Don't be afraid to try things on your own!

[MMOMOM]

I also agree about adding days here and there. Its easy to get caught up thinking "since I'm already over there"…….

 

We are sailing Celebrity Reflection leaving Rome on April 27th returning May 8th. We ALWAYS fly into Rome a few days before……our favorite city to relax and enjoy Rome. Depending on when our cruise ends (this is our 5th Med cruise) we sometimes add on an extra night before flying home so we aren't "crazy" getting off the ship and to the airport in the same day. Most flights for us will leave a bit too early without rushing like crazy or too late in order for us to get all the way home in one day so whats the point ? I'd rather spend an extra night there than in Atlanta or Dallas etc. :o

 

After all that - we are thinking (just thinking at this point) about flying from Rome to Paris for 2 nights on the way home this trip. But realistically I know I wont have much time there but I want to see the Louvre and the Eiffel tower. Any more than that would be a bonus…… so I don't expect too much. And I don't work so when I get home I can rest :D

 

Thanx Texancruzer! Agree with you on just wanting to see a few things with the attitude that anything else is a bonus. Guess that's why we figured just a short time in London and Paris. In Barcelona however, the things we've read about make us want to do a little more, thus staying there 2 days pre-cruise and again the day we return before flying home the next day. And also it's nice to unwind a little before the trip home after a cruise I think. We've done it a few times and it's much nicer than getting right off the ship and heading home. Whatever you decide ... happy sailing and 'touring in Paris'! :)

[Hlitner]

I just want to add my 3 Euro Cents and support those who say that you do not want to have a car in London or Paris (or Rome). We certainly love to drive in Europe and do it a lot (currently spending a month driving around France and possibly Switzerland) and we actually picked up our rental car while in Paris. But within 10 min we were well on our way outside of Paris :). I could write a book on why you do not want to drive in those cities (special limited driving zones, parking problems, traffic nightmares, etc) but just take our word for it :).

 

Hank

Edited June 10, 2014 by Hlitner

[mrspaper]

I just want to add my 3 Euro Cents and support those who say that you do not want to have a car in London or Paris (or Rome). We certainly love to drive in Europe and do it a lot (currently spending a month driving around France and possibly Switzerland) and we actually picked up our rental car while in Paris. But within 10 min we were well on our way outside of Paris :). I could write a book on why you do not want to drive in those cities (special limited driving zones, parking problems, traffic nightmares, etc) but just take our word for it :).

 

Hank

I did the same, picked up the car in Paris and headed south with it.

 

You can always add your 3 cents, you are the OP

Your thread was resurrected.

[MMOMOM]

I did the same, picked up the car in Paris and headed south with it.

 

You can always add your 3 cents, you are the OP

Your thread was resurrected.

 

Yes, Hank .... as mrspaper says ... thanx for resurrecting this post! I enjoyed your 3 euro cents and we've 'calmed down' a little on all this. There will be no car in London or Paris! LOL!!;) We've been tossing around leaving out London, but think we finally decided to go with the original plan ... fly into London spend the day catching the main attractions, spend the night and take the Eurostar to Paris ... it's only 2 and 1/4 hours. We'll again do the main things in Paris, (unless we reconsider and take an extra day ;) after all), spend the night and take the train to Barcelona. We've found a day train which looks really nice, relaxing and seeing a lot of the French Countryside, mountains in the distance and even the salt water lakes on one side and sea on the other at one point. Probably still do 2 days pre-cruise in Barcelona. There really are a lot of things we are interested in seeing and doing there. Taking the advice of many and for our Port in Naples, we've found a private tour car that will do the drive for the Amalfi Coast ... NOT us!! LOL!!:D Price isn't all that bad and understand they will do pretty much what you want. Still would love to see Capri, but people have said doing both just isn't possible in one day. Haven't even thought about Rome yet, but plan again to spend another night in Barcelona after we return from the cruise. Had to put the lid on my husband again tonite and guess that's why we finally decided on doing London after all ... his new thought was, 'well maybe we can skip London and go somewhere else'!! I looked around and it really is insane. This is good. I know we won't see everything that a lot of people like to do in both London and Paris, but really for us, the main highlights are good and sitting in a café and taking in the whole experience is also important. We don't absolutely 'have' to do it all. If we want, we can always plan another trip!:D Still much to do, research, logistics, hotels, etc. Love having the resources online and boards like this. Thanx for all your help. I have a feeling this is going to be what we call 'one of our Epic trips'!! LOL! :)

[ptrpanpens]

Thanx Texancruiser and Mickeysgal! I checked Romeinlimo quickly last night when we got in and will check APTours as well. We just booked this thing on Friday and of course, being our first time in Europe the excitement is pretty high! Not to mention, as I said, this is all new territory for us. We're so used to just doing things on our own in Hawaii (always land vacations) and in the Caribbean this whole endeavor is very different! My whole thing on the 'usual tours' is we want to do our own thing and sounds like over there, it's difficult on your own, so the private tour is probably what we need. Good thing it's a year away. We're going to Kauai and Maui in the Fall and I'm still tying up loose ends there while searching for Europe!! LOL!! We go in May too .... which cruise are you on Texancruiser? We leave Barcelona on the Allure on 5/19 for the 5 night, thus our idea of doing London, Paris and Barcelona a few days before. I plan to see about joining a roll call for more info, just haven't gotten to that yet ... so much to think about, plan and do! Thanx for your postings! :)

 

Just jumping in here to ask how long you are planning to be in Europe including the cruise. For my two cents worth, I usually stay a few days before and a few days after the cruise in the embarkation and disembarkation cities. Most of the cruises I take are 11-14 days so that gives me time to wander around and not rush around from place to place without really knowing what I am seeing just to say I have done it.

 

I was just in Barcelona for the fourth time and discovered some new areas I have never visited so I think you might wish you had more than two days once you get there as there is so much to see. As for London and Paris for a day each, well just imagine going to New York City for only an hour and you get the idea of what that will be like.:eek:

 

There is no way to do anywhere near the major sites of London or Paris in a day or even in a few days IMO. I have been going to both cities regularly since the mid 70s and still find many new areas and things to see every time I visit. The Louvre alone takes at least one day and even to see the main sights in that museum would take several hours. Same with the Eiffel Tower, Champs Élysées, Montmartre, Norte Dame, Place Concorde, Musee D'Orsay, you get the idea. Plus most importantly you miss the essence of Paris with all that running from place to place. Better to just save it when you can spend at least a week and enjoy it. And the same idea with London. The hotels there are crazy expensive just to go overnight.

 

I cant find where your cruise disembarks but if it is Rome, I would spend at least three nights there and three in Barcelona at the beginning, depending on how long you want to be in Europe total and save London and Paris for another time when you can really enjoy them at leisure. After all, you don't expect this to be your only time in Europe do you? And then you will have something new to look forward to.

 

This is just my opinion, of course, for what it is worth. I still remember my first trip to Europe in the 70s. Of course it was one of those "if its Tuesday it must be Belgium" tours. I was so exhausted and frustrated not being able to spend time in most of the cities, that I said never again would I schedule something that ambitious. And I haven't ...

[maryann ns]

You say you want to

fly into London spend the day catching the main attractions, spend the night and take the Eurostar to Paris ... it's only 2 and 1/4 hours. We'll again do the main things in Paris, (unless we reconsider and take an extra day after all), spend the night and take the train to Barcelona.

 

What are these "main attractions" you would like to see? Once you have figured that out and worked out a plan you will quickly see that you cannot see much in half a day in London.

 

For Paris, it is the same. Even with a day and a half you will only get a glimpse.

 

I would suggest you drop one or both places and concentrate on Barcelona. If you give yourselves a chance to enjoy Europe, you will be back (again and again!)

 

If you rush around you will see (and remember) next to nothing and you will not be able to take in the vibe/spirit of any of these places.

[msmoger]

You say you want to

 

What are these "main attractions" you would like to see? Once you have figured that out and worked out a plan you will quickly see that you cannot see much in half a day in London.

 

For Paris, it is the same. Even with a day and a half you will only get a glimpse.

 

I would suggest you drop one or both places and concentrate on Barcelona. If you give yourselves a chance to enjoy Europe, you will be back (again and again!)

 

If you rush around you will see (and remember) next to nothing and you will not be able to take in the vibe/spirit of any of these places.

 

Totally agree with Maryann. Your time in London and Paris will be so short it will be a blur. Also, I don't know if you've flown to Europe before but most flights are overnight and you're probably going to feel very tired once you arrive in London. In effect as far as your body clock is concerned, you will be arriving in London in the middle of the night. At most you will have had a few hours sleep (assuming you're a good plane sleeper). I'm not saying you won't have enough energy to tour, but it won't likely be your most energetic day of sightseeing.

 

You would probably be happier flying into Barcelona and spending 3 or 4 days there. It's a fantastic city (and region) and there's so much to enjoy. Otherwise, I would suggest passing on London this time and fly direct to Paris. That will give you at least 2, maybe 3 days there, not enough to fully take in Paris but enough to give you a great experience.

 

One last thing to keep in mind. I've taken the Eurostar multiple times. Although it's a fairly quick trip, the actual time spent "travelling" is considerably more than 2.25 hours. You need to get to St. Pancras Station in London from your hotel in enough time to go through security (similar to airport security). It's a large and busy station. This includes the time it will take getting to the station (cab or Tube). You lose an hour traveling to Paris due to the change in time zone and then you will spend time getting another cab at Gare du Nord Station in Paris to your hotel. As a result that day in Paris will be considerably cut short.

 

However, whatever you decide, have a Great Vacation!!