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's
The Art Deco foyer is worth arriving early for, even before your room is ready.
16:30 · Do
Tate Modern
The upper-level terrace has the best free view of St Paul's in the city.

Day 2 — London, nose to tail

13:00 · Eat
St. JOHN
Order 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 Meurice
Trains arrive at Gare du Nord; it is a fifteen-minute taxi to the Rue de Rivoli.
20:00 · Eat
Septime
Tables open three weeks ahead at 10:00 Paris time and go within minutes.

Day 4 — Paris, one museum well

10:00 · Do
Musée d'Orsay
Pre-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.