Two countries separated by a minute stretch of water, England and France are almost side-by-side. Despite a chequered history between the two countries, each is as rich and diverse as the other. Two capitals joined by a single train line, but which is the fairer of the two?
While Paris has the baguette, London has the doorstop sandwich. Where London has Big Ben, Paris has the Eiffel Tower.
Paris is known as the City of Light and is officially recognised as the world’s most romantic city.
Start your trip to this beautiful area with some pre-booked AttractionTix, where you will find all the magic of the USA’s premium theme park waiting for you in Paris. Wild rides, your favourite characters and so on – a trip to Paris without seeing Eurodisney would be like a trip to the beach without dipping your toe in.
Listing Paris’s great museums and galleries is like creating a world-leading group of cultural institutions – the Musee D’Orsay, the Louvre, Notre Dame… But often the essence of a city is to be found in exploring the streets. And from the alleyways along the banks of the Seine to the winding paths of Montmartre, Paris is certainly picturesque.
Why not try the climb up to Sacré Coeur and enjoy the beautiful views of the city? At 130 metres high, the sights are spectacular. But if you’re more interested in boutique views than city panoramas, head down to Les Halles. From there you can explore some of the best shopping streets Paris has to offer before making your way onto the grand boulevard of the Champs Élysées where designer stores meet macaroon shops and the famous Parisian café culture.
If you decide to visit London, you should buy some London Eye tickets for the views, head to Bond Street for the designer stores, and take a trip down to the South Bank for refined riverside culture and entertainment.
If possible, it seems London has grown even more diverse in the past five years. There really is something for everybody in England’s capital. The food market at Borough, the antiques of Bermondsey and the new pop-up dining scene are major attractions that bring tourists in their thousands to London every day.
It has cultural institutions of its own to shout about, too. Take the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, all within a stone’s throw of each other in the heart of South Kensington. Each is a day out in itself.
And yet again, there is much to be said for exploring a city, and the quiet streets and mews of Mayfair and Chelsea are the perfect places to get lost for an hour or two.
Both London and Paris have their qualities, foibles and mysteries that make them unique. Despite French officials themselves claiming that London was a superior city as reported in the Evening Standard in 2010, you and I know that each has its own appealing je ne sais quoi.
Follow itravelnet.com