Tell me about Scotland, London and Paris

kiwikiss56

My husband and I are planning a trip to Europe this summer.  We've already decided we are going to split out time between Scotland, London and Paris.  Any recommendations?  Specifically must visit areas in the Scottish Highlands and what area(s) to stay in Paris.  We have a bunch of hotel points so we are thinking about using them for 2 nights at a really fancy hotel in Paris by the Opera House.  Not sure if we should stay in another area for the other 2 nights we are there or stick to that general area.  We are probably going to do a combo of airbnbs, b&bs and hotels and really open to anything!  

mrsdee15

We took a one-day tour from Edinburgh to Loch Ness and back in Scotland, it was really amazing.  You go through the highlands.  I think the company name was the Shamrocker.  Also, Nessie.

London is a hard one to give recommendations for, I studied abroad there and still didn't see everything.  The Tower of London, Westminister Abbey, Hampton Court, and the British Museum would be on my short-list of going back.  Oooh, and Covent Garden and the West End.  And Harrods and Wagamama (ramen place, I still can't replace it).  And... well, you get my point.

Paris is great for museums, the Louve could take days on its own depending on what you want to see.  Also, if you get out in the countryside, Versailles and EuroDisney are cool.  I'm pretty sure I double-fisted hot chocolate and chocolate ice cream at Versailles.  

daria24

We stayed two nights at a B&B in Inverness. We took an all-day minibus tour of Skye, which was beautiful. It's definitely worth the trip, either with a group or on your own. A note about summer though-depending on how cold the winter has been, the midges can be horrific in the Highlands. Don't try to be environmentally friendly-take the DEET. The year I went, thankfully it had been a bitterly cold winter and most of the eggs died, so it wasn't that bad. 

I loved the Highlands, but I really liked the Midlands best. We stayed in Sterling and rented a car and drove around the Lochs. We also went pony trekking-which I highly recommend. The castle in Sterling is also not to be missed. 

I spent a semester in London and barely scratched the surface. Go see a production at the National Theatre-tickets are inexpensive, and the shows are always interesting, and not things you see on Broadway/American touring companies. I love the V&A, the Tate Modern, and the National Gallery. I recommend finding a walking tour, my school gave them all the time and it was awesome. The main attractions are actually fairly condensed in the city, you can walk between most of them. But the streets make absolutely no sense, so a small guided tour is great to really explore on foot. 

Man I had forgotten about Wagamamas. That was pretty much the only place we could afford to eat when I was there. 

mrsdee15

I have the Wagamama cookbook.  I'm building up courage to try recipes.

ETA: In Scotland they have places where you solely make loaded baked potatoes.  You can add anything, it's like an ice cream place but all kinds of potato toppings.  Including pasta salad.  It's fantastic, grab some local scotch and a loaded potato and you're set.  Also, I like carbs.

WinstonsGirl

I love Edinburgh!!  It's one of my favourite cities.  The walk up the Royal Mile to the castle is pretty cool, and view from below up to the castle is beautiful.  Do a ghost tour there.  They meet in the square part way up the Royal Mile.  You can't miss it.  There are signs everywhere. 

I can't comment too much on London.  I don't really enjoy that city.  Take in some theatre though.  

I also love Paris.  Do the typical touristy stuff - Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysée, Arc d'Triomphe.  That's one of my favourites, actually, standing at the top and watching all of the cars in the traffic circle around it.  It's backwards from here - you have to yield to get out.  It's a giant shit show and I'm glad I never have to drive it.  

Versailles is beautiful, if you like palaces.  Notre Dame too.  There is so much history in Paris and I love the feel of the city.  

kiwikiss56

Thank you for all the helpful tips!  One of my best friends lives in London so I'm hoping she can help us out there too.

and loaded baked potatoes sound absolutely amazing...I must google!   

themuffinman16

My husband and I stayed at the Lenox Montpernasse. It is a boutique hotel and was reasonably priced. The breakfast was always amazing. We had the junior suite. My husband is 6'4 inches, so we needed a bed that was bigger than a full. This is the reason we picked this hotel. Queen or king beds are impossible to come by, in Europe. The hotel was close to the subway, and getting around was a breeze.

Sights to see in my order of awesomeness. Visit the Eiffel Tower. Take a Seine River dinner cruise ( the food was amazing and it was so romantic), visit the Louvre, The notre dame cathedral (go to Berthillion afterward for some amazing gelato or sorbet), the musee d'orsay, the palace of Versailles, do some research on trip advisor for rsstaurants, you can get food that's absolutely delicious without breaking the bank

Jells2dot0

OMG I fucking love Wagamama!!!

When we go to London (we try to go once a year when health permits), we stay at Le Meridien Piccadilly. Here is a list of some of the things we've done:

National Portrait Gallery (free, donation suggested)
Westminster Abbey ($50USD for two)
British Museum (free, donation suggested)
Tower of London ($53USD for two)
Natural History Museum (free, donation suggested)
Imperial War Museum (free, donation suggested)
Shopping- Harrod’s, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Bond Street (the last 3 are within walking distance of the hotel)
Afternoon Tea at the Savoy (approximately $130USD for two

Twinings Tea (free, except private tasting by appointment only)

St. Paul’s Cathedral ($46USD for two) plus cream afternoon tea ($34 USD for two)

Museum of London (free, donation suggested. Special Exhibitions extra)

Churchill War Rooms ($54USD for two)

Banqueting House (10 pounds per person)
National Gallery (free, donation suggested)
Victoria and Albert Museum (free, donation suggested. Special Exhibitions extra)

This year, we're doing Hyde Park/Kensington Park, West End Show, Geffrye Museum, Tate Modern, St. Martin in the Fields, Notting Hill, some targeting shopping per our tastes, and taking the National Gallery Guided Tour instead of just winging it on our own. 

ETF- formatting is weird

Kahlyla

We walked the West Highland Way, so we saw most of that area on foot and camping and such. I just love the scenery in the Highlands, and it's fantastic for hiking. We did do a boat ride around Loch Ness with a tour of Urquhart Castle - the ride had a bit of a Nessie theme but nobody took that very seriously, hehe. It was a very nice tour. We've seen much of Scotland now, though, and my favourite areas are Edinburgh and the Outer Hebrides, Harris especially. Although it's not so much about "seeing" Harris as it is just staying there for a bit and soaking up all the magic.

jenna8984

We just got back from London. Did a ton of the things Jells listed. Plus wanted to add if you go on the London Eye do it in morning. We went at 3pm and the sun was setting behind Parliament which made it dark in the pictures.

LondonLisa

Feel free to PM me if you want any UK specifics. I would recommend taking the train from London to Edinburgh- yes it is longer but it is beautiful and you go through York, Durham, Newcastle plus along the coast. It is so much more relaxing than flying as Luton and Stanstead are hell on earth- plus it takes you from Central London to Central Edinburgh. Also, definitely do the Eurostar to Paris- pack a picnic with champagne, cheese, meats etc- there is no liquid rules on the train. For train tickets, best to book 3 months out and a good site is thetrainline.co.uk (Eurostar tickets have to be booked directly with the site).

LondonLisa

Also, Loch Lomond is much more picturesque/easier to get to than Loch Ness, plus it is right by Stirling Castle, which is also fab! Those two make a great day trip, and a lot of tour companies run minibuses with small groups to those two and whisky distilleries so you can enjoy not driving and not worry too much about 'over sampling'

kiwikiss56

Really appreciate all of the helpful tips!  For Scotland now we are looking to do a day and a half between Loch Lomond, Callandar (staying at a B&B here), Trossachs and Stirling Castle.  Then Edinburgh staying on the Royal Mile (found a great deal for a new hotel) and exploring for a day and a half and then headed to St. Andrews for the British Open for the day.  There is so much to see and pack in such a short time at all these places!

Now to plan for the other cities

lovemesomemonster

For London, if you have a car getting out of London it's awesome, Oxford was my favorite to visit and the castle there is pretty neat (could have spent an entire week there). If you like Harry Potter (or even if you don't) the studio is really cool to see, I took someone who hasn't even read the books and she even had a great time. 

hellosweetie1015

lovemesomemonster said:

For London, if you have a car getting out of London it's awesome, Oxford was my favorite to visit and the castle there is pretty neat (could have spent an entire week there). If you like Harry Potter (or even if you don't) the studio is really cool to see, I took someone who hasn't even read the books and she even had a great time. 

The Harry Potter stuff is the ONLY thing I really wanted to see in London. Literally. Like, I just wanted to see Platform 9 3/4 and the studios. Desperately.

Didn't get to, of course. We had 4 days in London and 3 in Paris, and didn't get to see ANYTHING, it felt like. We saw the Changing of the Guard and did the Eye and had a Hop-on-hop-off. But I just felt like the 4/3 split wasn't enough with the number of people we had. 

Just means I get to go back eventually though! So I'm not complaining.

bizzy592

mrsdee15 said:

Wagamama (ramen place, I still can't replace it).

Wagamama has many locations in the States - you don't have to replace it!!

bizzy592

Ugh, strike that. There are 4 in Boston, so I've been assuming it was more widespread.

lovemesomemonster

hellosweetie1015 said:

lovemesomemonster said:

For London, if you have a car getting out of London it's awesome, Oxford was my favorite to visit and the castle there is pretty neat (could have spent an entire week there). If you like Harry Potter (or even if you don't) the studio is really cool to see, I took someone who hasn't even read the books and she even had a great time. 

The Harry Potter stuff is the ONLY thing I really wanted to see in London. Literally. Like, I just wanted to see Platform 9 3/4 and the studios. Desperately.

Didn't get to, of course. We had 4 days in London and 3 in Paris, and didn't get to see ANYTHING, it felt like. We saw the Changing of the Guard and did the Eye and had a Hop-on-hop-off. But I just felt like the 4/3 split wasn't enough with the number of people we had. 

Just means I get to go back eventually though! So I'm not complaining.

You MUST go back and do HP! The studio was life changing! I also did a walking tour through London where they took you to a bunch of places they filmed which was really neat, you got to see a lot of the tourist sites but it had the HP twist and ended at platform 9 3/4. I heard from family over there that they are bringing in the Hogwarts Express to the studio tour this year so i have to get back there!!!