Are we being too ambitious--day trips to Liverpool and Paris from London

Hi all

We will be taking a 27 day TA/BI cruise next April and May, then spending a week in London. DH saw a TV show about Beatles tours/locations in Liverpool that he would like to do. It looks like we can get a train from London to Liverpool and take a tour or DIY. Can anyone share how crazy this idea is or if it can be done easily? I forget where we catch the train (Euston?) but we will be very close to Waterloo. Cost doesn't seem horrible.

We are also thinking of taking Eurostar to Paris for a long day. Looks like we can do that for about $100 each return, then use Paris metro to see the big sights. Is this too crazy? Has anyone else done this and lived to tell about it? :D

It is unlikely we will be back to London and no plans to go to Paris, so I am trying to see as much as we can while we are there. The long train rides would allow us to rest/prepare on the way and sleep on the way home.

Any advice, insights, experience would be appreciated.

Thanks

ML

IMO, you can't do justice to Paris in one short day. Your travel time will take up a good portion of your time. Getting around the city via Metro to see the "big sites" isn't that quick either. I think it took us a good 3 hrs. to go up the Eiffel Tour alone. Cramming in a quick trip to the Louvre would be exhausting. Maybe you could see Notre Dame, see the Musee d'Orsay and have a nice lunch somewhere then maybe drive by the Eiffel Tower and a few of the other sites on a HOHO bus or taxi - at the most. Even this might be a bit ambitious.

I think your idea of heading up to Liverpool is better but I'd plan to stay over one night there. JMHO.

Personally I think the Paris thing in a day might be hard work. I took a long weekend there not so long ago, arrived Friday night and left on Sunday evening.

We took the Sunday at Disneyland so only really had a day to pull in the sights, and we saw what we wanted to see and had a fantastic day.

That said, we started early, covered about 8 miles on foot, plus hopping on and off the metro and it was fairly exhausting. Come about 10pm I was ready to crawl into bed and wish myself new feet!

So it is doable, but tacking on a trip on the Eurostar at the start and end of the day would require some *serious* stamina!

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I think you can do it but you'd have to do serious planning. If you want to visit the Eiffel Tower you can purchase a timed ticket that enables you to beat the line. You still have to go through security but you save hour or two waiting. I would then take one of the Seine River cruises which is relaxing and allows you to see much of the gorgeous architecture of Paris. If your happy to simply view the Tower and not go up, then you can do a "beat the line" tour of the Louvre or some other tour that suits your fancy easily found on Viator or Trip Advisor.

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Thanks everyone, just the kind of feedback I was hoping for.

Maybe others can add more?

Paris?

http://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/train/france/paris?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIks6ls9ag1QIVhLDtCh13wALREAAYASAAEgLWP_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Folk do it :)

And in the circumstances I can understand you wanting to pay the place a visit, fleeting though it may be.

If your heart is set on it...........

Book Eurostar soonest because there's big price differences between early and last-minute bookings.

Book an early train out and a late train back. This means getting up at daft o'clock in the morning half an hour before you go to bed (sorry, breaking into a Monty Python Four-Yorkshiremen sketch there :rolleyes:). And depending on the location of your hotel this will probably mean having to get to St Pancras before the first tube train of the day so you'll likely need a cab.

You lose an hour outbound because UK time is an hour behind French time, but you get it back on the return journey.

You need to take your passports with you.

Because your time there is at a premium, of course it makes sense to plan the day carefully.

And don't plan anything too early or too demanding next day.

One thing to do next day which isn't too early or too demanding is to wake up in a Paris hotel bed and spend that second day in Paris. Just a thought.

Liverpool?

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search

The journey is simple enough, there are direct trains from London's Euston station & journey time is about 2 hrs 30.

But the fare depends on the time of day.

If you want to make a decently early start (arrive Liverpool about 9.30 to 10am) expect round-trip fares to cost around £140 per person. That's twice as high as the fare to Paris !!!!!!!!!!!

If you take a later train the cost goes down to about £64 per person - but that's for trains arriving after mid-day.

As to whether Liverpool is worth it?

My home town is Southampton, Liverpool's port rival. So I'd best not give an opinion. :D

JB :)

Train London to Paris factor in one hour time changes. Paris in one day is not a good idea especially as Eurostar often has issues like when there was a strike on the lines at the Chunnel entrance and all trains canceled plus no road crossings. I had to book same day flight from Paris to London (not cheap!)

other issue is Paris "highlights" needs at min a weekend if you do the drive by version (seine cruise with views of Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, etc, VIP tour Louvre, private guide tour Musee D'Orsay and other quick entry as the lines/waits/security are always issue) Eiffel Tower security is now at least 2hrs min with group ticket.

I've been visiting Paris and London for over 20yrs and still haven't done it justice so one day will never be enough for me ( I have written many Paris and London posts on PhilaTravelGirl blog including my last visit in Sept w/75 yo mom first trip)

as for Liverpool that's an easy day out of London plus walks.com has Beatles theme tours as do others in UK

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We rode the Eurostar thru the Chunnel and loved it. Hopped off and hopped on a Hop on Hop off. We had time to see everything and get off at some of the highlights: Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees Blvd, and a few others. It was a fantastic day.

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If you are able to book your trains to Liverpool in advance using the Virgin trains website , available 12 weeks in advance, then you can book advance tickets for around £45 per person.

Would recommend the combined tour to the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney with the National Trust, needs to be booked in advance.

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Do you already have your flight booked to go home? If not, why dont you leave London early and go to Paris for a day or two and fly home from there? Just a thought. I think I would feel so rushed and tired the next day, I'd be miserable.

I did Paris in a day when we were going from London to Venice. We had about eight hours to see the highlights--Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe. We had time to go into Notre Dame but not into the Louvre or anywhere else significant. Breakfast and lunch took a bit of time as well. It was a brief taste of Paris and worth it since we were heading through there. On the way back to London from Venice, I only had a couple of hours between trains and did not leave the station.

A friend who went this spring took a two-day trip to Paris. His hotel in London stored his large piece of luggage. He was staying there before and after the jaunt to Paris. He did a similar trip to Amsterdam on a previous vacation in London.

Paris could be done 'drive-by' in a day but IMHO you miss what Paris/France is really about. I would do a night's stopover so that you can enjoy at least one decent French lunch. HoHo bus shows you the sights and then you can pick a few for more detailed visits (I would recommend Rodin's house if you like sculpture). The catacombs are interesting as well. Be aware that some sights/museums have weird closing days so do your homework first.

OP - I notice you say you are doing a BI cruise - does it not call at Liverpool? Many do this as a port of call.

If you are able to book your trains to Liverpool in advance using the Virgin trains website , available 12 weeks in advance, then you can book advance tickets for around £45 per person.

 

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Hi Mabbiesmum,

The fares I was using on the National Rail website were advance booking for a random date 3 months out, and matched those on the Virgin website (as indeed they're supposed to).

Cheapest return fares (more than the £45 you mention) involved up to 3 train changes and/or arrival in Liverpool after mid-day.

Virgin do discount a very small number of tickets as a come-on (though again not as low as £45 return), but that certainly can't be relied upon because although it's possible to book full-price tickets up to 6 months out those discounted tickets aren't released until about 3 months out and then get snaffled-up very quickly.

The fare structure on the UK rail network is diabolically complicated, with huge variations depending on time of travel, time of booking, routing, flexibility requirements, type of ticketing, split-ticketing, purchase of rail cards (no advantage to the OP), etc ad infinitum.

Come back nationalised British Rail, all is forgiven ? ;)

JB :)

However, you can sometimes get good deals on fares for Eurostar. They were recently doing offers for £25 each way. I do wish that word 'Chunnel' would be banned. It is the Channel Tunnel.

Yes, there are sometimes delays. We take our car on Eurotunnel to France frequently and sometimes experience delays, but we have personally encountered any problems for about a year.

I also think that Paris deserves at least an overnight, but it can be done in a day. Instead of wasting time having lunch I would take something with me to eat.

Liverpool is also worth a visit. Apart from the Beatles there are some excellent museums.

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Paris in one day is not a good idea especially as Eurostar often has issues like when there was a strike on the lines at the Chunnel entrance and all trains canceled plus no road crossings.

....

as for Liverpool that's an easy day out of London plus walks.com has Beatles theme tours as do others in UK

 

 

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Hmmn. Could you quantify and source your claim that Eurostar "often" has issues like the one you unfortunately suffered? Yes, when there is a problem the geography can make it a bit of a nightmare, but I wouldn't discourage anyone from traveling on that basis. Just be aware.

Liverpool is about the same time on a train from London as Paris and also a potential for problems there. I wouldn't regard one as an "easy day out" and suggest someone not to do the other, to be honest. And I never understand the logic of not going somewhere for a day because there's so much to see!

OP - go for it, have fun. You can do a lot in 8 or 9 hours in Paris. Yes, do your planning, decide what you really want to do and don't forget your Euros!

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The test booking I did was out of Euston on 19th September leaving at 7.07am, arriving 9.20am - direct service and return departing 19.47 arriving 22.06 - again a direct train. Total cost £45 per person. Not complicated at all.

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I wanted to add that the train system Europe is a dream. Nothing like the embarrassment we have in NY. We just came back from a week in London and then took the train to Edinburgh. The entire trip was a joy.

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I wanted to add that the train system Europe is a dream. Nothing like the embarrassment we have in NY. We just came back from a week in London and then took the train to Edinburgh. The entire trip was a joy.

 

 

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Either you were very lucky, or the trains in New York are total nightmares. The UK railways have had more than their share of challenges this summer. There have been floods, overhead lines drooping in the heat, computer glitches and more.

Either you were very lucky, or the trains in New York are total nightmares. The UK railways have had more than their share of challenges this summer. There have been floods, overhead lines drooping in the heat, computer glitches and more.

We just got back from NYC yesterday. Staying in New Jersey for a few days and figuring out the Hudson Light Rail, PATH train (especially at weekends) and the subway was not easy. NY buses were not much clearer. DW lived in NY for many years and we were confused at times (particularly by which buses accept the Metrocard and which do not).

Either you were very lucky, or the trains in New York are total nightmares. The UK railways have had more than their share of challenges this summer. There have been floods, overhead lines drooping in the heat, computer glitches and more.

Kings Cross vs Penn Station, London Underground vs NYC Subway and Suburban lines... come for a visit and you'll soon learn how lucky you are. Right now we're in the official label by the governor "summer of hell" lol

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Paris?

http://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/train/france/paris?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIks6ls9ag1QIVhLDtCh13wALREAAYASAAEgLWP_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Folk do it :)

And in the circumstances I can understand you wanting to pay the place a visit, fleeting though it may be.

 

If your heart is set on it...........

Book Eurostar soonest because there's big price differences between early and last-minute bookings.

Book an early train out and a late train back. This means getting up at daft o'clock in the morning half an hour before you go to bed (sorry, breaking into a Monty Python Four-Yorkshiremen sketch there :rolleyes:). And depending on the location of your hotel this will probably mean having to get to St Pancras before the first tube train of the day so you'll likely need a cab.

You lose an hour outbound because UK time is an hour behind French time, but you get it back on the return journey.

You need to take your passports with you.

Because your time there is at a premium, of course it makes sense to plan the day carefully.

 

And don't plan anything too early or too demanding next day.

One thing to do next day which isn't too early or too demanding is to wake up in a Paris hotel bed and spend that second day in Paris. Just a thought.

 

Liverpool?

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search

The journey is simple enough, there are direct trains from London's Euston station & journey time is about 2 hrs 30.

But the fare depends on the time of day.

If you want to make a decently early start (arrive Liverpool about 9.30 to 10am) expect round-trip fares to cost around £140 per person. That's twice as high as the fare to Paris !!!!!!!!!!!

If you take a later train the cost goes down to about £64 per person - but that's for trains arriving after mid-day.

 

As to whether Liverpool is worth it?

My home town is Southampton, Liverpool's port rival. So I'd best not give an opinion. :D

 

JB :)

JB

Thanks for all this info. Yes, it was clear we would have to leave at 0 dark thirty, but we thought we might try for the 8 am train. Not quite as bad as 7 :) Love the Monty Python reference, we are big fans!

It didn't occur to me to take passports, so thanks for that note too.

It seemed like Liverpool fares weren't quite that high (and I saw a post above about lower fares on Virgin) but I have to admit I don't completely understand the Virgin rail thing--is it a private rail line? And i did see that the lower fares get us there after noon, which doesn't seem optimal :D

Thanks for your help.

ML

We rode the Eurostar thru the Chunnel and loved it. Hopped off and hopped on a Hop on Hop off. We had time to see everything and get off at some of the highlights: Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees Blvd, and a few others. It was a fantastic day.

 

 

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This is more along the line I was thinking. No need to go up Eifel Tower, might like to see the Louvre. I don't really need to see Paris but DH might. I guess I should ask him :D

Thanks

If you are able to book your trains to Liverpool in advance using the Virgin trains website , available 12 weeks in advance, then you can book advance tickets for around £45 per person.

 

Would recommend the combined tour to the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney with the National Trust, needs to be booked in advance.

 

 

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Thanks for this. I did find the Virgin trains site and saw their prices. It wasn't clear to me if they were also offering a tour or not. Thanks also for the note about their homes, I didn't know about that.

Do you already have your flight booked to go home? If not, why dont you leave London early and go to Paris for a day or two and fly home from there? Just a thought. I think I would feel so rushed and tired the next day, I'd be miserable.

Good thought. We have booked thru the cruiseline right now but could cancel. I am pretty sure we would rather spend the week in London and sacrifice Paris if we had to. I do agree if we go to Paris, it will be a long day. We have hiked many cities in Europe and survived--of course, we were a bit younger for some of them :)

Thanks

I did Paris in a day when we were going from London to Venice. We had about eight hours to see the highlights--Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe. We had time to go into Notre Dame but not into the Louvre or anywhere else significant. Breakfast and lunch took a bit of time as well. It was a brief taste of Paris and worth it since we were heading through there. On the way back to London from Venice, I only had a couple of hours between trains and did not leave the station.

Yes, this is sort of what I am thinking. I know we won't get a lot of depth but it is probably close enough. We can get some nice pix and maybe just grab some quick snacks (or as one poster noted, just bring some food with us--good idea!)

Thanks

ML