London vs. Paris

[spacenuteskimo 0]

Perhaps this will work this time...  Come and pick your favorite, and tell us why!  I vote London, to me it seems classy and very neat.

Matthew

[anilber 0]

This is hard, I went to both Paris and London last year, and I thought that I would like Paris more, but at the end of the trip they were both incredible.  I'm going to have to go for...hmmm...I guess I'll go for Paris because of the Louvre and the Musse d'Orsay, which were my favourite museums in all of Europe.

[SimFox 802]

Well you’ve said that you want others to give explanations for the choice that claim, but ones you gave your self don’t really say much classy and neat are way to vague terms to define anything precise. Anyway London  you say classy and neat… hm… Have you been there?? In which part/parts exactly? How about Paris how much of Paris have you seen?

[spacenuteskimo 0]

Hey, none of that...  ok sorry, I was in a bit of a rush....   I picked London since I think it looks like a great city, it has a good skyline, and the history associated with it is incredible.  The same could be said about Paris, but all the car bombs and stuff over there is a bit scary...  Sorry for the confusion... Admittedly, I have been to neither, but I know a fair bit about each.

Cheers!

Matthew

[SimFox 802]

Well then you should phrase you question more precisely.

Trust me I’m not trying to bog you down or anything, but choosing between two places to neither of which you have actually been is really way off!

You say you know fair bit about both, then use that knowledge in you argumentation instead of “incredible” if you think what this word actually means – something that can not be believed/trusted, then you would be more careful in using it. When used in conjunction with other description, ones carrying actual meaning it could be used to spice up, to add emotional accent to your remark, but when you use it alone, it is just one of those loud empty noises, nothing more, in a way you previous remarks of classiness and neatness are more descriptive.

London and Paris are very different, the difference between two reflect different attitude towards life and idea of state. London, in fact is far less Grand then Paris, it is much more private city. Sure it has pompous building or two, but much less that Paris where square after boulevard are the anthems to the glory of France. And that is very important distinction. French art in general and architecture and city planning in particular much more monumental. Another thing Paris, although having distinct areas/neighbourhoods, still very much a single city, while London to great extend is a collection of villages and you fill yourself in most of it like in town, not city. Those endless rows of Victorian terraces lining rather narrow streets. Much of it in very poor condition. Actually much of infrastructure is dating back to the time of great queen and falling apart. And as you‘ve mentioned bombs (I guess you meant those disturbances that swept across France some times ago) London has seen far more terrorist attacks then Paris, I fact I think London is champion along with Madrid in numbers of terrorist bombs) I mean longstanding problem of North Ireland, and of course bombing of London Underground last summer. But as a matter of fact you are running higher risk of suffocating in it this summer then getting bombed. With this heat wave and antiquated ventilation system temperature in Tube has reached +52C!! Generally all infrastructure in Paris is much more modern and better maintained then in London. Paris is also cleaner.

So if you are after Grand looking City with impressive architecture Paris should be you place! And it has History a plenty.

But London has it charms as well. I’m not saying here that one is better then another, they are quite different. Just giving some comment on your argument. Village like Borough system in London makes some of them really charming nice places to be but luck of central planning and organization (Iron Lady disbanded Greater London Council to unseat her political opponents) made it quite a mess. Things are improving now, but a lot of work still has to be done.

 Europe has quite a few great cities - Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Prague, or env far les know places like Vilnius. So I think it is really impossible to choose one, unless you are prepared to elaborate, with factual and personal knowledge. That said you and everybody else is absolutely entitled to own opinion and as such it is much valued, just try to share it with others! You may bring something new to people, or open their eyes on something they haven’t noticed before!

 

Anilber: Yes Paris has stunning museums, but so does London, I think it is wrong to compare cities by museums they house. I mean then you should compare museum to another museum, that would be fare and to the point comparison. You’ll get much more feel of the city and it’s populace by mingling with them rather then tourists in museums.

So when you come to new city, go to parks , cafes restaurants, use public transport, go to shops! Go out, get yourself drunk (not totally though), feel the beat of the city, its life. Then you’ll see it uniqueness, something you could never see in any of the museums, read in any book, see on any photograph, and you’ll find you favorite spot, or it may very well turn out, that you like lunch in café in Marrais (Paris), shopping in Soho or Portabello Road(London), partying in Berlin or Barcelona and museums somewhere else.

[Camaron 1]

I have visited both numerous times and they are quite different cities in terms of culture, I can not really put one over another.

[callagrafx 3]

I give odds of 4/1 that this thread will get out of hand, as all the previous "vs" threads have... for my twopenneth, I prefer the infrastructure of London but love the vibrancy of Paris so there really is no winner.

Edit: vvv LOL @ Constantina..that's gotta be up there for wackiest reason LOL

[Constantina 5]

It is hard to tell, I'll go for london, because of the cosy upholstery in the London Underground.

[montrouge 2]

Originally posted by: SimFox

.

 With this heat wave and antiquated ventilation system temperature in Tube has reached +52C!! Generally all infrastructure in Paris is much more modern and better maintained then in London. Paris is also cleaner.

quote>

 

Paris metro is not great too.

Paris metro is not clean ( I think London tube ais cleaner )

trains are old 

+40C in line 4 on rush hour on summer

Crowed subway

smell of urine

All subway train have not air conditioned but newer have better ventilation.

This train is more than 40 years old  ( It was renovated in 1989 but it is a oven 

inside

[Dark_Jedi06 13]

British > French

London > Paris

I can't really say which is better considering I haven't been to either of them...though I do really like those red double-decker buses.

[simcitystar1167 0]

London is my kind of city. The landmarks, the culture, the people, I just think it alls better in London.

[Praetorian Cohort 0]

Hmm... in London they speak English, but in Paris they drive on the right side of the road.

Tough.

[johnwinston 3]

Hi there,
I am french, I live in Paris and lived in London for a while. I am not so in Love with Paris especially its population but I never liked London except for its greenery and the fact that people there are far more respectful to others than in Paris. In fact it is not difficult to be more courteous and respectful than a Parisian or a frenchy !
The Paris underground is dirty, overcrowded, baking but I find that the London transport system is really not convenient nor reliable and terribly expensive. The Paris system works well (except when on strike) and is very affordable...
One thing I always very disliked in London is that the people there seem to have only 2 points of interest : working in the week and getting pissed on weekends which I find is incredibly boring ! Even the ladies. They're even worse than men sometimes and I remember such frightening sights of ladies throwing up in the streets... that's not very sexy !
and last but not least... the food is London is quite expensive and so boring if you are poor. In Paris you can eat wonderfully for such reasonable prices. The UK is the worst place for eating in the world I guess and the Brits don't seem to be annoyed of that...

Anyway, nobody's perfect and I assume that one of the most important thing in the world is diversity !

 

[callagrafx 3]

Originally posted by: Praetorian Cohort Hmm... in London they speak English, but in Paris they drive on the right side of the road.

Tough. quote>

In Paris they drive on whatever side of the road has less congestion on

[Tosticles25 0]

I like London better for the most part, good art scene, but its friggin expensive! everything costs almost twice as much as it does in nyc.  Also, theres cool neighborhoods outside of the center of the city, a definite plus!  The tube is awesome, way better then the metro, except for the fact that the ceilings are low and I'm tall.<br /><br />I'm a New Yorker, so I really like the ad-hoc nature of london, as opposed to the rigid, but beautiful, architecture and urban layout of Paris...One more thing, British architects are doing way cooler stuff. Rogers, Foster, Alsop, all much better than the rigid, cold hyper modernism going on in France.

[callagrafx 3]

but its friggin expensive! everything costs almost twice as much as it does in nyc. quote>

That's because the dollar is weak against the pound...also US is cheaper because there are that many more consumers, so prices are lower but revenue is high..Here in the UK, we have a small population so prices reflect that.

[Tosticles25 0]

I know why its expensive, but its still rough on the wallet, and one of the few downsides to a great city.  It wouldn't be as bad if I was paid in Sterling, but thats not the case.

[adpbns777 0]

I have to say London over Paris.  I've been to both several times.  I didn't like the dirt pathways throughout Paris too much.  I felt very dirty walking around.  I also felt that everything was too spread out, and the metro wasn't very accomodating.  Although, the Parisians weren't as mean as the stereotype goes, but then again, I'm from New York, and we have the same stereotype, I felt that the people from London were a lot more friendly.  I loved the underground, very easy to navigate and took me everywhere I wanted to go.  The city seemed a lot cleaner.  The city was also more diverse than Paris.  London, in my opinion, was the closest thing I've seen to a melting pot in Europe.  There was much more variety in the culture than in Paris.  From a tourist's POV:  London had their fare share of museums, especially if you are into Egyptian history.  I felt that the museums in Paris were way too big, and had a few attractions in each (I prefer the art museums in Florence more), and therefore not worth the wait to get in.  The line for the London Eye was much more efficient than  the line for the Eiffel tower (The British really do know how to Queue).  I also enjoyed the juxtaposition of the modern skyscrapers in London with the older downtown skyline (St. Paul's, tower of london, big ben, tower bridge).  Paris is very homogeneous in my opinion.

[M-SIL 2]

I been to both cities and I much prefer london because it felt like I'm at home. Why? They speak english, similar culture, have alot of family there, very easy to learn transit system, close by and beautiful parks, nicer people and no dog poop on the sidewalks (where I was).    

[anilber 0]

Well, I understand that choosing a city because of the museums is kind of stupid, but aren't they part of the city?  The museums contribute to the overall grandeur of Paris, as well as the cafés, restaurants, and the subway.  It was all part of the experience.  I tried NOT to be a tourist but instead a traveler.

Anyways, it's all about Barcelona...

RONALDINHO RULES THIS PLANET!

[sloppet 3]

Definietly Des Moines, IOWA

[callagrafx 3]

ahhh if there's one constant in the universe, it's Sloppet lmao

[Wolves 0]

Stay on topic please Sloppet

[Chris M 406]

London, no contest.  Never been a fan of France. 

[Fosforito890 1]

I have visited both. Paris is nice, but the people are very rude. In London people seem more aware of each other. On the tube, someone offered a woman a wet-wipe as her hands were oily from the tube. In Paris you get pushed in the street and not even a sorry or excuse me.

London also won the Olympics!!! Hurrah!!!

[drew 0]

I have to say London.  Overall it has a tepid atmosphere, light hearted and such.

[Haljackey 17,354]

Remember that London Did win the 2012 Olpmpic hosting over Paris, the International Olympic Commite looks at all kinds of details within both cities before making that decision.

Because of that, I would go with London

(and anyways, I live in London, Canada, a city named after it!)

[montrouge 2]

Look at the old city  without skyscrapers and modern buldings

[mayormommy 8]

Wow, those are some really unflattering pictures of Paris. 

I have been to both cities - I spent a semester in London in college and took a quick trip to Paris while I was there.  I found that the people in Paris were nicer than I expected, except for their repeated attempts to rob me. London was absurdly expensive for a college student, so I never had any money there either even if no one was trying to rob me. In retrospect, I felt like there was more to do in London and I was glad I spent most of my time there.

[montrouge 2]

I know .

Paris is not only a beautiful.

London too.

but  you can see paris has skyscrapers build new bulding

Pics of beautiful and old Paris