London & Paris
7 days - by Rail & Eurostar

7 days in London AND Paris, with rail travel to London & Paris, 4 star hotels with breakfast, and free sightseeing tours.

Omega has guillotined prices to give you the best of times in both capitals without the worst of the aristocratic prices. 3 days in each city, in 4 star luxury, with included tours round everything from Pall Mall to the Champs Elysées, the London Eye to the Eiffel Tower, Trafalgar Square to the Louvre, plus an extra free excursion to the Palace of Versailles. All that for £499pp*. It’s enough to make anyone lose their head.

Things to do for free (or nearly)
The famous landmarks of London and Paris hardly need introduction, but many of them charge exorbitant entrance fees. Both cities do a Pass which allows you entry to a great many attractions at huge savings – see www.londonpass.com and www.parispass.com for details. Meanwhile, here are some ideas to set you off without setting you back.

London
Tower Bridge – next to the hotel, free to walk across (the bridge has a website where you can check bascule lift times)
Changing of the Guard – forecourt of Buckingham Palace, 11.30 every day in summer, get there early for best view
Science, Natural History, V&A, Maritime, British Museums – all free
Camden Market & Portobello Road Market – no need to buy, just fun to explore
Regents Park, Hyde Park, St James’ Park, Kensington Gardens
Houses of Parliament – access to public gallery if you don’t mind queuing
Highgate Cemetery – last repose of Karl Marx but also Beryl Bainbridge, Douglas Adams, George Eliot, Michael Faraday, Sir Ralph Richardson...
Trafalgar Square – one of the most visited sites on Earth
Covent Garden street entertainment – free, but they’d appreciate a donation
Art galleries – Tate, Tate Modern, National, National Portrait, Wallace Collection. Free entry.

Paris
Montmartre and Sacre Coeur – a stone’s throw from the hotel, bohemian and alternative, with a funicular railway for just a Metro ticket
Eiffel Tower (not free to go up, but you can stand underneath after dark for the sparkling light show – every hour on the hour until 1am)
Louvre – one of the must-visit culture sites on the planet, and not just for Mona Lisa (only €6, or free on certain days)
Champs Elysees to Arc de Triomphe – great walk and free as long as you don’t buy anything
Jardin du Luxembourg (free, plus puppet show)
Notre Dame Cathedral – famous landmark and hangout for Hugo hunchbacks (free)
Pere Lachaise cemetery – dernier repos de Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Sarah Bernhardt...
Paris beach! Yes, really, with sand and palm trees, on the north bank of the Seine between Tuileries Gardens and Pont Neuf, mid-July – mid-August only.
Place de la Concorde – largest square in Paris, usually served with street entertainers
Watch a different film every night on a giant screen in the Parc de la Villette 25 July-25 August only (free)

This tour is organised and operated by Omega Holidays plc ABTA V4782 ATOL 6081

• Return standard class** rail travel from selected rail stations to London and return Eurostar journey (standard class) from St Pancras Station London to the Gare du Nord Paris
• Three nights stay in a twin/double bedded room* at the 4 star Tower Guoman Hotel, London, and the 4 star Hotel Mercure Montmartre Sacre Coeur, Paris.
• Continental breakfast at both hotels
• Free sightseeing tours of London and Paris
• Free coach visit to Versailles (entry to palace not included)
• Services of an Omega Holidays tour representative
• VAT at the government's prevailing rate at the date of travel

** Return first class rail is offered from almost all stations at a supplement of £50pp.

_{Please note: All travel times and arrangements may be subject to change. All rail departures will be in the morning from your chosen station, arriving in London in the early afternoon. Precise departure times will be confirmed with your final itinerary and rail tickets, which will be sent to you about 5 days before travel, and we ask you to check and note the departure times stated on your final itinerary, when they arrive. Rail travel can be subject to delays and changes due to engineering works and Omega Holidays cannot be held responsible for any travel delays or amendments made to journey routes and methods of travel made by the rail provider. Although we endeavour to seat all clients travelling on the same booking together, this unfortunately cannot be guaranteed.}

Sunday: You take a morning train to London. You make your own way to the Tower Guoman Hotel (nearest tube station Tower Hill). Check in after 3pm, bags may be left with the hotel concierge if you arrive before this time. That’s it. Now start having fun in town.

Monday & Tuesday: The next two days will be free for you to explore London at leisure. Why not take a sail from the Millennium Pier next to the London Eye to historic Greenwich, passing many famous landmarks on the way, watch the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, visit The Tate or another of London’s many art galleries or museums, window shop along stylish Bond Street or in the elegant Burlington Arcade, have a bird’s-eye view of the capital from the London Eye, ride through Trafalgar Square on a double-decker London red bus, take a stroll through one of the parks or beside the River Thames, see the Beefeaters and the glittering Crown Jewels in The Tower… the choice is yours!

During your time in London there will be the opportunity to join a guided coach tour of some of the famous sights of London. The day and time of this tour will be advised with your final itinerary. Wish to see a West End show? We can provide a booking service for tickets for all the top musicals including Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Jersey Boys and more!

Please call 01524 37801 for more details.

Wednesday: After breakfast, you will have a little free time before we take you by coach to St. Pancras Station for your journey by Eurostar to Paris. On arrival, we will take you by coach to your hotel, the 4 star Mercure Paris Montmartre Sacre Coeur, superbly located in the artistic quarter, where you will stay for the next three nights.

Thursday: After breakfast, enjoy a morning coach tour of some of the fabulous and famous sights of Paris …the Eiffel Tower, Palais de Chaillot, Champs Elysees, the Luxor Obelisk, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre to name just a few. In the afternoon, you can either enjoy more free time in Paris or come with us, to nearby Versailles to the south west of the city. Here you can visit the magnificent Palace of Versailles, once the home of Louis XIV, “The Sun King”, and marvel at the Hall of Mirrors, the grand apartments of the king and queen, or just wander the perfectly symmetrical palace gardens. (Please note; the entry cost is not included).

Friday: A full day at leisure to explore the City of Light. Why not explore the area around the hotel, famous especially for its white-domed Sacre Coeur Basilica and long the haunt of artists, especially the fascinating Place du Tertre. Don’t forget your camera as there are superb panoramic views from here over the city. Or you may prefer to visit one of Paris’ fabulous art galleries or museums such as the Pompidou Centre, the Musee d’Orsay or the Musee Rodin.

Saturday: Transfer to Gare du Nord for Eurostar return to St Pancras London. From there you can make your own way to the relevant rail station for your connecting journey home.

This break is a day trip and therefore does not use a hotel