mimi67

Texasbookworm: I just sent inquiry to At Home London and will keep you posted. Thanks for the tip.

Bowspirit: I took a water tour down the Seine with my daughter some 24 years ago. It was a enjoyed then so I will be looking into it for this trip with her daughter.

mimi67

Patricklondon: I loved the flicker photos! The suggestion of the ponies is a great one. It sounds fun. TE knows how to ride having attended riding camps in the past but my "riding" in Ireland was so anti climatic I doubt I'll pursue that activity. Carriages can be more fun.

idesofmarch

Bowspirit: What a great suggestion about the "Pet Shop" in Harrods. My 13-year-old daughter will love that when we are in London in June.
This post is great, I have dreamed about taking my daughter on her first trip to England and love reading about other parent's and grandparent's experiences. Makes me all the more excited about our trip.
Have a wonderful time and I will look forward to a trip report.

CaliNurse

Check if there's still a free fashion show, on small runway, at Galeries Lafayette on Fridays? Your 11 yr old gd might enjoy that.
Personally, i would NOT stay again in the Marais--much prefer the 6th or 7th. My daughter , who has been to Paris at age 15,18, and 22, agrees. To me, there's a more youthful feel on the Left Bank for your daughter, A generalization, for sure--but something to consider.
Second above recs for tea at the Orangerie in London, and Covent Garden--where there's always an open-air show of some sort--opera, acrobats, etc--great fun for both of you. Also, if not already mentioned here--Ceremony of the Keys at Tower of London--spooky and wonderful!! GD will LOVE it!
Carolone M, we will be in London in June also, and this is a property we considered:

http://www.rentals.chslondon.com/lau/lau.htm

it's a great area (of old mews coach houses-- nr Gloucester Road tube Station)
We ended up taking something a bit smaller nr Kensington Gardens, but i still wonder if we made the right decision--Launceston Pl is such a great street, and that flat (!!!

JulieVikmanis

I'm getting anxious for my twin granddaughters to be old enough to travel with grandma and grandpa and enjoying this thread immensely. Since I tend to concentrate on food experiences let me suggest that lunch or dinner at the Jules Verne while exciting and memorable (but very pricey) may be less quintessentially Parisian/French than a less expensive but more old-fashioned place like Bofinger or Le Train Bleu.

While we usually stay in the 5th, near Maubert Mutualite, we have stayed in the Marais and liked it very much. We found plenty of youthful spirit there.

Perhaps with all these folks answering here taking their children/grandchildren to London and Paris, you can arrange a meet-up or even a get-together (like the big Fodorites do) so the kids could meet each other and compare notes among themselves. I'd also think you might pick out some useful threads on this forum to e-mail to your granddaughter to introduce her to ideas she might want to consider when helping you plan your trip. Enjoy. And do report back.

JulieVikmanis

Oh, and consider taking her to tea at some appropriate place in London.

opaldog

The marais is our preferred area to stay in Paris. We love it and feel as if we are "coming home" to our neighborhood whenever we visit.

mimi67

WOW. I want to comment how appreciative I am for all the comments. I will submit a travel report. Hooking up sounds like a great suggestion. This will be my first time renting an apartment in Paris and there seems to be a personal interest component having communicated with the owner.
I also reserved a B&B through www.athomeinlondon.com" thanks for that tip. The web site offers their monthly newsletter called Grapevine. It looks worth a look.
Happy travels.