana

New Member
hi SSF,

The tax in Europe is very high...definitely higher than our 4% GST. I think its like ard 17% VAT in UK? Accomodation in London is not cheap, partly due to the unfavourable exchange rate, and the fact that London is one of the more expensive cities to live in.

Cost aside, I preferred London to Paris. Its only becoz of the high prices that prevented me from staying longer. Paris is very pretty, no doubt, but after awhile, I got bored there (spent 6 nites there). I'm not really into museums, high fashion shopping, fine dining, which is a highlight of most trips to Paris. We stayed in London for 6 days and it still didn't seem long enough. Of coz, we spent 4 days travelling to other places like Hampton Court, Eaton/Windsor, Glastonbury, Oxford, Stratford etc...if we had more time, wld've travelled to York, the Lake District etc. If u can, visit Hampton Court Palace, King Henry VIII's most famous palace. U can take a train directly from the centre of London. If I cld turn bk the clock, I wld've forfeited PAris and spent the rest of my time in Scotland. Edinburgh is the most beautiful city I've ever been in. My hubby was kidding tt I'm probably the only girl who didn't find Paris romantic. He too loved the UK and wished tt we cld've turned ard in the Eurostar and head back. Sigh.

Still, I wldn't mind visiting other places in France, like the Loire Valley (many lovely castles n palaces), Nice, Marseilles, visit the little towns like Rennes-Le-Chateau, Carcassonne etc Personally, I think Paris is over-rated :p But that's just me!
 

missy

New Member
Hi alhana,

frankly speaking i am also not into fine dining and museums and paintings. haha..so maybe you are not alone. let me judge after my trip. mainly i just want to go and see effiel tower and some coffee drinking outside the cafe.

and yes after lon-paris, i will move on to switzerland and then austria, belgium, amsterdam.

that is my plan of the route. so where did you stay in paris? full 6 days is pretty long.

and also the 17% VAT is it normally included in the accomodation rate?? if not, it will be a whopping sum of money!
 

alhana

New Member
We stayed in this 1 star hotel called Hotel de la Vallee in the Chartelet/Les Halles area (arrondisement 1) Right opp is an erotic video shop :p But it was also next to this eatery opened by a China man. Nice to find someone in Paris who spoke a language we undestood :p Yeap, 6 days in Paris is too long. I got bored after the 3rd day. We went to Notre Dame, the Louvre, walked along the Champs-Elysee, the Arc de Triomph, went up the Eiffel Tower, went to Montmartre n saw the Sacre Coeur..walked ard the Latin Quarter..and of coz, we visited Versailles. Think 4 days is more than enough to do all this. Only thing we missed was the weekend flea markets. Unfortunately, our stay was only thru the weekdays, else we wld've gone shopping at their flea mkts. London has great flea mkts too. I did like walking along the Parisian streets gawking at shops selling french pastries. Man, there were so many sweet & pastry shops! I love their baguettes too...yum.

Erm, for the accomodation, u need to chk w the hotel n see if their prices are inclusive of taxes. Some may, some may not, so its best to chk first. Yes, 17% VAT is alot of money! And to think we complain abt our 4% GST :p
 

missy

New Member
wow...kinky..so did you rent any video :p

so other than paris and london....u been to switzerland? if so, how to get from paris to switzerland? inter rail link right? any idea how much is the estimated cost?
 

alhana

New Member
No lah..nvr rent. Quite q a few peep shows there too...the red light district is supposedly just a street up :p I asked my hubby if he wanna go see, but he wasn't interested.

Nope, we didn't go to Switzerland. My hubby's been there before, n he said tt apart from the scenary, there's nothing there tt wld appeal to him. Its the same for me...when I went to NZ, I got bored w the scenary after awhile :p Other EUropean cities I wld love to visit are Venice, Rome, Athens & Prague. Dunno got chance or not..bloody euro so strong now
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missy

New Member
hi alhana,

thanks for the link. this helps.
pardon me for asking more qn :p

does the stay include breakfast?
how do you go to effiel tower?
how you get to this hotel from LON?
is the area very sleazy?

Thanks!
 

alhana

New Member
Hi SSF,

Dun need to sound apologetic..that's what forums are for..to share info
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No, the rates quoted are for the rooms only. When I was there (in 2002), breakfast cost an additional 5 euros per pax. We went out to the cafes instead..bought huge baguettes and hot chocolat.

If I remember correctly, we took the metro to the Eiffel Tower...but we took it from Montmartre, after we visited the Sacre Coeur. The hotel has a metro/RER station nearby (5 min on foot?), giving us easy access to most of Paris City. We got to Paris via the Eurostar. The train arrived at Gare du Nord station, and from there, we took the Metro to the station near our hotel. V easy.

The area can be sleazy at nite, becoz of the sex shops and the peep shows. But in the day time, its a bustling street w lotsa shoppers..so quite safe. PAris can be quite dangerous at nite..so be careful. Heard of pple getting robbed etc at Metro stations at nite. And of coz, Paris is plagued by pickpockets.

The room isn't fantastic. For pple who like their hotel rooms nice, I wldn't recommend it. But if u just want a decent clean place to sleep in, and in a convenient location, then I think its quite ideal
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och

New Member
hi alhana,

yay! i found another girl who doesn't find paris romantic.
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i prefer uk over paris, even though i've only been to london once.

hi missy,

i took a rail fr switzerland to paris. i bought a western europe rail pass last time, since i was city-hopping. if u r travelling to a few cities within france n switzerland, it may be worthwhile for u to buy the france n switzerland rail pass. otherwise, the schedules n prices of individual trips can be found at http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/fares_schedules/index.htm. prices r in us dollars n u can use it as a guide.

when i went to london, i stayed at the mayflower hotel in earls court. it's v clean n a 2 min walk to the tube. the hotel is supposed to be quite cheap, abt 55 pounds or so, although i was on a f&e, so i dun know the price exactly. overall, i din think it was an ok deal, not fantastic, cos the rooms were tiny. i feel safe in that area, but i've heard pple who dun like earl's court in general.

when i was doing research on where to stay in london, i was also eyeing regent palace hotel (in piccadilly square, abt 60 pounds for ensuite during promotion periods) n kensington manor (about 60 pounds for ensuite n 2 min to gloucestor tube).
 

rhs

New Member
Hi SSF,
I believe Travel Inn's price is nett. From Heathrow you can take train (tube) to waterloo or westminster station and walk from there. Not sure abt the travel time since I came to London by Eurostar.

My advice is don't try to see everything during your stay. Take it easy and go at leisurely pace. There's one day where we walked for half day around Notre Dame, go to the small streets, had lunch at small cafe. In the afternoon we were both very tired as we're not used to walking that long. So after that we tried to be more relax and assume we will come back
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.

Oh, when u are in Paris, go to Saint Chapel church. The mozaic on the 2nd floor is breathtaking, much better than Notre Dame.
 

alhana

New Member
Hi och!

Hehe..glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks Paris is over-rated :p Yeah, I loved London..the flea markets, the historical landmarks, the shops & parks etc. I regretted not going for the Ghost Walks in London & Edinburgh tho...my feet were aching so bad that I had to stay in during the evenings to rest them :p Maybe next time! I'm into British history, so found it cool to visit Henry VIII's palace, see the tombs of Elizabeth I & Mary Queen of Scots in Westminster...see the chapel where Anne Boleyn was buried in Tower of London..etc If only the pound isn't so strong..I wld've easily stayed in the UK for a mth! Explore England n Scotland.

Hi rhs,

Haha..we tried doing things at a leisurely pace coz we were in Paris for so long. Problem is, I got bored pretty quickly at each of the places, so we ended up seeing more than we planned. I was like..ooh so this is the Eiffel Tower..go up, come down..NEXT! Orh..so this is how Notre Dame looks..wah..queue so long to go up..forget it..NEXT! I tell u...I was so wishing I cld go back to the UK by then. Even Versailles didn't amaze me coz I already had my fill of palaces in the UK. I think in Paris, its more fun to explore small streets n shops rather than go the touristy route. The scenary is lovely n the streets quaint. The touristy places are well..over rated. My fave part of the trip was sitting in the gardens near the Louvre and feeding ducks in the fountain while soaking in the sun, buying baguettes from street side cafes n eating them as we walked through the Latin Quarter, the Marais.
 

och

New Member
hi alhana,

oh u liked westminister too? that was one of the first places we visited in london, n i loved the place. it's like taking a walking tour through a history lesson.
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i only stayed in london for 5 days, way too short i think. i didn't go to the ghost walks too, i only had time to wonder around the big-name places like westminister, british musuem, tower of london etc. there's still so much outside of london!

hi missy,

forgot to mention that the beefeater's tour in tower of london is really fun n enlightening.
 

alhana

New Member
Hi och,

I was in London during the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations. It was a great time to be there coz of the festive mood. When I was at the Tower of London, they had a 21 Gun salute to the Queen as she rode past in her golden carriage. St James's Park, all the way to Buckingham Palace, was packed w revelers. Yeah, the Beefeater's Tour is a MUST coz u wun be able to enter the chapel (lotsa famous pple buried there) otherwise. And the stories they tell are both touching, scary and sad. Yes, I did like Westminster. Just think..so many queens n kings had their coronations there...Princess Di had her funeral service there...not to mention the tombs of many famous people.

For those going to London, if u have the time, take day trips out to places like Bath, Stratford Upon Avon, Salisbury, Stonehenge..u can easily book tours through tourist offices and some hotels. I booked 2 day tour packages over the net..quite pricey but the tour group is small (less than 15 pax), hence more intimate. We visited Warwick Castle, near Stratford, and they had a medieval fair on there, with archers, knights on horses, jousting n other medieval tournament events. V cool.
 

missy

New Member
Hi rhs,

travel inn is so well located at waterloo coz i understand we can take the eurostar to Paris from the station. Am i correct?

but i think prices have raised. i saw on the net the price is 79.90 - 92.95 pounds.
 


missy

New Member
Anyone stayed in any B&B in London? It seems Paris doesn't have any B&B.

I always have a good impression of B&B though.
 

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