London/Paris travel advice

[ISUboi12]

In Paris...

Eiffel Tower

Place de la Concorde is a nice area to walk through with some wonderufl architecture.

Notre Dame is nice, but not great compared to many other cathedrals in Europe. Instead I recommend getting lunch and taking a stroll along the river nearby. Or visit Sainte Chappelle, a vastly underrated sight.

Avenue Des Champes Elysees is wonderful commercial area at night

If you visit the Arc de Triumphe, I absolutely recommend gassing yourself to go to the top for a breathtaking view of the city.

Of course, the Louvre.

Just get out and move around the city. The people are actually wonderfully friendly in my experience and aren't afraid to speak English like I was told before I went. Eat as many croissants as possible in as many different locations.

Have fun.

[HFCS]

Thanks for the advice everyone, definitely got a few tips I think I'll use.

[Clonedogg]

Get tickets for the open top bus tours the first day or two. helps u get to know the city and cheap transportation to all the hot tourist spots, cause u can hop on and off anytime there is something u want to see.

[timappelgate]

Be prepared for how dirty Paris is.

[WhatchaGonnaDo]

The first night I was in Paris, my group and I walked from our hotel south of the Eiffel Tower all the way to the tower (probably about 3-4 miles) along the river there. Beautiful night, and the part of the city we were walking through was very nice. Once we got to the tower, we just laid down on the grassy area near the base and took it in while enjoying a beer. After that we paid the fare (~4 euro if I remember correctly) and climbed up the tower for an amazing view of the city at night. I'd recommend doing this... it was one of my favorite nights during my 6 week study abroad this past summer.

[UICyclone]

Paris - The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays. I know this because I tried to go on Tuesday, and I left Wednesday morning:-( But the Musee d'Orsay is pretty cool. Also don't forget to do the Eiffel Tower and the artists area on top of Montmartre. Watch some of the places on Montmartre, I spent 24Euros on 2 beers at one of the places up there, and it was some basic tap beer like Mahou or Amstel. And like some others have said, try your basic French and it will work great. Parisians are only stereotyped as rude because they are "big city people", but will really appreciate the fact that you are trying. If you are under the age of like 26 or something, there is some sort of discount program in France for youth. Whether or not you can just use your passport as proof or you need to register, well worth checking out before you go.

London - Fantastic city that I wish I had more than a day and a half to experience. You can do the Eye and Thames boat tour, very awesome. Check out Greenwich, for two reasons. A) You can stand in both Eastern and Western hemispheres at once. B) From the Observatory, you have a good view of the financial district, the Thames, and the O2 arena and stuff, where a lot of the Olympics will be at (a lot of the park was closed when I went in July because of some Olympic trials). There's even a tunnel under the Thames that you can walk under, kinda neat for some reason. C) I posted this thread a year ago (thanks Google) but you HAVE TO STOP HERE:
http://www.cyclonefanatic.com/forum/...kery-ever.html (Best Bakery EVER!) I re-posted that just because I posted a few pictures. The website for the bakery is Paul Rhodes Bakery. Great bread, and well come on how can you pass up eating at a Bakery called Paul Rhodes?

Have a blast!

[cyclone13]

Beware of pickpockets !
Do not buy souvenirs from street vendors, as it only increases the risk of being a victim of pickpocketing.