London and Paris- any and all suggestions welcome

[SnuggleBuggles]

We have the outline of our trip and now looking to fill in all of the blanks- hotels, things to do/things to skip, favorite restaurants... We are doing a whirlwind of London and Paris then relaxing in Italy.

As much as I have wanted to go to London forever, I don't actually have any must see places. I just kind of wanted to be there. I bought a guide book to help me narrow down even where to stay but feeling overwhelmed. Thinking of staying in the West End but that's just totally a random guess.

Paris- 7 years of French classes in school/college so I at least have more of a sense of Paris but still drawing a blank on things we really want to do. Definitely no idea where we want to base ourselves. We don't have a Four Seasons budget. Healthy budget but not in that realm.

Dh would probably be happy to do museums, churches and such...ds2 and I are less interested but will do some. We just don't want an itinerary filled with those. More looking to just soak it in. No interest in shopping. Shows, guided tours or other structured ideas would be great because I like to have something to anchor each day otherwise we sit there and stare at each other saying "what should we do next?". I guess for all of my talk about just wanting to soak it in, I am being dishonest. I guess I mean I don't need to do a punch list of the common tourist sites but I do want to have a plan each day.

We don't have time for renting a car and doing side trips so we are staying in and focusing exclusively on the city centers or parts conveniently accessible via public transportation.

[PunkyBoo]

Remind me how old your DC are? My nephew lives in London and my sister visits frequently so I can ask them for suggestions.
I'm no help for Paris.

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[SnuggleBuggles]

Teenager.


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[nfceagles]

What time of year and how many days? I can answer some questions about London.

We have stayed at the Pullman St Pancras which is a block down the road from Kings Cross station. That’s a convenient station for accessing many tube lines, good for Potter fans, can get to/from Heathrow via the Piccadilly line, and is very convenient if you’re taking the Eurostar to or from Paris. But it’s not in the west end of you prefer that. I’ve also stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn in Kensington. Also not right in the thick of things but we liked the space and kitchen. It’s a short walk to the Earls Court station.

If theater is appealing, I would see a show. Maybe Hamilton (not in the West End). I saw that twice there and it’s so much cheaper and easier to get tickets than in the US. Plenty of other good options too.

If you don’t mind walking, you could start at Westminster Station, see Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey (inside or just outside as you prefer) before crossing the Westminster Bridge to the London Eye. Then after that meander down the south bank past the Globe Theater, Tate Modern, the pedestrian bridge over to St Paul’s, and then grab food at Borough Market (YUM!). If your family and teens like food I would definitely do Borough Market. Feet still OK, you can keep going down the south bank to the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.

If I could only do one tourist attraction it would be the Tower of London including one of their free Beefeater tours. Churchill War Rooms might be a decent compromise between a museum for DH while not boring the teens too badly. It’s good. A Hop On Hop Off bus tour might be fun, but you can also ride the regular double decker busses around as an alternative. Abbey Road if you’re Beatles Fans. A soccer match if you’re fans, but summer is the off season. Wembley Stadium Tour if you have a big soccer fan but it’s the off season. Afternoon Tea if that appeals to your teens. Paddle boats and feeding parakeets in Hyde Park. London Walks at walks.com offers guided walking tours of all sorts. You didn’t used to prebook, you just showed up, but that might have changed with COVID.

Just brainstorming. If any of those jump out at you and you want more details, let me know.


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[jgenie]

Our favorite spots from our trip to Paris were a day trip to Versailles and the afternoon we spent sailing boats in Luxembourg Gardens. We took an Uber over and back for Versailles but you can take public transit. We did inside and outside but if I could do it over we would skip the inside and spend the entire day outside. We rented a golf cart to explore the grounds. They have boats and bikes you can rent as well. We had a fabulous meal just outside the gates. I can get you the name of the restaurant if you plan to go. We did mostly museums when we went to London. Loved our time at Universal Studios but Im guessing your DS is past that. I would definitely catch a show or two while in London.

[Twoboos]

Our family loved the electric bike tour of Paris. It's basically second tier sites, so stuff you'd never think to see. The leader was amazing and the electric bikes were great! https://www.parischarmssecrets.com/homepage-an I will admit it's terrifying to bike there, no one wears helmets and the cars are zipping along, but we never saw an accident they whole time we were there.

We did a couple of tours with ParisMuse, they were great (pretty sure recommended here). They got us through the Louvre like we couldn't have done on our own - just knowing which way to turn was helpful!! We also did the French Revolution walking tour, which was fun. Maybe a little young for you at this point (our kids were 13/15 at the time but still liked it). https://parismuse.com

This restaurant if you can, Relais Entrecôte. There are a few locations. Get there early and get in line, it's worth it. Our Paris Muse tour guide recommended it since we were nearby, so were basically first in line. By the time the doors opened there were at least 25 people waiting. It's steak frites, that's it. Rolls, salad, steak with or without special sauce (definitely WITH), frites, dessert. They just give it to you, plus seconds if you want! You get to choose your wine and dessert but that's it. https://www.relaisentrecote.fr/?page_id=205&lang=en_GB

Have fun!!

[gobadgers]

...structured ideas would be great because I like to have something to anchor each day otherwise we sit there and stare at each other saying "what should we do next?". I guess for all of my talk about just wanting to soak it in, I am being dishonest. I guess I mean I don't need to do a punch list of the common tourist sites but I do want to have a plan each day.

I'm no help - I haven't been to either city (though I'm taking notes for hopefully next year). But what I really want to do is commiserate, because this is EXACTLY how I feel every time we plan a trip :-) No matter how laid back we WANT to be, we definitely need a direction to start out every day.

[jgenie]

This restaurant if you can, Relais Entrecôte. There are a few locations. Get there early and get in line, it's worth it. Our Paris Muse tour guide recommended it since we were nearby, so were basically first in line. By the time the doors opened there were at least 25 people waiting. It's steak frites, that's it. Rolls, salad, steak with or without special sauce (definitely WITH), frites, dessert. They just give it to you, plus seconds if you want! You get to choose your wine and dessert but that's it. https://www.relaisentrecote.fr/?page_id=205&lang=en_GB

We ate here too!! Definitely get there before opening otherwise you’re waiting in line for other diners to finish eating.

[truly scrumptious]

Favorite things in Paris:
(disclaimer - all precovid so I have no idea what state they are in)
- get a day pass for the Bateau bus - it is basically a ferry along the Seine so you get the scenic river tour without the hefty price tag. I’d typically combine it with a destination (eg Eiffel) to get the most out of it.
- Musee d’Orsay - so much less overwhelming than the Louvre and it is my happy place. After walking around each of us picks a spot to sit for 20-30 mins to just enjoy a piece of art/rest/people watch. There is a lovely restaurant there too.
- Sacre Coeur and Montmarte, we take a train up and visit them both briefly but then take a long meandering walk down the hill through the neighborhoods on the way back. Found some lovely artist studios with their art displayed in the windows, found some random cafes, such a lovely experience.
- Sainte Chapelle - seriously a hidden gem, mind bogglingly beautiful on a sunny day.
- Walk by Notre Dame, visit Shakespeare’s bookstore and grab an icecream on the Ile St Louis.
Each of the above is an “anchor” activity for a day which gets us going. After that we play it by ear - we add in things like the Tuilerie gardens, walking around the Marais, the Pompidou center (where there are always interesting performers outside, and great street vendors for crepes.)

Sigh. I love Paris and can’t wait to go back.

[bisous]

Favorite things in Paris:
(disclaimer - all precovid so I have no idea what state they are in)
- get a day pass for the Bateau bus - it is basically a ferry along the Seine so you get the scenic river tour without the hefty price tag. I’d typically combine it with a destination (eg Eiffel) to get the most out of it.
- Musee d’Orsay - so much less overwhelming than the Louvre and it is my happy place. After walking around each of us picks a spot to sit for 20-30 mins to just enjoy a piece of art/rest/people watch. There is a lovely restaurant there too.
- Sacre Coeur and Montmarte, we take a train up and visit them both briefly but then take a long meandering walk down the hill through the neighborhoods on the way back. Found some lovely artist studios with their art displayed in the windows, found some random cafes, such a lovely experience.
- Sainte Chapelle - seriously a hidden gem, mind bogglingly beautiful on a sunny day.
- Walk by Notre Dame, visit Shakespeare’s bookstore and grab an icecream on the Ile St Louis.
Each of the above is an “anchor” activity for a day which gets us going. After that we play it by ear - we add in things like the Tuilerie gardens, walking around the Marais, the Pompidou center (where there are always interesting performers outside, and great street vendors for crepes.)

Sigh. I love Paris and can’t wait to go back.

We actually did all these things in my trip to Paris and we loved it. Only my trip was pre-911! So prior to needing to take my shoes off at security, lol.

I LOVED the Sainte Chapelle. We actually visited it twice. Once as part of a tour and another as an evening soiree. Classical music at sunset in the Sainte Chapelle. It was gorgeous.

I went as a student on my way back from Senegal. The other students I was with found this flyer that had all the musical and cultural events all around the city and we visited several of them. Has anyone else heard of this? They picked it up in a cafe and it listed all the events in the city it was a HUGE list. We heard Mozart in the Madeleine and heard a bell choir in a small chapel in another quartier. If you want to get away from only museums that might be a good way to have a more diverse experience?