Next?: London/Paris: What sights/restaurants do you make reservations for ahead of time?

Eck! I leave in 19 days and am doing some last minute planning...

which tours should be booked before traveling? which tour companies did you use?

Restaurants - anything that stook out from your trip as a regional/memorable meal?

Some ideas so far (for booking ahead of time):

Moulin Rouge/Illuminations tour
Seine River Dinner Cruise
Louvre

Stonehedge/Bath tour

help!

Re: Next?: London/Paris: What sights/restaurants do you make reservations for ahead of time?

If you know of any nice restaurants that you want to go to in London, deffo book in advance, but for sort of everyday good eats, you don't have to book. Don't miss Wagamamma in London, everyday noodle fare, but oh so yummy!!! Also, YoSushi is good fun Kaiten Sushi...but expensive.

Re: Next?: London/Paris: What sights/restaurants do you make reservations for ahead of time?

Darnnit! I just lost my long reply to you Let me try again! Since you'll be in Somerset...

If you enjoy the legends of King Arthur, the Lady of the Lake and the Holy Grail, I'd definitely recommend Glastonbury! It's an awesome little hippy town with tons of history. You can climb the famed Tor for a wonderful view of the countryside, tour the Abbey & its apple orchards, visit the Chalice Well...it's a lot of fun if you're into the whole legend (like I am!), so I'd highly recommend it
Glastonbury

If you're really into the standing stones like Stonehenge & the myths & legends associated with it (Ley Lines and UFOs & crop circles!), then in addition to Glastonbury, I'd also recommend Avebury & Silbury Hill & driving to Burrow Mump to see the ruins of the ancient churches & follow the lines. The chalk horses of Wiltshire are a little further out, but they're something to see if you're passing through!

Cheddar Village is also a fun place to see if you have a free day - you can tour the caves (they're like Howe Caverns) and stock up on cheese & cider - yum!

And finally, Wells Cathedral is beautiful (it's also in Somerset)...if you've seen the movie Hot Fuzz, you've seen the town - that's where it was filmed Other than the cathedral, there's not too much to do there...

My brother lives 30 min from Bath & the bus from Heathrow drops me off there, so let me know if you have any specific questions. I'd obviously recommend touring the Roman Baths! I'd also recommend doing an open-air bus tour right away - it will give you a good feel for where things are so that you can pick & choose where you'd like to walk to. There's also an Abbey there - I've never toured it, but there's a nice plaza outside where you can rest your feet...and buy some fudge! I enjoyed touring the homes in the Royal Crescent & relaxing a bit in the adjacent park if you're into touring older homes. I did the Jane Austen tour once too...I honestly wasn't all that impressed with it, so I probably wouldn't waste the time unless you're a BIG fan. There's also a great little open-air market in a park at the center of town somewhere...shoot! If I remember where I'll let you know.
Bath

OK - was that enough? Obviously that's a lot (I've done it all over many trips), but I wanted to give you some ideas specifically for Somerset. I've left a lot out, so if you have a question about something specific, please feel free to FM me!

Oh and one last thing: London! I loved all of the "usuals" - the London Eye, a boat tour of the Thames, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, etc etc, BUT there are some other fun areas to see too. If you're into punk music, then I'd definitely recommend Camden - it's very cool over there. I went once & saw an excellent photo exhibit on the Clash over there. Covent Gardens is a nice area too...it all depends on your likes. I'd definitely recommend trying to see a nice variety of areas in London - it's got so much to offer Have a wonderful trip!!

Message edited 9/16/2008 9:15:23 AM.

Re: Next?: London/Paris: What sights/restaurants do you make reservations for ahead of time?

Definitely get out of London if you can, there is much more to England than London, its a lot like NYC, you can't judge the rest of the UK by London alone, its not real.

Get yerself up North for a day, try Manchester (not just because I live there) because its awesome! You can visit the Lake District, York, Harrogate, the Peak District, the Pennines...beautiful stuff.