What is the difference between ‘I’ve been to’ and ‘I’ve been in’?

Look at the sentences below:

I’ve been to France five times.

I’ve been in London for about 3 weeks.

I’ve been is the present perfect of the verb be. We use the present perfect when we talk about 

 

• our experiences (events that have happened in our lives)
• situations that started in the past and continued to the present moment

 

However, there is an important difference between been to and been in.

When we say been to … we are talking about places that we have visited in our lives:

Akiko lives in Singapore. She has never been to London.

 

 

 

 

When we say been in … we are talking about staying or living somewhere for a period of time from the past up to the present moment:

Julia is tourist. She has been in Paris for 5 days.