[Twotone]

Thanks for the offer! Our trip is late in the year, starting with a Paris-Normandy-Paris Viking River cruise. We’ll stay an extra day in Paris & then on to London for a few days before going to Edinburgh. Any insights into London you have will be much appreciated. We haven’t selected a hotel yet, but I’ve been looking at options. How difficult is the ‘tube’ to use? We’ll most likely be using it for transport. The hotels I’ve been looking at have easy access to it.

[Cronos]

Hi

• Paris
  • Be prepared for walking and climbing (up the Sacre Coeaur, the Notre Dame, the Arc De Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower
  • be early - you can buy tickets for the Louvre earlier - i've always gone before 8 and was normally in the first five in the queue
  • Plan your Louvre visit - it is a LOT and you can't see it all in one day - if you want to see it all, it will take 5 days easily. You may want to skip the Mona Lisa - I've never gone close to it as there is always a throng of people.
  • Try the local street crepes - delicious
• London:
  • The tube is good between 10 amd and 4 pm - but during the rush hour it is jam packed and if you can avoid it, avoid it at that time
  • The london Eye is cheesy, but worth it for the views
  • Westminster Abbey and the Tower are must-sees
  • A hotel close to a tube station makes sense, but indeed most places in the city center are close by
  • You can avoid Madame Tussauds unless you want to "been there, done that" - but I suggest visiting the Sherlock holmes museum at Baker street
  • I loved to walk along the embankment from the London Eye to the Tower bridge - its nice in the evenings
• Edinburgh - lovely city, but remember, a lot of steps and little streets that are really staircases
• you can take a day bus that will take you to Fort William, loch Ness, Inverness etc. I liked it

Have a fun trip and enjoy!