lisale

My family (including two children 15 & 9) are traveling to Europe (London 5 days, Paris 2 days, Denmark 2 weeks visiting family) in July. I have spent hours gathering information and am on information and planning overload, but I think I have finally worked out our itinerary for London, but still need help with Paris. I would greatly appreciate any opinions that anyone could provide. We are staying at the London County Hall Travel Inn in London.

Wed.
Arrival 11:00 am July 7 (justairports to hotel)
Store luggage at hotel
Hop on/hop off bus
Westminister Abbey?
London Eye (evening)

Thurs.
Tower of London
Greenwich
Theater

Fri
St. Pauls (if we get up early)
Horseguards ceremony & royal mews
Kensington Gardens & maybe Palace (include snack/lunch at Orangery)
Science museum
V & A museum (if possible)


Sat.
Market (cant decide which one, Kids want to go to the one in the movie "What a girl wants" I havent been able to figure that one out yet.)
London Duck Tour
Unabridged Shakespeare (if we can get tickets at Tkts booth)

Sun & Monday
Paris We want to see the usual stuff, but not sure of the best way to do it. We will arrive on the Eurostar at 1:00 pm, spend the night near the Eiffel Tower and leave Monday at approx. 6:00 pm.
The only thing I am sure of is that we want to go up in the Tower in the evening.
Any suggestions of the best way to see the Arch, Notre Dame, the Louvre (abbreviated visit) and possibly Montmarte would be greatly appreciated.

Tuesday
Hampton Court Palace
Walking around London (Harrods, Hamleys, etc)

Suggestions for kid-friendly restaurants in Paris please!

Thanks so much for all the help.

tedgale

If you will permit a small critique instead of advice on specifics: I think you are planning to do too much. Travelling with kids cannot be other than tiring and you have an itinerary that would challenge even a solo traveller.

You have exactly 29 hours in Paris -- with demanding train journeys as book-ends.

I suggest you drop the Louvre for starters, as you cannot do it any justice -- indeed cannot afford to stand in a line-up, on your timetable.

I'd also suggest adopting one big focus for each "quarter" of the trip: afternoon, evening, following morning and afternoon. The rest of the time will fill itself in with rest stops, cafes, unexpected discoveries and ambling down side streets en route to your next event.

So I'd start with a map and think out a route geographically, rather than pick out scattered, distant sites, such as the Arc de Triomphe and Montmartre (and why Montmartre?).

Maybe one museum: Musee d'Orsay (which has as many "big" pictures as the Louvre)or the Rodin Museum or the Hotel Sale (Picasso)

Remeber that much of what is most impressive in Paris to first-time visitors are public spaces, to and through which you WALK (and you will do a lot of walking, trust me!): Place de la Concorde and Place Vendome; Tuileries gardens; via Notre Dame to Ile de la Cite; ; Les Invalides; Eiffel tower -- there's an itinerary for 29 hours, to be sure!

Dave_

I haven't seen the film but doing a google search it looks like Borough Market was used in the film "What a Girl Wants".

This is located near London Bridge tube station and I think the food market there is open on Friday and Saturdays.

Official website:
http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/

waterloo

Friday looks exhausting.

I suggest you drop St Pauls (as this is in the City of London- to the East whereas the other sites/museums are in West London) and only visit either the V&A or the Science Museum (both of which are vast and could easily take half a day or more to visit).

JoeG

lisale,

The Borough Market is great but it is mostly food stalls - prepared and fresh. It is fun to walk through if you plan to eat there or buy food to consume or prepare later.

JoeG

lisale

Thanks for the input.
I am trying to avoid the exhausting, so your advice is appreciated. Friday was the most challenging day for me. St Pauls is still a question.

If you were to choose, would you pick St Pauls or Westminister? Kensington Palace is still up in the air (depending on time)

I was also trying to decide on the Museum pass for Paris. While it would be expensive, it might be worth having on Monday if we choose to go to the Louvre, just to miss the line. My daughter has been studying art in school and is very interested in seeing the Mona Lisa.

Any suggestions for kid-friendly restaurant for dinner Sunday? Are most restaurants closed on Sunday for dinner?

Madison

Why not use the hop on hop off bus for Paris as well? I used it in London and found it to be such a time saver and enabled me to see almost everything I had wanted to.

janis

Both Westminster Abbey and St Paul's are fabulous. But maybe to help in your decision, St Paul's is in the midst of a major cleaning/renovations so there is a lot of scaffolding, workers, some areas closed off from time to time.

Also - definitely consider the hop-on-hop-off tour in Paris. For a short visit it is a terrific way to see all the major sites at least from the outside. You can actually use it for just general transport because you get a comprehensive map of all three routes.

annettetx

Just to answer the specific Wesminster Abbey/St. Paul's question, I'd opt for Westminster Abbey. It's got so much history in one sight, plus it's closer in to everything else.
Annette

lisale

We were actually thinking about using either the hop on/hop off buses or the Batobus to get around. With only limited time we thought we might get to see more from the bus or boat than on the metro.
I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere, so I am assuming that the bus in Paris is not a 24 hour deal?

Also, what would be the easiest way to get to our hotel from the Gare du Nord. We are staying at the Hotel de la Bourdonnais in the 7th arr. Are the taxis fairly reasonable?

Robespierre

If you're fairly mobile (we travel with one rollabout and one shoulder bag each), the RATP is the best way (in terms of speed and cost-effectiveness) to get anywhere in Paris. The OpenTour is okay, but €24 is a lot to pay for a little ride, and I only recommended if you want to see everything (and nothing) in one day. Get a Mobilis card for zones 1-2 and a good map guide.

Robespierre

By the way, the OpenTour map is on line at http://www.paris-opentour.com/brochure_opent.pdf I highly recommend it for the first two days of a stay of four days or more.

petal

Paris: Do the bus trip (hop on and off) thing and get the second day option for a few bucks more. That will allow you to see EVERYTHING from the bus. I did it all the way through twice before I even thought about getting off.

I think a walk through the Louvre if you can (race through and see the Mona lisa.). oh my god.. it sounds awful, but gee, on your way you will see some of the most beautiful architecture (look up, look UP) ever! Spend 1 1/2 hours (nearby) at Musee de Orsay.

Remember: It's a sin to not go to the Louvre when in Paris. Come hell or high water, do it.
There are 4 biggies:
1. Bus hop on and off. route (main route)
2. Louvre (head for Mona Lisa)
3. St. Chapelle (if the sun is shining)
4. Notre Dame (take the metro over there in the evening and listen to the choir at night.. ) wow.
and of course, the Eiffel Tower.
The rest is just frosting

BTW, it would be MUCH better to add 2 days to your Paris stay. Your family in Denmark would understand.

I stayed 10 days my first trip and 8 my second and still missed SO much.

.

Kayb95

<i>&quot;If you were to choose, would you pick St Pauls or Westminister? Kensington Palace is still up in the air (depending on time)&quot;</i>

I agree with Annette - I would pick Westminster Abbey over St. Paul's. The history of Westminster is amazing. Make sure you take the Verger tour or the audio tour - you'll get so much more out of it.

With your limited time in London, you might want to pass on Kensington Palace. It is an interesting tour, but isn't what most people expect. You will see the State Apartments, which focus on being presented to the royal court in the times of William and Mary. There is also the collection of the Queens dresses and a few of Princess Diana's dresses. You will not see any of the palace where the royal family (or Diana) lived.

On Thursday, trying to see the Tower, Greenwich and go to the theatre might be a bit much. The Tower will take a good portion of the day and it will take you a while to get to Greenwich (and you could easily spend most of your day here, too.) Then, to be back in London in time for the theatre will be tight.

You're generally safe planning two major sites per day - as long as they are logistically close to one another. Greenwich is far enough out of central London that it's not really &quot;near&quot; anything and would take most of a day to get there, see the sites and get back to London.

lisale

Thanks so much for the suggestions.
I would love to add time to our trip to Paris. Unfortunately, it is only due to a screw up with an airfare consolidator that we have the time in Paris at all. Long story - short - They gave us the wrong dates on our tickets then couldn't/wouldn't change them, but when we asked to change something (fly out of Paris instead of London) they could not make the change.

I think if we do Kensington Palace it would only be for the Dress Collection. The 15 year old wants to see it, but the 9 year old is more interested in the the Science Museum.

No one will be 100% satisfied, but I think they probably won't notice.

jonldn

Hello
I can comment on the London Side of things.....

If you treat this city as a group of villages that helps...

Westminster Abbey is a short walk across the bridge to the London Eye for example (By the way- Westminster Abbey wins hands down on St Pauls!)

London Eye you can walk down the South Bank past the National Theatre - to The Tate Modern - its a lovely walk to do
just past the Tate is The Globe - you can get cheap standing tkts on the day (if you want to Stand!)

The reverse walk would be an early Start at Borough Market (London Bridge Tube) then walk down the embankment to Globe/Tate - cross over the FootBridge
to St Pauls (side view is stunning!) hop on a bus down Fleet Street to Traflagar Sq

In my opinion Harrods is horrible! TOURIST TRAP! and not much else to see in the vacinty

The Museums are fun but you do need time to do them justice! Tower of London is much more fun (get there early!! and go straight to the jewel house! avoid the q's!) the lads may enjoy the Belfast - but again its not a must see...

Greenwich - the PArk is lovely - the Maritine Museum...well if you like that sort of thing.... This area is now served by the Metro (Cutty Sark Stop) so dont take the boat unless you want to hear dubious facts about the town!

Kensington Palace you are right only the dresses! otherwise avoid!

London Duck Tour starts by the eye - so and if you in County Hall right outside your door! they are tying in a ticket offer at the moment with a tour and entrance to the Cabinet War Rooms - this might solve your Science Musuem as it is very interesting and not that long a visit!

Eating with the Children - China Town on Saturday for Dim Sum - avoid Planet H'wood and those types of places! round Piccadilly - Pizza Express is always a fave.... but you will find little places to eat off the beaten track near your Hotel is an All Bar One - this have good food and most are children friendly.

Above all ENJOY this town - some of us are grumpy some smile! but on the whole we are ok..... take sometime out for yourself!!!! remember we have been here a long time - and we will be here when you come again
OH! walk across Jubilee Bridge at Night with the one you love....if the view dont make you romantic...nothing will

Diego13

I would suggest the Portobello Market on saturday and a lunch at Caf&eacute; in the Crypt (trafalgars square)any of the days.

shandy

I agree with most of the other comments. You are trying to fit in a bit too much. First definitely Westminster over St. Pauls. I wouldn't try and do The Tower and Greenwich on the same day. Both need several hours to do properly and that's without travelling time to and from Greenwich. Hop on, hop off buses in both cities are a good option to see all the major sites quickly. I enjoy the batobus in Paris, much cheaper than doing a Seine cruise and you can use it to see several sites. Last time I got on near the Eiffel Tower and wend my way down the Seine till I got to Notre Dame. La Chappelle has been mentioned to you. This is quite close to Notre Dame and is my must see on each trip to Paris. It is quite small, crowded, but the stained glass up on the second floor is unbelievable, especially with the sun out and even when it isn't. Personally I rather skip Notre Dame and just go there but if you have never been to Notre Dame then obviously you will want to go there. In the square in front of Notre Dame if you want a little bit of history, you can take the kids down below where they have excavated down to some of the original roman buildings. It is certainly not a must see item but it is small enough that you can pop in for 15-20 mins to get an idea and is free if you have purchased a museum pass. With your limited time I wouldn't worry about Montmatre. It is not the sort of place where you arrive, spend half an hour there and say yes I have done that. It's about meandering around for several hours discovering little streets and cafes. I would agree with most of the others and skip the Louvre. It will be extremely crowded and is so big you will spend ages walking around trying to find the few things that interest you. I know your daughter is very keen to see the Mona Lisa but most kids (and a lot of adults) are disappointed when they get to it. It is encased inside a fairly large glass/plastic casing and you can't get up close. It is also quite a bit smaller than most people expect. If she wants to see a bit of art the Musee D'orsay is a better bet. Not nearly as large and has a lot of famous impressionist paintings. Having said that a number of their most famous painting aren't there at the moment. They are are here in Melbourne, Australia, but there will still be lots left. If you do take the batobus it is one of the stops on the way. You are right about the metro, it is an excellent way to get around but you don't get to see anything inbetween, so stay up top on the hop on hop off bus which will also give you the advantage of taking you direct to your destination, rather than getting out of the station and saying where do I go now.
Don't forget one of the greatest joys in Paris is simply wandering along the street, stopping at a sidewalk cafe, having your coffee and just people watch. Don't spend all your time racing from one attraction to the next. If breakfast is not included in your accommodation, don't have breakfast at your hotel, wander along the street and find a little cafe and have coffee and croissants. The kids will love the hot chocolate. This is what the Parisians do. You will find that this is much cheaper than a hotel breakfast too. Would love to hear how you got on with the trip afterwards. Especially if you have any tips about travelling with your kids. We are taking our children (13, 15, 17) to London and Paris in December/January for the first time.
Fortunately we have a week in each but you will have the much better weather. I hope it isn't too cold and rainy for us.

javawater

FYI on train tickets to either Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace - If you bought a zone 1 - 2 day pass or an Oyster card, please tell the ticket agent when you purchase your tickets for the two attractions. You can save $$ because the agent will actually charge your fare starting from zone 2. Yesterday when I bought the rt ticket for Windsor, I was charged for full fare. This morning when I purchased the fare for Hampton Court Palace and the ticket agent asked what ticket I have. I showed him my Oyster card and scanned it with his hand-held and charged me only 3.20 for the rt ticket to and from Hampton Court and Waterloo. I was pissed that the first ticket agent didn't ask me the same question (and what do I know!) but I got over it. Hope you can learn from my story - don't assume! ~ a quick note from an internet cafe in London...

papagena

As you're going to the museums area, it would be a shame not to go into the Natural History museum (between the Science Museum and the V&amp;A). Both of the entrances are very impressive - the main one for the huge Victorian entrance hall and dinosaur skeleton, and the side entrance for the giant globe (which you go through on an escalator to get into the main exhibition) and statues.
All three of the museums are free so you don't have to spend long there, but I think these two rooms are too impressive to be missed, since you'll be walking straight past them.

Make sure you take your nine year old to the interactive section in the basement of the science museum; it's like an educational playground.