We are in the very beginning planning stages of our first family trip abroad. Neither my husband or I have traveled to Europe so this really is a first in many ways. We are planning on taking 10 days total-- two for travel and eight in Paris. The London part is really just a maybe... I am a HUGE football (soccer) fan and wold LOVE to catch the Chunnel to London for an overnight to catch a EPL game there. My questions are many and any help you may give is greatly appreciated.

1. The names of any trusted websites for apartment rentals in Paris
2. Where to find information on tickets for the Chunnel from Paris to London
3. American hotels in London
4. Ideas of things to do with teens in Paris outside of the usual tourist spots-- anything that other families have done with their children that were really successful (going in April)

I'm sure I'll come up with other questions from the information you send along, but that's it for now.

Thanks!
Emily

1) http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ent-thread.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ris-thread.cfm

2) The <U>Eurostar</U> train's website. www.eurostar.com/ (It ain't the Chunnel - except by one pesky Fodorite)

3) WHY do you specifically want an 'American hotel' ... But there are all the usual suspects --Hiltons, Marriotts, Holiday Inns etc.

4) A Segway tour . . .

Don't expect to get Premier League tickets in London. They are essentially sell outs and you'd really need to be a member.

janisj: thanks for the heads up on the "chunnel"... exactly why I chose to ask you guys, now I know what to call it.

as for the American hotel-- simply for convenience in that we hope to get just one room for the 4 of us with two queen size beds... no other reason really. also, we may have points available to use, but thats it.

as for the epl games-- i have researched the tickets and according to the sites i've been on, you can get seats at many games. i also have a friend based in London who is able to help me on that end.

as i mentioned in the original post, the side trip to london is just a thought if everything works out right, not a definite plan.

eurocentric-- thanks for the ideas. my kids are 11 and 14 and are both adventurous and good travelers. i hope to get many of the typical touristy sites in, but don't want to overdo any museums or things that might bore them. I think a few hours in the Louvre, visiting those things we map out ahead of time that are of great interest to all of us, will be enough. i was just wondering if there were any suggestions of things that were off the beaten path that would be fun...maybe bike rentals?

I don;t think you need to "do things" with teens in either London or Paris. Head them to student guide books and let them pick out what they want to see. This worked just fine the first time we took my stepdaughters (11 and 14 at the time). They had lists of very specific things they wanted to do - and after a day in each city we would split up some days - so they could do some of their (interminable) shopping while we toured some galleries. A lot of the baics we did together. But they really had strong opinions after doing some reading - and in Paris loved the opportunity to put their school French to use.

Their favorite non shopping sight in Paris was the Musee de Cluny - the loved the tapestries and the unique feel of the middle ages.

In Paris you need to do the Fat Tire Bike Tour (http://fattirebiketours.com/paris). I've done the night version twice and it is great. One time was with 9 high school students that I was leading on a trip and it was one of their favorite things we did. It leaves from the Eiffel Tower and goes through the city with stops along the way and then you end with a cruise down the Seine. You will not regret this option.

My two children were 11 and 15 when we went to London and Paris. In Paris they loved the Fat Tire Bike Tour. I think they now do one in London. We also rented bikes at Versailles and rode back in the back...that turned out to be one of the most fun days. My kids are not into museums so we did like you have said...we planned out the "important" things to see and just spent that short amount of time in the Louvre. My kids are more active and like to explore outdoors. We even did EuroDisney, even though we all prefer DisneyWorld. Check out some books on Paris and London and talk about what there is to do and see. Ask them to pick something they would like to do. I will ask my children (now 17 and 21) what they remember from the trip and let you know if they have more to add.

We traveled to London and Paris in '06 when our kids were 10 (son) and 13(daughter). Here is a link to my trip report which gives tons of details on the apts. we stayed in, things we did, restaurants, etc. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ma-grandpa.cfm

We did not do it on that trip, but since then we have done bike tours in Salzburg and Buenos Aires and highly recommend doing a bike tour with the kids.

Thanks everyone-- I will definitely look into the bike tours, that sounds like a lot of fun for all of us.

jgg-- I will be on your trip report later today. Thank you =D