Debby

Taking my 9 year old daughter to London at the end of November(any comments on the weather would be great), thought since we had a week maybe we could Euro to Paris open to any other fun suggestions. Going over Thanksgiving holiday.....

wow

Paris Certainly would be doable in a week trip - I would suggest taking the Eurostar as it is fun.<BR><BR>The weather is likely to be cool and possible rainy - same with Paris - however, you may get some rain free days!!<BR><BR>whilst in London there are loads of things to do - London Dungeons, Planetarium, Aquarium, Natural History Museum, Science Museum.

jpm

My personal opinion would be stick to London. There is so much to do that you will be busy every hour of every day. Yes, I know that going to Paris for the day, would be fun (thought of doing myself), but in the end I think you will find your time better spent concentrating on London. <BR><BR>Plus, this gives you an excuse to go to Paris next year for a week!<BR><BR>JPM<BR><BR>Travelogues at www.appleberryroad.com

trying

Debby: I don't know what your travel experience is. London has wonderful shopping, theater and museums. That said, IMHO, it lacks the atmosphere of some other areas in the UK and Europe. Also, being a big, busy city, it tends to wear you out. I would suggest making plans to get out of town, either by Eurostar or to the UK countryside. If you are flying in and out of London. Break it up in the middle (i.e. spend a few days in London, then a few days out, then return for a day to hit the things you thought you missed).

janis

Yes you COULD do Paris, but I don't recommend it at all. By late Nov the days are getting quite short and the weather is very iffy. It is likely to be very cold in Paris (London is warmer but wetter)<BR><BR>Paris is a "walking around" city and it may be too cold and tiring for a 9 yr old to take a 3+hour train to Paris, be on foot several hours and then a 3+hour train back and a very late arrival back at your hotel. Plus it is a very expensive day trip.<BR><BR>You could do 5 days in London and two in Paris but unless you get an open jaw ticket, that would be too running around to get back to london to catch you flight home.<BR><BR>There is enough in London to fill a year let alone a month. So stick to one city this time.<BR><BR>There are many lovely day trips out of London - the best probably being Hampton Court Palace and Windsor. But you will find so much to occupy you in London you probably won't go out of town much.<BR><BR>be sure to take her to several plays and musicals. get you ticket at the half price ticket booth in Leicester Square. Take her there around 11AM, look over the available shows and let her pick. She'll have great time.<BR><BR>Other things for sure -- London Eye at sunset, a boat ride on the river (if the weather cooperates), Changing of the Guard at Horseguards where she can get very close - pat the horses in fact, British Museum, the V&A, Natural History and/or the Science, a posh afternoon tea at one of the fancy hotels, The Tower of London - be sure to encourage her to talk to the Beefeaters - they are great w/ kids.

Kris

Presuming that this is your first trip to London and that you'll have another chance to visit Paris and given that you just have a week, I would stick to London and the surrounding area.<BR><BR>There are a bunch of interesting day trips you can take (Windsor, Hampton Court, Bath, Oxford/Blenheim, etc)and plenty in London to keep you busy for a week. I'm going back for my 4th trip and I still haven't found a way to see everything.

Vita

Hi, Debby. I did a week in London in May and I took two day trips. I did one day tour with Astral travels to see Stonehenge, Salisbury, Avebury, and Old Sarum, and I did another independent trip to York. <BR><BR>I really enjoyed the tour. Since I didn't have a car, I just wanted someone to take me around to see a lot of different places. I thought the time we spent in each place was adequate and the driver took a lot of detours through the countryside.<BR><BR>York was a nice walking town but there are probably equally nice towns that are closer.<BR><BR>Have fun!

Suzy

A day trip to Paris is technically possible but a very long, tiring day. IMHO, it would be better ot get out of London and see another part of England, rather than spending over 6 hours traveling to yet another big city! Hampton Court Palace, a Cotswolds tour, even Bath, would give you a nice day away fron London.

janis

Just a quick correction - Blenheim Palace is not open in Nov. But not to worry - as you can see from the posts there are MANY thing to fill your time.

elvira

There's something non-practical about going to Paris from London (or vice versa) for a day or a weekend - which makes it perfect on a vacation. The train ride can be enjoyable, especially for a kid who's not ridden trains or not for a while (the snack bar menus in 3 languages are very entertaining); it can be relaxing as well, a chance to catch up on postcards, journals, a little nap, cheesy novels.<BR><BR>The English countryside in November will be no better than Paris for inclement weather. Paris does offer Hello Kitty shopping.

Anita

I think you will have to judge what is too much for your daughter. Any kid that can last through the heat & lines of Disneyworld can probably take on Europe better than some adults. The shorter days are not a help but still you can cram a lot in. The train ride to Paris is something different & you can give her a guidebook so she can be deciding what to do after you arrive. I enjoyed the train ride because it let me rest my poor feet after all the walking we did in London.<BR>My kids were older but daughter got glazed eyes after too many museums. She did enjoy Stonehenge & the Tower. We were there for the Trooping of the Colors & that was an attention keeper. We did the open bus tour in the early evening right after arriving. You get better pictures in the daytime but it was neat to see the buildings light up at night. We also did the Eye. Get the guide that has the pullouts so you can identify what you're looking at. At the end of the ride they tell you to stand by the windows & they take a picture of the inside of the car.<BR>As for plays I wonder if she would enjoy that. Some have matinees so you might check that. My daughter wanted to see "We Will Rock You" based on the music of Queen. After a vote we saw the Complete Shakespeare. It was funny & there were a few kids there.<BR><BR>Have a great time & buy lots of postcards for her to have. A disposable camera is good to so she can take pictures.