Safe parts of London and Paris to stay with a young family?

We always stay in Chelsea or Kensington, very lovely areas, safe, lots of grocery stores and nice shops. I don’t know anything about “the north side?” Does the area have a name you can share?

Thank you. I stayed in Kensington when I went right out of high school on a tour group. I loved that area, but that was relatively a long time ago.

As for the North side, I was just meaning the north side geographically. North of the Thames.

"North side" of London is not a geographic reference most Londoners would understand, so thanks for clarifying.

Rest assured, there is not a single part of London, and particularly central London (where i assume you'll stay if you're taking the Eurostar from St Pancras), that I would be remotely concerned about being out late at night in. The same applies for central Paris as well. We travel to Paris at least once a year, and London every couple of months, and have also traveled to both with young kids. As with most places, just be aware that pickpockets to operate in crowds, so keep your valuables secure.

Where you stay will be a function of budget. In London I stay in St James', which is walkable to major sites like Buckingham Palace, St James Palace, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey etc. In Paris, I like somewhere close to the Jardine de Luxembourg.

Just be aware that London public transport will be on reduced service on Boxing Day, and some lines may close for planned work. But shops will be open.

If you stay in the city centers at both cities, you will be fine.
In Paris, don't stay in the north or east of downtown.

Some shops will be closed on Boxing Day, although others will be open.
Given that you want to go to Huntingdon and Paris the obvious place to stay is around the King's Cross/St Pancras area. There are direct tube/train links from both LHR and LGW and both the Eurostar and the trains to Huntingdon leave from St Pancras. There are lots of hotels at all price points from the cheap but very competent Premier Inn chain (3 different hotels) up to the lovely St Pancras Renaissance.

Assuming you go to Huntingdon by train then that will presumably be the first train the kids take, before the Eurostar. Train will be by far the best way to get to Huntingdon, taking just over an hour.

Please don't forget the substantial extra check-in time for Immigration, before boarding the Eurostar-in London. Check whether it's 90 minutes or 120 minutes.

Thank you all very much! This was my first post and it was very helpful. I really appreciate it.

how young are the kiddoes? Some ages are prone to try to wander, and that could be the issue - not from the sort of safety you were asking about, I think, but because of the traffic and numbers of people on the pavement (sidewalk). Buses, lots of buses, bicycles, taxis, mopeds and trucks, and because the roads were mostly put in before lots of traffic the lanes are quite narrow and the vehicles are very close to the kerb. And they come from the right, not the left that you are probably used to. Look right, look left, look right again.

Everybody should have a card in their pocket with your phone number and the name and address of the hotel, in case you get seperated.

What time is your Eurostar to Paris? Check in is vital.

Look at it this way - even the places people are telling you to stay away from are probably safer than where we currently live. Just use common sense and you should be fine. Read the hotel reviews you’ll be able to tell pretty quickly if it’s a sketchy neighborhood. But you’re not going to find the same kind of problems you do here because everybody doesn’t get their own gun for entertainment.

I have two teenagers and a 9 year old.

The first leg of the trip is the hard part. We're actually flying into CDG and immediately taking the train to London. I didn't think about customs for the train, but our flights are great times. We'll just make sure we have enough time in between landing and taking the train. We haven't bought any tickets for anything else yet. I'm trying to do my research first.

Will they have a Eurostar late train on New Year's Day?

Are most public transit options limited on New Year's Day in Paris and London? (That's the day we're transferring back to Paris.)

While I'm certain there are "dodgy" parts of each (as is the case in all metro areas), we've never felt unsafe at night in either city. My opinion (as someone stated above) is that you'll still be a lot safer than in many U.S. cities.

Youtube is full of videos of vloggers taking the Eurostar, watch a few. It seems that it's not working so well these days as it used to.

Also with a "young family" I question whether you'll be out that late at night, doesn't seem like clubbing is an option.

Will they have a Eurostar late train on New Year's Day?

Pretty much, depending on the day of the week, the timetable's the same. Official website, feel free to play around with the date https://www.eurostar.com/search/uk-en?adult=1&origin=8727100&destination=7015400&outbound=2024-04-18

Note the 90-120 minute check in time and API requirement.

Of course, my comment about early Eurostar check-in also applies to boarding in Paris. The UK Immigration formalities are done before the train leaves Paris, not on arrival in London.

You haven't mentioned budget, but do you know that Eurostar is priced like airfare? They have multiple comfort levels (but all are quite comfortable), and advance purchase tickets can be much cheaper, especially if you avoid peak "Business-traveler" times. But these discount tickets are NOT changeable, exchangeable, or refundable. Just like discount air tickets. My point is that, setting the 90-120 minutes aside, MOST posters on this board are not willing to pay the "walk-up" price. And peak trains certainly can sell out.

Clearly, you have bought the air tickets, so you can't change to "multiple cities", and only take the Eurostar once. Because of your comment about "first train ... ", I wonder if you understand that both of these cities require the use of their excellent subway systems to get to most tourist attractions. Make sure you are prepared for crowds, fare-cards (or touch to pay), and possible accidental separation of your group. (I don't mean to worry you, I just want you to have a plan so it's not so scary if it does happen.)

Have you gone to the Public LIbrary to look at our host's books, Rick Steves London and Rick Steves Paris/France? They are absolutely great for "first family trip to Europe."

Thank you again. I've been reading every post. They are certainly giving me a ton to consider.

The good news for us is, once we land in Paris, we're in no hurry to get to any place. We'll also be back in Paris long before our flight returns.

I know it's a little extra to take the Eurostar, but we looked at plane tickets for over a year, and we could never find a ticket that seemed to beat the cost of the Eurostar, that didn't nickel and dime you for bags and fees.

I think we're excited to take the Metro and Underground, but I don't guess we consider those trains. I think to our family, we think of those more like the Monorail at Disney World.

I've loved the Rick Steve's stuff for a long time. I'm definitely using his stuff as a resource. I've had several friends travel internationally, and they all testify to it. Great stuff.

Thank y'all again for all the advice.