We have long discussed making a trip across the pond to visit London. I have an English degree with a concentration in British Literature (yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking either), and I’ve never been to London. When I was in college I didn’t realize that studying abroad was something that was actually feasible for me, for a variety of reasons. I wasn’t brave enough. I didn’t think it was do-able, financially. And, to be honest, I guess my worldview was just very small. But as I’ve aged and matured, I’ve longed for this opportunity for many years.
And on a “wish something greater for your children” note, we’ve wanted to give our children this experience. We wanted them to know the possibilities that were at their feet. And we wanted them to embrace cultures that were different from their own.
So, Jason and I set out to make this trip a reality.
Truth be told, we originally planned an Alaskan cruise for our “big trip” in 2024. Europe was going to be 2025. BUUUUUT the Olympics are being held in Paris this summer and we thought it would be really cool for our kids to experience that so we leapfrogged Europe to the summer of 2024. Then we priced it out. NOT. GONNA. HAPPEN. In June. (After visiting, I would NEVER want to visit during the Olympics. What were we thinking?! Even if it was just for a few fleeting moments!) So in January, we decided we would make it our Spring Break trip…mostly because it wouldn’t interfere with our kids’ swim schedules. (Yes, we are held hostage by this…despite our best efforts not to be.)
The trip I thought I had five more months to plan, was suddenly creeping over the horizon. And right at the end of the championship swim calendar…IYKYK. But we were committed.
I got to work, scouring lodging and flights. Buying planning guides. Printing out “must do” activities. And generally feeling very overwhelmed. But we were committed, so I made it happen.
All in all we were gone a total of ten days, including two travel days. We spent five nights in London and three nights in Paris. Below you’ll find a general breakdown of what we did during each day. I will continue to link specific blog articles as I write them, so you can quickly jump to whatever topic you’re interested in. I’ll also (eventually) share some of my key takeaways and learnings! Keep in mind, we traveled with a 12 and 14 year old. They are active, quick walkers, and mostly agreeable (although they did get bored in the Louvre!). My key takeaways will be very different than someone who traveled with a toddler or even younger children. We mostly rode the London Underground (or Tube) and the Paris Metro with the exception of a few Taxis (do this at least once, they aren’t your yellow taxis in NYC!). We only rode the buses on principle…just two stops! But we walked more than we took public transportation! There’s just so much to see from one location to the next!
I’m so glad we were able to give our kids this experience. It’s led to conversations about our next big adventures, and the world seems much more approachable to them now!
Day 1: Off to London
Day 2: First day in London
- Landed at 9am, local time.
- Took the Heathrow Express with a transfer on the tube to our apartment in Marble Arch.
- Met up with Owain, our bike tour guide, with Red Bike Tours. Enjoyed a 13 mile bike tour all over the city, seeing many iconic landmarks and a lovely lakeside lunch.
- Went to the Mercato Mayfair for dinner, wine, and gelato (where the girls literally fell asleep at the table!)
Day 3: London icons
- The girls and I had breakfast at Sketch, the Parlour, and Jason took a class at the Peloton Studio London.
- Oxford Street, Picadilly Circus, Covent Garden
- Shakespeare’s Globe
- London Bridge and Tower Bride photo
- Dinner with our friends (who planned the same trip at the same time and we didn’t know until our kids told us) at Old Bank London (a pub literally built into an Old Bank).
- Back to the Mercato for drinks and more gelato
- Two loads of laundry and bed
Day 4: Sports Day in London!
- Took the tube over to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
- The girls swam at the London Aquatics Centre
- Went to the West Ham/Aston Villa game with our friends
- Got lost looking for a St. Patrick’s Day party
- Back to Covent Garden for dinner at an underground pub (I hate that I can’t recall the name!)
Day 5: Let's Go Richmond!
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
- Notting Hill
- Richmond (big Ted Lasso fans, over here!)
- Ate lunch at The Prince’s Head (called the Crown and Anchor in Ted Lasso, but it’s a real pub!)
- Big Ben, London Eye and a little photo shoot at dusk
- Back to the Mercato one last time
Day 6: Final day in London, do ALLLLLL the things
- Abbey Road
- Tower of London (do NOT miss this)
- Camden Market
- Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station
- Double Decker Bus (so we could say that we did it!)
- Laundry, pack, get ready for Paris in the morning
Day 7: Away we go...to Paris
- Dropped a few postcards in the mail (see the super cool mail drop inset).
- Eurostar to Paris
- Took the metro right to our apartment in the Latin Quarter
- Cathedral of Notre Dame
- The Louvre Museum
- Dinner in the Latin Quarter…bed!
Day 8: Paris icons...and GO!
- Pantheon
- Luxembourg Gardens
- Napoleon’s Tomb
- Eiffel Tower (we took the stairs…it’s AMAZING!)
- River Seine dinner cruise
- Eiffel Tower at night photo shoot from the street and Trocadero
- Arc de Triomphe
- Avenue des Champs-Elysées
Day 9: A little piece of home
- Paris City Hall
- RER A to Disneyland Paris
Day 10: The long trip home
- One final stop at our favorite bakery
- RER B to Charles de Gaulle and then, eventually, home!
It’s Tuesday morning as I type this. I have my coffee in my London mug and a makeshift baguette breakfast sandwich on a plate in front of me. We’ve been home since Saturday night. And I’m EXHAUSTED just writing all of that out. We did and saw so much in such a short amount of time. But I’d choose to do this over and over again. (In fact, I’m already looking at options to go back to London without the kids…gotta update that swim calendar!). This was an incredible experience. Was it perfect? Absolutely not…I’ll share some of those imperfections in the individual blog posts as I write them. But I would take an imperfect new experience over a perfect, mundane, familiar vacation any day of the week!
We traveled. I did not read one things (except the guidebooks). But we explored more than we dared to imagine!
Makes me want to visit NOW🥰
Looks like you all had a blast!! No way would I have been able to take those stairs up the Tower. You all are Rock Stars!
I’m exhausted just reading this. You would make an excellent tour planner. And I’ll sign up!!