First time to London and Paris any good tips?

[Nando]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the 4HWW forum. I must say im really glad to be a part of this community. I think Tim did an amazing job with the book and also bringing people together with the same goals to help each other.
Im glad that I finally found people that I can relate to, learn from and share some of my ideas with. Im really looking forward to contributing as much as I can to this Forum.

As for my post well its my first time heading over to Europe. I will be leaving in mid March for 10 days..I will be arriving in Lodon and will be staying at my aunts house. I decided to also go to Paris for 2 days. I always want to see Paris and from what my cousin told me its only 2hours away.
I was wondering if any of you could give me some tips or advice on what to see or what to do. I know im staying for really short time but I want to make the best of it.
Thanks in advance
Nando

[officer_dibble]

Where to start with London...?

What kinds of things do you like to do or want to do? Are you travelling on a tiny budget or first class?

Really there is too much to do in such a short time. I lived there for 10 years and I didn't do everything I wanted to.

The first things to do with London prepwise are:

a) Get an Oyster card - even in a few days you'll end up saving money if you use the Tube a lot.

b) Think about getting an A-Z (or borrowing your Aunt's).

c) If you are arriving at Heathrow at a normal(ish) hour and your Aunt lives on the Tube network but not picking you up (and you are travelling fairly light) - take the Tube rather than a taxi or even the Heathrow Express.

Things London is really good for:

Food - practically any kind of cuisine in the world can be found there (although it won't always taste quite as good as the original country of origin). There are great restaurants for every budget. The markets eg Borough market can be excellent sources of food. Plan on eating out. Chinese or Indian are both good choices and so common they are almost regarded as British. I think curry has actually overtaken fish and chips as our national dish. The English breakfast should also be experienced if you are not a vegetarian.

If you want to try fish and chips - look for the oldest most run down shop you can find. Same for an English breakfast - cafes should be fairly grotty looking for the full experience.

Clothes shopping. I don't know much about this - but lots of interesting stuff to be found in Camden. My missus really misses London for its clothes shops.

Beer. A lots of Brits' lives tend to revolve around drinking. Look for quiet more traditional pubs if you can find them. The George is quite close to Borough market if you go there.

Clubs. Every music genre or erm...lifestyle choice (no matter how odd) probably has a club night associated with it.

Gigs. Ditto above.

If you go to Paris - go via the Eurostar rather than fly. It takes around 2 hours from London St Pancras station (beautiful in itself) to the centre of Paris. If you are a Harry Potter fan - then right next door to London St Pancras is London Kings Cross station - and it actually has a platform 9 3/4 which you can have your picture taken next to.

BTW London's transport system is old and prone to breaking down or getting congested. Allow extra time to get to places. Walking is great for short distances.

If you want to blend - Brits tend to wear dark colours this time of year which are designed to keep warm (except when clubbing).

Other attractions that really should be seen.

The British Museum. Lots of mummies and other artifacts you have probably only seen in documentaries. Natural History Museum. Science Museum. They are all free - and the last two are next to each other in South Kensington. If you can only do one museum - do the British Museum.

Tower of London. Reeks of history. Expensive to get into - but just about worth it.

National Gallery or Portrait Gallery (next to each other). Again pictures you'll only see on telly or in books otherwise.

Jack the ripper walking tours. Surprisingly good fun and atmospheric. Prepare to a tiny bit disappointed - some of the locations no longer exist.

Avoid:
Kebabs. Angus steakhouses (no Brit ever goes there).

Madam Tussauds. Sherlock Holmes Museum (if you are a fan - go to the pub nearby for a quick drink). London Aquarium.

London bus tours to get around. Use a normal bus - your Oyster card is good to go on buses too.

Flashing mobile phones, cameras or high denomination currency.

Staying out very late, on your own, drunk and looking obviously lost. You will get away with maybe one or even perhaps two of these. All four is asking for trouble.

Asking for directions to Lie-cester Squaaaaare.

Referring to the UK as England.

Getting £50 notes from currency exchanges. The £20 is about as high as you want to go.

[Nando]

That's Perfect! Thanks for taking time to write all this down. Now I have a better idea of how to plan everything. I am traveling in somewhat tiny budget. But I am very excited to get the feel for London ...the people, tradition and history. It will be amazing to see the buildings and be able to walk down streets that have been there for years.
Oh... I'm also a big fan of Derren Brown. I’m going to try to buy some tickets to his show.lol

[maxpr]

I will start off unconventional here...(I am assuming your an American, but if not, some of these still might apply to your situation)

CALL your bank to tell them how long you will be gone and to what countries you will be going (so, they don't lock your CCs up for odd international purchases)

BRING CASH with you...have your Aunt call several banks in England prior to your arrival to see how much they will exchange dollars into pounds for. You will find that you often get a better deal by exchanging in country. AVOID currency exchanges (airports, on the street etc.). I am in Germany now and my bank wanted to charge $1.58/Euro in the US but instead I went to a bank in Germany and exchanged at $1.47/Euro (obviously this is based on the market rate but the per Euro fee is lower here in Germany; US 11 cents on the Euro, in Germany 6 cents, which adds up over time. I purchased a special wallet (from Target, i.e. the "nicer" Walmart ) for $7-8 before I left, which I put in my carry on, then put around my neck in the airport bathroom before I left (plus it makes you feel like James Bond).

PAY IN CASH...your bank will try to convince you to use your CC or ATM card for purchases...DON'T! They love to charge you the out of network ATM fee+a currency exchange fee that they set themselves.

For Paris; you might be surprised to see what it is like. Just a really big city. So, do not be disappointed. The weather can be VERY bad this time of year in both Paris (and really London for that matter). This is the coldest winter in 30 years or so, so COME PREPARED WITH THE PROPER CLOTHES/FOOTWEAR. If you have boots, bring them; avoid tennis shoes because the snow can be wet!

The Paris subway system is antiquated. And remember Parisians take their time getting off the subway and the wait times are not long. So, push your way on if need be i.e. DON'T be nice about it. Also, the doors WILL NOT stay open if your arm, leg, luggage etc. is in them when they want to close, so be careful. Some routes in the inner city are extremely crowded too. In Paris make sure to keep your wallet in your front pocket AT ALL TIME. Try to keep one hand free and one over your wallet in your front pocket. DO NOT set ANYTHING luggage, handbag etc. down, ANYWHERE! Also, there is a lot of up/down walking in the subway system (even if you are an in shape young person, give yourself some time to spare for the trains, also because they often arrive late).

ALSO purchase the ten rides on the subway pass deal in Paris, trust me YOU WILL use them all up and the rate is lower per ticket.

USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION as much as possible. Do not be afraid to ask the people working at the subway for help if needed.

I will post more later, the gf just chewed me out!

[Monk]

Some London alternatives for you that are worth looking into:

The Tate Modern gallery - I work right next to it. It's free, HUGE and even if you don't like art there's bound to be something of interest for you. Walk North from here across the Millennium 'Wobbly' bridge for the best approach to St Pauls Cathedral.

Greenwich/Cutty Sark: Ride the DLR from Tower Gateway towards Lewisham and get off at Cutty Sark. Beautiful area of parkland and the Royal Naval College. If you check out the Royal Naval College you can visit the painted hall where Lord Nelson lay in rest. Free, also. At the top of the hill is the Greenwich observatory where GMT is set. Interesting exhibitions.

Spitalfields Market and Middlesex Street on a Sunday: All kinds of stuff going on and good food. Liverpool Street Station.

Vertigo 42: There is a champagne bar at the top of the tallest building in Central London - Tower 42, near Bank Station. Go at night, drinks are expensive but entry is free if you make a reservation. Unparralelled 360 degree views of London at night. Semi formal dress.

Walk from London Bridge to Waterloo along the South Bank of the river, walk across the white footbridge over the river. Nice views.

If you are interesting in going to a game of Football/Soccer you will struggle to get tickets for the big teams. Suggest looking at Fulham, Crystal Palace, QPR, Leyton Orient.

If you have time take a train from London Bridge to Bearstead in Kent, here is the Magnificant Leeds Castle (the VILLAGE of Leeds, not the City in the North of the country). It's well worth the day out, google it.

To experience real london eating, suggest you avoid Leicester Square, Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road. Try Upper Street (Angel Tube), Brick Lane (Aldgate/Liverpool Street).

Hope that helps although I know you already got a few replies.

I would disagree that safety and security is an issue in London. I walk around Iphone in hand (sadly) every day and have no problems. Just take precautions you would take if walking in downtown NY.

[officer_dibble]

Originally Posted by Monk

Greenwich/Cutty Sark: Ride the DLR from Tower Gateway towards Lewisham and get off at Cutty Sark. Beautiful area of parkland and the Royal Naval College. If you check out the Royal Naval College you can visit the painted hall where Lord Nelson lay in rest. Free, also. At the top of the hill is the Greenwich observatory where GMT is set. Interesting exhibitions.

This is good advice. I will suggest a slightly different route to get there.

Catch the river boat from Embankment to Greenwich. The captain will usually point out - sometimes getting it hilariously and deliberately, dubiously wrong - attractions on the Thames.

Get the DLR back - try and grab front seats for a train drivers view of the Underground as you descent into the network past Canary Wharf.

In Greenwich itself - cheap and fairly cheerful food to be had at the Noodle House.

The safety issue obviously varies from person to person and place to place. I've known people get mugged in Islington's crowds in broad daylight while others have lived in London for 20 years while living in, and wobbling home drunk to, the dodgier parts of the east end that have never had a problem. If you've never had a problem and don't know anyone who has - then it seems overkill.

I think it makes sense not to invite problems. Several friends of mine had their phones grabbed while talking on them - and they were cheap Nokias.

Given your interest in Derren Brown - I will go out on a limb and suggest a couple of weird curiosities you may enjoy:

http://www.thegarret.org.uk/

Hunterian

The Hunterian in particular is definitely worth a visit if you have an interest in the weird and unusual.

[Pat]

Maxpr, your advice about Paris (and its subway) pretty much applies to any city and any crowded public transportation

But that's right, NEVER keep anything in the back pocket of your jeans, or side pockets of a jacket, avoid back packs too.

[maxpr]

Originally Posted by Pat

Maxpr, your advice about Paris (and its subway) pretty much applies to any city and any crowded public transportation

Not my experience in Germany (and I have spent far more time there).

Stuttgart, Berlin, Munich, etc. never had any problems like I did in Paris. Even in Prague I did not have the same problems getting on/off (and the system was even more "modern" if you could call it that). NYC was not like this, nor London for that matter-

I noticed the French (but mainly Parisians) people are ALWAYS in a hurry to get to nowhere important; i.e. I highly doubt someone is headed off to work midday/late afternoon in the middle of the week (these people can be mid-20s to 40s), yet everyone is a hurry to get nowhere , maybe the real "four hour work week" is living off French gov't social benefits!!!!! Ha, kiiiiidding of course.

But really this is my individual experience of course!