It’s a centuries old battle; which of Europe’s classical cities is better, London or Paris. Clarendon Serviced Apartments has already examined the competing cities transport and attractions as well as their food offers. Now it’s on to how to spend your time.
1 . Nightlife
Paris is home of cabaret; how can anything beat that? But while the french capital has a few trendy bars it simply doesn’t have enough to compete with London. You’d hard pushed to find better night out that the UK capital. There are not just pubs (one of the UK’s finest exports) but also superclubs. Even the areas that are up and coming for a superb night out like Covent Garden and Soho they beat the best Paris has to offer. It’s also much easier to get around London after dark with night buses and more taxis. The biggest names in the world come to London to perform. Plus, it’s just that little bit friendlier on London than it is in Paris which just adds the cherry to the top of a night out in the UK capital.
Winner – London
2. Shopping
There are stricter laws governing shops opening on a Sunday in Paris compared with London which has reduced operating hours. London’s “shopping strips” stretches from Westfield to Shepherd’s Bush covering Mayfair, Oxford Street and Soho. In Paris you find more shopping districts like the Triangle d’Or and a range of flea markets wike the Marais or Avenue de Champs Elysees with designer stores. However there isn’t as much variety as you find in London and if you go high end even british designer stores are cheaper then their French counterparts.
Winner – London
3. Weather
Any visit is always impacted by the weather. Paris lies further south than London so it’s warmed but both are prone to showers. In April the average high in Paris is 16C in April with ten hours of sunshine and 42 mm in rain. While in London it’s 13C with eight hours of sunshine and 37mm of rain. In the summer average temperatures in Paris reach 25C with 13 hours of sun and 59 mm of rain. In London it’s 22C with eight hours of sunshine and 57 mm of rain.
Winner – Paris.
There’s one factor we’ve ignored when we’ve compared London and Paris but it’s a major draw – the Royal family do add a little glamour and sparkle to London life, as well as fantastic places to visit like Buckingham Palace. You really can come to London to see the Queen.
Of course at Clarendon we love London, it’s been our home for 26 years. We have serviced apartments at various locations like Canary Wharf, the West End, Richmond and Kew offering as much choice as we can for extended stay travellers.
Tell us what you think makes London or Paris better on our Twitter – use the hashtag London Paris @clarendonapts and we’ll tweet the best ones.