Paris + London in December: 6-day itinerary and real cost
Photo: Benh LIEU SONG · CC BY 2.5
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Paris
December in Paris: about 8°C by day, 3°C at night, 12 days with some rain (climate normals).
Day 1: Around Musée du Louvre
- 09:30 Musée du Louvre · From ancient Egypt to Napoleonic France, under one roof.
Its exhibits come from such diverse origins as ancient Egypt, classical Greece and the Roman Empire, medieval Europe, and Napoleonic France, but controversially including many items that were looted from their places of origin.
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€12–16 (stated) · check opening hours - 🚶 7 min on foot
- 11:52 Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois · Where the kings of France went to church.
This Gothic church functioned until the 19th century as the parish church of the kings of France.
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free · check opening hours - 12:37 Lunch: Café Marly
Part of the Grand Louvre redevelopment.
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€18–33 (estimate) - 🚶 18 min on foot
- 14:10 Musée d'Orsay · Room after room of Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh.
This is perhaps the most spectacular collection of European impressionism in the world—breath-taking rooms full of Manet, Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, and many others.
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€9 (stated) · check opening hours - 19:30 Dinner: Buddha Bar
Famous in electronic lounge music circles for having commissioned a series of lounge and down tempo records which you can get at most larger record shops in France, as well as abroad.
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€9–18 (estimate)
Day 2: Around L'Orangerie
- 09:30 L'Orangerie · Monet's immense Water Lilies, wrapped around you.
The collection joined the eight immense Water Lilies that Monet gave France in 1922 and which have been displayed since 1927 in two huge oval rooms purpose-built on the artist's instructions.
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€1–8 (stated) · check opening hours - 🚶 12 min on foot
- 11:57 Église de la Madeleine · A Paris church dressed as a classical temple.
One of the best-known and most beautiful churches in Paris, in the guise of a Corinthian order classical temple.
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free - 12:42 Lunch: Drouant
Anthony Clémot runs this French kitchen.
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€18–33 (estimate) - 19:30 Dinner: Grillé
A fast food restaurant that makes a "healthy" version of kebab (good herbs, better salad).
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€8–10 (stated) - 🚶 6 min on foot
- 21:21 Opéra Garnier · Step into the world of The Phantom of the Opera.
The magnificent setting of The Phantom of the Opera, the inside is as opulent as the outside.
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€6–7 (stated)
Day 3: Around Musée du Petit Palais
- 09:30 Musée du Petit Palais · A palace of art to wander through.
Later material is at the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris in the 16th.
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€5–11 (stated) · check opening hours - 🚶 15 min on foot
- 12:00 Église Saint-Philippe-du-Roule · Calm, symmetrical, quietly beautiful.
A refined late 18th-century Neoclassical church with a calm, symmetrical interior inspired by early Christian basilicas.
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free · check opening hours - 12:45 Lunch: Villa Spicy
Warm and peaceful close to the Champs-Élysées serving an organic detox menu.
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€18–28 (estimate) - 19:30 Dinner: Atelier Renault
Renault has opened its Champs-Elysees showroom at this location in 1910.
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€9–18 (estimate) - 🚶 10 min on foot
- 21:25 Le Grand Palais · An engineering feat, built for the 1900 exposition.
Built in 1900 for the universal exposition, the Grand Palais was an engineering feat and a milestone of design, marking the transition between historicism and modern architecture.
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price not known · check opening hours
London
🚄 Paris Nord → London St Pancras by Eurostar: about 2 h 15 on the train; check in 90–120 minutes before (source: Wikipedia: Eurostar). Fare not included.
December in London: about 9°C by day, 3°C at night, 11 days with some rain (climate normals).
Day 4: Around National Gallery
- 14:00 National Gallery · Centuries of European masterpieces, in one gallery.
Houses the British national collection of western European art dating from the 13th to 19th centuries.
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free - 🚶 2 min on foot
- 16:17 St Martins in the Fields · A neoclassical church facing the National Gallery.
A neoclassical church that stands opposite the National Gallery.
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free · check opening hours - 19:30 Dinner: The Harp
Narrow pub with stained glass windows that is enthusiastic about beer.
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£3–4 (estimate) - 🚶 8 min on foot
- 21:23 Royal Opera House · One of the world's great stages for opera and ballet.
One of the world's great opera and ballet venues.
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£10–14 (estimate) · check opening hours
Day 5: Around Science Museum
- 09:30 Brompton Oratory · A beautiful Italianate church.
Beautiful Italianate church created during the Catholic revival of the 19th century.
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free · check opening hours - 12:30 Lunch: The Phoenix
Great pints, tremendous place for a pint on a sunny day. be sure to grab one of the outdoor tables and enjoy a cool pint on a hot day here (when not raining in London).
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£14–24 (estimate) - 19:30 Dinner: Drayton Arms
A mix of traditional pub and bohemian nightspot.
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£3–4 (estimate) - 🚶 16 min on foot
- 21:31 Science Museum · Room after room of science and discovery.
Dedicated to scientific exhibitions and collections bar those related to the life sciences.
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£9–13 (estimate) - 🚶 7 min on foot
- 23:53 Royal Albert Hall · One of the most famous concert halls in the UK.
Since opening in 1871 as part of Queen Victoria's memorial to her late husband it has become one of the most famous venues in the UK, and remains one of London's main concert halls.
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£10–14 (estimate) · check opening hours
Day 6: Around Tate Modern
- 09:30 Tate Modern · Modern art inside a giant old power station.
An enormous art gallery converted from the former Bankside Power Station, a visit to Tate Modern could easily take half a day.
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free · check opening hours - 🚶 12 min on foot
- 11:57 Southwark Cathedral · A place of worship since the year 852.
Not as popular with tourists as St Paul's north of the river, Southwark Cathedral has been the site of worship since the year 852.
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free · check opening hours - 12:42 Lunch: The Market Porter
A real ale pub that offers "a beer festival every day of the week".
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£14–24 (estimate) - 19:30 Dinner: The Crosse Keys
Part of the JD Wetherspoons chain in a converted bank.
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£3–4 (estimate) - 🚶 17 min on foot
- 21:32 Shakespeare's Globe · Shakespeare's theatre, rebuilt the traditional way.
Sam Wanamaker's largely authentic reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, built using traditional techniques, stages plays in the summer months.
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£10–14 (estimate) · check opening hours
Good to know
Paris: Paris is a relatively safe city. This does not stop it from being plagued by petty crime, especially pickpocketing, and muggings. Scams, of which there are many, are also prevalent, though the police are slowly cracking down on them. While not common, purse snatchings do happen. source
Paris: As a densely populated city with equally dense neighbourhoods, one would be remiss to generalise the safety of entire 'arrondissements' based on a few specific areas. Several arrondissements have their share of crime, however. source
Paris: Paris has the largest Jewish community in Europe and the 6th largest in the world. However, antisemitic acts increased in France in the early 2000s, culminating with the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks targeting a local kosher supermarket. source
London: London has a variety of social problems, especially begging, drug abuse and theft; mobile phones are a favourite target, often snatched by fast-moving moped riders (it has been dubbed the phone-snatching capital of the world). source
London: The police have brought the level of theft and pickpocketing in major retail areas in London to a manageable level. Pickpocketing in London is not as rampant as in other major European cities. source
London: Street gang culture is a growing problem in London. While most groups of youngsters are not likely to present any danger to tourists, some people feel the need to be more vigilant in certain areas, especially certain outer suburbs. source
Paris + London in other months
Places, descriptions and prices: Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0), Overture Maps, Wikidata. Climate: NOAA GHCN-Daily and Météo-France. Lines in italics are AI-written from the source text. All credits and sources · Privacy · Terms