We visit Papi et Mamie, Papi takes the kids to Eurodisney if it's the off-season, we climb the stairs of the Eiffel tower and eat fries on top, we eat a picnic lunch of baguette sandwiches and walk along the the banks of the Seine near Notre-Dame, we run around the Louvre and buy pretty things in the gift shops there, we spend our playground tickets at the Jardin du Luxembourg, the kids get way too many carousel rides, there and at the esplanade near the Eiffel tower. We take daytrips to visit various chateaux, including our ancestor's, and once we took the kids as far as the Mont St-Michel, which I love (I could live there).

Here some things to get you started on some non-touristy stuff. Though I would make my kids do traditional tourist stuff as well.

Some outdoorsy stuff
https://goape.co.uk

Paris
https://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum-monument/72745/Aquaboulevard-de-Paris

Not in London, but maybe worth the trek?
https://www.zipworld.co.uk/adventure/bounce-below

Do a test run someplace else to see what kind of travelers they are.

Go to Puerto Rico. Stay at a nice beach and do a daytrip to Old San Juan. If they can manage a day in old San Juan, then they will likely enjoy sightseeing in Europe.

Go to Old Quebec. There are tons of threads in the travel section on Montreal and Quebec. They speak French, the architecture is old, plenty to do (we never set foot in a museum).

Go on a cruise. Seriously. All kids love cruises. Caribbean or Mediterranean.

You do know there is more to Europe than museums in London, Paris, and Rome?

Things we’ve done with young kids in Europe:

chocolate and waffles, crepes and gelato, bicycling, hiking hut to hut eating apple strudel and speck, mountain top playgrounds and gondola rides, climbed to the rims of active volcanoes, sat next to apes on the rock of Gibraltar, walked on a glacier, taken ferries across the English Channel and through Norwegian fjords, camped in Cornwall, watched a royal tattoo, visited hitler’s summer retreat, took a train to the top of Europe, walked through an ice tunnel, boat rides across the most beautiful alpine lakes, swam in geothermal baths, visited a tea and pineapple plantation, watched bullfighting, stayed a night in a cave, overnight trains, overnight ferries...most of the stuff we do is outdoors and not near major cities.

They don't want to go to Europe. They want to go to Costa Rica.

Anonymous wrote:My 5 and 7 year old want to go to Europe. They've seen tons of things they want to do in London and Paris thanks to the various travel sites I follow on FB---along with YouTube videos (Wolters World, etc.).

Conde Nast has posts on things to do with kids in Paris (saw it in my FB feed this morning).

Google London with kids and you'll find tons of tips.

My kids want to see Big Ben, go on a red double decker bus, see Buckingham palace, Tower of London, London eye, go for "fancy tea" (Bea's has a more kid friendly service that includes cupcakes), see castles (Blenheim Palace and Warwick castle), etc. Daytrips to the Cotswolds are on their agenda as well.

We can fill a week anywhere without setting foot into a museum, so I'm not worried.

I think we will take the train to Paris from London.

But OP's kids aren't into monuments or gardens or castles or even cupcakes for that matter.

Your kids seem into it, which is great. (Hope they aren't too attached to Big Ben...it's under scaffolding for multi-year restoration works.)

This is kind of a weird post.
BUT the bike trip is a good idea. You can do things in Rome like a dress like a gladiator & Learn to fight thing at the Coliseum. We didn’t do it - but I heard about it.
Otherwise you could go to a beach, lake etc. in Europe.

Anonymous wrote:Your kids are old enough to do their own research on “Europe” and give you a report on what they want to see there. Sounds like they’ve heard their friends going and have FOMO (my second grader says the same thing- “everyone in my class has been outside the country but me!”

I agree with Pp. I would do national parks, ones where older, sturdier kids is a plus. Yosemite? Glacier/Banff?

All of this.

Anonymous wrote:Why are you wasting your money on kids that don’t want to travel????

X1000 I wouldn’t waste the effort. They don’t want to go to explore new cultures.

My 5 and 7 year old want to go to Europe. They've seen tons of things they want to do in London and Paris thanks to the various travel sites I follow on FB---along with YouTube videos (Wolters World, etc.).

Conde Nast has posts on things to do with kids in Paris (saw it in my FB feed this morning).

Google London with kids and you'll find tons of tips.

My kids want to see Big Ben, go on a red double decker bus, see Buckingham palace, Tower of London, London eye, go for "fancy tea" (Bea's has a more kid friendly service that includes cupcakes), see castles (Blenheim Palace and Warwick castle), etc. Daytrips to the Cotswolds are on their agenda as well.

We can fill a week anywhere without setting foot into a museum, so I'm not worried.

I think we will take the train to Paris from London.

how About a bike riding trip? We rented bikes in Versailles and did a bike riding sound of music tour in Salzburg.

Your kids are old enough to do their own research on “Europe” and give you a report on what they want to see there. Sounds like they’ve heard their friends going and have FOMO (my second grader says the same thing- “everyone in my class has been outside the country but me!”

I agree with Pp. I would do national parks, ones where older, sturdier kids is a plus. Yosemite? Glacier/Banff?

I think I'd go out west to the nat'l parks. Although there are walking/hiking trails in Europe you can do-- either camping or staying in hotels.

Why are you wasting your money on kids that don’t want to travel????

My kids are 10 and 7 and want to go to Europe. They do not want to visit museums, monuments, gardens, or castles. They find spending a day on the mall boring. Eating is a necessary activity because they are hungry. They do not enjoy people watching or trying new food. When we are home we are active—camping, hiking, adventure park, etc.

I think they are enamoured with the idea of going to Europe but I’m at a loss with what to do with them for 5-7 days. I already told them that Disneyland Paris was not an option. I guess I feel that if we’re going to travel we need to see something that we don’t have in the US. And the idea of packing the camping gear to take on a plane is overwhelming to me.

What have you done with your kids that don’t like to sightsee?