My daughter and I in the courtyard of the Palace of Versailles, one of our day trips from Paris.
We did not rent a car, and we never needed one. In the summer of 2025, my daughter and I spent three weeks in England and France, getting around by train, Tube, bus, riverboat and on foot, before she left for college.
Along the way we ate lunch beside a marina, climbed a hill for a picnic dinner, had cream tea with a view of the Palm House at Kew, and watched the Eiffel Tower light up from the water on our last night in Paris. I am a travel advisor based in Mammoth Lakes, California, and this is the London and Paris itinerary I would hand to any client who wants both cities in one trip, with a few countryside stops along the way.
Why London and Paris Work So Well by Train
Both cities were built around public transit, and the Eurostar connects them in about two and a half hours, city center to city center. There is no parking to find and no driving on the left to figure out.
Trains also make the countryside easy to include. Winchester is a short ride from London, and Giverny is a train and shuttle ride from Paris, so you can add a small town or a famous garden without renting a car.
Apart from rides from my cousins, who picked us up at the airport, drove us to Winchester and took us to Richmond Park, we did not take a single taxi. We stayed in central locations where the sights were either close by or near public transit, so the train, Tube, bus or a walk was almost always faster than a taxi would have been.
When to Go
We traveled in July. The days were long, which gave us time for evening plans like a picnic dinner on St Catherine's Hill and a river cruise timed to the Eiffel Tower lighting up. It was also hot and crowded. We ordered rechargeable mist fans, and they were a lifesaver, especially on the buses. We had to be strategic about when we visited popular places, which is why Kew Gardens became one of my favorite days. We went first thing on a Monday morning and never felt it was busy.
If you would rather have crisper weather and smaller crowds, I recommend the shoulder season, which for London and Paris I would put at any time outside June through August. March through May is especially pretty, with spring flowers in bloom. My Shoulder Season Guide covers how to travel smarter outside the peak summer months.
Where to Stay and What to Do, Region by Region
Here is how we split our three weeks, with the stops I would keep for a first trip. A note on lodging: we stayed with family for much of this trip and in a comfortable aparthotel for part of it, which is not how I would plan your stay. For clients I choose lodging by location first, so the sights are close by or near public transit.
Winchester, the New Forest and Lymington
Winchester Cathedral, one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, is a short train ride from London.
We started in Hampshire, staying with my cousin near Southampton and taking day trips from there. Southampton is not where I would base clients, so I would stay in Winchester instead, which is a short train ride from London. On our first full day, we took the train to Brockenhurst in the New Forest, where we walked woodland trails and met ponies grazing in the shade.
Exploring the New Forest on our first full day.
A New Forest pony grazing in the shade.
From there we walked to Lymington, explored the town and had a delightful lunch along the marina, then took the train back.
Lunch along the marina in Lymington.
My cousin drove us to Winchester for the day. We did not plan to spend long at the cathedral, but we were surprised by how easily we got lost wandering inside. At one point someone was even having an organ lesson while we wandered through, and the guides were eager to tell us about everything the cathedral has been through. Afterward we walked along the River Itchen and cooled our feet in the water, then climbed St Catherine's Hill with my cousin and her kids for a picnic dinner. She is the same cousin I climbed it with when I was eight.
The view from St Catherine's Hill before our picnic dinner.
If you go, the cathedral is the main event, and Jane Austen is buried inside. Walk the River Itchen path afterward, wander the High Street, and see the Great Hall, where the Round Table hangs on the wall.
For lodging in Winchester, I recommend The Winchester Hotel and Spa. The rooms have air conditioning, which is worth having if you travel in July like we did, and it is a short walk from both the train station and the High Street. It also has a spa, which is a nice way to end a day of walking.
The River Itchen path winds through town and makes an easy walk after the cathedral.
Richmond
The Temperate House at Kew Gardens, seen from above in winter.
Richmond is worth two day trips from central London, and it is a pretty short Tube ride. Give one day to Richmond Park and the high street, and another to Kew Gardens. It has Georgian houses, a village green and the Thames. We stayed here for four days, but I would base clients in central London and take the Tube out. From Richmond, we also made a day trip to the Natural History Museum in South Kensington.
My cousin in Richmond gave us a ride to Richmond Park. If you are not up for a bus adventure, this is one exception where a taxi might make sense. Take one up to the park, then walk back into town, which is all downhill. We explored Richmond Park, including the Isabella Plantation, and had the most delicious roast lunch at Pembroke Lodge, with a gorgeous view. We walked the high street and had fun trying on funny British hats, and we found the best gelato on a hot day. Fans of Ted Lasso will want to visit the Ted Lasso Store and The Prince's Head, the pub on Richmond Green that appears in the show as the Crown and Anchor. It was crowded when we stopped by, so we skipped the pint.
The Thames winding through the trees, seen from Richmond Hill.
The locker room display inside the Ted Lasso Store.
The Prince's Head on Richmond Green, the pub that appears in Ted Lasso as the Crown and Anchor.
Kew Gardens deserves a full day. We went first thing on a Monday morning, so the glasshouses felt peaceful. They were my favorite part. We ate a picnic lunch of charcuterie and fresh fruit under a large shaded tree while we watched the wildlife around us, and we ended the day with cream tea and a view of the Palm House. The glasshouses alone are worth the ticket. If you go between March and May, the rhododendrons are in bloom. We booked our tickets the day before.
Giant lily pads inside the Kew glasshouses.
Central London
The Tower of London and Tower Bridge, seen from The Garden at 120, a rooftop garden in the City.
In central London, we covered the British Museum, Tate Modern, and a canal boat ride from Camden Lock toward Regent's Park. The National Gallery, which is free, was our absolute favorite, and we went twice. We watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, had a cream tea near Kensington Gardens before walking the grounds, and picnicked and meandered through the many parks. We also visited The Garden at 120, a rooftop garden in the City with views over the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, visited Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross, and took a ferry down the Thames to spend a day in Greenwich.
The view from Greenwich Park, with the Old Royal Naval College and the London skyline behind us.
For a theater evening, we wandered through Chinatown and all the shops in the theater district, including the Lego Store and the Lindt store, where we had the most amazing hot cocoa and went a little nuts making our own chocolate gift bags. Dinner was at a fantastic American restaurant, Dirty Bones in Soho, which is ironic, I know, and then we saw Oliver! at the Gielgud Theatre.
For a first trip to London, I would choose The Trafalgar St. James. The location lets you walk to the big sights, and the room size makes a long trip more comfortable. If your group loves museums and a cozy hotel bar, The Bloomsbury is a lovely alternative. For a more elevated stay, I recommend The Savoy, on the Strand. It is a short walk to Covent Garden, the theaters and the river.
Paris
The Louvre.
We took the train from London to Paris on a travel day, then gave ourselves rest days in the city so we were not rushing from one sight to the next. We did not go inside the Louvre. I knew it would be packed, so we never planned to. A brief rainstorm caught us right outside, and once we came out from cover, we got to enjoy the exterior. If you want to go inside, I would book a small group, late-entry tour when the crowds are lighter. We did walk through Notre-Dame, where the rose window is stunning, but it was packed inside and we did not have time to get lost the way we did at Winchester Cathedral. In peak season, I would enjoy it from the outside.
Caught in a brief rainstorm right outside the Louvre, waiting it out under the arcade.
A stained glass rose window inside Notre-Dame.
We also spent a day at Disneyland Paris, which my daughter and I both loved. It felt familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Getting there by train was easy: you follow the Mickey Mouse ears to find the right platform. When you arrive, you are surrounded by trees as far as you can see, not in the middle of a massive city like Anaheim, and everything in the park was incredibly green. I thought it was more beautiful than the original Disneyland. Big Thunder Mountain was one of our biggest highlights. It is nothing like the one in California, much less tame and quite fast. For the middle of July, the crowds were manageable, and we did not need Disney Premier Access, the paid line-skipping option. The cast members were not nearly as patient as the ones in Anaheim, though, and asking to wait for the front seats on rides like Pirates of the Caribbean got us some annoyed employees. Smoking is allowed in designated areas of the park, so if you are sensitive to smoke, check the park map. The day was also a welcome break from my terrible French, since most things there were in English.
One tip about the evening: at Disneyland in California, Fantasyland is magical at night and tends to clear out during the fireworks, so lines are more manageable. When we were in Paris, Fantasyland was cleared out at sunset, so we did not get to enjoy the beautiful lights. We were lucky to be there at closing and got the last carousel ride before they cleared the area, which is how we got a castle photo with no crowds. If you want that photo, plan to be in Fantasyland as it closes.
Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland Paris, one of our biggest highlights.
For lodging in Paris, I recommend Hotel Bleu de Grenelle in the 15th arrondissement, about a one-minute walk from La Motte-Picquet Grenelle, a Metro station on lines 6, 8 and 10. For a more elevated stay, I recommend the Kimpton St Honoré, in a 1917 Art Nouveau building near the Palais Garnier in the 9th arrondissement.
Giverny and Versailles
Monet's pink house with its green shutters and steps, surrounded by flowers at Giverny.
One day trip took us to Giverny, where Monet's gardens look almost exactly like the paintings. We took the train from Paris and then a shuttle to the gardens.
The water lily pond in Monet's gardens at Giverny.
Versailles took a full day, and it was very crowded. If you go in summer, I would only recommend the gardens, which are big enough to absorb the crowds, and save the palace for shoulder season. Go early either way.
The formal gardens at Versailles.
One of the gilded halls inside Versailles.
After fighting the crowds in the palace, we were starving. Rather than head back to Paris and figure out dinner, we wandered the streets of the town and chose a spot right near the castle, Le Saint Claire, a brasserie and pizzeria on Rue de Satory. The pasta there, in a wild mushroom cream sauce, is one we still talk about, and it was delicious with my rosé.
Our Last Night in Paris
The Eiffel Tower lit up after dark, our last night in Paris.
On our last night in Paris, we timed a river cruise so we were on the water right as the Eiffel Tower lit up. It was crowded, and being first to arrive did not mean we were first to board. It was still fun. Afterward we bought crepes from a cart and ate them across the river while the tower did its first sparkling light show of the night. Bring euros for the crepe carts, a lesson we learned the hard way. Then we shared a late Italian pizza at a spot we ducked into on a whim, and walked to the base of the tower to watch it sparkle again from directly below. We never went up the tower, but we could see it from many of our outings, and standing underneath it that night was one of the most memorable moments of the trip. If I did it again, I would book a dinner cruise on the Seine, where you can reserve your spot on the boat and the food is excellent. Clients who have done it have raved about the experience.
How to Plan It
Three weeks gave us room to slow down, and two weeks works if you trim some day trips or other outings. I would keep one base for each region, use central London as your London base and give Richmond two day trips, one for Richmond Park and the high street and one for Kew Gardens, build in a rest day or two in Paris, and avoid stacking more than two big sights in a single day.
Check whether the places you want to visit, such as Kew Gardens and Versailles, require advance or timed tickets, and confirm hours, prices and train times on the official sites before you go, because they change.
If you travel in July, pack a rechargeable mist fan. Ours made the buses much more comfortable. Choose lodging in a central spot near public transit so most sights are a short walk or ride away.
A trip like this has a lot of moving parts, including train times, lodging in several places, tickets and rest days. Putting those together is the part I do for clients, so the plan is ready before you leave home.
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