Need help planning our upcoming London/Paris trip

[Anonymous]

I am super late planning our upcoming trip to London and Paris. We have our flights booked and that is it. We are leaving in less than a month.

We will be going to London 4.5 days and Paris for 5.5 days. We are a family of 5 and want to stay in a prime location where we can easily walk to restaurants, attractions and the train. Our kids are ages 5-12.

Can you recommend what areas we should stay? Specific hotels recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

We don’t have an exact room budget. I am ok with paying a premium for comfort and location.

Any must dos for kids? Dh and I have been to both cities but never together. Our kids have never been.

Would you bring a stroller for a 5 year old? She was only 3 when Covid started and we always traveled with a stroller. We live in the suburbs so we drive everywhere. I know she will likely get tired and complain if we walk all day.

[Anonymous]

No, do not bring a stroller for your 5yo!! Learn to vacation at a kid’s pace, take public transportation and breaks.

[Anonymous]

In London I would look at South Kensington or possibly the South Bank. Are you considering an apartment? Citadines runs some aparthotels I think if you want more space and a kitchen.

In Paris I would stay around the 3/4/5th. With kids being near to Jardin Luxembourg can be nice, but also the Marais is a good option (but not too far from Ile St Louis).

Lots of parks in London-- I would take advantage of them (including the Princess Di playground).

[Anonymous]

If you want a hotel, you’ll be paying for two rooms with a party of 5. You better book accommodations today, you might already be screwed. And if you don’t tell us your specific budget, we can’t make suggestions.

Bringing a stroller is a ridiculous PITA. If your 5 yo can’t walk places, you should leave her with grandparents.

[Anonymous]

I am a bit in awe of someone planning this type of trip less than a month out. I would have been planning this for much longer personally.

A stroller is not going to be practical many places so take that into consideration. If you do have to being one make it the lightest, most compact-able one you have (i.e. umbrella type). You haven’t really said what your kids or family enjoy so hard to recommend things. I would however figure out your must see things and get those booked ASAP.

[Anonymous]

If you can avoid bringing a stroller, do it. And if you absolutely must bring one, make sure it is a lightweight, fully collapsable one.

We go to London every few years and after age 2, we didn't bring a stroller. Unless there are mobility or other factors, no way would I bring a stroller for a 5yo. At that age, we made sure that we alternated between adult stuff and kid stuff and incorporated playground and park stops each day.

Pretty much anywhere in Zone 1 (on London Underground map) will be walkable and have restaurants and be convenient for sightseeing.

We've stayed at most of the Marriotts in central London and all were fine. We tend to stay in/around Mayfair because that's where we lived pre-kids and it lets me pretend we never moved back to the US. Price point really matters. Finding a room for 5 will be tough, so definitely make that a priority.

[Anonymous]

Agree with others ... hotel rooms are SMALL in both places. An American chain might be a good idea.

Second the parks in London. You can build whole days around them, and we, too, loved the Princess Di park.

There's a nice chain of restaurants in London that isn't too expensive: Giraffe.

The War Museum and the Theatre Museum are great. So many others, too, but those really left an impression.

In Paris, Centre Pompidou is great. I'd do that and the Picasso Museum over the Louvre. A boat ride on the Seine is fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am super late planning our upcoming trip to London and Paris. We have our flights booked and that is it. We are leaving in less than a month.

We will be going to London 4.5 days and Paris for 5.5 days. We are a family of 5 and want to stay in a prime location where we can easily walk to restaurants, attractions and the train. Our kids are ages 5-12.

Can you recommend what areas we should stay? Specific hotels recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

We don’t have an exact room budget. I am ok with paying a premium for comfort and location.

Any must dos for kids? Dh and I have been to both cities but never together. Our kids have never been.

Would you bring a stroller for a 5 year old? She was only 3 when Covid started and we always traveled with a stroller. We live in the suburbs so we drive everywhere. I know she will likely get tired and complain if we walk all day.

Are you kidding? Not to hijack the thread, but this is a problem. Do NOT allow a five-year-old to whine about this and yes, she should be walking.

[Anonymous]

Get a $20 umbrella stroller and bring it! Then you can walk more in those very walkable cities.

[Anonymous]

Get a $20 umbrella stroller and bring it! Then you can walk more in those very walkable cities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want a hotel, you’ll be paying for two rooms with a party of 5. You better book accommodations today, you might already be screwed. And if you don’t tell us your specific budget, we can’t make suggestions.

Bringing a stroller is a ridiculous PITA. If your 5 yo can’t walk places, you should leave her with grandparents.

Op here. $2k per night would be fine. Can be cheaper or more expensive.

5yo does not use a normal stroller.

[Anonymous]

A $20 umbrella stroller isn’t designed to hold a 5yo child and won’t do a lick of good on the rough streets of London and Paris. I can’t imagine bringing a stroller for a kid older than 2.5 or possibly 3. After that they can walk. Take breaks, get an ice cream, spend time at a park, but don’t rely on a stroller for a school-aged child!
You’re really late to planning, but you might get lucky finding an Airbnb or similar for your family. That will be better and less expensive than 2 hotel rooms. Look in Zone 1 in London and anywhere in the 1-8th arrondissements in Paris, though be warned that the 7 & 8 are larger and choose carefully in those.
In London I’d do a day on a hop on/hop off bus to get your bearings, get off by the Thames to view Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster, another day take a boat to Greenwich, then do the tour back along the River, one day at the Tower and St Paul’s, maybe look at London Walks for family walking tours. Another day Globe, Southwark, Tate Modern if you want to see art, or a day by South Ken, Notting Hill, Princess Diana playground, etc. Fit in tea somewhere, and a visit to Hamley’s for sure.
In Paris the Musee D’Orsay or Pompidou are great for kids, the Tuileries gardens are fun with a fair in summer, trampolines etc. Picnic near the Eiffel Tower, get tickets now if you want to go up. Bateaux Mouches on the Seine for sure, wander the Latin Quarter and the Iles, get ice cream at Berthillon. Paris is the ultimate city for wandering, you really can’t go wrong.
Are you taking the Eurostar? Make sure you’ve booked that asap too as it gets filled up in summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you can avoid bringing a stroller, do it. And if you absolutely must bring one, make sure it is a lightweight, fully collapsable one.

We go to London every few years and after age 2, we didn't bring a stroller. Unless there are mobility or other factors, no way would I bring a stroller for a 5yo. At that age, we made sure that we alternated between adult stuff and kid stuff and incorporated playground and park stops each day.

Pretty much anywhere in Zone 1 (on London Underground map) will be walkable and have restaurants and be convenient for sightseeing.

We've stayed at most of the Marriotts in central London and all were fine. We tend to stay in/around Mayfair because that's where we lived pre-kids and it lets me pretend we never moved back to the US. Price point really matters. Finding a room for 5 will be tough, so definitely make that a priority.

The London Marriott Grovesnor Square has larger than average rooms, and has a 50% off on a second room. We liked the location- very walkable to either the Bond Street or Marble Arch stations, and there is a funky kids playground on the same street.

[Anonymous]

The batobus was an easy fun way to take a boat trip on the Seine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a bit in awe of someone planning this type of trip less than a month out. I would have been planning this for much longer personally.

A stroller is not going to be practical many places so take that into consideration. If you do have to being one make it the lightest, most compact-able one you have (i.e. umbrella type). You haven’t really said what your kids or family enjoy so hard to recommend things. I would however figure out your must see things and get those booked ASAP.

The only thing we have planned is Wimbledon.

We have both been so have a rough idea of what we will do.

London:
Day on on off red bus
Piccadilly Circus
Harrods
Harry Potter tour
Tate modern
Buckingham Palace
Stonehenge

Hope to book hotel today.