Where to go after Paris?

Question

I'm going to be in Paris for a few days, but I don't know whether Amsterdam or London would be a better choice after that. I'm also looking for cheap means of travel. Any ideas?

Answer 1

No one can answer this question for you. In my opinion both cities are worth visiting (although I have a slight preference for London myself). They are both interesting and fun (and almost everyone speaks perfect English in Amsterdam so language won't be an issue in either place).

In terms of practicality:

- trains to London take 2hrs15 / direct trains to Amsterdam 4hrs11. Both leave from the Gare du Nord train station and have direct trains all day.

- the price of the train ticket will depend on your travel date. On some days it is cheaper to go to Amsterdam and on others cheaper to London (between 50 euros and 240 euros). The earlier you book the better deals you can get. There are buses too but you'd be wasting a whole day in transportation unless you can get a night bus (actually not a bad idea, I just checked and they have one leaving at 11 pm and arriving at 6:30 am so you'd be saving money on a hotel room too).

http://www.eurostar.com/dynamic/_SvBoExp...

http://www.tgv-europe.com/index.html

http://www.eurolines.fr/

- accomodation is generally cheaper in Amsterdam but it's easy to find nice rooms in London for the equivalent of 60 euros/night so there isn't a major difference in price.

http://www.hydeparkrooms.com/

Answer 2

Amsterdam and London are both great cities but I think you should choose Amsterdam.

Hotels in both cities are expensive but London is the more expensive.

Amsterdam is a fairly compact city while London is huge and quite apread out. For a short visit, Amsterdam is easier to figure out and navigate.

The Dutch are some of the friendliest people on Earth (this is not to cast aspersions on the English).

If you've never had Indonesian food then you've missed something really good. and short of travel to Indonesia, Amsterdam is the place to have it. Go have a Rijsttafel, an Indonesian meal of 12-30  different dishes, its fabulous. Here's the website of my favorite Indonesian restaurant in Amsterdam. Take a look and see what I mean: http://www.purimas.nl/rijsttafel.htm

Even if you don't smoke weed, its nice to know you can walk into and one of hundreds of "coffeehouses" and order it right off the menu.

The nightlife in Amsterdam is stunning. Loads of clubs of every type with a heavy orientation to the young and the rocking.

As to how to get there cheaply, the answer is Eurolines bus. Last October, by booking far in advance, I went from Amsterdam to Paris for 9 euros. The bus is only a slightly longer ride than the train and quite comfortable. https://webapp.eurolines.nl/eurolines/ss...

Answer 3

If you are into pubs, clubs, crowded streets go to Amsterdam.

If you into museums, monuments, go to London.

They both offer some of each, but I would put it in that order.

By the way, it would be much easier and cheaper to get to Amsterdam.

Answer 4

Definitely Southern France.  It has beautiful countryside, castle, and cities.  After that, you can visit Monaco, Spain, Italy.  Those are all the attractive places.

Answer 5

One quick way to roughly compare expenses between two cities is to look at the US State Dept web site and see what the allowance is for each city. Expenses are maximum for hotel (including tax) and for daily meals and expenses.

Amsterdam $250 hotel  $181 meals and expenses

London         $354 hotel  $181 meals and expenses

So in the opinion of the State Dept. you should have to pay more than 40% more for an equivalent hotel room,but meals should be comparable.

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Of course it's much quicker to go from Paris to London, then from Paris to Amsterdam.