I would go with most convenient (not cheapest) and take a taxi, since you'll be burdened with all that luggage. Walk out front of Gare du Nord and get in the line for taxis.

Thanks, do you have any idea what that might cost? Im guessing we might need a van rather than a cab. Are they more expensive?

Would this also be the best way to get from the above address to Orly airport?

Take a taxi. The taxi attendant will match you up with an appropriate size vehicle. No, a van won't be any more expensive - they all are on the same meters. And there are plenty of station wagon taxis also.

Yes. Do the same for cab back to Orly. Call Taxi Bleu the night before. Should cost about 30 euros plus the minimal cost to get the cab to your pickup point - maybe 3 or 4 euros.

Why would you have three suitcases for 2 adults and a baby? There will be extra costs for each piece of luggage.

That does sound like way too much luggage. You do know of course than anything a toddler could conceivably need is readily available in Paris.

Were not going until May and Im just thinking more worst case sceniaro about the amount of luggage thats all.

A taxi will be about 10 E as I recall We took a similar trip a month ago

Unless it has changed, the taxi stand/queue is to the right as you come off the trains, not in front.

Do not acceot offers from touts inside the station, go to the queue. It can be quite long but moves fairly quickly.

Try to lose some of the luggage!

Paris has the most beautiful children's clothing in the world (well, Italy comes close). They also have wonderful toy stores.

Encourage the grandparents hold back on Christmas and birthday presents and give you the cash to buy some really special things.

And the taxi is easy. Just follow the signs in the station and get in the line. It is not short but moves well. Have the address you are going to typed on a piece of paper in case the driver does not understand your French. Do not worry if he seems to take a roundabout route. There are many one-way streets to cope with, and Parisian taxi drivers are not known for cheating.

And, if you need more encouragement than you already have, lose some of the luggage. The amount you plan will make your trip a nightmare!

Don't be surprised if that costs more than 10 euro. It really depends on time of day and the traffic, if it is bad, that could easily cost at least twice that.

"Were not going until May and Im just thinking more worst case sceniaro about the amount of luggage thats all"

In May you should need less luggage. No winter coats/clothes. One or two medium sized suitcases and a couple of carry-ons should be more than enough (plus the stroller of course)

In the old words of some sage travel write - "take twice as few clothes and twice as much money"/

Darn didn't mean to click post.

Since you are taking trains you will also have the hassle of managing/storing the bags/stroller/baby on/off the trains.

Pack as light as you can . . .

I'm not the most observant guy, but I can't see where you told us how long you'll be staying.

My wife and I bring two overhead rolling carry-ons (~21-inch) and a couple of really small under-seat bags for anywhere from a week to 10 days in Europe.

Though we are in our 60's and our kids all grown, we do appreciate how much "stuff" is needed for a toddler. However, you should be able to get by with only one full-size suitcase and the one rolling overhead - plus some small under-seat bags and your stroller.

...and, of course, take the taxi...Metro would be a nightmare with all that stuff.

SS

We are coming from New Zealand and spending Six weeks travelling mostly in Europe. Spending time in San Fran 4 days, England 15days, France 3 days, Italy 16 days, Hong Kong 5 days.

"We are coming from New Zealand and spending Six weeks travelling mostly in Europe. Spending time in San Fran 4 days, England 15days, France 3 days, Italy 16 days, Hong Kong 5 days."

All the more reason to pack light. All that traveling around - mostly by public transport, the more schlepping.

The longer the trip doesn't mean you need more luggage. Don't think of it as "SIX WEEKS - OMG we need a ton of stuff!". Think in terms of a 5 or 6 day trip and plan on washing things out when needed and doing serious laundry maybe every 10 days or so.

We are coming from New Zealand and spending Six weeks travelling mostly in Europe. Spending time in San Fran 4 days, England 15days, France 3 days, Italy 16 days, Hong Kong 5 days.>>

since you can't bring clothes for all that time without washing them at some point, if you plan your laundry stops you really only need enough for a week to 10 days. i would plan to do laundry at the beginning and end of your stay in the UK, and the same in Italy. also you could send some clothes that you may need for the beginning of your trip home by post, which should make life easier - and free up some space in the luggage for all the lovely things you buy.

Why not start working out now exactly what you will need, and where you can plan your launderette stops?

You will really want to cut down on that luggage. Most places do not have porters or even carts for luggage.
Taxi to your hotel--it will be VERY reasonable.
Some places you may be using public transportation from your arrival--and schlepping luggage PLUS a baby through turnstiles, escalators, and stairs will not be easy. Begin to think about that before it confronts you.
It is possible that a baby backpack would be better for you than a stroller.

I get yelled at every time I suggest this but here goes anyway. You have 2 sets of grandparents. Why not leave the little tike with one set for a while and the other set for a while, and do Paris on your own. The child, if an infant/toddler, will remember nothing. You could use this as a second honeymoon so to speak. That way, no trying to find formula, baby food, diapers, etc. it a store that you do not read the language, or God forbid, your child get sick from flying and you have to find Pediatrician.

jkbritt - Once we get too Italy we will be with 12 family members, until we go to HK so we will end up getting a lot of time to ourselves while Grandparents and uncles etc fight over time with him. So we dont mind taking him. We are also hiring a motorhome in England for 10 days so we can do everything in our own (slower) time.

Jenking, I am one of those horrible mothers who lugged infants/toddlers/children/teens/young adults/ adult children to Europe every year for 20+ years at least once a year, sometimes 3 or 4. Take the child. They don't remember it? Give me a break. It informs their entire life experience. I now have two grown children who speak French (and a bit of other languages as well), have been awakened to the delights of travel all over the world, and who have found viable employment in global careers using the many, many skills they gleaned over many, many years of travel.

Lug that baby with you! You're lucky you have many family members there, but even if you didn't it would hardly be a waste of time to take the little one with you.

"We are also hiring a motorhome in England for 10 days so we can do everything in our own (slower) time."

From your other thread it would seem that you are hiring the motorhome from LHR after 5 days in London - right??

I can see some BIG problems (or not - depending on where you are traveling). Trying to see much in the South of England in 10 days by motorhome/caravan might be difficult. Where specifically are you going in the motorhome? Places like Bath, or Oxford, or the Cotswolds or other tourist areas? A car will cost less than a motorhome and you can still go at your own speed.

Thanks StCirq. Yes thats right janisj, picking up the motorhome near Heathrow after London. Haven't decided exactly where to go yet but Bath is on our list. Where do you think we should go?

IMO you could go anywhere - the Cotswolds, Devon/Cornwall, -- Bath is wonderful. But Bath in a motorhome . . . not so much. Driving/parking in the city is tough enough in a car. You'd have to use one of the park-and-ride lots on the outskirts and take a bus in and back out.

Is there a reason you are opting for a motorhome rather than just renting a car and staying in B&Bs?

Where else were you thinking of touring?

Oh dear...a motorhome? Why?

It is amazing what even a todddler remembers about trip. A friend took her almost 3 yr old and she ,The kid, wants to go again. Her article and report was in Hip parishttp://hipparis.com/2012/12/10/24-hours-in-paris-with-a-toddler/

We are also hiring a motorhome in England for 10 days so we can do everything in our own (slower) time.>>

doing everything in your own slower time is a bit of an oxymoron, IMO - either you do fewer things more slowly, or you go faster to cram places in. and I agree that Bath and motorhomes are not a felicitous combination. You could however do a tour of the Cotswolds or southern England and end up in Bath, return the motor home there, and get the train back to London, after a few days in Bath.

places you might think of visiting would be Arundel, Chichester, the New Forest, Salisbury, and then Bath. [there are loads of others, that was just off the top of my head]. or head north to Oxford, then Stratford, Moreton in March, Stow on the wold, Cirencester, Tetbury, Westonbirt, and then Bath as before. [ditto].

I would not bring a motor home to Cornwall nor Devon - there are too many narrow roads to make it enjoyable, and it's a long way to drive.

"there are too many narrow roads to make it enjoyable, . . ." which also applies to most scenic parts of England.

Maybe not quite as narrow as in parts of Devon/Cornwall, but plenty narrow.

The campervan is only a 3 berth so pretty small. Hadn't really thought about narrow roads, but its booked so thats that. Thought maybe we would do something like the following but still have 6 months to do some research. But any thoughts would be great.
Leave from Southall - stonehenge - Bath - Bristol - Cardiff - ? - Liverpool - ? - Birmingham, maybe is it worth it? - Oxford - back to Southall.
Originally wanted to drop Motorhome off somewhere else but the price was horrendous for having a different drop off location so have to take it back to Southall.

Have you paid for the motorhome or simply booked it? IMO a campervan/motorhome will be useless in Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool, Birmingham and Oxford. If you mean to actually see those cities (and not just some of the surrounding countryside) even a car would be a hassle.

While all very worthy in their way, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff and Liverpool would not be on the top of my list, with or without a camper van.

Depending on your interests, perhaps focus on the countryside in the south and southwest of England. Don't know your interests but there are castles, stately homes, gardens, safari parks, cathedrals in smaller places such as Salisbury, Wells, Winchester, Truro, etc.

I also think you should do some research on campsites and possibly make reservations--there are two 3-day weekends in May when Brits will be hitting the roads. Am assuming you want to be in places with hook-ups and showers, etc., most nights.

Google web sites which focus on UK van camping, you'll get a lot of good tips.

The main roads in Devon and Cornwall can certainly handle vans. The towns and villages have very
limited parking. Again, with or without a van, you are best off heading to a Park n' Ride and taking the bus in to places like Fowey, St Ives, etc.

Looks like I have a fair bit to think about. Have paid a non refundable deposit, but I still like the campervan idea anyway.
Maybe I have been a little naive, I thought it would be much like travelling in a motorhome in NZ, which would not be a big deal at all, its not that much bigger that a big van. I thought that in most towns we could just park in residential streets and walk in to the central areas etc, we don't mind a long walk if we can leave it there for most of the day.
I was thinking of booking a couple of nights in campsites, but other than that we would just pull over somewhere on the way to our next destination, like a rest stop/picnic area on the side of the road or maybe a truck stop on the motorway,a car park at a children's playground, maybe ask if we fill up at a petrol station if we can park in a corner, that type of stuff. Apparently most of the larger Tesco's let you park in there lot as long as you ask the manager. Cathinjoetown - yes we like castles and cathedrals but we don't really mind what kind of things we see and do. Just looking forward to a bit of an adventure and I feel like the campervan will give us more freedom/options rather than if we hired a car and went to B&B's. This way if we feel we want to stay longer somewhere we can or leave early if its not our thing.

"just pull over somewhere on the way to our next destination..."

may not be as easy as you think. Lots of rest stops do not allow overnight parking, especially near towns. In the countryside someone always owns the land and knowing where to park beforehand is a much better plan, rather than just hoping to find somewhere.

And supermarkets only let you use their car parks for a couple of hours before you get clamped

A couple of websites to explore for lots of info on campsites and touring around the UK in a motorhome

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/directory2/

http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/

In particular, the camping and caravanning club has lots of sites where you can stay by becoming a member

Driving in the UK is NOTHING like driving in New Zealand. The motorways are large but can get completely jammed going in and out of London, Birmingham and other large cities on weekends, especially long weekends. Country roads will be pretty miserable in a motorhome. In some areas (like the areas noted above) the scenic routes are little more than a 1 lane road with either tall hedgerows or stone walls on either side...which makes even getting 2 cars past each other requires one to pull into either a carved out bit of road, or into the hedgerow. We found it nerve racking in a small car, let along a van!!!

Not to say it cant be done - lots of Brits do it. You just need to plan around it.

Dont count on finding parking in rest stops and gas stations. I dont think that is practical at all. You will need to find desingated parking areas, or camp grounds. You really wont be able to practically find parking in residential areas as in most places you have mentioned the residential areas are permit only.

I would do some serious research and ensure you are comfy with the limitations as well as what you consider the benefits.

Enjoy your holiday!

This site may provide some info for you:
http://www.ukmotorhometravel.co.uk/

I thought that in most towns we could just park in residential streets and walk in to the central areas etc, we don't mind a long walk if we can leave it there for most of the day. >>

towns yes - cities no. anywhere close enough to the centre to walk will probably have residents' parking only, and further out there may be security issues - a motorhome may be a magnet for thieves who see you heading for a bus stop.

Actually from that point of view Cornwall might be a good bet - lots of safe places to park, few problems with theft, and we're used to surfers and their dormobiles.

Unless it is a very large deposit, I'd seriously reconsider the whole idea. Sure lots of folks in the UK use campervans. But most of them travel to camp grounds for a week or stay a couple of nights in various campsites while touring around. They aren't good for 'transportation' from place to place.

"I feel like the campervan will give us more freedom/options rather than if we hired a car and went to B&B's. " - It might actually work out more hassle/less 'freedom'. And even a 'small' campervan is larger than a car making getting around more difficult.

You can't sleep in lay by's, you can't street park over night in many places (plus there are no hook up's even if you could), you can't park overnight in the VAST majority of car parks. It is nothing at all like camping in NZ.

If you wanted to travel to someplace and spend a few days - on the Cornish coast or something - great. But for touring around it won't be as easy as you think.

Alright so if we did cancel the motorhome, How would you suggest we get around from place to place etc and considering what transport we would use, where would we visit?

Rent a car, go to where you want and drive.

towns yes - cities no. anywhere close enough to the centre to walk will probably have residents' parking only, and further out there may be security issues - a motorhome may be a magnet for thieves who see you heading for a bus stop.>

security could be a problem but parking even in cities IME is not - overnight that is not in the day time. Recently an article talked about how lots of folks are living in their cars right inside Paris - right at the Chateau de Vincennes parking lot - a royal resident for car-camping.

I think there would be little hassle from parking in any large city IME of having done so - at least for one night, not setting up shop. But actually security would always be a problem according to annhig's criteria, which I agree with, with a camping car.

But there aren't that many places you can even park a motorhome in a big city. The spaces aren't big enough in any residential area that is very urban (which would be city center) to hold a motor home. The odds of getting 2 free spaces jointly are slim in any big city I've seen.

The Chateau de Vincennes parking lot near Paris is irrelevant to this discussion because it is a parking lot at a major tourist attraction and isn't in the center of the city, anyway, and it's in France. It isn't inside Paris, either, it is a suburb of Paris to the east (town of Vincennes), outside the peripherique. Homeless people sleep in cars where I live also, that wouldn't make it easy for tourists to be driving around the center of a big city and finding a place to park it. A lot of garages where I live wouldn't allow it, either, it's too big and many urban parking garages have height limitations as well as width.

But you could do that in small towns in lots of places, find a place to park beside a road, but it might be illegal if you aren't in a proper park that allows overnight sleeping/camping.

what to do if you don't rent the motorhome?

get the train to wherever you want to start eg Bath, or Oxford, spend a few days there, then pick up your car and set off. you have so many choices - only you can decide where you want to go, what you want to see.

PQ: Recently an article talked about how lots of folks are living in their cars right inside Paris - right at the Chateau de Vincennes parking lot - a royal resident for car-camping."

Which isn't relevant since they are renting the campervan in England . . .

Jenking: You would have even more flexibility w/ a car then w/ a campervan. You really could go anywhere. You did list a bunch of cities. Is that what you meant - or just the areas around those cities? (If you did mean ONLY cities - which I doubt - trains would be easier than driving)

Maybe get a good guidebook and read up on those areas then decide where to go/what to see. We can help you refine things, but you probably need to come up w/ a basic plan.

Ok so this is our new plan, Train to Cardiff from PAD, stay in Cardiff that night, next day hire a car. Travel to Bath, stay there 3 nights, then drive to Amesbury 2 nights there as the travel lodge is 22 pnds a night so we can just travel to Salisbury for the day rather than staying there. After that maybe Cirencester for 2 nights. Next, drive to Oxford drop off car stay 1 night then train to London the following afternoon. Spend one night in London and then train to Paris the next morning. All accommodation are at travel lodges as we just want something cheap. That is also our reason for choosing Cirencester. There is also one in Burford so we are not sure which one to choose or if it really matters. Is there a better area to visit between Amesbury and Oxford? (doesn't have to have a travel lodge). So anyone have any thoughts?

I'd re-think your route just a bit. You're be doing a fair bit of to-ing and fro-ing.

London > Cardiff > Bath > Amesbury/Salisbury > Cirencester (I'd personally stay in Burford) > Oxford > London, consider a more circular route.

Something like Train to Oxford, collect car, stay in Burford, on to Cardiff, then Bath, then Amesbury drop car at LHR and tube or train in to London.

Or public transport to LHR or possibly Salisbury, collect car - visit Salisbury/Stonehange and drive on to Bath that night (or stay in Amesbury if you want more time and drive to Bath the next day), then to Cardiff, Burford, Oxford drop car and train in to London.

Oh - meant to add - you might want to start a new thread for the England touring bits since this one started out about Paris and many UK experts may not see/read it.

Why Cardiff if you are only going for one night? I would suggest going there [or swapping it for Bristol] and staying for 2. north east of Bristol, sort of on the way to Cirencester is the lovely Slimbridge Wetlands Centre [http://www.wwt.org.uk/visit/slimbridge/] and also nearby is Berkley Castle where Richard II met his end [literally!]

and i agree that a more logical route would be the one jj sets out.