thanks for suggesting this thread netleigh!
this is what we've got planned so far:
1. 2 weeks in paris
2. four days in london
3. a day in dublin
4. 5 days on the coast in county down
5. a day in copenhagen
6. 4 days with friends in the north of denmark
if anybody has any fabulous ideas for things we must see/do/eat/drink/hear in any of these locales, then i am all grateful ears.
My favourite lunch/brunch restaurant in Copenhagen: http://www.europa1989.dk/index2.php?language=en
It's very close to Nyhavn, which is a bit of a tourist trap but very beautiful (just avoid eating/drinking there, expensive and not high quality):
http://www.copenhagenpictures.dk/nyhavn.html
I absolutely love Paris, but I can't come up with any particular favourite places - strange but true. I just love to be there, walk around without any particular plans, sit down for a meal in whatever restaurant I happen to come across. I'll get back to you if I can think of something special I can recommend.
Ohhhhhhhhhh, sounds wonderful bandicoot!!!
David Lebovitz was the pastry chef for Alice Water's famous restaurant in Berkley, California, Chez Panisse. (See http://www.chezpanisse.com/about/alice-waters/ ) He does food tours in Paris and has authored cookbooks. His blog on Paris with restaurant and other Parisian recommendations is fabulous:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/paris/ (rest recom & links to rest & travel guides)
(Don't let the most recent post on his blog, "Bubba's Fried Chicken," throw you - it really is mostly of Paris.)
My sweetheart and I had a 3-hour dinner New Year's Eve at the most romantic restaurant in Paris -- "1728" -- so named because that's the year when it was built. They also have a tea room open on Saturday afternoons. Our evening was heavenly, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the food and service were sublime.
http://www.restaurant-1728.com/1728_paris/restaurant.php
My favorite visit in Dublin was Kilmainham Gaol -- but then, I have odd interests. The Guinness and Jameson tours are both excellent. The one thing I really, really wanted to do was see a play at the Abbey Theatre and we got to see a matinee of "Doubt," which was wonderful. The Brazen Head is a 12th Century pub and has music -- had a nice time there and not as touristy as you would think, as it was a bit off the beaten path.
If you're up for making a day trip from Paris to Giverny, Claude Monet's gardens and house will open for the season as of April 1st.
http://giverny.org/gardens/fcm/visitgb.htm
Susan - kilmainham jail is on my list, being as how it's my name.... It's been so long since I was in Ireland I don't know any places. We mostly ate in pubs in London and UK. Never been tp Paris or Norway so, you know, I'm not much help! LOL
I'm with Ella, Claude Monet's home in Giverney is absolutely gorgeous!
I recommend, Sergent Recruteur Restaurant
41 rue Saint Louis en l'Ile - Paris 4°
It is a fun place to eat with very good food. Google it for more info.
Sounds like a wonderful trip you have planned!
oooo yes, giverny is definitely on the list this trip!
we just didn't get around to it last year.
between the jail....the guinness...and the book of kells.....i think we'll need to drive down to dublin for an extra day trip.
many many thanks for the restaurant recommendations, i am really grateful!
we'll be staying in the 4th, so sergent recruteur is just a short stroll away. thrilling!
1728 looks smashing. my husband and i adore big fancy afternoon teas once in a while, so that is definitely going on the list.
you guys are gooooood.
have you been to London before? What sorts of things are you interested in? Which month are you coming? If it's spring/summer then Highgate Cemetery is beautiful, very atmospheric and stuffed full of famous people. There is a beautiful National Trust place in north-west London too, which I love. The National Gallery is a must-see, and the Victoria and Albert is great too. The other museums can be really crowded and rather unpleasant when they're really busy, so pick your times for visiting them carefully. Tate Modern is huge though so never overcrowded, and a good destination for wandering along the Thames. The Globe Theatre is really interesting, they do tours which are fascinating. London has lots of great restaurants so look at some reviews and work out where you're going to be on what days to see which ones are nearby.
If you haven't booked a hotel in London yet then I can recommend the Premier Inn just near the London Eye, good location and the quietest hotel I've ever stayed in. Nothing fancy, it's a chain but reasonable value if you book in advance and the rooms are a decent size. Usually I find hotel rooms really noisy and can't sleep, but this one is an exception :) Otherwise, if you're going at the weekend it's often worth seeing if any of the posh hotels are offering a good rate online, sometimes you can get a 5 star hotel for the price of somewhere really basic.
lottielot, we'll be there in april.
we adored pere lachaise cemetery in paris....highgate is going on the list, thank you!
we are booked into the kensington forum. we've stayed there before and found it really easy to get around from there. but i have filed the premier inn away for another time. you cannot have too many good hotel recommendations!
aha, you have your hotel sorted, good! Definitely Highgate then if you like cemeteries, this one is absolutely beautiful! And it's nice to wander round and have a stickybeak at all the lovely houses round there too :)
It sounds like you have your 4 days worth of places to see already, if you're doing the galleries and V and A etc, I wouldn't do too much in a day because you'll get cognitive overload! Last time I went to Paris I went with some friends and they were excellent company: every few hours one of them would say: 'time for a coffee' or 'time for a pastry' or 'time for a beer'! It was a very civilised way to see Paris, but would work for London too :)
i, too, am a great believer in taking my time and doing one thing properly, rather than rushing about ticking things off.
i am excited about highgate....it just hadn't occurred to me....and i know we will both love it.
we are going back to pere lachaise too.
the husband wants to see abelard and heloise and i want to look up as many of toulouse-lautrec's models as i can find!
i know there are a bunch of them....jane avril, la goulue, yvette guilbert.
And his cutest little model of all, Nini Patte en l'Air! I named my first cat after her. lol
Also highly recommended: La Patisserie des Reves. The sleek interior design is just the thing to thrill an Unclutterer's heart.
http://www.lapatisseriedesreves.com/
Hi bandicoot. I'd recommend to give Dublin more than a day (although I'm probably biased being a southern Irelander!). The usual route for tourists would be Trinity College to see the Book of Kells, the Guinness Storehouse, Christchurch Cathedral and maybe Dublin Castle. These are all on the southside of the city and fairly near each other. Temple Bar is another popular spot, but if you're looking for a true Irish pub avoid the establishments there, they're purely there to cater for tourists, very few Irish people would visit them.
Attractions wise, as susanintexas suggested, Kilmainham Gaol is worth a look, it's quite touching & heart-rending. The Museum of Modern Art is nearby too (http://www.imma.ie/en/index.htm)
The Chester Beatty Library is a treasure in the centre of Dublin, close to Dublin Castle. It has exhibitions on Middle Eastern and Asian crafts and a nice restaurant:
http://www.cbl.ie/
The Crypt in St Michan's Church.
Depends on your interests but I find this place fascinating! There's a crypt below that contains mummified remains and supposedly it inspired local boy Bram Stoker to write Dracula.
http://tinyurl.com/6eeroud
(The Jameson Distillery is also nearby, and the National Museum at Collins Barracks is just down the way)
The Iveagh Gardens
I used to go here for my lunch sometimes when I worked in Dublin, feels like a secret garden, perfect if you want a bit of peace and quiet during the day.
http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/dublin/theiveaghgardens/
Natural History Museum
You're probably going to think I'm a total weirdo, between suggesting this and the crypt but this is one of my favourite places in Dublin! It's a Victorian collection of stuffed animals, poor critters who were dragged to Dublin from the four corners of the world, it's also known as the Dead Zoo. It's been recently renovated and has a beautiful interior. It's also right next to the Dáil, the Irish parliament, and the surrounding neighbourhood is quite fancy and great for a wander if you're interested in Georgian architecture.
http://www.museum.ie/en/intro/natural-history.aspx
Food and drink
The Winding Stair restaurant
One of my favourite restaurants in Dublin, on the northside quays, overlooking the Liffey. Above a bookshop of the same name, access is via a winding stairs (unsurprisingly!). Small enough inside but really lovely food (especially dessert) and staff are very friendly.
http://www.winding-stair.com/content/trg/windingstair/pages/about.htm
L'Gueuleton
Excellent French food, no reservations.
http://www.lgueuleton.com/
Gruel
If you're looking for a no-frills, old school lunch, this place is great. Sort of reminds me of visiting a grand-aunt's house in the 80's! Their mint tea is lovely, served in an old-style enamel teapot with real mint.
http://www.gruel.ie/home.html
The Stag's Head
Beautiful Victorian pub, I love the upstairs lounge.
http://www.louisfitzgerald.com/stagshead
The Long Hall
Classic "old man pub"! Nice mixture of old codgers and lively young people, beautiful interior too.
http://tinyurl.com/649s3dy
(Sorry for the separate posts but it wouldn't allow me post as one entire post)
Paris
My favourite gallery is the Musee D'Orsay
If you are nearby go and have a look at the Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation.
I've not visited these myself yet, but they are on the next Paris trip list, the Paris Catacombs.
It's a while since I last went to Paris so any food recommendations would be rather out of date.
London
You have obviously been before so will have a hit list of what you want to see.
Cafes on Picadilly, therefore handy for the Royal Academy and also a short step from the National Gallery.
Richoux, like a cafe/tea room was when I was little, proper table service.
The Wolsley, next to the Ritz, a Grand Cafe in the european style, booking recommended, though they do have some unbookable tables you can take your chance on, the building is an old car salesroom of great style. Peer in the windows if you are passing.
Waterstones, the old Simpsons of Picadilly is now a huge bookshop (bliss) and on the top floor is a bar/cafe, remember not the basement coffee shop. It's got great views south and is a tranquil break from the rest of London.
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