canterbury

I'm with the one city/one week crowd when you bring the kids.

England was our kids' first European exposure and it was really great. We rented a place in the outskirts of London and took the Tube everywhere.

Highly recommend one city, and that being London.

missypie

You sound like a pretty relaxed mother, but please recall that crossing the street can be a challenge in London...you always have to remind the kids (and yourself) to look "the other way." I know that such a thing would drive some parents of 5 year olds crazy, so I thought I would mention it. (I'm rooting for you to only go to Paris. What can beat a fresh crepe as the ultimate in kid food?)

Once you decide if and where you're going to go, let us know and we can recommend a few children's books to help you get ready.

jdfirst

It will depend on how well behave your children are. The first time to Europe with my children ages 5 and 8, we backpacked. Traveled the rails, and many times slept on the trains and arrived at a new destination in the AM. We traveled to: France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Monoco, and Zurick. and as many cities in three weeks. The only thing they remember is the tour of the sewer in Paris.

mjsilver

On the topic of things to do in London -- my grandson (6) and granddaughter (3) love the Science Museum (right next to the Natural History museum). Also, both are fans of the Princess Diana playground (complete with pirate ship), a short walk from the Queensway tube station. There are quite a few good child-friendly Chinese restaurants in Queensway, as an added bonus.

NThea

Surfmom, are you me?

We're going to Europe this May with my husband, two sons (ages 5 and 7), and my parents. We're also using our FF miles. Previously we've left the kids with Oma & Opa while we went to Europe. This time, the whole gang -- including Oma & Opa -- are coming along.

You're not insane. Like you, I'm keeping my expectations very, very low. If all we do is hang out in a park, play Star Wars light saber games with baguettes, and eat chocolate-filled crepes....well, consider the vacation a success! Oh, and of course beer and wine!

Can't wait to hear your trip report! We're ending our trip with 6 days in Paris (5 nights). We've rented an apartment through vacationsinparis.com. There was a surcharge of $95 for renting less than a week. Would love to hear where your family ends up (Paris or London). Have fun!

crosscheck

Spent three weeks in Paris when our kids were 3 and 6, and two weeks in London when they were 5 and 8.

Go for it! You'll have a blast and see a side of both places that you normally wouldn't.

Two cities in a week would be okay(kids love trains), but there is enough to do in each. If you choose just one, I'd do Paris.

Here are some hints that worked for us. Gave this list to a friend two years ago, check before you go to make sure that all the info is current:

- Ideal situation is to find apartment hotels because you get the infrastructure of a hotel with a kitchen and laundry in your apt. Plus you can pay by the night.

In Paris we stayed at the Home Plazza Suites between the Marais and the Bastille. Have since changed management, now called Les Jardins du Marais, so I can't vouch for service. Cool townhouses with a courtyard where the kids can run around. Authentic neighborhood with art galleries. A longish walk to the Place de Voges.

- To deal with jet lag in both directions, don't adjust kids all the way to new time, have them remain on "mid-Atlantic" time. Let them stay up late and sleep in. We hired a hotel babysitter every other night so we could go out. Both kids still remember their Polish babysitter in Paris who taught them how to make chocolate crepes.

In Paris, besides the usual iconic stuff:
-Race remote-controlled sailboats at the Tuilleries
-Bois de Boulogne - Wooded area on the outskirts of town (but accessible by metro) Hiking trails, bike paths, lakes, mini-golf, and an old-fashioned amusement park, the Jardin d’Acclimatation. (There's also an Asterix park outside of town, but haven't been there.)
-Picasso museum, very doable, there is a kids' section where you draw your own cubist picture
-Taste and compare fries, ice cream, croissants, keep journal
-Place de Voges
-Go to the Louvre (or D'Orsay) gift shop before entering museum. Have each kid buy 3 postcards, then try to find the works of art on their postcard. This worked in all museums.
-Marionettes in Luxembourg Gardens
-Restaurant in a cave near Notre Dame - La Taverne du Sargeant Recruiter (very touristy, but our kids loved it and still remember this place)

London, besides greatest hits:
-A show (check out Time Out to see what's on for kids)
-Children's Science Museum - fantastic, have been there several times, one time they had an exhibit about Farting.
-A day at Legoland
-Chelsea Football (Soccer) Club - Fabulous interactive exhibit with virtual games. Off the beaten path.

The Time Out guides for both cities have wonderful children's sections geared as much for residents as tourists.

TaniaP

Not insane at all. My husband and I have taken our kids (now 8 and 6) all over North America - Florida, Arizona, New England... but the best trip EVER was to London just over a year ago. You've had some great advice here - go for it and have a wonderful time!

bktport

Many, many years ago, we did this with our kids about the same age. We were living in Europe at the time. Our boys loved it so much that Paris became their favorite city to visit again. Both London and Paris have lots for kids to do. However, one city (with excursions out of the city to various sites) should be enough for this trip. You will not lose time traveling between the two. If you go to Paris take them the Hungry Hippo for dinner. It is a kid friendly, French, Appleby’s type chain. There should be a couple in Paris.

missypie

If he is talking about Hippopotamus, skip it. The decor is cool and they have neat balloons, but the food is the qualily of IHOP or Denny's...but instead of paying $30 for your meal you pay $80. (Bistro Romaine is pretty good, however.)

WTnow

Not at all, that is a GREAT age to travel to Europe. We celebrated my daughters 6th birthday last fall at the Eiffel tower ( with 2 weeks in Paris) and had a blast!

I vote with just doing one city if you only have a week. You do have to take jet lag into consideration and a kids pace is very different than an adult pace and needs to be based on fun.

That said, I think kids that age can and should see great sites and museums. How can you miss the Mona Lisa...my child looooved it and got to see it in an almost empty museum.

We saw 3 museums one day, but did them at a kids pace and did some cool playgrounds and fun lunch in between.

I highly recommend preparing ..there are some great kids books and movies that will help them " make it their own".

"Storybook Travels" is a great book for kids itineraries based on wonderful childrens literature.

I have a VERY active child so was a bit worried about the long flight from Ca in coach, but it went well and was VERY easy.

We have been touring Europe for the last 7 months ( my child was 5 when we left) and it has been the very best thing we have done in our lives!

If you pick Paris, we have lots of good ideas on our blog from our visit kids style:
http://www.soultravelers3.com/

Go for it and enjoy. Carpe Diem!

Jeffrey

I'd pick only one city, to avoid extra shlepping. Italy is very bambino-friendly, though that isn't on your list.

dutyfree

I would strongly suggest two books that will help you with various sites and activities in both cities for the kids. I used them for my own kids when they were little and they enjoyed reading about where they were going and what they would be seeing before we left. The books are called "Kidding Around Paris" and "Kidding Around London". The series has other major foreign cities but as a former history teacher and as an international flight attendant-I think that they should be a required for all kids before they go to Europe.Have fun but realize that they probably won't remember much about the travels as they get older. I do think that doing London and going up to York,Whitby(think Dracula)would be a wonderful trip.We did that trip as our first one with our kids when they were 5 and 7 and it was terrific-even got to meet the real James Harriot back then.Just think of all the memories you will make?

WTnow

I am not sure why people think they will have no memories at 5 and 7, but I suppose it depends in the individuals and the trip.

I am sure you will take videos and pictures to help keep this special trip alive for them forever too.

If they were babies or toddlers I can see them not remembering them, but I certainly have clear memories from Kindergarten and a special trip then.


My neice went to Japan when she was 5 and still remembers that clearly. My child's Godmother took a trip around the world when she was 5 and it had a HUGE impact on her entire life and perspective. ( She is in her fifties now).


There are things that you can do to enrich the journey and memories for your child before and after the trip. Today there are so many wonderful books for children on Paris, London and other travel destinations.Reading enhances travel for all ages and makes it richer.

There are wonderful art books even for 5 year olds and fun books like Horrible Histories for the 7 year old.The Melanie Myron (sp?) books are fun reading for kids taking a trip and there are others of this type.

I have a list of travel books for kids on Bootsnall kids section and some on my website. One of these days I will get them all up online on our site.

Travel enriches kids of every age like nothing else. It WILL impact thier lives in so many ways and you will see it immediately in their play,vocabulary and their excitement when they read about places that they have been.

It can also be a wonderful bonding experience for a family, especially in a foreign land and a rewarding shared memory. Dinner conversations & laughs for many moons to come will be about the endless adventures together.."when we were at..".

I say go for it and keep it alive for the rest of their lives and continue the process as travel educates like nothing else.

Get the "Take your kids to Europe" and the Cordogan ( sp?) guides for families are good too. I would start learning the subway systems before you go as they are an adventure in themselves...and include the kids in on the planning.

It is not insane, it is smart and kids that get to travel are so very lucky.Europe is especially enriching for children because of the history,languages, art and beauty.

You will have a ball!

surfmom

wow! thanks for all the great replies. Its nice to 'meet' others that want to share their love of travel with kids.

After reading everyone's thoughts, we've decided that one city it is. While I would love to expose them to more than one, the benefits of that aren't outweighed by the pitfalls of moving, changing locations, travel from one city to another, etc.

We're thinking it will be Paris. I have a love affair with Paris... and since I speak a bit of French (remnants from college days when I lived there - I certainly can order coffee and beer, although not at the same time!), it makes the language barrier easier.

So... look for a thread soon asking for advice about apartments. At minimum, a 1-bedroom is required, but since I'm not crazy about sleeping on the couch, we're thinking real beds for all of us. I'm going to send out some emails to agencies that many have referenced to see what availability is like for early April.

jdfirst, I'm impressed that you backpacked with kids through Europe. What a neat experience.

missypie, I'd love some of those references. We read so much right now that everything gets read multiple times so it would get used quite a bit.

NThea, all I can say is While you are thinking about hanging out and playing Star Wars lightsabers, mine are girly-girls, so they will be thrilled with hot chocolate and ice cream (one has a sweet tooth, can you tell?). They have seen lots of pictures of the Eiffel Tower, so that will be high on the agenda.

crosscheck, thanks for the specific thoughts and input. I like the idea of keeping a journal and comparing fries, ice cream, etc. especially since my 1st grader is sooooo into writing stories and 'daily news'. Since my 5yo is the world's pickiest eater, she will probably survive on those two food groups (that is what vacation is for, right ?) I didn't know about the kids area in the Picasso museum - cool! I love the idea of starting with the postcards in the museums and finding them. I've actually brought back books from a few of the museums, so I could even plan on making small copies of the pages and we could hunt down those pictures.

bktport, love the fact that Paris is your kids favorite city. I hope to share my love of European travel with them...

WTnow, thanks for the Storybook Travels reference - what a great idea. I took a peek at your website - how much fun. I will go back and read in depth when I've a minute. Its funny how you made the 'remember when...' reference - our 5yo now remembers things that happened years ago that I don't - its amazing the strange things stored in her little brain.

Jeffrey, Italy is also one of our favorites, but since direct flights to there don't happen until summer, we are sticking with direct flight cities. Italy would probably be my dh's first choice...

dutyfree, thanks for the book references. Looks like they are out of print, but there are always inexpensive 2ndhand copies to be found.

missypie

Yes, you MUST make them keep a journal (the 5 year old's may just be pictures.) My youngest wrote things like, "Today we went to Sack Rock Coor." Just priceless.

Also, teach them to say a few words in French...have them order their own food in French...no one cared about MY pathetic attempts at French, but when my kids said "Je voudrais....", everyone loved them!

alienor

Absolutely, take them! We lived in England with 9, 7 and 3 year olds and I took them everywhere. One trick, go to adult tourist places in the a.m. promising them pony rides in the Tuileries in the afternoon, or puppet shows in Luxembourg. you don't want to drag tired kids thru the Louvre. Our 3 year old crawled into a sarcaphogus there. The zoo and jardin d'aclimation (sp?) in the Bois are brillant. So is Vincennes. Take 2 cities, give the kids a taste of both. Also, time permitting, I'd take the train to Boulogne, the ferry to Folkstone and train up to London. Great experience, even if it takes a day
p.s. school breaks in UK were not necessarily at eastertime. The mazes at Hampton Court and at Hever are great fun for kids. With a car, you could go to Ashdown forest and walk to Pooh Sticks bridge. Old castle ruins are more fun for kids, they can climb on them. I've written pages and pages of things to do.

jgwagner4

We are planning a trip to Germany in June and are bringing a friend with us to help out with our daughter. We will take turns bringing her back to the apartment when she gets tired and staying in with her in the evenings. I am even looking forward to my evenings at the apartment with a book and tea!

We are paying for our friends airfare and I think it is well worth it for the extra help.

surfmom

well, thanks everyone for the advice.

We've officially booked the tickets - we've decided to stay in Paris for the entire time. Depending on how they are doing, our last day, we may take the train to London for the day - I figure they can sleep on the train on the way back and a full last day would be good for sleeping on the plane on the way home! Even though it would be an expensive day trip, our airfare was paid for with reward points.

so... bring on the books, and additional advice! Still working on the apartment, but I think we are there...

thanks!

Fundad

Hi Surfmom,

We took our boys 3 and 6 at the time and had a wonderful trip. We are going back this summer to check out Germany. We spent one week in London and one week in Paris. And two days in wissant a little fishing village near Normandy "Great Beach". In Paris we did not stay in an apartment but we stayed at the Novohotel Eifel, which is steps from the tower. The kids loved ending each day with a walk to the tower seeing it all lit up, and munching on a crepe or ham and cheese baguette. I agree the Louvre was too much for them although they thought it was cool to see the Mona Lisa. We did a day at Parc Astrix which they loved. Other highlights for the boys were the sailing boats at Luxumberg Gardens, playing at a park with some local kids, meri go round in front of the tower, smart cars, and walking down old streets. We also did the bus tour in both London and Paris which was great the kids thought it was cool travelling around this way and we were able to see a lot of the sights. You will see that the children will be able to use their adventures in school, already our now 8 year old has done projects where he has used his travel experiences. Have a great time!

missypie

Surfmom, let me whisper something very softly in your ear so no one else can hear....Disneyland Paris.

The parks are beautiful - by far the best castle (you can go inside and see the Sleeping Beauty story in stained glass and there's a dragon downstairs). You might want to do a little research on the opening times, etc. at DLP but not mention it to the kids. If you find that you need a little vacation from your vacation, take the train out there.