So I'm Not Going To Ireland Anymore - Going To Paris & London — Page 2

In Dublin, you should also peek your head in (or even see a show in) the legendary Abbey Theatre.
Abbey Theatre

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I have been to Ireland twice...once on a tour and once on my own. If you do a tour go with CIE the are the best. If you want to see Northern Ireland go with a tour. If you go to Northern Ireland Derry (or Londonderry) is a cool town and you must must must go to the Giant's Causeway, it is one of the greatest, beautiful places I have ever been to.

Dublin is a great town and you need like 3 days to do it properly. Also Galway is a great town. Quay Street is awesome there, lots of street musicians and the pubs on the street ae first rate. I also recommend The Ring of Kerry (which I drove,it was kinda scarey) and Dingle is magnificient. Killarney is a cool litle town, touristy but hey you are a tourist. I also like Cobh (last port of call for the Titanic).

When we went without a tour we staed in B and B's which was a nice way to meet people. Check out AAA on their trip deals. Also we flew in to Shannon and left from Dublin.

If you have any more questons yu can ask me. Have a great time

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Thanks...probably the scariest thing I have ever done...although driving in a bus on the Mama Mia road in Capri Italy was up thee but I wasn't driving...same with Dingle...some of those roads were scarey (scarier then the Ring of Kerry) and I am glad I wasn't driving

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Oh sure. We all give you all this advice about Ireland and you decide to go somewhere else. J/K. Have fun!

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I have great tips for Paris!

The first one to share is, if you're going to the Louvre, enter through "The Lion's Gate" which no one knows about and is usually deserted. It is pretty funny to come out of the place and see how the rest of the tourists are still waiting to get in. I guess that happens when you follow the mob...

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Updated On: 1/26/12 at 07:05 PM

Buy a museum pass in Paris. You can get them at all the major Metro stations. Get a 3 or 5-day pass. It works for nearly all of the museums in Paris (Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, St. Chapelle, even Versailles, and get a full list).

The reason? You get to skip all the long lines if you have a pass, and go right through a special entrance. It can save hours per day of waiting in line. I was SO grateful I knew that when I went there.

Also, buy your Metro passes in a "carnet" (a ten-ticket book which saves you money). In London you can also buy day passes for the Tube.

Museums are free in London, but you can't take pictures.

Museums cost money in Paris, but you can take pictures.

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Jordan, as best12bars stated, buy the museum pass for Paris. You can also buy one for London depending on what you plan to see. The pass for London includes Tower of London and Kennsington Palace. The pass for London must be bought in advance. However, it does not include Westminister Abbey, which has a fee, but you must go. Also I suggest buying a tube pass and paris metro pass for the days needed. These you have to buy in advance. The pass was easier to use because you didn't have to worry about what zone you are in. You ride the tube or metro as many times as you want within the 24 hour period. You don't have to worry how many tickets you need for a particular ride. Also if you are arriving Heathrow, the London tube pass I am talking about, includes the majority of the ride by tube, into the city. You just pay a 5 pound supplement. If you want to go up the Eiffel Tower, which is not included in the pass, and has a fee, go early. You can easily waste alot of time in line. Visit Notre Dame, which is free, but take the tour (there is a cost or included in your pass) which goes outside and to the roof of the church. You are literally inches away from the famous garlgoyles. Definately go early and go see Versalles Palace. Try to get there before the tour buses come. The Paris pass I was talking about earlier also includes the train to Versalles which is about 12 miles outside Paris. Also go to Invaldes (sp). Napoleon is buried in a tomb in the middle of the building. Have a great time. Feel free to message me if you have any questions. I've been to Paris five times as well as London. Lastly, the French are not rude. Try and learn a few lines like, "where is the ?" , "thank you" and "excuse me". I have never had a problem and I'm a bitch.

I should add that any museum or major attraction (such as the Eiffel Tower) that you want to see, get there early.

For example, we arrived at the Tower of London at 9 a.m. and walked right in with no waiting to see the crown jewels. A friend of mine went to the Tower and arrived shortly before noon. She had a three-hour wait and opted to skip seeing them, as a result.

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I agree with Matt. The museums, sites, and attractions you should hit up (if you're into it):

London:

Tower
British Museum
V&A (Victoria and Albert)
National Gallery
Tate Modern
Madame Tussauds (if only for the Chamber of Horrors with the really old stuff, since the rest of it is fairly cheesy now)

And if you're up for it, I suggest a "walking tour." We did the Jack-the-Ripper tour, and it was excellent. Very informative from a historical perspective and, yeah, it was disturbing and very creepy, too. The Whitechapel District has gone through so many changes over the years. There are also Shakespeare and Dickens walking tours.

And, I would say, above all else, you must see Westminster Abbey.

Paris:

Eiffel Tower
The Montmartre Museum (inside Renoir's house)
The Louvre
Musee D'Orsay
St. Chapelle
Notre Dame

Versailles (a half-hour train ride outside of Paris. It's on the Museum Pass and well worth the time and effort, plus you can rest for a breather on the commute).

You should also peek your head in the Garnier Opera House. You can tour the (unbelievable) lobby and theatre during the day. It will take your breath away.

And take a walking tour on your own while your there. We did a terrific one from Rick Steves' guide book for the Montemartre. It took about 2.5 hours, and we walked all around the houses and apartments of the famous painters (Van Gogh, Lautrec, Renoir, plus Le Moulin de la Gallette, Moulin Rouge, Sacre Couer, Lapin Agile, etc.).

Above all else, I would say take a Seine River boat cruise (the best place to catch one is from Pont Neuf, the "New Bridge") after sunset. Unbelievable to see the city lit up like that.

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Updated On: 1/27/12 at 09:22 AM

I love London churches--they're beautiful and historical, and they often have free lunchtime concerts. St Martin-in-the-Fields is right on Trafalgar Sq., by the National Gallery, etc.

St Paul's is one of my favorite places in London. And you can climb (well, climb the stairs) all the way to the top for AMAZING views. At least, I assume you still can.

Even though we're not going until October, I'm so damn excited reading all of this. I'm already keeping a notebook with every single thing suggested here written down.

When it comes to planning trips, you've never met a more OCD person than me so I need all this time to fully prepare and get every last minute down in a schedule so I don't miss anything. I do know that I will be spending my birthday at Disneyland, though. Above all else I'm most excited about that, being the huge Disney freak that I am.

A couple questions -

1) Are there tours of Buckingham Palace?
2) Does the Queen pose for pictures like Santa does at Macys?
3) Is the Eiffel Tower better during the day or at night? Or both?
4) How far outside the city is Disneyland? Are there busses or a train that take you there?
5) Are there any day trips outside of London that I should consider?

There are tours of Buckingham Palace, but I think they're just during the summer.

If you've been to London often, daytrips are a great idea. I really enjoyed Greenwich and Hampton Court (neither of which has to take up the whole day). Stratford is a bit further afield, but worth it if you're a Shakespeare buff.