Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris

Notre Dame is Roman Catholic Church.  They first started construction around 1163 and finished around 1345.  It has gone through several periods of renovations as well.  Notre Dame is most famous for its amazing French Gothic architecture.  The church is directly located besides the Seine, a 482 mile long river.  The cathedral is open every day from 8am to 6:45. ( til 7:15 on Saturdays and Sundays)  It is completely free of charge and open to the public. Attending a church service is also free of charge and open to anyone interested.  My friends and I attended one.  Although the service is in French, It was a great experience.  The 11:30am service on Sundays has selected readings and excerpts in English. They also offer walking tours and audio guides some at a minimal cost.  It is truly an astonishing site to see and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Paris. For more information about mass times and tours click here

The London Eye

The London Eye is a massive Ferris wheel located on the Thames River in the heart of London. It is a huge tourist attraction and the largest Ferris wheel in all of Europe!  On a clear day, at the top one can experience a breath taking view of the entire city. A regular priced adult ticket will cost about 19 Euros.

FACTS ABOUT LONDON EYE:

-3.5 million people come to experience the London Eye each year.

-30 minute total time on ride

-32 high-tech capsules, approximately 28 guests per capsule

-135 meters high making it amongst the top five tallest structures in London

TIPS:

Check the hours of operation:

If you travel to London during the wintertime, like I did, make sure you check when the London Eye is open! We unfortunately did not, so we did not get a chance to experience it. The London Eye is usually closed for a couple weeks in January for routine annual maintenance.  This past year, 2012, it was closed from January 7^th to January 21^st.  

Book online:

If you book your ticket online, you receive a 10% discount on all tickets.  They also have different prices for senior citizens, children, and a special for a family of four. In addition, you can book different packages which can include a glass of champagne or the perk of priority boarding.

For hours of operation and more information click HERE. 

 

The Louvre, Paris France

The Louvre Museum is a world famous museum containing one of the most popular pieces of art, The Mona Lisa. The Louvre was once a royal palace dating back to the 16th century. The present day Louvre complex is composed of several different government buildings as well as the museum. It consists of stunning architecture with several open courtyards.  I would definitely recommend visiting this attraction while in Paris.


My One and Only Tip: 
Check the Hours of Operation!- When I traveled to France, my friends and I didn't have any specific plans and just figured the museum would be open pretty much every weekday.  WRONG!


The Louvre Museum is open everyday except TUESDAYS from 9am - 6pm. It is also closed on January 1st, May 1st, and December 25th.


Sadly, we did not get to go into the museum(since it was a Tuesday) but still got the opportunity to walk around the beautiful grounds of the complex.


For lots more information regarding tours visit the Louvre's website.

Transportation

This post is going to be short and sweet relating to all your transportation questions. Traveling to any location in Europe from America is generally more expensive than traveling domestically. Although it’s not always possible, traveling during the off season is a great way to save some money.  We traveled during the winter which was cheaper however, much colder.  Overnight flights are great because you really do not waste any time traveling.  They usually leave around 8 or 9pm and when you wake up you are at your destination!

Here are some popular (and often really cheap) airlines that fly locally between various European countries. Although these are usually smaller planes there is just as much security so still arrive early to the airport. Most U.S. based airlines allow one carry on bag per customer as well as one ‘personal’ item.  This can be a purse or a briefcase.  However, these smaller airlines only allow one carry on bag. Nothing else.  For girls this means do not over pack because you will have to cram your purse into your bag to go through security.

Ryanair http://www.ryanair.com/en

easyJet  http://www.easyjet.com/EN

Public Local Transportation

Something Europe does great is public transportation.  In every city we visited there were always buses which ran throughout the cities.  In London and France there was an underground transportation system which makes traveling extremely easy. (And in my opinion much easier to navigate than the NYC subway system.) These form of transportation are relatively cheap around 2Euros one way and I highly suggest taking advantage of them.

My Most Important Tip of All:

Give yourself enough time. Security lines can be long and vary with the time of day.  Always anticipate more time than less.  It is much better to wait for a little bit then to miss your flight and have to rebook. Also, the airports/ train stations are usually very confusing especially when you do not speak the native language

Here is another website I found with lots of useful travel tips from Rick Steve’s Europe – How to fly in Europe on a Budget.  http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/flights.htm