Best London to Paris weekend
 

I will be in London for 2 weeks and would like to do Paris for the weekend.
Should I fly over on Friday night and Fly back Sunday? Are there any other options.
And how should I spend my Weekend?
This will be my first trip to Paris. Any must dos?

Thanks.

In addition to flying, there's also Eurostar train service and, if money is an issue, Eurolines overnight bus service (which I will get to experince for the first time this coming weekend...).

There are several threads on "must-do's" in Paris in the Paris forum, but the obvious ones like the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Eiffel Tower, etc. come to mind.

Enjoy!

Alex

Eurostar train is very quick. It will take you from central London (Waterloo station) to central Paris (Gare du nord) in a little less than 3 hours.
However it can be quite expensive to use it though and you need to arrive at the station a bit in advance as they have a full-scale security check before departure.

Otherwise there are several airlines flying.
BMI British Midland, British Airways, and Air France all fly Heathrow-Paris CDG and with a bit of luck you may be able to find some good fares.
Easyjet also flies Stansted-Paris CDG.
If you want to go even cheaper there is the dreadful Ryanair which will take you from an airport in London in the middle of nowhere to an airport in Paris in the middle of nowhere, but it's cheap.

There are lots of tips on what to do in Paris in the Paris forum.
Eiffel tower, Arc de triomphe, Louvre, Centre Pompidou, Musee d'orsay...

The fastest trains are now scheduled at 2 hours 35 minutes. For pure city centre-to-city centre travel time, the Eurostar simply can't be beaten.

Agree with Eurostar being a good way to do it (although, curiously, I still like flying on this route - there's something about the crumbling avant-garde architecture of Roissy Aérogare 1 that always makes me grin). First class on Eurostar gets you an inclusive meal, which, although far from Parisian restaurant quality, is surprisingly good for on-board food.

I don't know the timing, but one of the major pains I have going over there for a weekend is that I often arrive at about 9 or 10pm, which is too late (once you're ready to go out) for many restaurants. If this is going to be the case, there are good restaurants open late (particularly around the 1e), you just have to know where they are in advance.

Failing that, what would I recommend? If you're the kind of person who 'must see' the tickbox sites, then certainly, do that. Personally, I just like picking an area (get a guide like the Time Out that explains the character or particular areas to you), walking a bit, stopping for coffee and maybe a snack, and walking a bit more...

It can also be worth picking up a copy of Pariscope to see what exhibitions are on that weekend. There was a fantastic Rineke Dijkstra exhibition at the Jeu de Paume a couple of weeks ago, for example, and there's so many spaces for this type of thing in the city...

As far as food goes, there are two options, really. Either you go to a relatively well-known, top-end restaurant. Or you find some Parisians who can recommend you a top-quality local restaurant. Everybody has a favourite... There are some areas you can go and pick them off - r des Cannettes in the 6e isn't bad for this, for example, and it's a nice walk down there along r St André des Arts from St-Michel.

But basically... Eat, drink, wander.