teen/preteens in Paris and London
 

I just heard how wonderful and informative the responses are on this website so I'm giving it a try. My family is leaving soon for a trip to London - 4 days, Paris - 7 days and Lyon (for my husbands work) for 2 weeks. We'd love tips for avoiding lines, special places we might miss, and side trips for Lyon and any restaurants - my kids are adventurous eaters. My kids are 14, 12, 10 (a boy and 2 girls). Thanks in advance!

Lines in London aren't really a problem except at the Tower of London and maybe Westminster Abbey. Since all the museums are free there are no ticket lines - you just walk in any door.

For the Tower - you can "jump the queue" by buying your tickets at a tube station, and getting to the Tower at opening time helpd too.

In Paris the main long lines are at the Musee d'Orsay, Eiffel Tower, and to a lesser extent the Louvre and things like climbing the tower at Notre Dame or the Arc de Triomphe. You can either get museum passes, or at the Orsay buy your tickets the day before from the ticket office.

The late nights at the Louvre really don't have any lines to speak of at all.

Here is a link to my trip report: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34786762. We were in London and Paris for a week each this March with our kids ages 13 (daughter) and 10 (son). It may give you some ideas and tips.

If your kids like video games, there is a huge vg parlor called Funland at the Trocadero in London. Our son loves it---and it is a nice, shall we say, <i>contrast</i> with all the sightseeing and theater-going. :)

Fat Tire Bike Tours have great Segway tours of Paris which would be a good way to get started on your sightseeing with an overview of the geography of the city.

Hi,
Here are a few suggestions for Lyon:

There is a tourist pass called the Lyon Citycard that you can buy for one, two or three days, which includes all transport plus entrance to the main sights of the city. I think the pass includes a guided tour and a boat trip in addition to transport and access to museums/sights. There is more info here: http://tinyurl.com/oxm3d

Restaurants: try la Maison Villemanzy (http://www.maison-villemanzy.com/) for good regional-style food at reasonable prices (approx 25 euros for 3-course set menu) and the most amazing views. The restaurant is located on the slopes of the Croix Rousse hill and its terrace has lovely views across the city. You need to book well in advance to get a table on the terrace (make sure you ask for one or you may end up in the dining room which is nice but doesn't have the same atmosphere).

For a cheap and cheerful lunch or dinner, Bleu de Toi on rue Merci&egrave;re serves various combinations on the theme of mussels or tuna steaks and all you can eat fries. It's busy but turnover is quick and it's fun.

Will you have a car in Lyon? if so, I'd recommend taking a trip to the lovely medieval village of Oingt, perched on a hill in the Beaujolais region. There's an excellent restaurant called Le Donjon, on the edge of the village with a terrace looking out over the hills. The food is excellent and the village is tiny but quite lovely.

Another wonderful place to go for a meal is Les Platanes de Chenas, again in the Beaujolais region. Book a table for lunch and sit out under the spreading branches of the plane trees that give the restaurant its name, with views of the Beaujolais hills and villages spread out before you.

For a side trip from Lyon, the vilalge of P&eacute;rouges is always fun. It's named after the city of Perugia in Italy as I believe it was built (or inhabited) by immigrants from that area. It's a well preserved medieval village, about 30 minutes drive east of Lyon, and it's fun to stroll around (lots of photo opportunities). It's probably not worth a full day trip unless you're planning to eat at the restaurant l'Ostellerie du Vieux P&eacute;rouges which is quite upmarket but very good. The village is very touristy and parking can be tough; otherwise you can get a bus from Lyon (Perrache station) but you then have to walk up quite a steep hill to reach the old part of the village.

Annecy is a great day trip from Lyon, about 1 and a half hours drive. The town itself is a beautiful place to visit with wonderful views (lake, mountains, lovely old buildings and canals) and some fun things to do (our favourite thing is to hire a motorboat and putt round the lake for an hour). Lots of nice local food to try (such as tartiflette) - although most of the restaurants are aimed at tourists many of them serve pretty good food. And there are plenty of places you can stop for ice cream if in need of sustenance...

That's all I have time for now, but I have responded to quite a lot of posts on Lyon in the past so if you click on my username and scroll through my posts, you should find a bit more information on eating out in the city.
Hope that helps!

What wonderful suggestions! Thank you so much for your time!! We leave tonight, so the timing was perfect.