London & Paris · United Kingdom & France
London and Paris in Four Unhurried Days
Two days of British design and two of French light, with the tunnel in between.
7 min read · Updated September 2026
London and Paris are two and a half hours apart, which makes a single trip across both entirely reasonable — provided you resist the urge to see everything in either.
Give each city one great museum, one long dinner and one slow morning. That is genuinely enough.
Day 1 — London, Mayfair and the South Bank
14:00 · Stay
Claridge'sThe Art Deco foyer is worth arriving early for, even before your room is ready.
Day 2 — London, nose to tail
13:00 · Eat
St. JOHNOrder the bone marrow and a plate of whatever is on the blackboard; book ahead for lunch.
Day 3 — Paris, arrival afternoon
16:00 · Stay
Le MeuriceTrains arrive at Gare du Nord; it is a fifteen-minute taxi to the Rue de Rivoli.
Day 4 — Paris, one museum well
10:00 · Do
Musée d'OrsayPre-booked opening entry, top floor first, then coffee behind the clock face.
Know before you go
- — Check passport and entry requirements for both countries well before travel.
- — Arrive at the international terminal at least an hour ahead — it is not a domestic train.
- — London restaurants often release cancellations at 10:00; it is worth checking the morning of.