Realistic London/ Paris/ Rome in 7 days?

Hi ----

Would you consider this a realistic plan:

London - 2 full days for Westminster Abbey, National Museum, Harrod%26#39;s, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben

Paris - 3 full days (got this all figured out to the last minute)

Rome - 2 full days for Vatican City and Rome%26#39;s major sights.......

Thanks in advance

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You will need a vacation after you get back from your vacation.

Don%26#39;t stress yourself out. Do one city at a time.

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You%26#39;re probably right, Pixfield :)

I%26#39;d have a hard time going back over the Atlantic and skipping Paris, though.......

Maybe I should cut it down to 2 cities instead of 3....

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Well, we went to London a few years ago for 7 days and it was barely enough time.

We%26#39;ll be going to Paris next month and we%26#39;ll have 5 and a half days and I suspect it won%26#39;t be enough.

No, I wouldn%26#39;t think it%26#39;s at all realistic and this is from someone who likes to cram a lot in!

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I think you need to plan a bit more in-depth. When are you coming? What is the %26#39;National Museum%26#39;? What do you mean by %26#39;Big Ben%26#39;? (It%26#39;s a bell and not accessible.) Buckingham Palace is only open a few months a year and it%26#39;s nothing to look at through the railings from outside.

Come over to the London Forum for lots of London goodness.

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Having been to all three (separately) I think they each deserve their own week. Also not real keen on planning any trip down to the minute--it leaves little time for discovery and spontaneous behavior.

But I realize it%26#39;s a long, expensive trip and we Americans seem to have more limited vacation time than some others, and we want to fit it all in. Are two days in Rome (etc) better than none? Only you can answer that.

Here is the approach we have come to use when planning trips; it%26#39;s similar to advice one might get when packing. It is suggested to pack a couple weeks to a month before your trip, and then before you go, remove half of what you packed.

We do the same now for %26quot;touring.%26quot; We make a list of must-sees and want-to-sees and will-sees-if-we-have-the-chance, and a few weeks before our trip, we ruhtlessly eliminate half our list (and often surprise ourselves at what we are willing to let go). Yes it%26#39;s hard to do, but our trips have become both more focused and more relaxing.

I do not dismiss those who love whirlwind travel--some thrive on the adrenalin rush and constant motion--it%26#39;s a personal choice. And perhaps you are much younger than we are! LOL

Also, just a thought here: the time of year you go makes a difference too, in so far as having long days vs shorter daylight hours.

Whatever you decide, I%26#39;m sure you will have a great time!

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I think it also depends on your travelling style as well. The last 2 times i went to Paris, I could only handle 3 full days. But then again, I am like that with any place. I need to keep moving.

The last time i went to Paris, my boyfriend and I flew from Edmonton to Montreal to Paris, in 24 hours. We got to Paris early in the morning and did not sleep, but we got there, and spent the next 3 full days wandering around Paris. We went to see Sacre Coeur, the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and the Catacombs and a boat ride on the Seine, a late night at a latin club one night, and a late night drinking wine on the steps of Sacre Coeur another night.

The next day, we took the Eurostar to London for a day trip and took the hop on and hop off tour, and spent a few hours exploring London by train.

Even though we did not feel rushed at all, we slept all the way home.

I think, if you are up to it, i think you could do 2 cities. but again it depends on what you like, and how you like to travel. I was able to pack alot in my 3 days, but i tend to go to Paris and London and think, I will come back, it only wets my appetite for more.

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Thanks for the great input........

October of this year........ but I keep changing my mind ---- first it was a quick trip within the U.S. in June, then to Ireland for a week; now I%26#39;m thinking I need to save up more money, and put this all off until March or April 2010..........

jdbri---- Do you have a museum in London at Trafalgar Square? I thought it was called the National Museum ---- silly American :)

I%26#39;ll hop over to the London forum..... Thanks ;)

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The National *Gallery*

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%26gt; Do you have a museum in London at Trafalgar Square? %26lt;

Yup, as previous poster said it%26#39;s the National Gallery. There%26#39;s also the National Portrait Gallery next door to it.

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This itinerary of yours sounds pretty tough to do. We are also doing 3 cities (London, Edinburgh, Paris) but we are planning to be gone for 18 days including travel days so that we have enough time to sightsee and take day trips into the countryside. As it is, our itinerary feels pretty jammed so I cannot imagine seriously doing all that in only 7 days IMHO. I guess it could be done but you may miss out on a lot of things that you didn%26#39;t realize you wanted to see once you actually get to your destinations.