Posted on: 05-09-15 12:29:11
Folks,
I'm heading home for a week to spend time with parents. While searching around for tickets, to my surprise I was getting a better deal when I stop over in Paris.
So I went ahead and booked with a three day stop over in Paris.
For some reasons, I booked another two way flight between CDG and LHR.
So I get 12 hours break in Paris and 48 hours in LHR. All rooms and tickets booked.
I am just limiting the attractions to very few in both places, two in paris and 4 in London.
Any thoughts, essential preps from recent travellers, greatly appreciated such as currency, pre booked attraction tickets, food etc..
I have already bought the trip cancellation and medical insurance plus plan to use rogers roaming in europe for $10 a day.
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The cowards never started,
The weak died on the way,
Only the strong arrived.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yK1i9cLAMM
I was in Paris last week so can provide you few tips. First of all, beware of pickpocketers. They can easily smell the tourists. Keep your money in socks or tie them on your belly under the garments. If you haven’t visited Eiffel tower than obliviously it should be on your list. Keep in mind a provision of around 2 hrs for waiting in elevator from ground to level 2, level 2 to level 3 and back. Add around half an hour for viewing so you must have 2 to 3 hrs for Eiffel tower alone. If you will be there during late evening, don’t miss to see the tower at 10, 11 or 12 pm as they have sparkling lights for 5 minutes. You need to watch it from a distance. You will get an idea from this video - https://youtu.be/AEofyytUWFs
Another late evening excursion could be Paradis Latin or Lido cabaret if you are not going with kids. It is a 90 minutes show. You can have an idea from this video - https://youtu.be/LRbFn2_W4Nc
The Louvre museum will be on top of my list but you only have limited hours and this museum needs at least a week to cover all rooms. You can get a good glimpse if you spend a whole day.
There are Seine River Cruises which start from a walking distance from Eiffel Tower. You can have a city tour in the open bus which covers most of the monuments.
Avoid shopping anything from the Concorde or any other shopping area – the places are too overpriced. You can buy the small Eiffel tower key rings – 6 for a euro from road side hawkers after bargaining. Good for souvenir gift.
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A Delhite in Toronto
Paris :
What Delhite said about pickpockets is correct ...Of all the 5-6 countries we toured , my pocket was picked only @ Paris ... but I had my money , passsport and everything else in a cotton bag slung around my neck and under my shirt ... poor chap just got a worn out wallet and a transit day pass 
At either of the 2 places , take a hop on , hop off if feasible and time allows - public transit is not bad ... Both the places should have things to do and visit in 1/2/3 days on the internet as well as Fromemrs.
From personal experience ..
Paris
Eiffel Tower .. no need to go up ... just a good photo session.
Arc De Tromphe ... again a photo session
Louvre ..Same as above
Lido 0r Moulin Rouge .... worth seeing cabaret which is not lewd . (evening)
Notre Dame church .
More than half a day ~ Palace of Versailes ... unbeatable ...
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London
Parliament Square and Big Ben & Thames ... walking tour
10 Downing St. walking tour
Changing of Guards @ Buckingham Palace ..morning 10 am .. worth watching.
London Bridge photo shoot
Tower of London .. visit for 1/2 a day.
Madame Tussauds .. 1/2 a day
Take a ride on a red double decker bus on the top deck
Walk on in around Coventry Garden with a lot of local artistes ...
Shopping Oxford Street ...
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Fido.
Fido and Delhite, thanks for your response.
I will limit my things to do in Paris with just a visit to the Eiffel tower (not going to the top - not a big fan of towers) and perhaps a walk to the Louvre Museum.
I will try to take the Air France bus tour that takes you close to the Eiffel tower and return back using the same bus, hopefully that should give some glimpse of Paris life.
I plan to carry a backpack and keep the vallet and passport in it except some spare cash in the zipped packets of my cargo pants. Anyhow, I will be avoiding crowded line ups in Paris.
And the suggestion about London is really good..
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The cowards never started,
The weak died on the way,
Only the strong arrived.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yK1i9cLAMM
It becomes difficult to suggest any kind of tour, without knowing the taste and the availability of time after clearing the Immigration check point and the number hours needed prior to your check in. We cannot take into consideration the time noted on the tickets for all of these. Then there enters the customs check of your carry on items and any delays associated with it.
What ever you do, please carry a good Camera and take a few pictures of the land marks as you check out of the airport, just to reference back, if you are not well versed with the languages. Also you must memorize such terms as CDG or Charles De Gaulle, also known as Roissy Airport. This is just to get back.
The plane might land at Terminal 1 and the Bus might leave from Terminal 2 etc., are the quirks of the nature.
Here is a print out from another website. : ""Via the AirFrance Bus: Take the AirFrance www.cars-airfrance.com Bus to the Arch de Triomphe and take a taxi from there. They stow luggage in the belly of the bus. The one way fare on the AirFrance coach is 12€uro. If you know you will be returning the same way to CDG you can buy a return ticket for 18€. In addition to buying your ticket at the Air France booth, you can also buy them when you board the coach. At CDG the coaches leave from Gate 34 on the arrivals level of Terminal 1 and gate B1 from terminal 2.
It is about a 10 euro taxi ride from the Arch to the Eiffel Tower. There will most likely be taxis waiting when you arrive as the taxi drivers are aware of the coach schedules. An alternative to a taxi is the 92 city bus, getting off at the Ecole Militaire stop. Just walk clockwise to the next street past the Champs Elysses, Avernue Marceau, and you'll see the bus stop. You can buy tickets from the driver.
If you buy return tickets at the airport for the train to Eiffel Tower, the machine will give you 4 identical tickets, make sure that you only use 2 of these to get into the train system and the SAME 2 tickets to get out at the other end. If you inadvertently use 2 to get in and the other 2 to get out, this will void the tickets for the return journey, and you will have to buy more tickets to get back to the airport. ""
The Center of Paris is surrounded by two Major Ring Roads and the area is divided into Admistrative Zones "Arrondissement" and the Eiffel Tower is locatd in the 7th ADR. You can get a map from Google maps and print it out or see if you can pick up a route map from AIRFRANCE Bus services. You will get to enjoy the bus ride if there id no head set to listen to. Carry an ear phone, the plug in type, just in case you need them. Buy a good brand.
David Barish, Lonely Planet on a shoe string, Frommers, Fodors etc., are good guides to read and take notes from, prior to travels and currently, it is good to know that things have become so costly I find it worthwhile taking an armchair tour in your den is the closest you can arrive at, without your heart pounding twice as fast trying to make it back to the Airport and your flight.
Bon Voyage.
FH.
Quote:
Originally posted by JRF
I plan to carry a backpack and keep the vallet and passport in it except some spare cash in the zipped packets of my cargo pants.
A piece of advice – do not carry any important document in your backpack. Easy location for pickpocketers. I have asked my tour manager about it and he advised to keep the passport and other important documents in the front pockets. I think the cargo pant's zipped pockets should be ideal place. I prefer to keep the money at different locations – inside the socks and ties to the belly inside the garments (as suggested by Fido). If you are accompanied by someone else, ask the other person to stay behind you at congested places and keep an eye at your backpack. Don’t keep anything in your back pockets unless you want to keep something useless as a diversion tactic. I had a first-hand experience last week so I am stressing on this point. I had arrived 2 days early to explore the city at my own, prior to the pre-arranged guided tour. While taking the metro train, one person pretending a tourist with a map in his hand, squeezed between me and my wife who was behind me while crossing the fare paying doors. My attention was on the method to insert the ticket from one side and get it from another. Luckily I had a button under the top flap of the back pocket. Even though the pickpocketer was able to unbutton the pocket but my valet was so bloated as compare to the size of pocket that event I cannot take it out easily so he failed to pick it. Feeling the movement on by back pocket I slammed my hand on back pocket and he run away. You will find the warning signs all over the Eiffel tower so it is a serious issue.
Do not meet/shake hand with any unknown person. They may try to greet you with take out the ring or wrist watch while shaking the hand. I have heard from the tour manager that in one incident, someone try to greet while saying that you look alike Shahrukh Khan and take out the wrist watch.
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A Delhite in Toronto
Sir ~ In short expect and behave as if you are in the most notorious place in your city in India.
I remember what the Indian cop told me when my car was stolen from outside my house during the day 12 years back ....
Why did you leave your car outside ... why did you not keep it inside your gate ..... ' thodi see laaparwahi aur maal choron ka'
Another friend of mine had a tough time b/w police stations & Indian /US Embassy in Paris when he had casually hung his jacked on a chair besides him while dining @ a restaurant and after some time the Manager came and asked him to check his jacket's pockets as he suspected a character around the jack ... needless to mention his wallet including his passport , green card everything was gone.
In terms of importance of photo shoot.
Eiffel Tower.
Arc de Tromphe
Lovre Museum
Notre Dame Church.
Parliament Square and Big Ben
Westminister Abbey (same area)
London Bridge & The Thames
Tower of London
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Fido.
