London & Paris Recs
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- CincodeMayo
Heading with London & Paris with the wife at the beginning of April. I've only been to London once, never been to Paris.
Looking for any recs of places to eat, things to do, bars to drink at, local events & markets, galleries, etc.
Definitely visiting a lot of pubs, the London Eye, Borough Market, Camden Market, The Tate, The Louvre, The Eiffel. Need more things to add to the list.
- mg330
There's definitely a Paris thread around here somewhere with a bunch of good info.
That said, if you and the wife don't go to the Museum of Eroticism in Montmartre, you fail at Paris.
- You had me at Eroticism.CincodeMayo
- the guest book there is hilariousBH26
- mg331
I'll say what I always say about Paris, having been there twice: I can't imagine a better place to have no plan for a day and just wander around, see where the day takes you, spend an hour drinking an espresso at an outdoor cafe watching the world go by. Possibly one of the best people-watching places I've ever been.
- detritus0
I'd probably skip Camden market if you're over 25 years old.
Get to Borough Market early in the day (and note which days it's closed (!!)) as it becomes a fucking hell later on.
- Yeah, went to Borough the morning last time and it was perfect. I think it's Thurs. - Sun. but I'll double check on that.CincodeMayo
- fruitsalad0
London:
Skip the big crowded (and now have security bag scanning queue) museums (such as Bristish museum) and try the much more pleasurable Wallace Collection. Which also has a nice, if pricey, cafe.
For a super cheap lunch, get a char siu bun (£1.40) from the golden gate bakery in Chinatown.
Primrose hill gives you a view over the city, and there's a couple of ok pubs nearby and semi ok restaurants.
- These are great. Thanks!CincodeMayo
- Add The Hunterian Museum to the list. Bizarre, beautiful and free.Eighty
- CincodeMayo0
May be adding a night or two in Cannes and Nice.
Thinking we'll do 3 days in Paris, 1.5 days in Cannes, 1.5 days in Nice, then London for 5 days.
Is that enough time in those places? We'd be going at the beginning of April, so I don't think it'll be beach weather.
Any day trip suggestions while in London? Did Canterbury last time I was there. Really enjoyed that, but would love to explore somewhere else.
- Brighton!********
- You can get from London to Brighton in about 90 mins for a day at the seaside.Eighty
- There's a good pub on every street. Huge arts and music scene. Myriad independent shops. Google 'Brighton laines'. Plus the pier and sea.********
- From Victoria its an hour on the train********
- Whitstable, if sunny, is a decent day trip. Fish and chips, fresh oysters from fish market, craft beer from local brewery. regular trains from Victoria Station.fruitsalad
- http://whitstablebre…fruitsalad
- Smaller scale and more 'quaint' than Brighton.fruitsalad
- Cannes and Nice are quite similar. Why not ditch Nice and go to Marseille instead? It's very underrated and full of character.Longcopylover
- Marseille by night: https://nightwalk.wi…Longcopylover
- Brighton!
- detritus0
Whereabouts in London are you staying?
- Staying in Hampstead. Either with some friends or at a hotel. Figuring that out.CincodeMayo
- Leafy Hampstead is nice. Primrose hill is nearby as fruitsalad mentioned.matski
- hans_glib0
sir john soane's museum is a must.
free and brilliant.
- hans_glib0
paris: catacombs, and oriental park out by bois de vincennes
- matski0
Think these may have been mentioned here before, but worth checking out...
- microkorg0
The Colette store in Paris is worth a visit.
Design/Photography Books, Trainers, Clothes (I got a real nice Pantone Wool Jumper, they've loads of cool tshirts, some of the clothes upstairs is overpriced nonsense).If your wife (or you) likes Macarons then take her to Ladurée
75 Av. des Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris
Dont queue with the tourist just walk straight through the back to the little quiet bar. (there's also a door into this bar from the sidestreet at the side).- Definitely checking out Colette. And great tip about Ladurée. They just opened one up here in LA but we'll definitely check out the real deal.CincodeMayo
- fruitsalad0
For art books nearby to monocle cafe:
- Al_dizzle0
Go see Eiffel for the first time at night, and exit from the Trocadéro station on the 6 train, that initial view made my wife wet.
Get some pastries from 'Stohrer', 61 rue de Montorgeuil 75002 Paris. http://stohrer.fr/ ...its a pretty storied institution.
Batofar was a pretty fun night... http://www.batofar.fr/
- CincodeMayo0
These are awesome recs. The more I think about it, the more it seems that we could probably keep busy in Paris without going to Cannes/Nice. It's not like it's going to be beach weather, so may make sense to stay in one spot with day trips to Versailles or Champagne (or both). We'll probably have about 5 or 6 days in Paris so that seems like plenty of time.
That said, any good hotel recs in Paris? Ideally looking for something under $100-200/night, but if there's something a little more that's worth splurging for, we'll consider it.