Perfect Passes for Paris and London

Edited by Jennifer L. Price

How many times have you spent half of your vacation standing in a hot line, glancing at your watch and looking enviously at those people who look just like you but who seem to have VIP status and are admitted at the front of the queue as soon as they arrive? For both London and Paris there is a pass that not only gets you to the front of the line but can also save you money.

For London it's called The London Pass. It offers free entry to more than 55 of London's most popular tourist and sightseeing attractions. Once you've got it you don't have to pay to get into any of the attractions covered by the pass. As well as free entry, the London Pass allows you to skip long and frustrating queues at the busiest tourist attractions, including the Tower of London, London Zoo, Kensington Palace and London Aquarium. Full details together with how to buy your pass at: www.londonpass.com

Spring and summer London visitors need to book now for "must-see" events if they don't want to be disappointed. These include The Chelsea Flower Show, The Queen's Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour), Beating Retreat and performances at The Globe Theatre. Details of how to book for these events are at: www.chslondon.com/vr/suggestions.htm.

In Paris, The Paris Museum Pass will allow you to visit more than 60 museums and monuments in Paris and the surrounding area, as many times as you like and without having to queue. 2, 4 and 6 day passes are available - but note that the Eiffel Tower is not included. Full details at www.parisinfo.com/rub8013.html . La Conciergerie - www.conciergerie.com will express mail The Paris Museum Pass to your home address.

Accommodation Tips If you have not yet booked your accommodation, consider a rental rather than a hotel - not only will you have more space but, it can also be cheaper. Coach House Rentals, in business since 2001, offer rentals in London and Paris. They have a comprehensive web site with pictures and full descriptions of all their properties, 70 in London and 25 in Paris, together with useful suggestions of what to see and do. Full details of the Coach House Rentals service can be found at: www.rentals.chslondon.com and www.rentals.chsparis.com.