School Trip - London to Paris?

[CO2CA]

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[tcufrog]

That's awfully ambitious for someone who has never left the country especially with everything up in the air with Brexit. Two questions: Do you know how to speak French and are you experienced at using a subway map?

 

[ronandannette]

I have the incredible opportunity to visit London with my university for a couple weeks. We have some educational excursions planned, however I believe we'll have a couple days for ourselves.

I've never been out of the country before and was wondering how easy it is to take the Eurostar from London to Paris for a very quick day trip. The main focus would be seeing the Eiffel Tower. I would probably be going solo, so would this probably be too much (in terms of stress, not so much $$)? How easy is it to go between the train station and back? Would you recommend a tour (there's one that has a champagne lunch at the very top of the tower that sounded interesting, but had mixed reviews).

Speaking French is pretty much a non-issue. I'd venture to guess most tourists there do not. I can't speak to the trip between London & Paris but once you get there, seeing the Eiffel Tower is very manageable. We had a one-day whirlwind tour of Paris that consisted of The Louve, Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, with a boat ride down the Seine. It included lunch on the Tower and was very, very well worth the time and money.

You may not be able to spend the better part of a day doing that but if the travel arrangements work out I'd not hesitate to get on the subway and head for the Tower. You will find the personnel at the ticket desk very helpful to tourists - don't believe a word of what you've heard about the French not welcoming visitors. You will want to go on-line and purchase a "skip the line" type admission to the tower in advance. I'd also look into commuter flights between the two cities. Air travel from place to place in Europe is very reasonably priced and would likely cut some time off taking the train. I hope you take the chance and go - we found Paris perfectly enchanting!

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

That's awfully ambitious for someone who has never left the country especially with everything up in the air with Brexit. Two questions: Do you know how to speak French and are you experienced at using a subway map?

Actually this can be done easily ... there are plenty of people working in the stations that can point you in the right direction and you don’t have to know French to get around at all .
London is pretty easy to learn to get around and a day trip to Paris is not very complicated really .

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

I have the incredible opportunity to visit London with my university for a couple weeks. We have some educational excursions planned, however I believe we'll have a couple days for ourselves.

I've never been out of the country before and was wondering how easy it is to take the Eurostar from London to Paris for a very quick day trip. The main focus would be seeing the Eiffel Tower. I would probably be going solo, so would this probably be too much (in terms of stress, not so much $$)? How easy is it to go between the train station and back? Would you recommend a tour (there's one that has a champagne lunch at the very top of the tower that sounded interesting, but had mixed reviews).

Go for it !

 

[low-key]

GO, my school best field trip was to old stone school (where we pretended it was 1870)

 

[tcufrog]

You don't have to speak French but knowing how to read a subway map and knowing a little French really does help if you're in a hurry. I discovered when I went to France that some French people get cranky when you ask them questions in English. It's doubtful you'll need it but I'd have a backup plan if there are problems with the trains. One of my friends was there once when there was a strike.

 

[piccolopat]

You might consider one of the all day excursions from London to Paris that is offered by a number of your companies. We used Viator on a number of tours when we went to Paris and London, just not one that combined the two cities. We have been happy with Viator and will use them again. Paris is a great city and while a day is just a tease it is better than not going at all. Learn some basic French (hello, thanks, please, where is the bathroom, exit, etc.) and you'll do fine. Enjoy!

 

[jdb in AZ]

If you go, purchase your Euro-Star tickets on-line in advance. You'll save quite a bit. I would want to see more than the Eiffel Tower. If you're going to go that far, schedule other activities as well. We really enjoyed the Seine boat trip after dark.

 

[Sandeep1]

I have the incredible opportunity to visit London with my university for a couple weeks. We have some educational excursions planned, however I believe we'll have a couple days for ourselves.

I've never been out of the country before and was wondering how easy it is to take the Eurostar from London to Paris for a very quick day trip. The main focus would be seeing the Eiffel Tower. I would probably be going solo, so would this probably be too much (in terms of stress, not so much $$)? How easy is it to go between the train station and back? Would you recommend a tour (there's one that has a champagne lunch at the very top of the tower that sounded interesting, but had mixed reviews).

Easy as pie. Go ahead and do it.

But tell me, what do you mean by "see the Eiffel Tower?" You just want to get some pictures or do you actually want to go to the top? Depending on if you're going in the busy season, you will want to reserve your elevator ticket in advance (unless you want to the stairs then no problem).

I would try to take an early train there and a late one back. Do some other things. Maybe walk down the up and down the Champs and see the Arc de Triomphe. Enjoy a nice relaxed french lunch.

 

[wenrob]

My daughter did it last Spring. She made it sound pretty easy. She did say the walk to the Eiffel Tower seemed to take forever. She was with two friends and to the best of my knowledge neither spoke French and they didn’t report any issues except for a homeless guy throwing a piece of pizza at her in the train station. They did all their planning on their own on the cheap and by all accounts was a trip of a lifetime.

 

[wilbret]

I am often in cities around the world without a ton of time on my own to see all the sights I'd like to see. Luckily, pretty much every major city has a walk on/off big bus tour that runs about $40.
Both London and Paris have it. You'll get headphones and info about all the sites. You can go back and visit at your leisure, but I have enjoyed them. I've done them in London, Paris, Sydney, Mexico City and they were all worth it.

I will say, that I have been to a ton of places from Mexico to inland China and in between, and Paris was the one city that I felt the most unsafe. Just keep your head on a swivel, and be aware of your surroundings. It is an amazing city. Uber is available to you, so if you want to go to Notre Dame, you can just go. Install Google Translate, and you can translate any sign or text with ease.

 

[CO2CA]

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[CO2CA]

I will say, that I have been to a ton of places from Mexico to inland China and in between, and Paris was the one city that I felt the most unsafe. Just keep your head on a swivel, and be aware of your surroundings. It is an amazing city. Uber is available to you, so if you want to go to Notre Dame, you can just go. Install Google Translate, and you can translate any sign or text with ease.

Good to know. Anything in particular I should keep an eye out for?

 

[Sandeep1]

Good to know. Anything in particular I should keep an eye out for?

I've been to Paris twice and have never felt unsafe. I find Chicago far more unsafe than Paris.

Will you have data on your phone? Google Maps will guide you through the necessary subway stops to visit your desired locations.

 

[elphaba91]

I would go for it! I would definitely look into doing some sort of a bus tour once you’re there as it will give you a quick overview. I would also try convince a friend to go with you, to keep you company and so you’ve got someone else there on the off chance something goes wrong.

I would add to your French repertoire: ‘Je suis désolée, mais je suis américaine et je ne parle pas français. Parlez-vous anglais?’ (I’m sorry but I’m American and I don’t speak French. Do you speak English?’. The French strongly dislike English tourists who come over and expect them to speak English; they say it is just as far from France to England as it is from England to France! If they find you’ve come from further afield then they are a bit nicer!

 

[wilbret]

Good to know. Anything in particular I should keep an eye out for?

For us, it was the area around the Bastille.
The hotel advised us to Uber instead of walking after dark. We had a couple events happen where we were following gps (walking), and must have walked into something we shouldn’t have, and on the same day, my traveling partner had someone banging on her hotel door at 2am trying to get in. Pretty terrifying.

Other than that, they have a pickpocket problem in touristy areas, so be aware and take precautions.

I’ve been mny times and lived to tell the story. I was there for work and went places most tourists wouldn’t go (retail store checks all over the place).

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

Also ... do NOT accept a bracelet or rose from a stranger lol it’s a huge scam and they will get aggressive if you don’t want to pay afterwards .

 

[cats mom]

Some good suggestions here. I agree that it's not hard to do at all. Just do some research in advance. You can still be spontaneous, but have a general plan in place. Like someone else mentioned I'd start by comparing travel via train and plane. Unless you buy business class you have to be to the train station almost as early as you do to the airport for a flight and you cut about an hour off travel time by flying. There are some pretty inexpensive commuter flights around Europe. Maybe one of the other people on the trip would want to come with you?

 

[ronandannette]

For us, it was the area around the Bastille.
The hotel advised us to Uber instead of walking after dark. We had a couple events happen where we were following gps (walking), and must have walked into something we shouldn’t have, and on the same day, my traveling partner had someone banging on her hotel door at 2am trying to get in. Pretty terrifying.

Other than that, they have a pickpocket problem in touristy areas, so be aware and take precautions.

I’ve been mny times and lived to tell the story. I was there for work and went places most tourists wouldn’t go (retail store checks all over the place).

Weird. We stayed at an amazing little boutique hotel in Bastille and LOVED it. We took the subway all over from there, including out to DLP. I guess everybody perceives things differently.