Travel_with_tweens

I'm taking my 12-year-old daughter to Europe for the first time this August. 16 days including travel days, so aiming to build a 14-day itinerary. Planning to fly into London, spend ~7 days, then Eurostar to Paris for 3-4 days (She wants to see Paris, but I've read in this forum that so much is closed in Paris in August.), then looking for a 3rd destination that will offer a very different experience. Fly to Switzerland and toboggan down Mt Pilatus, visit Gruyere for cheese tours, Broc for chocolate tours? Overnight train to Netherlands? Barcelona? And is it even worth visiting Paris briefly in August? I'd love some help with other exciting ideas for tweens. I don't want to pack in too much. Thank you for any suggestions!

janisj

>>She wants to see Paris, but I've read in this forum that so much is closed in Paris in August.<<

Huh - yes, a few restaurants are closed, that sort of thing. But all the main sites are open for business . . .

W/ 13+ days on the ground I'd stick to Just Paris and London. Rent apartments in each city, and then take a day trip or two from each base. From London Bath or Oxford or Stonehenge - whatever interests the two of you. From Paris Giverney or Versailles or Chatres or whatever.

janisj

Meant to add - Paris and London are the perfect cities for a tween's first European trip.

jent103

If you want a different experience from Paris and London, I'd skip Barcelona. It's a great city, and different from those two, but it's still a big city and you sound like you really want a small city/country/something different experience.

You could definitely spend a week in each and do day trips out of the cities; in London, Bath, York, Oxford, Cambridge, Salisbury, Dover, Canterbury are all easy to do, and you could look at London Walks' Explorer Days to see what other options might be - I took one of their tours to Oxford and the Cotswolds a few years ago that was a great way to see some of England that isn't so accessible via public transport. (www.walks.com ) Tons of options from Paris too: Giverny, Chartres, lots of other ideas here. I really liked Chartres myself but it's mainly famous for the cathedral, so it may not float your boat. Poster FrenchMystiqueTours has a ton of great information to get you started.

http://www.fodors.com/community/prof...mystiquetours/

mamcalice

Paris is not "closed in August. We have found a few restaurants closed but most are open and all of the sights are open. I would give Paris more than 3 days. If you want to visit a third place consider 5 days in London and 5 in Paris with Normandy in between.

StCirq

London and Paris is the perfect introductory trip to Paris. There loads more to do in each than you could manage in a month or more, but with a week in each you'd have time for a daytrip from each.

I doubt anyone on this forum has mentioned Paris being completely shut down in August, as most people here have considerable experience, and it simply hasn't been true for about 30 years that Paris shuts down in August. The occasional store or restaurant, yes, but in all likelihood you won't even notice.

nytraveler

What you will find closed in Paris in August is some small family-run restaurants or stores. 95% of things are open - including all major sights.

Now a lot of French will be gone to the shore or the country for their month's vacation - but their places will be taken by tourists from everywhere.

Agree that a week each in London and Paris would be great. We did that with our first vacation with an 11 and 14 year old - and everyone loved it. Just make sure she has a little French before she goes - get some sort of audio program teaching a few basics if she isn't taking it in school yet.

Gretchen

London and Paris--perfect. Others have said it. Do it.

europeannovice

Another vote for just London and Paris. There is plenty to do in each city to last a month.

For instance in London--you have The Tower of London, British Museum, British Library, a walk by Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament, Museum of London, National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, St Martin in the Field where you can do brass rubbing, St Paul (climb to the very top), Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Rooms, Imperial War Museum, John Soane Museum, the Courtauld Gallery in Somerset House, the Wallace Collection, the V&A Museum, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Tower Bridge, walking along South Bank, the Globe Theater even if for just a tour etc. Not to mention day trips to Hampton Court Palace (highly recommended), Kew Gardens, Windsor Castle. Plus further afield--Bath, Stonehenge, Salisbury, York etc. Seeing a play in the West End. Taking a walking tour. Harry Potter studios. Enough there for a month or more.

Paris--Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Napoleon Museum, Musee de Orsay (a must for the architecture alone never mind the impressionists inside), the Orangerie, Notre Dame, St Chappelle for the magnificent stained glass on the second level up the spiral stairs, a boat trip along the Siene, sidewalk cafes, Latin Quarter, Musee de Cluny for medieval art and the tapestries, Luxembourg Gardens etc. etc.

As you can see a week in each would fly by and you will barely scratch the surface of each. Enjoy and please write a trip report when you return to tell us what you did.

KTtravel

Paris is definitely worth visiting in August. You could certainly just pick London and Paris and then add some day trips: Chartres, Giverny, Stonehenge, etc. I think a week in each place would give you a great trip.

griz_fan

I'll add to the chorus and also recommend sticking with just London and Paris for the full time you are away. As others have pointed out, so many great things to see and do in both cities. Another thing to consider; planning. It can be sort of difficult to get a 12 year old to really understand the planning process (or at least, appreciate the process). But, once you set foot in London, there's a pretty good chance the ideas will come flooding in for her. By just focusing your time on London and Paris, you allow some time for doing things that you and your daughter probably didn't even consider while planing.

A few years ago, I visited both cities with my then 15 year old daughter. One night we were at a concert, and she struck up a conversation with a fellow teen from Norway who highly recommended the Camden Market. Since we weren't on such a strict time table, we were able to spend a Saturday there, and that wound up being one of the highlights of her trip. The extra days will give your daughter the chance to visit some place she didn't even know existed, or revisiting a place that really caught her eye.

Now, having said that... you may want to consider Brussels. When my daughter and I visited, I was able to find return airfare from Brussels for significantly less money than Paris. At the time, the cost difference was more than enough to offset the train tickets and extra night's hotel in Brussels. We had 1 full day over a weekend in Brussels, and found it a nice, relaxed change of pace from Paris. The big advantage is that it didn't take away any time from our other stops, saved us some money, and it worked out as a nice short visit, basically on the way home.

In any event, just be sure to allow time for flexible plans and have a great time

PalenQ

And is it even worth visiting Paris briefly in August?>

August is a perfect time IME to visit Paris - many locals are out at the seaside on their annual vacation and the usually obnoxious smog and traffic are greatly abated - there is even a Paris Plage - or beach when they close a busy Seine-side road and cover it and bring in sand to make the 'beach' -

oh some local restaurants will be closed but nothing really that a tourist will want.

to me 7 days is way too long for the average tourist in London - 4 days would suffice - unless you want to do day trips like to Oxford or Cambridge - those would top my list - one or the other - but 7 days in London itself no.

I'd split your trip up three ways - London, Eurostar train to Paris and then TGV - going up to nearly 200 mph to Switzerland and head to the fantastic Jungfrau Region around Interlaken - stay in a mountain town - do some hiking - do a summer luge or tobaggan ride (I think Mt Pilatus way too warm for a real tobaggan but Interlaken has a summer slide - Interlaken is only about 5 hours max by train from Paris.

Fly into London, fly out of Zurich.

For trains - www;.eurostar.com is the official site for Eurostar trains - booking really REALLY early is the key for deep discounts that however are I believe non-changeable non-refundable so be sure of your date - for French TGV Paris to Bern (for Interlaken) or other Swiss cities check www.voyages-sncf.com - the French Railways official site - again neat discounts but need to book way in advance and there are restrictions of changing and refunding.\

for lots of general info on European trains and Eurostar check out www.seat61.com - great info on discounted tickets; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

If you want to do a night train from Paris you could take one to Venice, another place you could spend a few days in what to me is the world's most exquisitely gorgeous city - don't need 5 days there however - but can experience and overnight train which for a 12 year old may be fun - www.thello.com is the official site for those Thello night trains.

Gretchen

If you wanted an add on, I would consider a day in the Loire valley seeing the chateaux.
Paris is NOT closed--in fact probably has many tourists from MANY places

BigRuss

<<is it even worth visiting Paris briefly in August?>>

You've read far too much into the notion of Paris closing down in August. It's the third-largest city in Western Europe and the capital of France, it has 15% of France's population in its metro area - it does not shut down. That would be like all of California (and then some) closing shop.

Yes, it will be hot but there's a ton(ne) to do, a week will scratch the surface, and the girl will have a blast. Why else are you going but to see two of the great cities of the world and have that experience with your daughter?

And don't go to Switzerland or a third destination. If you really need to day trip, there are plenty of choices from both London and Paris.

janisj

>> but I've read in this forum that so much is closed in Paris in August<<

I'm still curious where you read that.

PalenQ

OP did not read that in this forum - that is for sure.

janisj

>>OP did not read that in this forum - that is for sure.<<

She says she did. But until the OP returns we have no idea . . .

First time poster - sometimes newbies think they will get some sort of e-mail notification that their thread has responses. Won't happen, so hopefully she decides to come back and read whats been posted . . .

Gretchen

I have read it in this forum just as it was written by the OP--a supposition--which was then debunked. So, in a way, yes, she did. ;o)

janisj

Yeah - one nitwit posts something daft . . . everyone else sets him/her straight . . . but somehow only the daft stuff is noted/remembered.

"Everyone on Fodors says blah blah blah" when in fact only one nitwit said "blah blah blah"

sanderskn

Definitely still go to Paris! Everything you want to see will be open, all the main sights. I would take a couple days from London and add them to Paris so your time is about equal in each city. Have fun!