Next summer is my fifth wedding anniversary.  My wife and I would very
much like to travel to Europe(we're in the US), specifically to London
and Paris.  In theory, I would like it to be during either Roland
Garros or Wimbledon, but that is not a deal breaker.  Our only
concrete plans for our time there would be to see the British Museum
and the Louvre.  I'm not entirely sure what I am asking for, but
something like this:

Any help, suggestions, ideas of things to do, ways to save money
(that's a big one!), ways to come across tickets to Wimbledon or
Roland Garros (without buying an insanely expensive "package"), or any
other comments that come to mind would be great!  As far as an answer
is concerned, helpful travel websites ergarding those 2 cities would
be great.  Also, we are not necessarily committed to staying in the
city.  For example, we would love to spend a day in the French
countryside or travel out from London to see Stonehedge.

I know it's an open ended question, but I appreciate any help from
researchers and commentors!

---

Clarification of Question by tnsdan-ga on 21 Oct 2004 10:40 PDT

Omnivorous-

Thanks for your very thorough suggestions!  I know the question was
very open ended, so please feel free to post your findings as an
answer.  I appreciate your help!

dan

Tnsdan --

Rather than post the comments as an Answer, I thought that I'd try to
expand on those comments.

Regarding saving money:
*  they call Paris the "City of Lights" but it could also be called
the "City of Museums," as there are more than 100 of them.  Many are
highly-specialized in certain genres of art.  The Paris Museum pass is
highly recommended, partly just to bypass the lines that you'll find
at the most-popular:
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/paris_museum_pass.htm

*  the London and Paris subways are both convenient and very popular
and there are ticket plans that reduce the cost of a ride.  Both go
everywhere, though in London the Tube shuts down around midnight.

*  the French are big on sit-down dining, even teaching proper dining
habits in schools.  We had a French student here a couple of years ago
and he felt that it was barbaric that we Americans would grab a
sandwich and eat in the car.  Also, the casual meal for us (lunch) is
the more-formal of French meals.  So prepare to pique-nique with
baguettes, cheese and sausages.  But also be prepared to buy the
bread, cheese and sausage at different stores (though the French
increasingly have adopted the super-marché concept).  Pack a pocket
knife and a corkscrew in the luggage.

* be aware that Europeans use the Value-Added Tax (VAT) as a kind of
consumption tax -- but that on major purchases foreigners can reclaim
the VAT.  What's eligible is always changing, so you'll want to be
up-to-date on that but it will certainly include items like crystal,
porcelain, jewelry, perfume.

* Paris and London both have shopping districts which specialize in
certain types of consumables (porcelain, clothing, artwork, crystal,
perfume).  They're worth seeking out, even if sometimes they're in
older sectors of the city.  The place to shop in Paris for crystal
used to be around the old Baccarat offices; it may still be.  Baccarat
made a move to modernize its image by putting a new museum closer to
the Champs-Elysées and it's supposed to be very nice:
http://www.leclubparis.com/english/shopping/articles/baccarat/article.asp

*  wine is inexpensive in France.  Alcoholic beverages can be -- but
shop carefully.  You may find an airport duty free shop far less
expensive for Calvados than you'll find it in Brittany, the source for
most of the apple brandy.

*  clothing is expensive in both countries, at least by American standards.

I can't make good recommendations for either Wimbledon or the French
Open, as both are popular and probably already pre-subscribed.  
That's where the forums at the two travel sites may help . . .  or a
work contact with associates in London or Paris.

Finally, try not to travel too much.  Both cities could absorb a week
apiece.  But people in the countryside are wonderful and much easier
to approach.

If I had a choice, I'd rent a car in France and travel to the Normandy
beaches.  Then I'd wend my way towards St. Malo and Mount St. Michel,
spending a night in that part of Brittany.  The Normandy and Brittany
coasts are a lot like the coast of Maine or the coasts of Washington
and Oregon, so the time of year will be important in your selection.

Bon voyage,

Omnivorous-GA

Omnivorous-
Merci beaucoup pour votre assistance!
et
Thank you for your help!

We plan on having a wonderful time and I will update you on what we end up doing:)

The news:rec.travel.europe newsgroup will have plenty of information,
if you will search its archives.

Stonehenge is a little far from London for a day trip, especially if
you rely on public transport (although it is a regular trip for bus
tours), but you could make a very nice excursion driving from London
via Stonehenge to Bath (overnight for two or three nights), then
returning via Avebury. Bath is easily reached by train from London.

Owain

TNSDan --

Two great cities, though both are expensive, particularly when it
comes to hotel rooms.

I'd start by planning where to stay around the transportation.  The
Tube connects well to London Heathrow, so that can be just about
anything that's a short walk from the Underground stations:
http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/content/tubemap/default.asp

Myself, I prefer the Knightsbridge/South Kensington area because of
the proximity to the Victoria and Albert Museum, as well as Harrods
and the High Street shops.

In Paris, a lot depends on whether you're coming into Charles de
Gaulle (called Roissy by the locals due its location) or Orly.  Orly
has good train transportation into the city; from CDG you're probably
taking the Air France bus, which leaves every 15 minutes.  It stops at
3 locations -- our favorite being the Arc de Triomphe, called Etoile
or Place Charles de Gaulle by the Parisians.  There will be taxis
there, if you're traveling heavy, but many large and small hotels
nearby along the Champs-Elysee.

I generally don't drive in the U.K.  However, I've rented cars on
every trip to France and, while expensive, driving in France is very
similar to driving in the U.S.  Parking is difficult in Paris, so the
best advice is to rent and LEAVE.

Some good travel sites for details:

Lonely Planet -- in particular see the Thorn Tree forums
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/

Rick Steves -- again the forums are wonderful (Graffiti Wall)
http://www.ricksteves.com/home.htm

Both Rick Steves and Lonely Planet also have good travel guides, but
for printed guides the Dorling Kindersley guides are superior in
detail, drawings -- and in particular the 3D maps that really give you
an idea of where you are:
http://uk.dk.com/static/cs/uk/11/travel/intro.html

Rick Steves' recommendation for Paris is Rue Cler, as it has shops
that are a reflection of French food shopping.  However, while
well-intentioned, the popularity of Steves' PBS series has resulted in
the street being overpopulated by Americans:
http://www.ricksteves.com/news/0208/ruecler.htm

A special Paris experience that we WOULD recommend is to consider one
of the Cordon Bleu short courses.  They include one-day trips to
Parisian markets in the "Life in Paris" series, but also 3-day and
one-week classes in specialties of French cooking:
http://www.lcbparis.com/English/cm2.cfm?fid=92&sid=83&lang=4

Finally, there have been many questions on Google Answers about
aspects of Paris or London.  Using the search on this page will search
only the GA database.  Here's one example that two of us recently
collaborated on: a search for historic Russian locations in Paris:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=400574

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

Tnsdan --

The New York Times has started to aggregate its travel information and
the Paris pages are really pretty good.  Being on a variety of
contemporary topics, they cover a wide range of interests:
http://travel2.nytimes.com/top/features/travel/destinations/europe/france/paris/guide.html?8dpc

And, of course, they've done the same for London and other U.K. locales:
http://travel2.nytimes.com/top/features/travel/destinations/europe/guide.html

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA