European Passporters, I need your help please About This Page:

[Lumieregirl]

I'm planning a trip for summer 2015. The total trip will be 12-14 days. The basic idea is to spend a few days in Ireland first, then fly to London, then train to Paris, and fly home. I have 3 specific questions:

1) Logistics: It's intutitive to go to Ireland first and keep heading east - to London, then Paris. However should I open up my mind to the reverse of that, or even London first and criss-crossing? Is there any advantage to flying into or out of any of the three vs. another? In terms of getting from one to the other, should I consider other options, or does this order work fine probably?

2) Timing: We can go anywhere from 3rd week of June to the 3rd week of August. We're 2 adults traveling without children, and want to be sure things will be open but avoid the worst of crowds. We aren't worried at all about heat because everywhere we are going will be significantly cooler than it'll be here.
Is there a certain month or chunk of time we should aim for or avoid?

3) We plan to visit DLP and I'd planned on using my DVC points to stay onsite until I saw the points chart . I'm ordering the DLP Passporter. In order to spend 1-2 days at DLP and 2 in Paris, should we choose a hotel near DLP, then switch to one in Paris, or choose one hotel mid-way and stay there the entire time?

TIA for your help.

[chezp]

Let me see what I can do to help...

Firstly, your logistics. I'd look at flying into and out of London. Heathrow is one of the biggest airports in the world and therefore you're more likely to a) find direct flights there and b) find well priced flights. From what I can see from your location, NYC might be an option for you - that route into London is always competitive and you can usually find good prices on it. From London, you can then easily get to Paris on the Eurostar train and I'm guessing Ireland, although never having been there, apart from Northern Ireland and a day in Dublin, I'm not an expert on that.

As far as timing goes, I'd go for late June. The school holidays in the UK start in the third week of July and run until the beginning of September, so things are always really busy during that time - not just in London, but at Disneyland Paris too, as the British are by far the biggest visitors there. Also, as soon as the school holidays start, flight prices go through the roof, as that's when the travel industry makes its money. Prices can easily triple during this period.

With Paris, I'd pick a hotel in Paris that's got easy access to the RER A line, as that's the one you'd take to DLP. It's about 40 minutes from the centre of Paris to DLP. If you want to stay near DLP, look for hotels near the Val d'Europe or Bussy Saint-Georges, then you're only a couple of stops away. We've stayed at the Golden Tulip Marne La Vallee in Bussy Saint-Georges and Hotel l'Elysee Val d'Europe, both of which meet that criteria and we were satisfied with them.

As you say, you can swap between hotels and that's another option, which might work. I guess it depends how much luggage you'll have and how happy you are moving around. Personally it wouldn't bother us, but as you'll probably be taking the train, there could be a lot of lugging suitcases around with you - something to bear in mind.

with your planning and keep us updated - as hopefully we can meet up while you're in London!

[Disneybine]

While I can't help with Ireland, I agree with Chez that flying into London should work best. You might get a good deal flying back home from CDG airport in Paris.

To get from London to Paris, take the Eurostar train - fastest and easiest way!

For DLP, I'd go with an on-site Disney hotel for 2 or 3 nights as all of them (except for the Davy Crockett Ranch) are within walking distance of the parks, making touring so much easier.

Try to visit DLP during the week rather than on a weekend. In the summer, DLP will be crazy busy on the weekends. Crowds are usually lowest Tuesday thru Thursday.

I'd go to the city of Paris last and pick a hotel somewhere in the center. From there, it'll be easy to get to the airport or back to London from there.

Hope this helps! I'll be happy to help if you have any further questions!

[Lumieregirl]

Thanks so much! We've already made some itinerary changes based on this advice. And yes, Cheryl, I was hoping we could meet up with you and Mark during our time in London. Somehow your WDW visits don't want to align with mine.


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[chezp]

Originally Posted by Lumieregirl

Thanks so much! We've already made some itinerary changes based on this advice. And yes, Cheryl, I was hoping we could meet up with you and Mark during our time in London. Somehow your WDW visits don't want to align with mine.

I know - that's the case with so many people. After Feb/March next year, we won't be back at WDW until spring 2016.

[KimmyAnn1147]

Not a European, but did live in Belgium for 9 summers, heading over in the Spring and back to the US each fall.

1 word. OK, 2. Ryan Air. and Aer Lingus. Check both these companies.

I often flew into Dublin and then transferred to another airline to get to the continent. This was often the very cheapest way to travel.

At other times, Paris was cheapest. And occasionally we flew into Amsterdam. There is a bullet-type train from Paris to Amsterdam, stopping in Belgium along the way, and it is SUPER FAST.

With Ryan Air you can often get very cheap hops around Europe, but they fly out of "off" airports, meaning more on-the-ground travel. They also have strict and expensive baggage policies, so might not be for you.

I agree with the suggestion of staying in the center of Paris if possible. It's nice to be immersed in the cultural and historic center, you will have no problems getting over to Disney when it's time.

[KimmyAnn1147]

Oh yes, all of France goes on vacation at the same time meaning that basically the entire country shuts down. That will be some time in August, so find out when France's summer vacation time is and AVOID it.

[Lumieregirl]

Thanks for the detail! I was just tinkering with these plans last night. I appreciate the input. And I'll pop back in and let y'all know how it plays out.


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[Thomhazel]

Originally Posted by KimmyAnn1147

Oh yes, all of France goes on vacation at the same time meaning that basically the entire country shuts down. That will be some time in August, so find out when France's summer vacation time is and AVOID it.

That doesn't really apply to Paris as it is full of tourists year round. Paris most certainly does not shut down in the slightest. Only reason to Avoid the summer would be crowds.