Trip to London/Paris

[funkymonkey]

I'm planning a trip "across the pond" soon, first time to go to London and Paris. I have travel guide suggestions on places to go/things to see, but do any locals have any not-to-be-missed destinations? Favorite places to grab a bite/sip?

[Eliste]

Every time I go to London, I hit Goldhawk Road for fabric. It's more fashion fabrics, but they do have reasonable ground fabrics for embroidery too. But if you don't branch out to embroidery or sewing, I wouldn't bother.

Paris- the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay. The Louvre is just unmissable (and I need to go back to finish it. I'd give it at least a full day if you can. Musee D'Orsay is the best of the others imo. It was really fabulous.

[Hellfire]

Seeing the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace is always interesting to see. Happens at 11am, think it's everyday.

[Eliste]

Oh- if you actually want to go up the Eiffel Tower, book your tickets online before you get there. The queues are ridiculous.

[SunkistShiek]

I loved the Eiffel Tower! We ate in the park and waited until it lit up that night. Had to leave early though because it was going to rain and our hostel was a long way off. If you go up the tower, you've got two ways: elevator or stairs. The line is incredibly long for the elevator but there are soooo many stairs. We went up the stairs because it was #1 a workout and #2 felt like more of an accomplishment. Would totally do it that way again, just would mentally prepare for all the steps. Then to get to the tippy top, you can only go by elevator.

Also, don't buy from people that keep their stuff on a big blanket-esque cloth. They're illegally selling things and you can get in trouble for buying from them.

[smoni]

I agree, the Eiffel Tower is a must go. However, I disagree with the queues. When we were in Paris in October 2014, we went and there were practically no queues. However, we went at about 10pm, so there was only an hour left before closing. Having said that, the views at night are stunning.

There are also great views from Montmartre, one of the highest points in Paris. The parks and gardens are also beautiful in Paris - Jardin du Luxembourg being one of the more famous. Personally, I liked walking through the Parc Monceau, although it's not massive, I quite liked it!

In terms of London, what kind of things do you like? It's worth heading over to Greenwich, to head up the hill for some good views. It's also where the Royal Observatory is, which is the location of the Greenwich Prime Meridian - you could stand on the east and west hemispheres at the same time!

The Olympic Park (I forget its new name) over in Stratford is worth having a look around, purely because it's modern and recent history. And then of course there's the traditional things, such as Westminster, wandering along the South Bank of the Thames, etc...

(As a side note, if you fancied a guide, then I'd be happy to meet you in London one day, it's easy to get to from where I live)