We family of 4 (kids age 7, 13) are very excited about our upcoming trip to London and Paris in Jun 2012. So far following is our plan.

We would appreciate your comments on feasibility, challenges, additional interesting points to add/remove/substitute, nearby great restaurants on the way to enjoy local food.

Based on current plan we do not see London Pass and Paris pass as cost effective option, but would like to hear your perspective, especially around keeping commute cost in control (walk everywhere is one way to save but may not be feasible option)

1. Day 1 – Friday (Arrive at London)
Arrive at Heathrow (from US) around 10:00am. Store luggage at Excess Baggage facility and further journey with essentials 
Check in at Hotel near Waterloo station. See Big Ben (from outside), visit Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar square

2. Day 2- Sat (London)
Visit Tower of London, St. Paul Cathedral, London Eye (in evening), Piccadilly Circus (night time)

3. Day 3 – Sun (London)
Visit Windsor Castle

4. Day 4 – Monday (London to Paris)
Take Eurostar to Paris from St Pancreas. (Reach Paris Nord by Noon). Check in hotel in southern part of Latin Quarter near metro station. Visit Les Invalides, Eiffel Tower (Evening/Night) , If possible take boat tour.

5. Day 5 – Tuesday (Paris)
Visit Norte Dame, Sainte Chappelle, Jardin Du Luxembourg, Pantheon, Montmarte & Sacre Coeur Basilica (Evening)

6. Day 6 – Wednesday (Paris)
Visit Opera Garnier Palace, Lourve, Tulleries, Concorde Square, Arc De Triomphe (evening)

7. Day 7 – Thursday (Paris)
Visit Versailles, Orsay

8. Day 8 – Friday (Paris to London and leave)
Leave Paris by Eurostar and reach London by noon, Visit British Museum. Go to Heathrow, Pickup luggage from Excess Baggage. Leave London by flight from Heathrow at 9:30pm.

Thank You,

Definitely do not buy the London Pass.

I would suggest a car service like justairports for pickup at the airport. On your return journey you could catch the Picadilly line from near the British Museum and ride all the way back to LHR with no changes perhaps. Allow somewhat over an hour probably.

I think what you need is to purchase Oyster cards upon arrival and load them up with some cash, as you are probably going to use public transport on about 4 days. There are vouchers for 2for1 admissions at places like the Tower (and maybe St. Paul's now?) for which you need a PAPER ONE-DAY Travel card issued from a RAILSTATION like Waterloo, so on the day you want to tour the Tower, go buy one-day travel cards from that station. Lots of threads here on this forum explaining these things. You can just use the plastic, credit-card/debit-card-like things called Oyster cards (which can be purchased at LHR or at Waterloo later), loaded with some cash amount, for all your days and all sorts of public transport. The only reason to do something different would be if you want to avail yourselves of the discount from the 2for1 vouchers.

Just curious, and forgive me if this is a stupid question....why are you paying to store luggage at Heathrow for the entire trip? If it's going to sit there the entire time you're in London and Paris, why bring it at all?

I was wondering about the luggage storage too.

I think your plan sounds pretty reasonable overall, just a couple of things come to mind.


7. Day 7 – Thursday (Paris)
Visit Versailles, Orsay

-- this is too much imo. Versailles is huge and exhausting and I think it's generally a bad idea try and fit in a major museum on the same day.


5. Day 5 – Tuesday (Paris)
Visit Norte Dame, Sainte Chappelle, Jardin Du Luxembourg, Pantheon, Montmarte & Sacre Coeur Basilica (Evening)

--Sacre Coeur gets it's share of mildly rowdy drunks, in the evening it may not be the most pleasant place to visit with kids. It's not horrible or dangerous or anything, it can just be unpleasant imo.

I'd definitely visit Sacre Coeur in the day time-- especially w/ kids.

Is there some reason you are taking so much luggage you need to store the excess for 8 days? That will cost £68 ($110) per item.

"Take Eurostar to Paris from St Pancreas."

The station is named after the fellow:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancras_of_Rome

Not this fellow:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreas

About Luggage: Should have provided more info about luggage storage needs. This is 8 day stopover at London/Paris for my onward visit to India. We will be carrying 4 checked in bags and no need for that stuff during stopover. Plan is to have all essentials needed in this trip in carryon bags.

About Montmartre: Thanks for feedback regarding evening visit. I had intentionally kept the places with top city view in the evening. But it cannot be at cost of safety or any sort of troubles. I will re-plan the day to get me out Montmartre in day time. Probably after Norte Dam we will visit Sacre Couer and then come back to see Jardin Du Luxembourg, Pantheon. That way we can have dinner around Latin Quarter.

@Hooameye: Thanks for correction.

I suggest another museum than the British Museum. The Imperial War Museum is quite impressive. The British Museum is very overwhelming and large.

@jpjax, I was researching the Navigo Découverte pass and ran across your posts. Looks like we have quite a bit in common. My family of 3 (one 14yr old) is also going to London and Paris in June 2012. We'll also be arriving on a Monday at Gare Du Nord via Eurostar. Here is my itin for the 10 day trip:

Day 1 - Arrival at Heathrow in morning. Piccadilly Circus, Carnaby Street, London Eye
Day 2 - Harry Potter studio tour, Kings Cross station, Millennium Bridge
Day 3 - Speakers Corner, Windsor Castle
Day 4 - Westminister Abbey, Thames River cruse, Tower or London, Tower Bridge
Day 5 - London Olympic site (view tube), British Museum
Day 6 - Eurostar to Paris (we are taking the 7:30am train). Eiffel tower, Bateaux Parisiens River Cruise
Day 7 - Sacre Coeur Basilica, Champ Ellysees, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel tower (night)
Day 8 - Notre Dame; Monet home and garden tour (afternoon)
Day 9 - Versailles
Day 10 - The Louvre
Day 11 - Depart from Charles De Gaulle

I'm sure some of these are subject to change depends on time and other factors (e.g. if the females want more shopping time). I'll continue to refine.

@ILtravel. We wish we should have planned for few additional days. Now realizing that 8 days is such a short time span for our trip. This time I should have planned for either London or Paris. But, hey you learn from your own mistakes.

As far as commute is concerned, I think, I am convinced that buying Oyster card in London and Carnet(s) in Paris is going to be most cost effective for our trip.

Next research for us, is food and shopping

@jpjax. I agree with the Oyster part and I originally was thinking to use the carnets in Paris. But then I read about all the troubles with fumbling for euro coins. I figure I may have to spend about 10 euro more per person when using the Navigo pass but I buy it once at the ticket booth at Gare Du Nord (using US credit card) and not having to deal with ticket machines the entire trip (including Versailles and trip back to CDG).

I have been researching food for a while now and have been using Yelp mostly. I''m quite surprised to find that there are quite a few good and inexpensive Japanese eateries near the Louvre (my 14yr old loves udon and frowns on potato). I'm sure we'll pay a visit to a French restaurant though.

I appreciate any tips you want to share. Good luck.

London is OK, but I think your kids are going to stage an uprising in Paris if they are like MOST kids.

A couple of things.....

One museum a day is generally the teen/preteen limit.

I took a group of kids ages 13 to 17 to London and Paris.

1. The Tower of London took much longer then I had planned. Kids LOVED it and wanted to see everything (And I had all girls!) We wound up spending from opening until well after lunch and the only reason I got them out of there then was a POURING rain. In our case that meant we didn't do Wesminster Abbey. So be prepared for somethings to give.

2. Day 5. I think that's just too much. Now I took my group to Montemarte in the evening, but somehow in numerous trips to Paris I have managed to get over the "hysteria" about the "beggars" etc. Take the Funicular to the top, cuts off about half the beggars. They all did fine (much to my surprise I was sure one of them would get pickpocketed at some point on that trip, but...) We didnt' see "rowdy drunks" but we were out of there before it was too late and it was not a weekend. I think on a Tuesday night it's not the "danger" zone being presented and your kids are likely to see Rowdy Drunks just about anywhere....(Trafalger Square is a good possiblity late on a Friday as is Picadilly on Saturday evening LOL!)

However right now you have three churches on one day... Cathedrial overload will set in and at least one of them is getting the 'shaft' by most kids And your new plan has them go 1, 2, 3 UH NO! I wouldn't enjoy that and I doubt a 7 year old is going to.

Day 7 as other's have pointed out is just too much. One or the other and for as short a visit as you have in Paris I would stay in Paris. Maybe you could move a church from Day 5 to Day 7 along with the Orsay.

Right now this sounds like a sprint through London and Paris and there needs to be some "time to smell the roses" Otherwise nothing has time to sink in.

Oh, by rowdy drunks I didn't mean high spirited drunk people wondering around Montemarte singing or anything like that. I meant groups of men sprawled out on the steps and grass in front of Sacre Coeur, drinking out of brown paper bags, belching, throwing bottles, and leering at women.

Not dangerous, but not particularly pleasant. There are better places to hang out than Sacre Coeur in the evenings, especially with a 13 and 7 yr old who might feel intimidated by that sort of behaviour.

IL, you have Speakers Corner on your London itin. Note that it is interesting on Sundays onjy (unless something has changed) when everyone voices opnions oa wide variety of topics.
ALSO--i might hav missed it, but not sure of your dats in London. You know that the Queen's Jubilee is then, right? So if youare there at the time, you might want to fit in viewing the Thames regatta, etc

@CaliNurse. Thanks for the advice. My 14yr old wants to see the speakers corner. I'll check it out and refine my itin accordingly. We'lll miss the regatta since we won't arrive till the latter half of June.

@CarolA: Missed the part theat I had 3 catherals in a day. After talking to kids we are thinking of skipping Sainte Chappelle on that day. Guess what kids added instead, Berthillon!! This also would allow us to visit Sacre Coeur late in afternoon and probably get us out by nightfall. Still need to think about how to visit Sainte Chappelle on another day.

Also, I had question around getting to the Sacre Coeur. What is the easist way to go up there with lesser walk and climbing? what would be the easiest way to reach there from Pantheon? Does anyone have experiance with Montmartrobus?

Thank You,

With limited time in Paris I would skip Sacre Coeur and Montmartre. It's a long trip on the Metro then wait for the funicular. If something has to give in your Paris itinerary I suggest it be that. Don't skip the Sainte Chapelle--it is a jewel. Even though I have waited in line sometimes to visit I have never felt it as crowded as an interior visit to Notre Dame which can feel like you are just herded around. And Berthillon is very close by!

I am taking Sacre Coeur out and adding Pantheon and Sainte Chapelle. I'm sure my family will also appreciate some great ice cream at Berthillon. Thanks for all the good advices.

I am going pon a very similar trip. I too have two kids 13 and 8. Could you (jpjjax) update this post with your experiences, and any advice?

@Soothsayer, Not sure if you already took the trip or not. I should have posted our experiences after completion of the trip.

We enjoyed the trip. It was little hectic and if I had to plan again I would make it little easier on us. Both the cities have lot to see.

Loved public transport in both cities. Be ready for long walks I am sure with additional expense of cabs we could have reduced walks. Next time probably I will study bus services as they are would be cost effective and provide better connectivity to the spots.

We were somewhat unplanned for weather in both places. It was cold for Floridians. Most of our pictures are constant reminder of that as they are almost always in same pair of Jeans and couple of full sleeve shirts . We went there with shorts and tees. So check weather before leaving and pack cloths accordingly.

Kids liked the trip but they categorized it as more of an adult planning, something I need to do better next time. For them so many cathedrals and museum was little bit too much. In Paris Bertillon was closed on day we visited but the nearby Amorino was excellent too.

When near Arc the Trimophe don't miss Laduree Pastry shop. It is feast for eyes Packed Macaroons for friends but could not resist them and finished on our travel.