Comments on: Big city showdown: London or Paris?

By: erik

erik — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:23:04 +0000

Firstly, this is an experience of a 30 something gay man on a budget. Living in London for 12 years now, I might be a bit of a bias. But just having returned from Paris yesterday (on my 4th trip), I still have a feeling that London is the place to be.

The metro, even if English is use at the automatic ticket machine, finding the right ticket is difficult, and navigating underground is not as intuitive. London Underground has very good corporate identity, very easy to spot above ground, and signage is very consistent throughout. I would bet an arm and a leg for this, even without litter bins for safety purposes, the tube is definitely cleaner, less graffiti, and does not smell of urine in the corners.

I don’t know if it’s the CCTV or lack of, Paris feels rough in the centre. And so much hassling going on, you feel like you are getting cornered all the time. London never feels rough unless you go out of the tourist areas. Compare the surroundings of St. Pancras and Gare du Nord.

Cost, while London is known for being expensive, Paris on similar commodity is more expensive, take something familiar as a Big Mac meal and you’ll get my point.

Architecture, well, I’ll give Paris this one, it is a well planned city unlike London growing like wildfire. I do however like the villages of London like Wimbledon, Richmond and Greenwich where it feels like you are outside the city in an instant. And London is very green.

Clubbing and getting silly, definitely London, the sheer amount of places to go on a weekend is staggering, and there is so much buzz going on.

Pubs? While Paris has nice coffee houses (and still tolerant of smokers, plus on my book). Paris does not offer the choices that London has to offer, you say croissant and I say what else is on the menu.

I guess the reason I love London and still do is the variety, you want it free, cheap or expensive, you want it now or later, London can give it to you.

But Paris is just less than 3 hours away, and I’m glad it’s there when I like a bit of a change.

If you are a traveller deciding where to go first on a weeks holiday, I say do Paris on Mon-Wed and save the rest for London.

By: even

even — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:56:58 +0000

London wins! The explanation is simple. People do speak english there. Paris is a lot prettier but the language things creates a barrier which is hard to cross. You can´t go to the theatre, you can´t find the shops you are looking for and you waste a lot of time finding thing. In short: London makes a smoother holiday and there are a lot more things to do.

By: Graham

Graham — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:55:04 +0000

You are lucky to be living in either cities and you can be in one or the other within a couple of hours. Both are true world cities!

By: Aaron

Aaron — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 11:37:54 +0000

For me the big difference is that Paris is just one big tourist attraction, whereas London has a lot variance. In London there are a lot of different sub-cultures, new music genres and styles are being formed and spread all over the world. Paris once had that, but its pretty much dead now. Central Paris, although beautiful is monotonous, Central London is again varied. Of course, Paris is still the capital of food and fashion. Finally, and I have to say this, Paris feels like a third world city lately, people can be extremely rude and there are many, many people constantly trying to sell you stuff, they can be extremely pushy, sometimes intimidating and in one occasion even racist. So I think London is much more civilized and Paris is in my opinion a declining city.

By: Xavier

Xavier — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:59:41 +0000

I have to agree with Raven… I love London. I didn’t enjoy my time in Paris as much as I would have liked to because: First… I was stuck in the airport since there was a strike (which I’ve heard happens a lot), Second people seemed rude… just because I didn’t speak French (I thought they would rather hear Spanish and but that didn’t convince them either ha ha) … Third, there seems to be more street crime in Paris than in London…oh those pickpockets and them tricksters… I mean I felt more secure walking around London than in Paris… The food was delicious in Paris…but overall London gets my vote.

By: Raven Shingoose

Raven Shingoose — Tue, 10 May 2011 17:50:26 +0000

i loved London! i really didnt enjoy my time in paris because it was often dirty everywhere and the people were a bit rude… just because i didnt speak French.. but the food was delicous in both places but london was less expensive and london had more to offer…!! so i would pick london over paris any day

By: lbc

lbc — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 14:43:52 +0000

young people prefer london

By: I LOVE LONDON

I LOVE LONDON — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 22:28:48 +0000

I still vote with London. I mean paris only has the eiffel tower…. but London has London Eye and Big Ben and actually much more…

By: twitten litten

twitten litten — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 21:51:44 +0000

I don’t think any of them get my vote, but i still like London better than Paris!! London looks more like a light up for me!! I also like the last quote…. But I still love London and its odd corners in a way that I can’t love Paris. I respect Paris, I like Paris, I enjoy being in Paris – but somehow, London feels like home.

By: London better than Paris according to French | London Hotel News | Official daily news on London hotels |

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 07:52:52 +0000

[...] Hotels Insight reached a similar conclusion in its “tete a tete” of Paris versus London; though suggested the Sofitel St James as a great London hotel to experience the best of both [...]

By: Jeff

Jeff — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:44:07 +0000

I think London and Paris are two must-see destinations if you’re traveling to Europe. My first option is Paris, but it’s only because I’ve been there and haven’t yet visited London. I found great properties on a bunch of sites including http://www.getaroom.com. If you’re looking for a “romantic destination,” Paris is the ideal choice. But as far as landmarks, it’s a toss-up.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:41:44 +0000

I can only quote from the post:

“… I (still) love London and its odd corners in a way that I can’t love Paris. I respect Paris, I like Paris, I enjoy being in Paris – but somehow, London feels like home.”

London gets my vote

By: Smitten by Britain

Smitten by Britain — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:07:45 +0000

A no-brainer for me, sorry. London all the way.

By: Rajul

Rajul — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:07:43 +0000

Keith, thank YOU (and Nomadic Matt) for inspiring this post in the first place! I have to admit I love Paris too and agree that Parisians are a lot more tourist-friendly than before. On my last visit, a kind elderly Parisian lady led me to a wonderful local bistro when I had merely asked her for directions. London hoteliers have also told me they’re getting an increasing number of bookings from travellers who plan to enjoy both cities. Last time I took the Eurostar it was a great experience and the sexy new St Pancras station boulevard makes you feel like you’re already in Paris. So I think the two cities are now “Siamese twins” that are inextricably linked.

By: Keith

Keith — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:54:26 +0000

Thank you Rajul and Andrea for this very insightful article. I agree, it’s very hard to compare London and Paris and decide which is ‘better’, and I admire your attempt! It’s an apples and oranges thing to me. I love both cities. I fell in love with Paris the first time I visited in the 80′s and I love it every time I return. The one negative factor: the Parisians themselves, has become less of an issue in recent years – they’re speaking more English, are less blunt nowadays and are becoming increasingly tourist-friendly (a concept totally alien to them in the past). As for London, I didn’t like it very much the first time I visited (also in the 80′s) – maybe it was the weather that made everything look drab. However, throughout the years, it’s really grown on me and I’ve learned to appreciate its quirkiness and the many charming spots.

Excellent post! I’m off to catch my flight to…. em… London! Cheerio!