halfapair

If DH is not a "city person" (my husband isn't either), then why not just stay in England? You spend the first few nights in London, then spend a few days out in Bath. You can take the train - it's a 1.5 hr trip. Rent a car, see Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, etc. Bath is scenic, there are parks for the kids,

With the limited time you have, you could see more of England, get in some English countryside with is picturesque and charming. Make France a different trip: Paris + French countryside.

https://visitbath.co.uk/things-to-do...er-park-p13911

uktravelover

London is big but not everywhere is as crowded as Oxford Street! There are lots of places that you can reach by hopping on a train and you can often buy a family ticket which is a cheaper option. See National Rail website for details. If you hubby enjoys the countrysid, some child friendly suggestions day trips that adults can enjoy too.

1. Combine a visit to Windsor with a River Cruise or Legoland.
2. Take the River Cruise from Westminster to Greenwich.
3. Bekonscot Model Village in Beaconsfield
4. Ronal Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden
5. Margate Dreamland
6. Brighton Beach & Sea Life

If you have a wet day, one of the things your kids will enjoy in London is the Science museum. Very interactive and have sections specifically for kids. If they are more into dinosaurs, then try the Natural History museum. Of course there’s always Madame Tussaud’s.

Moving onto Paris. Take Eurostar as that way you arrive in central Paris.

1. Eiffel Tower
2. River Cruise
3 Luxembourg Gardens
4. Hop on hop off bus
5. Asterisk Parc (day trip)

halfapair

I am going to revise my answer since I re-read your initial post and now I see that you have already purchase airline tickets home from Paris.
I still agree with all the other people who have said to nix Nice from your itinerary. London and Paris both have excellent train systems which allow you to take very nice day-trips to the countryside without renting a car.

With young children, I would say that the best day trips from London would be Dover (there's a castle and an excellent tour of some caves that were used in WWII), and Portsmouth where the kids can climb all over the HMS Victory (https://www.nmrn.org.uk/visit-us/por...rd/hms-victory) which will help give context to Trafalgar Square in London. There's also a very nice museum featuring the Mary Rose (https://maryrose.org/).

This gets you out of the city and hopefully helps DH recharge his battery.

From Paris there is always Versailles, which can be a bit of a zoo, but does have lovely gardens to roam. Or a trip to Giverny to see Monet's gardens & house.

Fleur_de_Lis

I also agree with everyone who is saying to skip Nice (another city, and too far away). While I can't comment on the London portion of your trip (never been!) I think there will be more in Paris to keep you, your kids, and even your husband occupied for 5 days. Try some of the more off-the beaten path parks, like Parcs des Buttes Chaumont or Bois de Vincennes for some beautiful nature and a taste of the countryside inside the city. Also Parc de la Villette that has special structures for kids and interactive exhibits at the nearby science museum. Take a boat tour of Canal St. Martin or the further afield Canal de L'Ourq. And/or you can also take daytrips from Paris to the countryside - close-by Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Auvers-sur-Oise, anywhere in the Loire Valley, etc.

HappyTrvlr

As others have stated, Nice is also a big city!
You barely have enough time for London and Paris.
If you only visited one plus a more countryside location in the chosen country that might make your husband happier. But both cities offer beautiful parks and a less urban feel than many US cities.

priyab

Thank you all! I read all responses instantly but missed responding. We have decided to go to london and paris only and take a day trip to bath from London.

Madam397

In London your kids might enjoy a boat ride down the Thames to Greenwich to see where the prime meridian starts even if they aren't 100 per cent familiar with it. Greenwich is charming and the boat ride itself was quite nice for us as a chance to see the residential architecture. They may very well want to see at least the sign pointing to Platform 9 and 3/4 for the train to Hogwarts in King's Cross Station. About 20 years ago we took a tour to Stonehenge and Bath and that was a great day trip as hard to get to Stonehenge on public transportation and we had a lot of time to explore Bath. They might enjoy the Tower of London and I recall the first time that I went there being blown away by seeing the knight's armor and realizing that the knight's were essentially teenaged boys, not to mention the guards and the ravens and the crown jewels. In Paris of course seeing the Eiffel Tower even if you don't want to wait online for the chance to go up is most definitely worth it.

priyab

thank you for this! I would like to go to Stonehenge and Bath for a day and was wondering what is the best form of transportation to do so? I have seen tours that take you there.

Madam397

We di this as a bus tour that most likely was arranged by the concierge at the hotel. I don't recall the name of the tour company but I know that there were several options and I recall that we chose this tour because it provided adequate time for visit both locations.

k_marie

Sorry. Have not re-read thoroughly. Has anyone suggested London Walks? In additional to the London-based explorations, they do have day trips to Bath, Stonehenge, and other destinations.

priyab

thank you

priyab

thank you, will look this up

janisj

Not to put a damper on things . . . but: The only practical option to see both Stonehenge and Bath is to take an (expensive) commercial tour. Most of these tours combine Windsor/Stonehenge/Bath on the same day, which leaves almost no time for any of the destinations.

But some do just Stonehenge + Bath. However I would definitely NOT recommend these for 7 and 9 yo children. Most of these tours cost approx Ł100 per adult and Ł85 or Ł90 per child. Plus expected tips. And the poor kids stuck on a bus with a bunch of (mostly) adults only to get to Stonehenge and see . . . some rocks. (understanding that I love Stonehenge and have been many times but for young children -- maybe not so thrilling)

Then back on the bus to Bath. The Roman Baths might be enjoyable for the kids -- but they get extremely crowded and you are on a tight schedule on a tour. Then back on the bus for a 2.5 hour drive to London. They are a very long day -- leaving central London at about 8AM from Victoria Coach Station - so leaving your hotel by maybe 0730, and getting back in to London around 7:30 or 8PM -- and that is just back in to London - not back to your hotel. (And having to look for dinner after that). You'd spend about 5.5 hours of the day butts in seats on the bus.

Debbie Downer I know but you do have young children and that's not how I'd want to spend a day if it was me or my kids . . .

janisj

meant to add -- you could do either Stonehenge or Bath independently as a day trip by train from London. A train would be more comfortable for the kids than a coach (its faster and they can get up and move around).

For Stonehenge its a train to Salisbury and a local bus out to the Stones. Salisbury has a terrific cathedral and is nice place to visit even w/o Stonehenge being a neighbor.

For Bath it is a fast train from London to the center of the city walking distance from The Baths - this would give you much more time in Bath and you could get back to London at a more reasonable time if the kids were flagging.

Wekiva

A friend of mine just visited Paris for the 3rd time. Because he'd been there before he left the family (they wanted to stay in the city) for a day and toured Normandy with a rental car, stopping along the way to and from. He LOVED the day, and having his own rental car let him stop in a few places a tour wouldn't go. So maybe if your husband is getting city'd out he could do that for a day during the Paris leg.

Editing to add that while he could also do the same during the London leg, the "driving on the other side of the road" thing might be a reason to do this during the Paris leg only. But it is another option.

KTtravel

It is a very long drive from Paris to the Normandy beaches - about 3 1/2 hours each way.

Madam397

Several years ago we did a Paris/Normandy trip with a few other stops including an overnight in Rouen where we drove directly from the airport, Honfluer, Caen to visit the amazing WWII museum before arriving in Bayeux as a base for exploring the Normandy beaches and the town and the Bayeux tapestry. There is a lot to see and do and to do it justice you want to take your time. The cathedral in Bayeux is also amazing as of course is the cathedral in Rouen. We also visited Mont St Michel after Bayeux. Normandy in a day is quite a lot but there are many other day trips from Paris including Giverny and Chartres.

uktravelover

Priya, just realised that you don’t seem to say what your kids like doing. Perhaps you could give us some examples and we could come back with some more specific suggestions. Also does your husband have a particular hobby or interest?