day trips from Paris

My husband and I are staying in Paris for 6 nights and we would like to spend a couple of the days doing day trips. We were thinking London and Normandy. Are these doable for a day trip?

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Hi Zoe.

You can get the Eurostar from the Gare Du Nord direct to Waterloo station in central London and return the same day. Check out availability and prices on:

http://www.eurostar.com

Prices depend on availability, but at the moment it%26#39;s possible to get a mid-week day return to London from Paris in late June for well under £200 for two people.

The journey takes about two hours each way. Remember that you gain an hour going to London from Paris and lose one on the return journey due to the time difference. If you caught the 07.16 train arriving in Waterloo at 08.55, you could have nearly ten hours to go sightseeing in London, as the last train goes from Waterloo at 19.43.

Normandy is about a three hour drive from Paris. You may find that tour operators offer a coach trip to Normandy, particularly the site of the D-Day landings, etc. It%26#39;s certainly an area well worth a visit, but IMO go for an overnight visit if possible.

Hope this helps.

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I think that two day trips for a 6 night visit would be over doing it. There is so much to see in Paris and if you go to either London or Normandy you will spend half of your time dealing with the actual transportation and logistic of getting from A to B.

Personally, I%26#39;d pick something even closer, but at the very least I recommend that you settle on just one day trip.

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Thanks for the helpful information! I was thinking it might be a little bit rushed with all the travelling. Is driving to Normandy an option? I heard getting out of paris by car is difficult. I%26#39;ve been there before but my husband has never seen it and I think he would enjoy it.

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Hi again.

It would take about three hours to drive to Normandy from Paris.

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We did the beaches of Normandy tour in November. You can take the train from Gare St. Lazare, and the tour van will pick you up at the train station to start your tour.

We had an Irish guide who was extremely passionate about WWII history so we got so much more for our money.

At the cemetary, we met a veteran with his son and they tagged along for the tour. Very touching to hear his side too.

They will drop you back off at the train station in time for your return trip. Full day but strongly recommended.

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Check out Parisvision.com. I am going to Normandy from Paris by coach in July. Pretty expensive but would regret it if I never went there. It will involve a 7am to 7pm day so if you do go bring some food etc with you. Bon Voyage.

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Both London and the Normandy beaches are possible as loooong daytrips, as previously noted, trying to do both during your intended visit may be a bit much

We%26#39;ve done London, via early morning departure EUROSTAR and late evening return and had great days--a little sightseeing, some shopping, %26#39;pub grub%26#39; ...though we were beat right down to our socks when our heads finally hit the pillows in Paris that evening. This day-trip works especially well FROM Paris TO London because of the one-hour-earlier local time difference. The 2:35 hr train trip is only 1:35 hr. by local time when going over.

For other possible day-trips from Paris, try doing a Search of this TA forum--%26#39;..SEARCH IN:..%26quot; (below green line on the main Topic page) using %26#39;..DAY TRIPS..%26#39; as your basic Search criteria. You will come up with a LOT of possibilities...andlong with a LOT of specific information and details. From this body of information, come up with your own %26#39;..short list..%26#39; of two or three and then return with any specific questions the information doesn%26#39;t provide. In this way, you cand research a couple of D-I-Y day-trips that you can have in hand once you arrive in Paris...and then do--or not--as mood and moment strike.

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We are coming in October and thinking abuot doing the London run - does anyone know of any local tours in London ( we have never been before) that can accomodate the %26#39;short%26#39; day timetable? Merci

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Hi.

In response to Kate%26#39;s post - you could get a %26#39;Big Bus Tour%26#39; which would show you lots of the London sites.

Check it out at:

http://www.bigbus.co.uk

Hope this helps.

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