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Big city showdown: London or Paris?
Paris versus London: who wins?
The relative merits of Paris and London came up when I recently contributed a guest post to the Velvet Escape travel blog highlighting some of London’s more subtle pleasures.
My post elicited a throw-away comment from leading travel blogger Nomadic Matt claiming that “Paris is more exciting” than London.
The sharp gust of this comment initially threw me back. But as a proud Londoner, did I have any choice other than to respond?
Rather than present my own biased perspective, I decided to ask a uniquely-qualified “judge” to deliver a more balanced view.
The perfect candidate is Andrea Kirkby, who blogs about London (where she spent 15 years) but lives near Paris, a city she also knows intimately. Read her witty and insightful guest post below to discover the winner!
So will it be the stunning Tour Eiffel...
...or majestic Big Ben?
“Lots of ink has been spilt on the relative attractions of London and Paris. I’m sure I won’t be able to claim the last word on this.
But since I know both cities well – I’ve spent fifteen years living in London, and the last five with a house just outside the French capital – I’m going to have a go at deciding which one wins.
For what the French call ‘des coins insolites’ – weird and wonderful corners – both cities have their claims.
London has ancient pubs like the Old Mitre and the Cheshire Cheese tucked away down back alleys; there’s Borough Market with its mix of modern foodie-ism and old market traders; as well as Cloth Fair and Smithfield, a Norman church and a meat market that works by night with a pub that opens for breakfast with a pint of Guinness!
Paris has tiny vineyards in Montmartre and Saint-Germain-des-Pres, a tropical jungle hidden in the depths of the Gare de Lyon metro station, and an alchemist’s house with strange symbols on the facade.
But on the whole, on this first criterion, I think London wins. Paris does style, panache, and huge monuments like the Louvre or the Champs Elysees – it doesn’t really do strange or picturesque.
Will it be the fried egg...
What about trees? London has its mascot tree, the plane, with its characteristic patchy bark and light green leaves; all the London squares and many of its streets are lined with planes (there are mulberry trees in Throgmorton Avenue, too, which belong to the Drapers’ Company who used them for silkworm cultivation.)
Paris is full of lovely trees and parks, but none of them quite have the character of the London plane. London wins again.
...or the croissant?
Now something that makes a big difference to your life in a city is breakfast. In London, there are bagels of course, but the defining breakfast is the Full English – bacon (full marks!), fried egg (yuk), brown sauce (ugh), toast (depends on how it’s done).
In Paris, it’s a croissant or a tartine with a strong coffee to get you started. I’ve done it both ways and for me, Paris wins.
Paris also wins for dogs. You don’t see many in central London; those you do tend to be either labradors (silly, upper-class, a bit dozy) or staffies (lower-class and aggressive).
In Paris you get everything from the well-dressed chihuaha or clipped poodle to the great Dane. All are well-behaved, well-groomed and amazingly, Parisians have learned to use the ‘WC à Toutou’ (dog loo).
I’m keen on industrial architecture. London’s Regents Canal, from the grittiness of Limehouse Basin to the elegance of Little Venice, shades it marginally over the Canal de l’Ourcq – though a trip out to Pantin with its huge old flour mills is a must for lovers of industrial heritage.
Then again, London hasn’t got the Eiffel Tower, so this one’s a draw.
Bookshops – that’s tricky. Even if you only read English, Paris has Shakespeare & Co, a lovely old shop on the Left Bank that was the heart of Bohemian Paris for years.
You’re as likely to meet a poet or artist there as you are to find a book. And there are also the ‘bouquinistes’ with their stalls along the Seine.
But then London has the Charing Cross Road and Cecil Court bookshops – still surviving despite high rents and threats of redevelopment – and the little specialised shops near the British Museum. And Daunt Books with its glass roofed Edwardian splendour. So that’s a draw too, I think.
For flea markets, though, it has to be Paris. London has Brick Lane on Sunday but I’ve never found anything really worthwhile there apart from (once) a 2CV headlight (and that before I actually had a 2CV!). There’s Bermondsey for antiques but its best days are over.
Whereas Paris has the huge Saint-Ouen market, open on weekends and Mondays plus the ‘marchés aux puces’ at Porte de Vanves and Montreuil. Looking for antiques? Catch the Eurostar!
So Paris just nudges into first place on points. 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.”
So there you have it: for Andrea at least, Paris wins by a short head! Do you agree with her? Please leave your comment below.
The Sofitel St James is as close as you can get to "Paris glitz" in central London
“Qu’est-ce qu’on peut faire alors” if you’re stuck in London but pining for Paris? Here are some top hotel tips with a distinctly French flavour:
- One of the many “tiny noticeable touches” at the Milestone Hotel (currently TripAdvisor number 1) is that the staff provide a treasure trove of information to prepare guests who wish to travel to Paris.
Book direct with the Milestone Hotel at the best guaranteed rate
- The Sofitel St James is run by the French with cheeky little reminders of Paris (such as artwork, roosters and live piano music!) all over the place. It’s an immaculate hotel also currently in the top 5 on TripAdvisor.
Check the best rate for the Sofitel St James from 30+ hotel booking sites
- If you’re catching the Eurostar to Paris from St Pancras, you might enjoy the “urban chic” vibe of the Zetter Hotel, down the road in Clerkenwell. It’s a reasonably-priced, modern boutique hotel with a nice restaurant.
Check the best rate for the Zetter Hotel from 30+ hotel booking sites
Finally, if there’s one area where I feel London beats Paris hands-down, it’s the sheer diversity of the city’s exotic eating options. I’m hoping even Nomadic Matt might agree with me on that one!
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Photo credits: Sofitel St James.
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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!
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.
A no-brainer for me, sorry. London all the way.
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
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.
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.
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…
young people prefer london
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
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.