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Originally posted by rach@Oct 11 2005, 09:22 AM
1. In London & Paris where are the best districts to stay (hostel or hotel)? doesn't matter, i'm not sure how low bugget we are going to go with staying places.... one close to good sites and/or good access to tubs and transport
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ok. it depends on what you want and how old you are. Im guessing you're twenty somethings, and that implies a party spirit and poverty. So I would reccommend staying at a youth hostel. Make your reservations ASAP or you wont get any anywhere. And also bear in mind that the nights of the 30 and 31st are something like three and four times the usual rate. Go to
www.travelpunk.com and do a search through the hostel search engine. Im looking at it right now, and from the ones listed I would highly reccommend staying at St. Christopher's Shepard's Bush in London. Shep's Bush is a great place to party, and the price seems fair. St. Chris' is pretty decent all around. It's not exactly dead center of the city, but its still a great location and easily accessable. I dont know much about staying in Paris.
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2. How long is the London/Paris train ride?
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The Chunnel is about 3 hours long, and again, if you want to get a decent price and know precisely when you want to go, BUY YOUR TICKETS AHEAD OF TIME. You can book online at
www.eurostar.com Right now I'm looking at it for the 30th December, and its pretty steep, the cheapest is about $120, and thats the youth rate. You could also go the bus/ferry route (check out
www.euroline.com) but that is a really long process and you have very limited time.
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3. Since it will be around Dec 26/27 to Jan 2/3 I was wondering what would be good to wear, or take clothes wise?
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You should be fine in jeans/trousers/skirt and stockings, a shirt, a jumper, and an overcoat. I get cold easily so I had scarves and hats and gloves too. You can, of course, buy that sort of small thing there and then have it as a souvenir.
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4. If you stay in a cheaper hotel/hostel is it safe to leave your baggage and stuff in your room (myabe this is a stupid question)?
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If you leave it in your room and someone nicks it, dont blame the hostel, its not their fault. most hostels have lockers, I'd just get one of those, since its the holiday season and there's scads of people coming in and out of those places all the time. Generally people wont mess with your stuff, but holidays do breed theft.
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5. Should you carry your passport with you, or just a copy? and leave the real thing in a safe or your room?
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leave a copy of your passports at home with your parents/ good friends in case you lose your passport, and I keep a copy in each of my bags too. It makes it that much easier to replace should something happen. I didnt usually carry my passport on me, I felt that it was more likely that my purse would be snatched than my belongings rifled through. And then, if you have a locker, you'll be apples.
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7. We'd like to see Stomhenge in UK and Normaday (Omaha Beach) in France, I was wondering if anyone has been and about how long or a trip would it be, or is it out of the way?
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That sounds like a lot to get accomplished on top of new years eve and travelling between paris and london. Stonehenge would probably be more do-able, I went twice and would have to say go for it. Beware though, its kind of hard to get to unless you take a day tour or you rent a car. If you take a tour you have the added bonus of a knowledgeable guide and free admission, as well as a chance to see a few other things during the day. Also, its cold as shit on the plain, dress extra warmly. I was there last may and still froze my ass off.
http://www.goldentours.co.uk/tour.php?12 is a good company, really amazing, I took that tour. Bath is gorgeous and Salisbury cathedral is worth seeing if you have even the remotest interest.
http://www.astraltravels.co.uk/uk-london-t...arthur_tour.htm Astral was a better tour company I think, the groups were smaller and you could wander about more. I took the magic and mystery one, glastonbury is quite gorgeous. Its a bit pricey though, I had my tours comp'd because I was working at a hostel... There's also a budget tour group that leaves from one of the hostels in bayswater every sunday, they're only 15 pounds per person. Anyone know of them? I'll try to remember it.
I hope that kind of helps. If you have any other questions I'll try to answer you back.