A friend and I are going to Paris Jan. 16 to the 25th and we were thinking of taking the chunnel train to London for a day or two. Any good Doper suggestions to make the trip easier/ cheaper/ more fun? Can anyone tell me exactly where you end up in London, and are there relatively inexpensive hotels nearby? This is my first big trip overseas, so I am almost, but not quite totally naive.
You arrive at Waterloo station, which is just south of the river - within a few minutes walking distance of the major tourist sights (Tower of London, Parliament, St Pauls etc). I can’t help about hotels, I’m afraid, I always stay with friends etc., but the official tourism site at www.visitlondon.com seems pretty good.
Try to reserve at least an afternoon for simply wandering around. Buy a streetmap (the universal edition is called the “A to Z”, you will find it at Waterloo no problem), pick out all the places you’ve heard of, and walk between them. Except Buckingham Palace, because it’s just an ugly building which you’ll stand outside for ten minutes feeling underwhelmed. Other than that, have fuun!!
dpuddytat, I can’t answer your questions about London, but I hope that you will let us know your favorite things about Paris when you return. I will be going in April for two weeks.
Welcome to SDMB! Have fun here and in Europe!