Knights and Lights- Meals and activities -free time

[SailingBeagle]

Could anyone share suggestions for where they ate and what they did
in both London and Paris.

Planning a 1 -2 day pre stay in London - suggestions on what to do and did anyone use a tour operator to get around.

Thanks

 

[PiperPilot]

---London Day Tours:

1) Windsor Castle - We did this day trip on our own. It is extremely easy to take a surface train from Waterloo Station direct to Windsor/Eton. The train ride is about 50 minutes. The small train station in Windsor/Eton is literally a few hundred yards from Windsor Castle and the small town of Windsor. Exit the train station and walk around the hill to the left to gain entrance to the castle. IMO, it is much better to do this day trip on your own, instead of using a tour operator. You will not be tied to the bus schedule of seeing the sights. Of course, Windsor Castle is the home of the Queen.

2) Hampton Court Palace - We did this trip on our own, on the afternoon of Day 3 after the Tower of London morning tour provided by ABD. We hired a taxi to take us from Tower of London to Waterloo Station. It is very easy to take a surface train from Waterloo Station to Hampton Court. The train ride is about 35 minutes. There is short direct walk from the train station (5 minutes) to Hampton Court Palace. HCP was built by Thomas Wolsey and appropriated by Henry VIII (seeing how it was better than the King's palace).

3) Cotswolds / Blenheim Palace - We booked this day trip with the Evan Evans Tour Company. The Ren. Chancery Court Hotel is one of the hotels that they will do pick-ups in the morning. The pickup bus drops you at the Victoria Bus Station, which is the departure point for the tour. They take you through three small towns in the Cotswolds. In one of the Cotswolds towns you stop to eat lunch. The countryside is very scenic (stone houses with thatch roofs). If you've seen pictures of the Cotswolds and are enchanted by them, you will enjoy this tour. Blenheim Palace was much larger than we were expecting. It is the home of the Duke of Marlborough (Churchill's family). The palace and grounds are quite impressive. This is a full day tour with a hotel pickup at 7:40 am and you will return between 6:00 - 7:30 pm. The bus does NOT return you to your hotel. They will give you a choice of several popular areas of London to be dropped at and you will need to make your way back to your hotel on your own.

4) Leeds Castle / Canterbury / Dover - We booked this day trip with the Evan Evans Tour Company. We were sucked in by the allure of seeing all of these sights in one day. Lots of bus time, not so much tour time. Leeds Castle was smaller that we were expecting. In general, it was ok, nothing special. Canterbury exceeded our expectations. The cathedral is much larger than it appears from the outside. There are many little shops that surround the cathedral. Dover is a quick stop and take a picture. You can say you've seen the White Cliffs of Dover. This is a full day tour with a hotel pickup at 7:40 am and you will return between 6:00 - 7:30 pm. The bus does NOT return you to your hotel.


---London City Sights:

1) British Museum - This is fairly close to the Ren. Chancery Court Hotel, within walking distance. I would rate this a definite must see. We did this on Day 2 of the ABD Tour, after the English Tea Luncheon at Harrod's. We hopped on the Tube (Knightsbridge to Russell Square, 10 minutes) to get close and then walked to the museum. We were able to spend a couple of hours in the museum before heading back for the ABD dinner and theatre show.

2) Tate Modern Museum - It is located directly across the Thames river from St. Paul's Cathedral, via the foot bridge. We did not find it terribly interesting.


---Paris City Tours:

1) Musée d'Orsay - If you like Impressionist art, this is a must do. You will find art from: Monet, Manet, Cezanne, Degas, Van Gogh, Renoir, Whistler, Seurat. Everything you saw in your art appreciation elective class in college is at the Musée d'Orsay. The museum sits in a former train station very close to the Louvre. We stopped and had lunch in the museum café.

2) Montmartre / Basilique du Sacré Coeur - The Montmartre area is one of the old sections of Paris and is the large hill in the northeast section of Paris that you can see. The streets and buildings appear very much like they would have in the 1800's. This is the area where many of the famous artists lived and it still has that "artsy" feel to it. There is a funicular that will carry you to the top of the hill area, or you can climb the steps, or ride the little train bus.

3) Nighttime Cruise of the River Seine - This is a must do. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find time. We did this on the first evening in Paris after the dinnner in the hotel. We took the Metro to the Bir Hakeim station and walked to Eiffel Tower and took one of the boat tours that leave nearby. It was very scenic to see all of the major landmarks (Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, etc.) lit up at night while cruising up and down the river.


---Paris Day Tours:

1) Chateau de Fontainebleau - The chateau is about 35 miles from Paris and due to the greater distance it did not suffer the sacking that Versailles did during the Bastille Revolution. Much of the furniture still remains. It is not as well known as Versaille and the crowds are small. Getting there is a little more work: Metro & RER to Gare de Lyon, surface train from Gare de Lyon to Avon and then a bus. The Avon train station is about 2 miles from the Chateau and hence the need for the bus.



Let me know if you have questions

 

[SailingBeagle]

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!THANKS A BUNCH FOR that detailed response.

I do have 2 questions...do you need local currency ( GBP & EURO's) when using public transportation or cabs) or did you use credit cards?

Any recommendation for meals on your own.


Again Thanks
Lisa

 

[KLondon]

A few other ideas:

London - sail down the Thames to Greenwich. This is a lovely day-trip with lots to do and see.

London - hang out in Hyde Park. Visit Speaker's Corner, sit by The Serpentine, etc.

London - there are day trips available out to Stonehenge, Amesbury, etc. either by private car or various tour companies.

Paris - Visit Les Invalides (including Napolean's Tomb).

Paris - Visit the top of the Arc de Triomphe at night. It's just a few minutes walk from the ABD Hilton.

Paris - shopping on the Champs Elysee

Paris - visit Opera Garnier (the inspriation for Phantom of the Opera).

As far as restaurant ideas, I'm not sure I can be of much help. We never really looked for anyplace specific. Instead, we just found a restaurant whenever we were hungry. One thing you might consuder - have a late dinner at an outdoor cafe by the Arc. The place I'm thinking of is on the corner of Champs Elysee and Rue de Presbourg (the cafe's name escapes me).

Feel free to puruse my blog for other info on this tour.

 

[KLondon]

Forgot to answer re: transportation.

In London, we used GBP for cabs and subway. The subway stations have kiosks where you can buy tickets. I found the various options so confusing, I went to the ticket window, told the fellow where we were going, and thrust a wade of GBP notes at him. Beware that the London Tube is a hot and crowded ride!

In Paris, we used Euros to buy Metro tickets. The self-serve kiosks are VERY easy to use. And the trains are air conditioned and quite comfy (compared to London).

We never used credit cards for any of this stuff, but I imagine it is possible. Just check with your ABD guides and they will steer you right.

 

[Dahly]

For those who visited Hampton Court and Windsor..how long did you spend at each?

thanks,

Dahly

 

[GuardMusic]

This was a great question and incredibly awesome answers!

We're planning this trip for Fall 2009; this information is invaluable.
Gayle

 

[PatriciaH]

Here is a tour company we have been looking at:

http://www.viator.com/

They have user reviews on the site. They do Stonehenge tours and Seine cruises as well as Giverny, Moulin Rouge, etc..

We are doing the 9/5 Knights and Lights. We are planning on seeing the British Museum on the day we fly in. We get in at 11:25am and the welcome dinner is at 5:30pm. We will probably do some things like St. Pauls, the British Library, a Thames cruise, the Globe, Covent Garden and or the Churchill Museum on our mostly free day (after the Tower of London.) We had looked at at Stonehenge/Bath tour but it is 3 hours on the bus and there is so much to see right in London!

In Paris after the Eiffel Tower lunch we want to see Rue Cler, and take a Seine cruise (maybe a dinner cruise but that is expensive.) The Moulin Rouge is a maybe too. After the Louve we hope to see some of the Orsay, Tuileries Gardens, Ste. Chapelle, the Arch de Triomphe, and the Champs Elysees (dinner and shopping.) The last two are right near the Hilton. We booked two post nights to see DL Paris but we may use the last day to see more of Paris or Giverny. There is a Giverny bike tour on the Viator site that gets high ratings.

http://www.bateauxparisiens.com
Paris dinner cruise

 

[PiperPilot]

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!THANKS A BUNCH FOR that detailed response.

I do have 2 questions...do you need local currency ( GBP & EURO's) when using public transportation or cabs) or did you use credit cards?

Any recommendation for meals on your own.


Again Thanks
Lisa

Yes, you will need local currency. Take the Metros.


---London Restaurants:
The Criterion Brasserie (located at 224 Piccadilly, Metro station: Piccadilly Circus) - The food was excellent. Probably the best meal we had in the UK. I think it was described as Modern British / French cuisine.

Strada Restaurant - This is a chain restaurant that has wood fired ovens. They prepare pizzas etc. Simple food at a reasonable price.

Most of our other meals were outside London, on our day trips.


---Paris Restaurants:

Cafe de la Paix (located near Place de l'Opera, Metro station: Opera) - We didn't realize the history of this place. We were simply wandering and it looked inviting. The prices are fairly expensive, and the food was excellent. Classic French cuisine.

 

[PiperPilot]

For those who visited Hampton Court and Windsor..how long did you spend at each?

thanks,

Dahly

For Hampton Court, we only spent an afternoon. We were squeezing it in during a busy day. We could have easily spent more time there (we had to shortcut the maze), but we were able to see the majority of the palace in a single afternoon.

For Windsor we spent the day visiting the castle and touring around the scenic little town of Windsor. If you have extra time you can walk over to Eton. I strongly encourage you to take the train and do the visit on your own. It is very easy to navigate directly to Windsor and the train station is only a few hundred yards from Windsor Castle. The train ride is about 50 minutes each way.

 

[Dahly]

Piper -

Thanks for the info on the palace visits! We are looking forward to visiting both, and want to try to allow as much time as possible.

thanks,

Dahly

 

[#1MMFan]

I've not done this particular tour (I live in the UK!). If you are taking a black cab in London, carry cash. Tipping the driver £1.50-£2 is more than adequate here (most cabbies will be very grateful with that). I *believe* you can pay with credit cards IF you tell them in advance of hiring the cab (i.e. when you telephone order one) that you'll be doing so. In other words, it's not possible normally if you just flag one down in the street.

As far as the Tube (Underground) goes; buy an Oyster card which is FAR EASIER to use around the underground system. I think there is a deposit which is refundable and the fares are reduced because you're buying a set amount of money to use on the Tube. I think it's online at London Transport's website. (Trust me, I live near Glasgow, Scotland - we have our own smaller Underground - and it still took me MANY trips to London to realise the benefit of the Oyster card!!!).

As far as eats go, I'd avoid any of the Angus Steakhouses - I don't think they are very good and certainly don't serve beef that we would be serving in a nice restaurant in Scotland (but don't tell my English counterparts that!). Again, watch you don't tip your server as much as you would back in the US - it's not necessary here, and you'll just be taken as being a generous MUG!

There are a few nice eateries near Covent Garden. If I can recall the name of the one I ate at particularly, I'll post later! Definitely try to swing by there if you can; lots of street entertainment, up-market shops (but not as over the top as Harrods) and nice market style eateries and pubs (plus the Opera!).

 

[WeLoveABD]

Great thread and info! We are leaving for the Knights and Lights in less than a week--I know it will be cold, maybe snow...? So my question is: given the shorter days, the cold weather and holiday season--any recommendations unique to this time of year?

 

[#1MMFan]

Not sure about things specific to Christmas. Doubt it will be snowing in London. Remembered that the restaurant/pub I went to in Covent Garden was Maxwell's (I think). Garfunkel's do reasonable meals too - a chain of low-moderate priced eateries. Be prepared to be served by loads of overseas student-types whose first language is not English!

 

[glassslipper2004]

Consider a day trip to Oxford - especially if you are a university buff, or want to give your family a glimpse of scenes that have been used in many, many movies. I spent a summer at Oxford and loved it, and when I finally get to take my kids to England we will definitely spend a day there. It's a little over an hour on the bus, I believe.

Another place I'd love to take my family but probably couldn't easily fit into a pre-trip day would be Tintagel, the supposed birthplace of King Arthur (Camelot). Remains of an old castle on an incredibly beautiful hilltop, overlooking the ocean - sure to fire the imagination of any teen (or adult) who loves fantasy.

 

[profdsny]

In London, do some of the Original Walking Tours. Check them out on line, or chances are your hotel will have a flyer on them. We've done 7 or 8 of them and they are really good. It was 6pounds last spring, which I don't think has changed.
As far as eating, go to ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, I believe off of Fleet St, just down the road from St. Paul's. It's about 300 years old. There are a number of great Italian restaurants, one chain is called Carlucio's. We've eaten at the one just off Oxford St, on St. Christopher, behind Selfridges, but there are a lot of them around.
There is also a real good sandwich chain, whose name escapes me at the time. I'm sure someone can help.
Have a good time.

 

[LoveKermit]

DH had to eat Indian food while in London. We ate in Soho at Soho Spice. It was expensive for Americans. And I'm not a fan. But DH and the vegetarian we had with us loved it! And it wasn't hard to find.

You can find any food you want anywhere you want. Just do your research ahead of time--books and internet.

I'm jealous. Good luck.

 

[jlou]

We ate at an Italian restaurant on Red Lion street called Tartufo (turn right out the front of the hotel, then left on Red Lion - I believe). My friend works right around the corner and she said that she eats there a lot. In fact, she called to make reservations, and the woman was kind enough to open early for us (it was our first day in London, with kids, so we were TIRED). We had a lovely meal. It was not a fancy place, but nice food and nice service.

We also had good fish and chips at the Wellington, which is right next to the Lyceum theatre.

In Paris, we ate at a nice place within walking distance of the hotel. The waitress was very kind, and spoke to us in both French and English. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the place, but we walked out of the hotel to the left, and then made a quick sharp right turn and walked a few blocks. The restaurant was on the corner on the right, and had a large outdoor area and well as seating inside. We ate inside as it was a smoking area outside. The hotel concierge made the recommendation.

 

[crashbb]

I've not done the tour, but have travelled to both London (a number of times) and Paris (very recently), so I'll have a think.

A site I highly recommend is www.tripadvisor.com. Both the London and Paris forums have a number of very helpful frequent posters who make great suggestions and can give you advice on any plans you have.