Itinerary – London and Paris

Exciting news, folks!! Jay and I are going to London and Paris in exactly two months!! I cannot adequately express how thrilled I am for this trip. I adore Europe, having traveled there a few times for work, and I imagine it will be even nicer not being stuck in an office during the day : ) I was in Paris for three weeks on a business trip back in 2012, but this will be my first time in London. These cities are both chock full of history and I’m looking forward to seeing the typical touristy sites and exploring the various neighborhoods on foot.

We’re flying out on Friday night and arriving in London the following morning. After four nights in London, we’re taking the Eurostar train to Paris and staying there for three nights before flying back home on Saturday. Although we don’t have our days individually planned out, we have a general idea of what we want to see. I summarized our flights, hotels, transportation, and sight-seeing plans in this London and Paris itinerary!

Day 1:  Departure

• Drive to Newark airport and park at Wally Park
• Fly overnight from Newark to London on United

Days 2 – 5: London

• Arrive in the morning and drop our bags off at the hotel
• Spend four days exploring London!!
  • Buckingham Palace – Changing of the Guards
  • Westminster Abbey
  • London Bridge
  • Tower of London
  • Platform 9 3/4 (of course)
  • Hyde Park
  • Shopping in Portobello Road / Camden Markets
• Transportation – The London Underground (Tube)
  • Visitor Oyster Card (cashless pay as you go)
  • Benefits:
    • Daily cap of $6.50 GBP
    • Cheaper fares than paper tickets
    • Includes select shopping, food, and museum discounts
• Stay: St. Ermin’s Hotel (Marriott Autograph Collection)
  2 Caxton St, London

Day 6: London to Paris

• Spend the morning packing and last minute sight-seeing
• Travel to Paris on the high speed train!
• Arrive at Gare du Nord station in Paris
• Take an Uber to the hotel and explore for the rest of the night
• Stay: Renaissance Paris Republique (opening in April 2016)
  40 Rue Rene Boulanger, Paris

Days 7-8: Paris

• Spend two full days wandering around the city!
  • The Louvre
  • Climb the dome of Sacre Coeur
  • Climb the towers of Notre Dame
  • Sainte-Chapelle
  • Seine River Cruise
  • Crepes w/ Nutella!
• Transportation – the Metro
  • Extremely easy to navigate – one of my favorite subway systems
  • Pass Navigo
  • Benefits
    • Cheaper than daily or multi-day visitor pass
    • Unlimited use for one Monday – Sunday period

Day 8 – Heading Home

• Sleep in and enjoy one last breakfast in Paris
• Take an Uber to Charles de Gaulle airport
• Board our flight home from Paris to Newark

Estimated Trip Costs

Flight EWR to LHR (United)                                   $6 (30,000 United points)
Flight CDG to EWR (United)                                   $75 (30,000 United points)
London Hotel (4 nights)                                           Free (160,000 Marriott points)
Paris Hotel (3 nights)                                                Free (120,000 Marriott points)
Eurostar (London to Paris)                                      $75
Parking at Newark airport (8 days)                        $64
Uber rides (estimate 4 trips)                                    $60 ($15 per ride estimate)
Oyster Card (card fee + 30GBP prepaid)              $46
Paris Pass Navigo                                                       $22
Tower of London (Online – 23GPB)                       $32
Seine River Cruise                                                      $15
Notre Dame Climb                                                     $9
Sacre Coeur Dome Climb                                          $6
Louvre                                                                           $15
Total                                                                        $425

Please share any recommendations for things to see / restaurants to visit in either London or Paris! Also, if you have questions about any of our travel plans (how we booked flights / hotels, transportation, etc), I’m happy to answer them!