If you've been to both London and Paris...

[Greta]

... tell me which one we should visit, assuming we could only do one. ("We" being myself, husband, and ten year old daughter.)

 

I've always had this very romanticized view of Paris, and I've wanted to go there since I was 12. But a funny thing is happening: now that the opportunity is finally drawing close, I seem to be hearing so many people talking about how they loved other parts of Europe so much more than France. :confused: So, we're considering England because we're very interested in the history and culture, and we have the advantage of speaking the language (well, you know, more or less. ;) American is practically English! :lol:)

 

I took some French in college, and planned to do a crash course before the trip, but I am *far* from fluent, and dh and dd speak none at all. I'm sure we'd be able to get around, but I'm just wondering how much we would really be able to immerse ourselves in the experience if we don't speak the language. I'm 36 years old (as of this week), this is my first time going off the North American continent, and I'm not sure when/if I'll get another chance. So I want the experience to be . . . well, the vacation of a lifetime! Er, the holiday of a lifetime? :) Anyway, what I mean is, I don't simply want a snapshot of myself standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. I want to feel like, for one brief time in my life, I really got to "drink in" another place, another culture, really experience it.

 

So, what says the hive? Where should we go?

[BikeBookBread]

LONDON!!! (But I'm a bit of an Anglophile.)

[Greta]

LONDON!!! (But I'm a bit of an Anglophile.)

 

:001_smile: Tell me more! What would you do there with a 10yo? A bright, inquisitive 10 yo who loves history and art.

[kewb]

I vote London, too. Paris is okay but I loved England.

[BikeBookBread]

:001_smile: Tell me more! What would you do there with a 10yo? A bright, inquisitive 10 yo who loves history and art.

 

The British Museum is amazing!!!! Do the touristy stuff like The Tower of London. It ROCKS! We were there in 1999 (pre-kiddoes), and my dh STILL talks about it. Go to the Naval Observatory...it's fascinating. I love touring cathedrals and classical music, so St. Martin in the FIelds was a must for me. We didn't do anything really off the beaten path, but I was so impressed by that city.

[lauriep]

My daughter was about 10 when she went with my husband and I to London. She wanted to see the Rosetta Stone so we went to the British Museum first. We also went to the British Library to see the room of treasures (old manuscripts) there. We went to the National Gallery, concerts at St. Martin in the Fields, the Tower of London, the Natural History Museum, St. Paul's, Westminster Abbey for a free organ recital, a train ride to Portsmouth to see the historic ships, and a boat ride to Greenwich. In Convent Garden we went to the Build a Bear store and bought an England themed outfit for her bear. We did all that in about a week.

Edited January 28, 2010 by lauriep

[muffinmom]

Tough call. Maybe for your first foray overseas, London would be a good start, enough different, despite the same language (which I guarantee will still be hard to understand!). May depend on how adventurous you are. My experience in Paris (more than 15 years ago) was really enjoyable, despite the lack of friendliness of the people. But keep in mind, we'd been living in Europe for a year before we visited Paris, so we had the general European culture down.

 

I would have to lean towards London...can you take side trips, such as to Ireland or Scotland? I regret we never got to see those places. If you can't go that far, maybe you can take a side trip to the Cotswolds...Warwick Castle is cool, also Stratford-upon-Avon...home (or birthplace?) of Shakespeare. Those little villages are lovely, with all the beautiful thatched-roof cottages.

 

Paris would have better food, no doubt. But there's always fish and chips. :D

[PiCO]

... tell me which one we should visit, assuming we could only do one. ("We" being myself, husband, and ten year old daughter.)

 

I've always had this very romanticized view of Paris, and I've wanted to go there since I was 12. But a funny thing is happening: now that the opportunity is finally drawing close, I seem to be hearing so many people talking about how they loved other parts of Europe so much more than France. :confused: So, we're considering England because we're very interested in the history and culture, and we have the advantage of speaking the language (well, you know, more or less. ;) American is practically English! :lol:)

 

I took some French in college, and planned to do a crash course before the trip, but I am *far* from fluent, and dh and dd speak none at all. I'm sure we'd be able to get around, but I'm just wondering how much we would really be able to immerse ourselves in the experience if we don't speak the language. I'm 36 years old (as of this week), this is my first time going off the North American continent, and I'm not sure when/if I'll get another chance. So I want the experience to be . . . well, the vacation of a lifetime! Er, the holiday of a lifetime? :) Anyway, what I mean is, I don't simply want a snapshot of myself standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. I want to feel like, for one brief time in my life, I really got to "drink in" another place, another culture, really experience it.

 

So, what says the hive? Where should we go?

 

My 11-yo dd who has been to both London and Paris says you should go to Paris.

 

She did enjoy London also though, but she doesn't think you'll have as much fun there if you don't get to stay with our friends. ;)

[Greta]

The British Museum is amazing!!!! Do the touristy stuff like The Tower of London. It ROCKS! We were there in 1999 (pre-kiddoes), and my dh STILL talks about it. Go to the Naval Observatory...it's fascinating. I love touring cathedrals and classical music, so St. Martin in the FIelds was a must for me. We didn't do anything really off the beaten path, but I was so impressed by that city.

 

My daughter was about 10 when she went with my husband and I to London. She wanted to see the Rosetta Stone so we went to the British Museum first. We also went to the British Library to see the room of treasures (old manuscripts) there. We went to the National Gallery, concerts at St. Martin in the Fields, the Tower of London, the Natural History Museum, St. Paul's, Westminster Abbey for a free organ recital, a train ride to Portsmouth to see the historic ships, and a boat ride to Greenwich. In Convent Garden we went to the Build a Bear store and bought an England themed outfit for her bear. We did a thought in about a week.

 

Love this kind of information. Thank you both so much!!! :001_smile:

[muffinmom]

If you like Broadway-style shows, there are plenty to be had in London.

[Sputterduck]

Is neither an option?? I'd say go to Ireland instead...

[IsabelC]

I'd probably choose London. I loved Paris too, but I'd plump for London as the family vacation and try to do Paris another time as a romantic getaway sans kids;)

[Greta]

I would have to lean towards London...can you take side trips, such as to Ireland or Scotland? I regret we never got to see those places. If you can't go that far, maybe you can take a side trip to the Cotswolds...Warwick Castle is cool, also Stratford-upon-Avon...home (or birthplace?) of Shakespeare. Those little villages are lovely, with all the beautiful thatched-roof cottages.

 

This sounds wonderful. We'll only have a week there. :( So maybe the shorter side-trips you mentioned would be the way to go.

[Greta]

I'd say go to Ireland instead...

 

That's a definite possibility too. I know (slightly) more about England, so was more drawn to it. But I'm :bigear:

[Greta]

Thanks for all the replies so far! I'm surprised to get so many so fast. Appreciate it!

 

Family wants dinner. (They're so demanding!) So I'll check in again later. Keep 'em coming!

[Cammie]

London, London, London!! We did both with dd 9 last summer. London was fantastic. We had 5 days and could have used 10! We did lots of museums. The Rosetta stone was a highlight. The British Museum in general was amazing. The science museum was great - had a nice hands on children's area. The natural history museum also awesome. We loved the Tower of London - lots of great history. We saw the crown jewels. We did the double decker tour bus - we all loved that. We saw Stomp one night (great discount tickets available.) We took the bus to Oxford one day - that was a GREAT trip. What an amazing university. Take the tour. See the Harry Potter locations.

 

Paris was a big disappointment after London. The best thing we saw in Paris (according to DD) was a bunch of kids playing bicycle hockey (it was pretty cool!)

 

Have a great trip!!

[RegGuheert]

You don't expect Reg to vote with the crowd, do you? :tongue_smilie:

[Mrs Mungo]

I loved them both for different reasons. I think if you want to experience a very different culture then I would go with France (unless beans on toast or mushy peas is your idea of culture). I've spent a lot more time in France though, I've only been to London once.

 

France:

 

wonderful food, eat at little shops and decent restaurants, there are tons of great little shops selling tiny, delicious quiches or cheese and fruit plates or crepes or chocolate croissants :drool5:. At a real restaurant order from the prix fixe menu.

 

Lots of well known landmarks to visit: the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame (don't miss the archeology exhibit underneath), Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre (seeing many of those paintings in person is *amazing*), Musee d'Orsay, the Rodin museum (probably a favorite of my kids), Napoleon's tomb, the Shakespeare bookshop (near Notre Dame and a *must* for bibliophiles).

 

Tons of parks and gardens to rest, run around or have a picnic.

 

Stroll through some of the lesser-known neighborhoods (like Canal St. Martin or Grands Boulevards) for gorgeous architecture, people watching, food and gifts.

 

I hear the catacomb tour is tons of fun but we haven't done that one.

 

Just outside of Paris: Monet's Garden, Versailles, Disneyland Paris, Fontainebleau. Or you could go to the Loire Valley and tour the Chateaux.

 

There are some great Parisian blogs: http://secret-paris.blogspot.com/ and there walking tours that you can download to your ipod.

 

Con: People don't know how to stand in line. This drives me craaaaazy.

 

Tips: get a couple of good maps, if you're going to Pere Lachaise, get a specific map, it's huge.

 

London:

 

The Tower of London is probably the best tour we have taken of anything, anywhere.

 

The British Museum is great but don't expect to see it all in a day, figure out what you really want to see-sometimes some of their artifacts are on special exhibit and you have to pay extra to see them (this was true of the Rosetta Stone when we were there).

 

Many of the art galleries-the National Portrait Museum, the Tate, etc are free.

 

The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace is cool but might be so packed that you'd need binoculars to see it. There are other nearby castles to visit if you're into castles or royals.

 

Westminster Abbey-you definitely want to read up on who is buried where so that you don't miss anything.

 

Your son is old enough you might want to attend a play at The Globe.

 

Those are the main things we've done, like I said, we've spent a lot more time in France. :)

[Jill- OK]

I loved it.

 

I mean, London is great, too...but the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the pastries of Paris...I'd choose Paris over London, in a heartbeat.

 

Has anyone studied French? It would be a great experience to be immersed in a culture with a completely different language, if you've not had that before. (Although most Londoners would probably call my English "a completely different language", lol. ;-)

[Melinda in VT]

Disclaimer: We just bought tickets to Paris this week. We'll spend a week in April near Paris and a week in Burgundy.

 

I've been to Paris once before, without kids, and to London twice, once without kids and once when our oldest son was 2.5.

 

I enjoy both cities. DH, who is not a city person in general, vastly prefers Paris (and New York, for that matter) to London. He thinks the food, the weather, the architecture, and the layout are all better in Paris.

 

Things we enjoyed in London with a 2.5 yo: the Tower of London, the British Museum, the National Gallery, and Hyde Park. We also went to church at St. Paul's Cathedral. DH and I also enjoyed a walking tour, theater, and a tour of Westminster Cathedral.

 

We are only planning two days in Paris on our upcoming trip (but that is still subject to change). We're planning to spend a morning in the Louvre, go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, spend an afternoon in the Luxembourg Gardens, see Notre Dame, and take a boat cruise on the Seine. We're considering seeing the gardens of the Rodin Museum (some of the best sculptures are in the garden, apparently) and the Arc de Triomphe. If it's sunny, I'd like to see Sainte Chapelle. (It was overcast on our earlier visit, and not very impressive.) We'd like to leave some time for wandering around the city, especially in the Left Bank.

 

If we didn't have a 4 yo (our other three kids are 14, 10, and 10), I'd push for a third day in Paris so we could visit the Orsay Museum and tour the Paris sewers as well.

 

We are also spending a day at Versailles, which is an easy day trip from Paris. (And we're spending a day at Disneyland at the end of our trip.:o)

 

I would encourage you, in either England or France, to try for a day or two outside the big city. The charms of both countries are so much more evident in the countryside and villages.

 

BTW, I think France is great. We went three years ago to the south of France and had an amazing time. All six of us loved it. I've been to Britain 3 times, Spain once, Switzerland once, and France twice (most of those visits with kids), and I think France holds its own among Eurpean countries in which to vacation. I really can't think of a negative.

[Medieval Mom]

I've been to both (London twice). The food is excellent in Paris... Ah! The shopping is fantastic in London. The museums are both excellent. In Paris, the Musee d'Orsay is a MUST SEE. (Squeeze in Versailles if you can.) Westminster Cathedral in London is gorgeous.

 

All in all, my ds and I like the countryside of Kent (with all its gardens and castles) better than the hubbub of the metropolis. When we go again, we've decided, we'll stick to a nice B&B at Tunbridge Upon Wells, buy a membership to the National Trust, and visit all the fantastic historical sites.

 

Ahh... The scones with clotted cream, elderflower fools, the scrumptious English breakfasts. Wait! I guess the food is pretty darn good in Kent, too:D

 

I don't think you can go wrong either way.

 

Bon Voyage!:)

[King Alfred Academy]

Paris!!!!!

 

But could you do both? We just checked for flights from London to Paris and they were around $40 one way per person on easy jet airline.

[Mrs Mungo]

Ahh... The scones with clotted cream, elderflower fools, the scrumptious English breakfasts. Wait! I guess the food is pretty darn good in Kent, too:D

 

But the food in London is unimpressive unless you shell out some $$ in our experience. The countryside is different, I agree with you there.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

Con: People don't know how to stand in line. This drives me craaaaazy.

 

 

What? They don't know how to stand in line? What did they learn in school???

[Mrs Mungo]

What? They don't know how to stand in line? What did they learn in school???

 

Probably something useless like rhetoric. ;) eta: seriously, they do not stand in line, I think they consider it beneath them. I almost got into a fight our second time at the Eiffel Tower over this.

[RegGuheert]

But the food in London is unimpressive unless you shell out some $$ in our experience.

IME, NOTHING is inexpensive in London, even bad food. Everything in Paris has always seemed to be more reasonably priced to me.

 

If you go to Paris, here are some things I recommend:

 

- Going to the top of La Tour Eiffel. Simply amazing (unless you are afraid of heights).

- Going to the top of the Arc de Triomphe (It's not obvious you can do this or even how to get there. Look for the tunnel UNDER the traffic circle!)

- Touring the Jardin du Luxembourg

- Visiting the Cite des Sciences et de l'Industrie

- Definitely use the subway system in Paris. It's very convenient and quite extensive.

- Many, many outstanding restaurants. I recommend getting away from the Avenue des Champs-Elysees and finding the areas where the locals eat. (They're grouped together, but not easy to find. I can point you to some that I enjoy, if you like.)

 

In London, I enjoyed:

 

- Touring Buckingham Palace, but I don't know if those tours are still available.

 

Both cities have large merry-go-rounds, but I think the one in London is bigger and more cooler.

 

Enjoy, whichever one you choose!

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

I would go with a question first.

 

Does my child have enough background to enjoy Paris? To enjoy London?

 

Being a French speaker, and educated in a French system, I knew quite a bit about France and Paris to be excited about it when my mom took me there at age 12.

I knew about Montmartre, and the Quartier Latin. I knew about the Opera House.

 

At 14, I went to London. I saw the Magna Carta on a side trip. I had no idea what it was, I had never heard of it. I remember only how excited everybody else was, but we were clueless. Still, I knew I had seen something "Important" so when I did encounter it in my personal studies I could place it. However, I had no clue when I did see it. I didn't know about John Lackland, although I knew Richard Coeur de Lion (LionHeart) who was more French than English. John was more English than French. There are many things I saw in London that I couldn't enjoy. Thomas Beckett? Never heard of him at that time. I did enjoy the British Museum though, for its Egyptian section. But the Louvres had the equivalent.

 

So, for me, Paris was more enjoyable. I'm assuming that it would be London for you.

[amsunshine]

I haven't read all the replies, but my vote is for Paris, hands down. I went to both London and Paris about 15 years ago, and although both cities are lovely, I could not get over the beauty of Paris. I found the people of Paris to be absolutely delightful -- the only problems we had (4 American girls, aged 23-25, traveling together) was with occasional uninvited advances on the street from young French men who would try to grab us.

 

I do speak quite a bit of French, but my accent was far from perfect. A few people would ask me if I was German. My travel mates did not speak a word of French, though, and I would teach them what to say when we went to a boulangerie, etc. The people there were so warm and friendly. I think if you make an effort to speak French, even if you are not fluent, you will have a great experience.

 

The museums were amazing. The architecture was stunning. The Seine, the Notre Dame....Sacre Coeur....

 

Also, taking a train to Provence and the Cote d'Azure was so lovely.

 

Can you tell I love France?:tongue_smilie: The only thing that was not always pleasant was the metro. It was sometimes very dirty and stinky. Not a huge detail, but the underground in London seemed much cleaner.

 

Also, I don't know if this makes a difference, but I was there in June through August. I think June and July are the best months to go, as the crowds are lower. In August, there was a very discernable uptick in tourist traffic.

[Mrs Mungo]

I haven't read all the replies, but my vote is for Paris, hands down. I went to both London and Paris about 15 years ago, and although both cities are lovely, I could not get over the beauty of Paris. I found the people of Paris to be absolutely delightful -- the only problems we had (4 American girls, aged 23-25, traveling together) was with occasional uninvited advances on the street from young French men who would try to grab us.

 

I will say that one thing you really must look out for in Paris is pickpockets. Don't buy postcards from people on the street or anything, those are all pickpocket setups. Particularly watch out for gangs of teens, especially on the metro or in places where tourists congregate (like in front of Notre Dame).

 

The people there were so warm and friendly. I think if you make an effort to speak French, even if you are not fluent, you will have a great experience.

 

This is true almost everywhere, people appreciate you making an effort.

 

The only thing that was not always pleasant was the metro. It was sometimes very dirty and stinky. Not a huge detail, but the underground in London seemed much cleaner.

 

I agree but the one in Paris has more character, we have often seen musicians on the on their way to parties-they play on the train.

[Melinda in VT]

I would go with a question first.

 

Does my child have enough background to enjoy Paris? To enjoy London?

 

Being a French speaker, and educated in a French system, I knew quite a bit about France and Paris to be excited about it when my mom took me there at age 12.

I knew about Montmartre, and the Quartier Latin. I knew about the Opera House.

 

At 14, I went to London. I saw the Magna Carta on a side trip. I had no idea what it was, I had never heard of it. I remember only how excited everybody else was, but we were clueless. Still, I knew I had seen something "Important" so when I did encounter it in my personal studies I could place it. However, I had no clue when I did see it. I didn't know about John Lackland, although I knew Richard Coeur de Lion (LionHeart) who was more French than English. John was more English than French. There are many things I saw in London that I couldn't enjoy. Thomas Beckett? Never heard of him at that time. I did enjoy the British Museum though, for its Egyptian section. But the Louvres had the equivalent.

 

So, for me, Paris was more enjoyable. I'm assuming that it would be London for you.

 

For me, there definitely is the sense that English culture and history is "my" culture and history as an English-speaking American, especially the farther back you go. And that's kind of neat.

 

But the Other is kind of neat too. I've found that my kids are very interested in history and are eager to learn about the significance of whatever we are looking at. I only vaguely knew about the slaughtering of the Cathars, for example, but hearing the story while looking at their ruined castles drove the point home in a way that reading a book wouldn't have done.

[Cammie]

I think timing is important. We were in Paris in early April. It was not beautiful. It was gray. And cold. And dirty. I was totally shocked by the grafitti and grit. I really had expected some lovely garden image of Paris. But it came across as just another big city.

 

It was also freezing in London at that time but it didn't seem to dampen our spirits! We stayed with friends in London because it is true that the costs are very, very high. Nice thing was that the museums are free and you can get discounted show tickets fairly easily.

[OrganicAnn]

I haven't read all the replies, but I would say that London is easier. You didn't say in your original post if you all speak french. If only one of you is fluent then that person will have to act as interpreter which could be not so much fun.

 

London is easy to get around. Has lots of history. Has good shopping. One thing that we really appreciated is the theatre. We were able to see several plays and the price was very reasonable and the tickets were easier to get than Broadway. One of the high point was to go to the Globe theatre (a reproduction) and see a Shakespeare play.

 

Whichever you pick, you can't lose.

[Stacy in NJ]

I'm not a francophone, but I'd definately choose Paris. It is by far the more beautiful city. The Louvre is a multi-day adventure in its self.

 

But, you know, you can take the channel train and travel between the cities in a little more than 2 hours. :001_smile:

[mirth]

In any season but winter,

Paris

Paris

Paris

Paris

Paris

I do think it's the most beautiful city in the world.

 

In winter, I call it a draw.

[mrsrevmeg]

I LOVE London and would live there if my hubby would move across the pond!!

[mrsrevmeg]

I think timing is important. We were in Paris in early April. It was not beautiful. It was gray. And cold. And dirty. I was totally shocked by the grafitti and grit. I really had expected some lovely garden image of Paris. But it came across as just another big city.

 

It was also freezing in London at that time but it didn't seem to dampen our spirits! We stayed with friends in London because it is true that the costs are very, very high. Nice thing was that the museums are free and you can get discounted show tickets fairly easily.

 

I had the same experience. I thought Paris was supposed to be beautiful and romantic. It was cold and dirty. The people were rude.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

We traveled a lot when we lived in Europe. I enjoyed both London and Paris. In London there was a sense of seeing things that I'd read about for so many years, from the window in the Tower of London where the Welsh prince fell to his death trying to escape to the site of Mary of Scots' execution to Hampton Court where a couple Shakespearean plays were presented to the court to Liberty of London, etc. We had a great time. It was especially relaxing because it was our first trip to an English speaking place after almost a year living in Germany. So it was very relaxing.

 

Paris was also wonderful. I drank so much art in. The Eiffel Tower was very cool (our youngest was under four but he recognizes this as something he's seen). Les Invalides had amazing military museums. The Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, the Cluny . . . Such an experience of turning a corner and seeing wonderful pieces of art that I'd recognize from art books and movies and tv.

 

I would not worry about not speaking French. If you can mumble even a little bit, you'll be more than fine.

 

I don't speak Italian, Greek, Estonian, Latvian, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Polish, Japanese or Flemish; but I didn't let that stand in the way of enjoying myself in those countries as much as I could. Would you soak more in if you were fluent in French? Maybe so. But are you also letting the perfect be the enemy of the good?

 

so much more[/i] than France. :confused:

 

So I want the experience to be . . . well, the vacation of a lifetime! Er, the holiday of a lifetime? :) Anyway, what I mean is, I don't simply want a snapshot of myself standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. I want to feel like, for one brief time in my life, I really got to "drink in" another place, another culture, really experience it.

 

So, what says the hive? Where should we go?

 

If your dream is Paris, then go live your dream. Sure you'll find folks who didn't enjoy it for this or that reason. Or who liked another place better. Even my Francophile SIL didn't like Paris the first time she went because she was there without my BIL and missed him so much. Had nothing to do with Paris.

Don't give up your Parisian vacation because someone else liked London better.

[LibraryLover]

Ya know. You can get to Paris from London these days in less than 2 hours.

 

So, if i were to go right now, I would go to London because my 10 yr old is totally on a Tudor kick.

 

But. I would totally hop that Eurostar train to Paris. I would try to smuggle stinky cheese in my suitcase. Wrap it up in plastic and and towels and such. I would also get that olive oil from Provence I love so much.

 

London always feels familiar to me, and Paris always feel like more of an adventure. I love Paris. I love London.

Edited January 28, 2010 by LibraryLover

[KidsHappen]

Probably something useless like rhetoric. ;) eta: seriously, they do not stand in line, I think they consider it beneath them. I almost got into a fight our second time at the Eiffel Tower over this.

 

I found the Germans were not so much with the standing in line but the Japanese are experts at it.

[LibraryLover]

I read your post again and you want a special something from your trip. So. Wherever you go, try to stay for at least a couple of weeks, and if you could, rent a house or apartment. You could shop for food in the markets, (so I would go in July or maybe end of August) cook on a tiny odd stove (because that's my experience lol) and try to figure out all manner of things you wouldn't have to figure out if you were in a hotel.

 

I once made a really disgusting lentil soup in Paros, Greece. It cooked...but it was s mucky and yucky. I did love shopping for those veggies and lentils, however. It could be too, that I didn't buy lentils...lol But it was a chilly, rainy late September day; we could hear the wind howling and we ate the soup...lol. Nobody loved it, but it was warm inside and stormy outside. The Retsina didn't hurt any.

 

Of course that was before kids. A really long time ago. ;)

[Jean in Newcastle]

Why does this thread make me think of "I see London, I see France. . .":D (Sorry - I'm absolutely no help at all to the actual question of the OP's).

[LibraryLover]

Why does this thread make me think of "I see London, I see France. . .":D (Sorry - I'm absolutely no help at all to the actual question of the OP's).

 

 

I almost wrote that when I wrote I love Paris I love London. I just wasn't able to work 'I see my underpants' into that, but I thought about it. :D

[Cammie]

Ya know. You can get to Paris from London these days in less than 2 hours.

 

So, if i were to go right now, I would go to London because my 10 yr old is totally on a Tudor kick.

 

But. I would totally hop that Eurostar train to Paris. I would try to smuggle stinky cheese in my suitcase. Wrap it up in plastic and and towels and such. I would also get that olive oil from Provence I love so much.

 

London always feels familiar to me, and Paris always feel like more of an adventure. I love Paris. I love London.

 

 

Just a tip. When we went last April the Eurostar was MUCH more expensive than flying on the low cost airlines. We ended up flying from London to Paris and Paris to Rome on the low cost carriers and had no problems and saved lots over taking the train. Yes, the train is probably more fun but if you are counting the days - I say fly!

[monk17]

If you want art,great food and cathedrals it's Paris. You can get by with speaking English although for London or Paris, Arabic or Farsi is probably the most common language. Lots of free museums in London, both really expensive.

[Josie]

I enjoyed both London and Paris very much, but I think you will get more of a a true world feel if you go to Paris. Struggling with the language is part of the fun. There are LOTS of great museums, and the city is beautiful.

[ciyates]

I spoke enough French that Paris wasn't an issue but I enjoyed London much more. There seemed to be a lot of different things to do in London. Just my opinion. :D

[MaMa2005]

London - hands down. Can be done on the cheap. Oh, when will the economy turn around so we can start traveling again?

 

I didn't read all the responses, but if you are traveling during the summer, check out some of the colleges in London. Often, they rent out dorm rooms (ensuite) for a very discounted price vs. hotel rooms. Also, many come with a morning buffet in the school cafeteria included in your room price.

[Melinda in VT]

I read your post again and you want a special something from your trip. So. Wherever you go, try to stay for at least a couple of weeks, and if you could, rent a house or apartment. You could shop for food in the markets, (so I would go in July or maybe end of August) cook on a tiny odd stove (because that's my experience lol) and try to figure out all manner of things you wouldn't have to figure out if you were in a hotel.

 

 

I also missed the part of your OP where you mentioned wanting to really drink in the life of a place, but I agree with LibraryLover's suggestion to rent a house or apartment and do some cooking.

 

Shopping for groceries can be hugely entertaining in a foreign country. We like the outdoor markets for the ambiance and fresh produce. We also like visiting a more modern grocery store. We were surprised to see that cider (the alcoholic kind) is cheaper than bottled water in France (at least the part where we were). Our kids loved selecting a bag of chips/crackers/cookies from the wide selection and comparing them with treats we have at home.

 

Our kids loved taking turns going with DH to the corner boulangerie to pick up the bread and pastries for breakfast, just like the French people in the neighboring houses.

 

If you stay more than a week, you'll need to do laundry. Our rental houses have always had washers or washer/drier combos, but the machines are just different enough to make even a simple chore a foreign experience. And it can be amusing/challenging to buy laundry detergent when you don't speak the language. (Those plastic bottles all look alike in the store. Laundry detergent? Dishwasher detergent? Not always easy to tell.)

 

I like attending church when we're on vacation, although other family members aren't as thrilled with that. :lol: This is pretty easy in England. In Paris, we attended the American Church.

 

Of course, there's also the child-needs-to-be-hospitalized method of immersing yourself in the culture . . . but I've BTDT and wouldn't recommend it.:tongue_smilie:

[Jeannie in NJ]

sil and her hubby spent a week in London a couple of years ago and took a daytrip to Paris (I believe it was a train under the English Channel, not postive tho). It was raining all day in Paris but she said she still loved it, even in the rain but seemed to feel that one day was enough for Paris. Also loved London

[Blessedwithboys]

I have visited both London and Paris and loved them both. However, I prefer London. My last trip to London, DH and I took our oldest DS (he was 11 at that time) and a niece who was 14. Here is what they really enjoyed (in no particular order):

 

The British Museum

The Royal Observatory

The Tower of London

The London Dungeon

The London Eye (and the London Aquarium next door)

Buckingham Palace

Westminster Abby

Windsor Castle

The Globe Theater (then walk over the Millennium Bridge to St. Paul's Cathedral)

St. Paul's Cathedral (take the 1,000+ stairs to the top - the view is great!)

Wimbledon Tour (we were there the day before it started and still were able to tour the facility and museum)

Chislehurst Caves

Hampton Court Palace (they have a fun hedge maze in the gardens)

Bank of England Museum

The National History Museum

The Science Museum

London Zoo

Brass Rubbing at St. Martins-in-the-fields Church

Kensington Palace (we had afternoon tea there in a nice relaxed garden setting)

Portobello Street Market (Notting Hill)

Harrod's (O.K., this wasn't on the kids list, but it is worth a quick stop and they have a fantastic food court)

 

Tips:

Before we left for London we purchased a London pass. It really saved us money on admission prices to many of the places we visited. (They have this for Paris as well.)

We also pre-purchased dinner and theater discount tickets from Discount Theater. (We were able to see Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables - definitely a highlight of our trip)

Take the airport express into London - both airports have them: Gatwick Express and Heathrow Express.

 

Whichever destination you choose, I'm sure you will have a fantastic trip!