There are a lot of people that are planning to take a trip to London & Paris. I hope that this will somehow help and it is going to be a loo..ong story, so … And I know that it is all about the money.:)
And don't worry, I feel that it is quite common for a female to travel alone. I have met a few on this trip alone.
FIRST LEG (KL TO LONDON)
I am offering my experience while planning my own trip- which I did in a little over 1 month. I took Air Asia flight to Stanstead which costed me RM3,176.00 for a return flight. To get to London, I took the bus to Victoria Coach Station for GBP10.00 purchased at the National Express counter at the airport. This bus stops at different stops along the way to Victoria Station.
It took me around 2hr 30min to reach Victoria Station. They just dropped us off near the train station. I have a map of the drop off area of the station. But you know how it is, when I'm there, I lost my sense of direction. I had to ask people for the direction to the tube/ train station.
I took a train from Victoria Station before 1am (when the station closes on weekdays or weekend) to King's Cross Station (GBP4.00) where my hostel is located.
There was a bus service that stops at King's Cross Station which I only found out through a travel guide at the airport. My hostel there was Clink 261 (total GBP34.50 which I booked through hostelworld.com and paid GBP4.35 or RM21.87(10% of the rates for booking fees for 2 nights). I'm sorry but I do not recommend people to stay there as there are no heater and hot shower there.
Tips:
- Please book your flight earlier as the price will rise more than RM200+ in just one day. It happened while I was still undecided on which airlines to choose and comparing different airlines fare. It only took me 2 days to make up my mind and booked the airline ticket. I don't regret taking Air Asia as I was really on a budget and could not even afford a couple extra hundreds for MAS/ Emirates.
- Since this is a very long journey from 13hrs-14hrs. I suggest you chose a more comfortable airlines such as MAS or Emirates which stops at Heathrow where they have a very good train services to a lot more destination in London. And throw vanities out the window- wear comfy clothes and no contact lenses.
- Come to think of it, book all your tickets on line. It is way cheaper.
- Take a pen with you. You'll be filling a few forms along the way at immigration. You will be required to show a return ticket at the checkpoint before they let you pass.
Met up with a friend at the hostel where we shared with 10 other girls. On my second night there, there was an incident where one of the girls snored too loud for the girl on my top bunk to sleep. So she kept slamming her fist on the bed. Resulting in me not being able to sleep even with my ear plugs on (another tip for you here). She proceeded to climb down and started snooping around the room to find out who's the culprit.
Moving on, we bought our 1 day pass at our hostel for GBP6.50+. And off we went exploring London.
- London Bridge (There wasn't anything here except for the old bridge and an old prison below). We tried mulled wine to warm up & had sandwiches for lunch.
- Tate Gallery (It was showing cement sun flower seed art by a Chinese artist- you can actually do a video recording of your questions that you wanted the artist to answer. We tried and ran off giggling when it started recording)
- Sherlock Holmes Museum (Miyoung- a Korean that toured London with us had this place in her places to visit list and we went in with her since it is quite near to my Madame Tussauds Wax Museum GBP25.50 places to visit. We went to a restaurant where they served fish and chips after the visit and we couldn't finished all of it, Miyoung even ordered a bowl of salad).
- Madame Tussauds Wax Museum (I was so excited surrounded by the famous wax figures)
- Buckingham Palace (It was closed and deserted when we reached there at about 5pm or 6pm. No guards in sight - in winter, it was so dark outside. I mean how secure is this place anyway?)
- London Eye (Miyoung wanted to ride it- so we went with her as well. We saw the famous Big Ben while we're up there- so I crossed that out on my checklist as well).
ß not in the exact sequence. All these places are accessible via tube & a lot of walking. My feet hurt and I was wearing a flat walking shoe. G was wearing leather boots with a bit of heel. Miyoung was wearing high heel boots!!
We were so crunched up on time so we didn't get to do any shopping in London Oxford Street (G bought her Long Champs hand bag here GBP60+). I really wanted to go to Camden Market. I read so many good reviews about this place. Boohoo…
There was some disruption on the tube services due to maintenance or strike. So we had to reroute and re-planned our route.
SECOND LEG (LONDON TO PARIS)
For my solo trip to PAris, I bought the return tickets on line for RM512.84 or EUR102.00. You can choose the seat that you want, be sure to choose seat that are facing forward for comfort. The seats carriage and seat number is written on the printout ticket. The train is equipment with power outlet so that you can even charge your hand-phone or laptop on board.
Tips:
- Be on time or arrive earlier to catch the public transport with your pre-purchased tickets. The train services are very punctual. Know when and where to board your ride. And ask around. Don't be too timid to ask for help because you don't want to be late and forced to repurchase your tickets. Over budget!
- Please be aware of the 1hr time difference between London & Paris. Everyone was already getting ready to get off when I thought I still have 1hr to reach Gare Du Nord.
- Be wary of Gypsies at the station asking 'Parlez vous Onglais'. And the pickpockets. I was careful to purchase a neck purse which I stuffed inside my winter coat and t-shirt. Better be safe than sorry. Well I had to, travelling alone and all.
- I did post my itinerary on my blogs. So that my friends/ family know my where about and ease their mind off of my safety.
I bought my 2days pass at the tourist information counter for zone 1,2,3 (where all the tourist attractions are located) for around EUR15.00 It was very confusing for me when I was in Gare Du Nord. I saw the map, tried to decipher it for almost an hour till I finally realized that I need to buy a ticket before I can walk to the preferred line. But the ticket counter is located inside the turnstile barriers!! Then I remembered my 2days pass ticket. I slide it in, and a sigh of relief. It let me pass. I had to buy another single ticket on my last day (I was there for 3 days) to ride the train back to Gare Du Nord for my train to London.
I stayed at Plug-Inn Hostel (bedroom with 3 other girls with ensuit bathroom & heater & free internet at the lobby) near Blanche metro station (Line 2- Blue color). 2 nights at EUR59.30. You will see the famous Moulin Rouge once you walked out of the station. It is exactly like the one in the movie starring Nichole Kidman & Ewan McGregor. I thought of buying the bus tour (red bus or yellow bus) at Gare Du Nord but I could not find the tourist center even after I was given the direction to it. I did plan to experience the Moulin Rouge Show. I heard that the show is amazing plus the ticket sold online is inclusive of dinner and drinks. Some even a tour thrown in it. But I scratched that out when I saw that I have to wear formal wear or dresses to this event (no jeans & sport shoes). It was freezing and my backpack can only fit so much stuff.
Tips:
- Check the operating days and time of the museums you planned to visit. Some of the museum closes on Tuesday.
- Shop at H&M at Champ Elysees.
- There is a Sephora store at Champ Elysees.
- The LV Store is also at Champ Elysees.
I arrived on a Monday, so after checking in at 3pm, I made the most of my time and went to The Louvre before it gets dark. It started to get dark pretty early in winter. Like around 4pm. I just had to go out of The Louvre so I can see the famous pyramid as shown in The Da Vinci Code and in one of Viva La Bam episode.
Tips:
- The Eiffel Tower lights up in blinking lights at night. So take a video of it. I didn't. I wish I had.
- Don't start buying souvenirs at the first peddlers you see. For me the closer it is to the metro station, the more expensive it gets. I got my keychain at 6nos. for EUR1. If I am not mistaken. I saw in others blog that they can actually get 10nos. keychain for EUR1. I tried to bargain for that deal but unsuccessful. Just buy the plain silver and copper colored. The multicolor did not look as appealing once I started distributing it. The colors peeled off.
The next day I went to all these places:-
- Sacre Coeur & Montmartre (my hostel was located at Montmartre, I was advised by roommate to have a look at this place first as it is just around the corner. When they said it's very near, never trust them. When they said it's around 10min walk, make that 30-45minutes walk. Add a few more minutes if your map reading skills sucks).
- Notre Dame Cathedral (Admission is free: so I went in and bought me a book on the cathedral for GBP2 coins as I learned from The Louvre that there won't be any explanation board on the history of the place).
- The Natural History Museum (I went to this place and couldn't find the entrance. I just stood outside and see shadows of the erect dinosaur bones. I wasn't sure if it was closed as well because I didn't see any tourist trying to get in. But then again, I saw comments from past visitors that this is not worth it).
- The Pantheon (I didn't went in so no comments here. The place is near a college and you can see a lot of students hanging around smoking ciggies. I stopped for lunch at a Japanese fast food restaurant on my way back to the metro station).
Both side of the road from the Obelisk of Luxor up to Arc De Triumphe were lined with white tents selling hot drinks, foods, trinkets etc (During X'mas month). I bought hot chocolate at one of these tents for EUR2.50 and had Mc Donald EUR5.40 for a burger and latte at Champ Elysees.
I went to these places:-
- Eiffel Tower
- Obelisk of Luxor
- Champ Elysees (Shopping)
- Arc De Triumphe
ß also not in the exact sequence. I felt a little bored as there wasn't much that I can do except taking pictures and the validation that 'Yes, I'm here. Now what?' I could climb on the Eiffel Tower & Arc De Triumphe but I didn't. I crammed the majority of my sightseeing in one day. Not a good idea. My feet was already killing me from all the walking I did in London.
I didn't get the much publicized Paris Pass because I feel that I don't need it. It was more expensive and I don't feel like visiting too many museums.
I felt like I walked a lot even with the train pass because some of the transit to switch to other lines is quite a walk away with deserted walkways/tunnels. But I was travelling alone and I felt that I minimized the chances of me the getting lost in a foreign land. I don't know how time consuming it is compares to walking straight to the places of attraction.
On my last night in Paris, Chika my roommate from Japan told me that she saw Prada handbags sold for EUR60+ in the shopping mall which is located 10minutes walk away from our hostel. Maybe if you run all the way downhill! She had been travelling for 6 month and a veteran at high speed walking. I am an apprentice so I started an hour early to the shopping mall before the mall actually opened. I did my shopping at Gallery La Fayette in less than 2 hrs. This is also quite near to Printemps- another department store.
Tips:
- The tax 13% reduction is only valid if you shopped for EUR175. After you bought your stuff and gotten the receipt from the shops, you need to find the counter (for Gallery La Fayette it was located at the lower floor) and ask them to fill in a form for you before you go to the airport. I heard that you may need to arrive early to the airport to settle all these documentation. I don't really know the procedure. Sorry.
THIRD LEG (PARIS TO LONDON)
I arrived well after the scheduled boarding time of Eurostar back to London St. Pancras, lucky for me- the train was delayed due to the heavy snow. Don't take your chances- be early!
Tips:
- If you know you are going to be late because of unavoidable circumstances plus you will be out of budget if you missed your transport, just do it like I did. Cut queue while saying sorry, run like mad- with all your heavy backpack and newly purchased goods, ask questions and run like mad again. You can rest when you're dead.
- It is important that you have enough rest because your legs will feel like it was about to fall off from all the walking.
FOURTH LEG (LONDON TO NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE & WEAR)
I went to Victoria Station from King's Cross Station. I bought my National Express bus ticket to Newcastle on line for GBP13.00 or RM71.39 (round trip). It is cheaper to buy a roundtrip tickets (Fun Fare Ticket). I just went to the departure hall where the screens were showing all the departure time complete with the bus number & gate number.
I was nearly stranded in London because of the weather, a few bus services were already canceled (I can only remember Yorkshire). I saw people leaving the station disappointed. Me?-I was anxious to get going and my bus was delayed a couple of times until we received a good news that a bus heading to Milton Keynes bus will take us and drop us off there for the Newcastle bus to pick us up to Newcastle Upon Tyne.
I was so relieved to be out of the cold and on that warm bus.
I arrived at the Newcastle bus stop before midnight. I tried to get a taxi which looked like she was waiting for a customer. But she was booked. So I asked her where the taxi stand is. And I went with the direction and got me on a taxi to Hilton. I reached in 5 to 10min. Done! Now the pressure is off. Oh, I met with a friend here. I can't elaborate on the price since it was all paid for by others.
It was the local advice that they don't take the local train anywhere as it is not safe. But I have tried it and I noticed that the locals did not purchase train tickets to board the train. I only saw a couple of out-of-towners busy buying the tickets at the ticketing machine.
So, after a couple of days rest, I finally walked up & down the hill to the shopping mall. There is a LOT of small hills everywhere in UK.
While I was in Newcastle, I was already really tired so I didn't visit any of the historical places there. The most is I went for shopping at Monument & Eldon Square. I found a good quality work shirt for GBP8.00. I bought 2 different colors. We bought ourselves cute sleeping camisole & shorts. I can't remember the price but it shouldn't be too expensive or else we wouldn't have bought it. We got ourselves a pair of bra's and panties for GBP6 or GBP8, Internacionale brand since it's a buy 1 free 1 deal. Anyway go to Primark, you might find something you like. I did go to a SportsDirect store for a Liverpool Jersey. It was GBP35 before they have the offer of GBP25. So I grab one. The basketball shoes are cheap as well. You can get one for GBP19.00. A very good one at GBP30.00+.
The Tesco Store in Newcastle near Hilton Hotel is no match for the Tesco Store in Malaysia. They have all kinds of foods and drinks and clothes there. I was stunned out of my mind. I want all of it.
It was very slippery with the ice on the walkway. G asked me to get myself Wellies (a snow boots with wide rubber sole), since I've slipped and almost fell a couple of times. It was colorful and I do think it's necessary but I didn't get one because of storage space and I don't feel like carrying to many heavy things for my journey back. It was priced at GBP15 (short) and GBP30 (Long). It could easily sold out in winter and you need to wait for a couple more days for other stocks to arrive. So grab one if you had a lot of walking to be done and don't get distracted by the colors on them. G got her from the store opposite French Connection.
FIFTH LEG (NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE & WEAR TO EDINBURGH WAVERLY)
I went to Edinburgh with G. We booked our train ticket from East Coast online website. We booked the Quiet Coach. Again, I can't stress enough how important it is to be on time. The train does not wait for anyone. There will be a seat reserved for you when you booked on-line. There will also be an electronic message board on top of the luggage space to indicate where the boarding and destination.
The return tix is EUR19.00.
Tips:
- It should be a scenic journey to Edinburgh, so I recommend travelers to book the day time journey.
We stayed at
Castle Rock Hostel (booked through
hostelworld.com- the booking fees will be waived once you've booked for more than 3 hostels from hostelworld website), it is a decent hostel compared to London
Clink 261 hostel. Equipped with hot shower
ß to me, this is the most important necessity especially in winter. The room that we stayed in with 14 other girls is quite cold even when our beds are quite near to the heater. But I kind of like this hostel. Another plus is it is complete with internet connection in the common room. This is a backpacker's hostel, so wash your own dishes and clean after yourselves. The room is provided with and individual locker. Anyway, just glean the internet for more information. I'm starting to sound like I'm promoting this hostel. The name of my bed is Mr. Strong, G got a Mr. Chatter Box. For the boys' room, I can only imagine that they are named Ms. Cutie Pie or some sort. Why the switch? Maybe to confuse those with bad intentions?
We got a little confused whether we should pay for breakfast because the receptionist said that we can have breakfast for free. But there was a sign there stating the price for breakfast & the website info also states that we need to pay for it. But we didn't.
J
I love Edinburgh. It looks like a small town, but I was told that it was actually a city. I will definitely go there again to visit Lochness and other parts of Edinburgh. We only stayed there for 1 night. So we only managed to visit Edinburgh Castle, Caldon Hill and the Christmas fair. Try to look to the sky. You might see something unexplainable like we did while we're in Caldon Hill.
In the spirit of winter, we tried outdoor ice skating. We actually planned to do it after G found out about the rink online. It was a first for Ms. Sunshine. I was happy for her that her first time ice skating is in Scotland & in winter! I bragged about it for her. We had to walk the length of the icy slippery walk way on our skates! I am no expert, having only tried it once. But I am comfortable in roller blades. I guess that helped. I was already tired after a few laps, but is still tried to keep up. It was getting redundant after a few laps.
We ate at a Chinese buffet restaurant. It was really great. Ms. Adventurous had the traditional dish of Haggis. I had a more common dish of sausages that I like.
SIXTH LEG (EDINBURGH WAVERLY TO NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE & WEAR)
Simple, we went out the way we came in.
SEVENTH LEG (NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE & WEAR TO BRISTOL PARKWAY)
I booked my roundtrip train ticket to
Bristol Parkway online. I took either
Cross Country or
East Coast Train. It cost me a fortune (
RM583.25)
compared to my round trip Eurostar train tickets to Paris! I didn't want to risk it by taking the bus since the weather was very bad and I wanted to get back to Newcastle on time for my first ever LIVE EPL match between my club Liverpool. They lost by the way.
EIGHTH LEG (BRISTOL TO CARDIFF, WALES)
I met up with my cousin and stayed with their family while I was in Bristol. We bought our ticket on board the train.
We went to visit the Cardiff Castle but I have seen enough of Edinburgh Castle to feel ok to skip Cardiff Castle. I would have gone in if my niece F would join me. We had another Chinese buffet lunch which is around GBP6.00+ excluding drinks per person.
FAST FORWARD- NINTH LEG (CARDIFF TO BRISTOL), TENTH LEG (BRISTOL PARKWAY TO NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE & WEAR)
Went to watch EPL match at GBP60.00 per ticket. This is a Platinum Club ticket with a warm bar waiting for you at half-time. Nice seat as well. I could imagine that I could touch Torress when he came over to retrieve the ball.
ELEVENTH LEG (NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE & WEAR TO VICTORIA STATION)
Walk from Hilton Hotel to the bus station less than an hour before boarding time.
TWELFTH LEG (VICTORIA STATION TO STANSTEAD)
I bought my ticket upon boarding the bus which left every 15min for GBP10.00.
BOTTOM LINE
I changed RM5K to GBP.
I changed RM2K to EUR.
Total Spending for this whole trip in 16 Days is RM8,382.91
