Family trip to France (+England) itinerary / time budget help

We toured Scotland and England in April. There were plenty of things open to see then. We did find some things closed for the Holidays, such as some of the factories in the Pottery District; however, Wedgwood was open. It has an excellent Museum, and they do demonstrations. We enjoyed staying in Chester which is near Wales, if you want to check out Conwy Castle, and to Liverpool, which has lots of things to see in the Docklands. Some of the more famous places may be crowded because of the School Vacation. If you don't want to drive, pick a few tourist centers that you can get to by train and take day tours. Check www.nationaltrust.org.uk for great info on 100s of sites to see. Check what's in the London Metropolitan Area and you may decide that you don't have to go that far to see a lot of great stuff. They have family membership passes available or Family tickets at the site. Some of the London Museums are free. You can stay in the suburbs and train into town. Friends of mine took a day tour from Paris to the Normandy Beaches and enjoyed it.

The Conwy castle looks amazing! I wonder if we could stop there on our way from London to the Lake District. We had also been looking at 2 days in Edinburgh at the end and flying out of Edinburgh, unless we fly out of Manchester. There are just so many amazing things to see.

pbscd,
Fifteen days total? Day one is travel, Day 2 is boots on the ground, arrival. Do remember that your arrival day will be somewhat lost to jet lag, plus all the arrival activities. Depending on when you get situated in your lodgings, a visit to the Jardins de Luxembourg that afternoon would be a good way to fight off jet lag, before dinner and a (hopefully) good night's sleep.
Five nights Paris means four full days. D Day sights day trip will be a full day, early morning to late. That leaves three days. The Tuilleries gardens are an easy walk from the Louvre. The museum is huge, so if you want to see a lot of it you could spend all day there. (an overwhelming task!) Maybe you could meet up with the guys somewhere near the Louvre for dinner.
The Invalides are not far from the Eiffel Tower. We have been able to walk around the Tower and admire it, walk to the Invalides, spend a couple of hours there, then walk to the Rodin Museum. Their cafe does a nice lunch. The best sculptures are in the garden. I bet your daughter would love it. (I go every time I am in Paris.) That will get you to mid or late afternoon. There are boats near the Eiffel Tower that do Seine cruises, or you could find a nice cafe to people watch, or take some iconic photos at the beautiful Pont Alexandre III. Oh yes, the Champs de Mars by the Eiffel Tower is a nice place to picnic also.
So, your 4th day will be whatever you have missed. You can do these in any order of days you want.

Day 7 is travel to England day.
Once you get to England (remember, this travel day will be sort of "lost" for touring), I leave to others. I haven't been to England for fifty years, but it was wonderful! We had a full two weeks. London alone is chock full of things to see and do.

If you count day 15 as return home day, you still have seven full days (8 nights) in England.
I hope I understood you correctly. If you want more time in Paris, you will have to take time off of England.
Regarding Easter, my best guess is that some families will be heading to the countryside for the week's holiday, so maybe fewer Parisians in town? Some of our French contributors will know more than I do about this.
Have fun planning your trip!

Thank you Judy!

So, we're planning on splitting the trip between Paris, London, and Lake District (Beatrix Potter is a high priority), and maybe Edinburgh at the end if we fly back home from there. I'm not sure what we're doing about flights. Honestly, it's a little overwhelming and it seems like prices really fluctuate. If it's not a lot more expensive we'd probably arrive at one and depart at a different one so we don't have to backtrack.

Our high priorities for London are :Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and the National Gallery.

Our high priority for Lake District is Beatrix Potter but I was also thinking if we did this at the end, it'd also be a more tranquil place after being in the big cities.

And yes, I know we're going to lose time to travel and deal with the time change and day 15 is just get to the airport and head home. We don't want to overstay and just make everyone tired and cranky and my husband and I have settled that 15 minutes would be the max (though I'd love to stay longer, I am just reminding myself and everyone that we will just have to return someday). I have also considered agreeing to not do the Lake District this time but the truth is I am afraid we won't return again and it'd be a dream come true for me to go there.

Are things closed the week before or after Easter? Would we be better off waiting another week? We're very flexible on dates sinced we homeschool and both my husband and I have jobs that allow us to request time off.

I'm going to let the experts address most of the questions, but a couple of things I want to mention: Flights will be cheaper if you fly into the UK and out of France, instead of the other way around. Also, in England (not sure about France or Scotland) kids are out of school for a couple of weeks over Easter. Usually this means that a lot of attractions, especially ones catering to the younger demographic, have special programs during that time, which you may appreciate. On the other hand, places may be more expensive/crowded as you are expecting.

You have started the planning process early, so you have given yourself the gift of time to figure this out. And hopefully you will get a lot more advice on this forum.

Edit after reading your second input: Pricewise, it is difficult to say what things will cost in two years because prices are changing quite a lot post-covid - at least that has been my experience. As a family of six, you will probably be better off renting apartments rather than hotel rooms. It will give you more space and also the opportunity to eat in sometimes. Hopefully others will chime in with cost estimates, the only place I have a current idea of is London - and I think you can get something for GBP 200-275/night depending on the area. Food - breakfast can be at the apartment, using groceries from a supermarket, lunch a sandwich "meal deal" also from a supermarket, and a cheapish dinner at Nando's - so roughly GBP 30 or so per person per day. Look at Rick Steves' books for costs - they are generally pretty accurate for the style of travel he recommends. Feel free to ask more questions on this forum.

Best Wishes!

but a lot of Lake District things aren't open til end of April, I think.

I don't know where that originates from, but it isn't accurate. Anything that isn't open all year (and many places are nowadays) opens the weekend before Easter. Once upon a time some places then closed for a few weeks until the early May Holiday but nowhere does that now, as the area now doesn't get any break until the end of October.

If Easter is April 8 we will only get 2 weeks of relative calm (emphasis on the relative) before the May bank holiday. The end of October is the School Half Term, so if the weather is reasonable that will be busy, and from start of September to mid October we have the snowbirds around. So the season just keeps on rolling. Thus I don't see the point of waiting until the fall.

Hill Top House closes for the winter- end October to the week before Easter, but the gardens are open all year round. Specifically the 525 Cross Lakes Shuttle Bus to Hill Top is running from 18 March to 3 November this year.

The World of Beatrix Potter at Bowness for instance is open year round as is The Armitt Museum at Ambleside (not Sunday in Winter), never open on Monday and only on the 1st Tuesday of the month.

Note that currently the 525 only takes Cash.

Easter Saturday was mayhem in Keswick this year and I don't know why. I have never ever seen it as bad as that day in 50 years. But Booths, the big culprit, have now changed their parking rules. So far this year that was one day of Chaos. Had that continued all season it would have been unbearable for us locals.

So, in short, just come at Easter. You may be really lucky if we get a harsh winter and see snow still on the fell tops. Or it could be tee shirt weather. I have even known it to be tee shirts in Keswick with snow on the tops.

PS- If you divert to Conwy you are in danger of spreading yourself too thinly.

You have 15 days- 5 in Paris. time in London and you are wanting time in Edinburgh, Conwy will be at least one extra day gone even if you just overnight there. It's further into Wales than you might think. Yes you could divert for a few hours but it would make a very long travelling day from London to the Lake District.

Only the other day there was someone with 28 days and he had a shoe horned itinerary by the time he had been diverted to here, there and everywhere by the forum. If Beatrix Potter is your major priority beyond London and Paris you need to focus on that.

I appreciate all that advice! Yeah, I would rather err on the side of having breathing room, particularly with children, than to exhaust ourselves. It's tempting, of course, since who knows when we'll be back but I'd rather just have a good family time and enjoy the things we can.

So I would say Louvre, Napoleon's tomb, seeing Eiffel tower, and if possible Marie Curie and Orsay being our highest Paris priorities. And a day trip for D Day sites.

and London - Westminster Abbey, National Gallery and the Tower of London. And a day trip to Stonehenge (something one of my boys has wanted to see since he was 4 years old, not kidding, and he hasn't lost that desire in the least).

Lake District- anything and everything Beatrix Potter.

And if possible, but not set it stone by any means, Edinburgh. Kids would like to see a castle one way or another.

I think I meant end of March for Lake District. I'm not sure what I was looking at to get that in my brain.

Yes, we're planning on renting apartments or Airbnbs or something similar. I see Paris has a couple of Aldi locations (our go-to store here) and we're not big people for eating out (extremely minimal, maybe once a year or even less) and that'd be an area to save on. If we are driving somewhere for a trip we just pack freezer meals in the cooler and do fine with that.

Your travel style sounds like mine, so the numbers I shared should be valid for your family. Do set aside a little extra for splurges and some local cuisine though. For example, I do splurge on afternoon tea, even though they are $$$.

Out of curiosity I put in some random dates in March 2025 for a flight from Omaha-Paris, Edinburgh-Omaha for 2 weeks - it was ~$800/person. For the same dates, the other way around, Omaha-Edinburgh, Paris-Omaha is a little less than $600/person. These are of course not your travel dates - but just an example how fares increase when you fly out of the UK.

Would Carlisle Castle do you, on the way from the Lake District to Edinburgh?- https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/carlisle-castle

Or Lancaster Castle- https://www.lancastercastle.com/ which is a hop, skip and a jump from Lancaster Railway station, on your way north

Or Brougham Castle just outside Penrith- https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/brougham-castle/

not to forget Penrith Castle straight in front of you as you change from train to bus at Penrith- https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/penrith-castle/ (assuming you stay in Keswick, with your itinerary Windermere/Ambleside/Hawkshead would be the better fit)

Muncaster Castle in West Cumbria, on the edge of the Lake District- https://www.muncaster.co.uk/

There's not much left of it, but also Kendal Castle (Katherine Parr)-https://visit-kendal.co.uk/see-and-do/kendal-castle-and-heritage/kendal-castle/

Another thing I wanted to add - since you have quite a while before your trip, you may want to look into getting an airline/travel credit card. You may be able to pay for a ticket or two using points.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong when I search but I'm not seeing a difference of more than $30 when I search different starting and ending cities or even that vs round trip out of London or Paris. I'd be interested in getting a rough budget idea at least though I know there are a ton of variables.

Wow, my 7 year old is very interested in Carlisle Castle! She just read about Mary Queen of Scotts, who is already special to my family since she is my kids' and my (many greats) grandma.

Thank you all for the ideas! It's overwhelming, really, but I'm sure we'll land on some things everyone wants to do.

And yes, we've already discussed everyone contributing their highest priorities for things to see.

Time of year: European spring break or April is when the tourist floodgates open. Not only do you have adult tourists, but you also have European school groups. So the earlier in March that you can visit Paris, the better.

The best time for museums are right when they open. The first 1.5 hours are relatively calm. The second best is late afternoons, particularly on the days the museum has evening hours. Afternoons are a terrible time to go. I take my grandchild at opening and we leave by 11. Last week, I entered the Orsay at 5 but by 6:30 after the reduced rate evening hours began, the rooms were filled again.

Louvre: "Our highest priorities in Paris are the Louvre (honestly this is our #1 priority for the trip- my oldest is especially interested in art and I really want her to be able to spend time there and not feel rushed)"
If this is the case, you could go with her the first day, but let her return on her own as much as she wants. It's safe. We all get lost inside, stumble on new galleries that astonish us, but eventually find our way to the exits.

Tthe Orsay museum covers 1850-1906 and is easy to navigate, while the National Museum of Modern Art on the top two floors of the Pompidou Center picks up at 1906 to the present.

D-day: with four days you don't have enough time for a day trip. But Paris does have the fairly new Liberation Museum at metro Denfert Rochereau. People who have gone say that it's exceptional.

Is five night adequate? You could spend months and still have more to see in Paris. That's one of the wonders of this city. My husband was born there, we've lived there, but walking along some streets in Paris last weekend, we kept discovering new shops, passageways, places to visit.

You do know that Mary Queen of Scots spent her last nights of freedom at Workington Hall? It is not a Castle, and not open to the public being in very poor condition.
It has been neglected for decades and no-one knows what to do with the place.
But you could catch the X4/X5 bus from Keswick to Workington every 30 minutes- it stops right outside the hall. You can see the outside of the hall. Walk round the park and the exterior of the Hall.

On a Sunday there is a little miniature railway in Curwen Park that you can see, but not ride.

Then train to Carlisle for the Castle thence to Edinburgh. Or cross the road from the hall and catch the 300 bus every hour from outside Marks and Spencers store (or walk across town to the Bus Station where it starts it's journey) to Carlisle.
The bus goes straight past the Castle, get off at the Market, and walk back through the underpass from Tullie House Museum.
I know you have luggage-but this is an easy day trip from Keswick, returning thence from Carlisle on the #554 bus.

Some versions of the story say that she went from Workington to Carlisle via Cockermouth Castle. Cockermouth Castle is in private hands, only open to the public 1 or 2 days a year (in September) and very little to see from the front gates. The X4/X5 stops just up the road- but unless doing it just to see and be complete on the story there is little point in visiting.

PS- The Mary Queen of Scots trail is a different Holiday- but this article about her Castles is one you might find interesting- https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/mary-queen-of-scots-9-scottish-castles-linked-to-the-doomed-monarch-4665495?page=1

Before she came to Workington her last night in Scotland was at Dundrennan Abbey. That is another relatively easy (if unusual) day trip from Keswick, but you do not have the available time to do it.

To do the MQS full trail you need at least another week!!

I second the idea of renting an apartment in Paris. but do not limit yourself to looking at AirBnB. There are lots of other sites that list Paris apartment rentals. And do not limit yourself to one particular area of Paris (arrondissement). Paris is a pretty safe city, and you will almost always find food markets, delis, patisseries, etc. within walking distance. Just be sure that you are not too far away from a metro. stop. Paris has a wonderful public transit system (including buses, which allow you to see some of the architecture as you travel to your museum, etc. If you are spending 5 days in Paris, I would consider getting a Navigo pass (they are good from Monday to Sunday, so it depends on what day you will be arriving). I would postpone seeing D-Day beaches to another trip - that is an awfully long day with the long bus ride, and as others have pointed out, with 5 days in Paris you are only scratching the surface. Come back another time and stay in Bayeux or nearby, and have time to see some of the sights in Normandy (and perhaps Brittany). Also, in Paris I would recommend seeing the Musee d,Orsay, if you are at all interested in the Impressionists. It is an impressive museum, set in a beautiful old train station. As for cruises on the Seine, I would recommend Bateau Bus or a similar budget boat ride. Avoid the dinner cruises at all costs. If you want to see the monuments lit up at night, take a bateau Bus night cruise. Peter

I think we can handle 15 days total but don't want to go longer than that.

It's good you are starting your planning early. I think you'll be hard pressed to fit all that in 15 days. Remember every location change will eat up a day.

I do recommend a visit to Birnam to see where Beatrix Potter spent summers when she was a young girl. While there, you can see Birnam Wood and stand under the same oak trees mentioned in MacBeth.

Do you think we should cut out Edinburgh? We are not really attached to that, someone here had just suggested flying into there so I thought that would be fun to visit there but if it makes the rest of our trip more cramped or stressful I can do that. I am fine with a D Day trip another year and foregoing that for this time. I could see staying at the Lake District longer since I think I'd find it very peaceful and beautiful (I grew up in the country and not at all a big city).

That leaves us with definitely : Lake District (Beatrix Potter), London (definitely Tower, Nat'l Gallery), and Paris (definitely Louvre) in 14 nights. How does that sound?

Is the general advice to fly into Manchester, Edinburgh, or London (though that would require a longer trip up to the Lake district)? I really do appreciate all the advice, it's just a lot to take in!

That leaves us with definitely : Lake District (Beatrix Potter), London (definitely Tower, Nat'l Gallery), and Paris (definitely Louvre) in 14 nights. How does that sound?

Sounds good to me. I also suggest scheduling a down day halfway through the trip to let everybody catch their breath. This would be a non-travel day with nothing planned. It would be a change of pace and a chance to do something unplanned.

We haven't been to the Lake District, but it is on the schedule. There's a popular circular trail called the Herriot way where James Herriot (James Wight) loved to ramble.

pbscd,
Having just the three places (Paris, London and the Lake District) sounds definitely more enjoyable. The Lake District is beautiful and will offer you the more relaxing time you have mentioned. London, Lake District, then Paris sounds like a good order for your visit. In your time frame, I think you are wise to save Edinborough for another trip, as well as Normandy. Both places deserve more time than you have available. For me, I would stay in London for nights 2 through 6 (night one is on the plane over). That gives you four full days there (days 3-6). Day 7, head to Lake District (half-day travel) and stay for two full days (nights 7 through 9). Day 10 off to Paris (full day travel) and four full days there (nights 10-14). Day 15, head home from Paris.
How does this sound?

The really basic problem here is that there are too few days. Something has to give.

If you now cut out Edinburgh and now it is being suggested that you cut the Lake District down to 2 days you are absolutely on the bone now for the key Beatrix Potter element and you can forget anything to do with Castles (Carlisle or anywhere else) and Mary Queen of Scots- the time just isn't there. The point about Edinburgh was to get Dunkeld in as well, not Edinburgh in it's own right.
If you did settle for two days in the Lake District then staying in Keswick is out of the question. You need to be closer to the BP action, in Windermere, Ambleside or Hawkshead, arriving and departing via Oxenholme/Windermere. To me the answer is to take a night from London and give it to Beatrix Potter.
I don't think you can cut any time off Paris given your list of things to do there (without Normandy).

If going from the Lake District to Paris you are either flying out of Manchester or Newcastle- whichever has the best timed flights- as they are equidistant from the Lakes.

If you flew Omaha to Manchester then the sensible order is Lake District, London, Paris.

I travel to Europe a fair amount with my own family (husband and twins who are now 18). We just returned from 11 days in France. When traveling we like to pack a lot in which sounds similar to what you are trying to do.

We stayed in Bayeux for 3 nights to explore the Normandy area. Having a car we felt was essential and Bayeux was a great location we felt to have easy access to the region. Without a car we would have had to sign up for tours with transportation out to different sights, not something we wanted to do. Normally we are big on using public transit but it did not seem to me that would have been best or even able to do in this area for things we wanted to visit.

You may need to look again at all you are trying to do in Paris and re-assess if this is the trip where you can realistically visit Normandy. Only you know your family though and how much everyone can handle. Traveling with teens can sometimes be challenging with sleep deprivation, constant on the go, vacation eating etc. Just make sure to not cram too much into the schedule to allow for flexibility and some breaks here and there. Enjoy!

Thank you! Yes, we're taking advice here and cutting out the day trips away from Paris and plan to only sleep in a place in Lake district, a place in London and a place in Paris. There is more than enough to see in Paris without taking more time away to be on a bus ot train to get to see other places and I really don't want to wear the kids down.

I just took a 13 day Italy tour with my 14 year old in April and it was amazing, but also exhausting for me. She did great and slept well throughout, and I didn't want to leave early but I was ready to go home the last day, too. We never stayed one place more than 2 nights and saw a ton. But to me, that would not be sustainable for a family trip with kids.

So yes, hopefully before too many more years pass we can just take a Bayeux trip, or Bayeux plus another place or 2.

Oops...just posted on your other thread without seeing this one first. I'm glad you are considering limiting your itinerary a bit. It's so tempting to try and see everything!

Thanks! And it's probably not the biggest thing most people would be interested in, but Beatrix Potter is such a huge part of my family culture. Because of my mom reading me Peter Rabbit daily when I was very young, I became very interested in rabbits, raised rabbits for years. Fast foward to young family years and I started reading my daughter Peter Rabbit before she was born, Beatrix Potter baby shower and birthday parties, nursery and now my kids all have at least 1 rabbit they care for and include in their 4H work. So this would be one of the last things I'd want to cut out because while we might say we could return someday, and I sure hope we do, I'd be seriously disappointed if we didn't do this part, and my family agrees. (and of course we love all her books, not just the Tale of Peter Rabbit). :)

I think the Lake District will be a nice change from your city visits. I would add one more day to the trip and spend another day there-your younger children may prefer it to London and Paris, which seem to be heavily weighted in favor of the interests of older members of the family. Just curious-are you a homeschooler wanting to make this an educational trip? My daughter(although not home-schooled) would tell you that she did every children's museum leaflet guide when we traveled during her preschool and elementary school years. I didn't see the British Museum on your list, but think it would be the #1 most interesting place in London for your younger children.

I'm sorry, I just now saw this reply. We are homeschoolers. We will be doing this on school break so it won't really be a school trip, but due to our curriculum being based on Charlotte Mason's philsophy and her House of Education and PNEU she created in Ambleside, we have a really strong British base for history (that's how we start learning history, and as Americans, I think it really makes sense, since that's our mother country). So I would say for American kids, they know more about British history than your average American. So, yes and no? They've read about so many of these places, authors, inventors, leaders, it would really be exciting for any of us to get to visit. (and an aside, they've read so much British literature, I have had multiple people ask if my husband is English or in another way ask how they got their accents and language patterns because they really aren't typical American kids).

I spent a week in Paris in January, solo, and I have also taken each of my kids there - about 15-20 years ago tho. In looking at the things you want to do, and bouncing them against what I have done, here are my thoughts. With the kids, we went every time in late May which was a fantastic time to be there.

The Louvre is essential for you and I totally agree. Going on two separate days means 2 admission tickets for you, but likely worth it. You might find that one visit to the Louvre and one visit to the Musee d'Orsay is enough in the time that you have.

My kids wanted to go UP the Eiffel tower and not just look at it, so check with your kids. Frankly, my husband has never been to the top and wants to go back and do that. Are we checking off a bucket list item - maybe? I've been up multiple times and would do it again. For others it's no big deal.

I went to the Marie Curie museum with high hopes in January and I read a biography beforehand etc... It is very, very small and I think there's a good chance you will be underwhelmed. It's kind of near the Pantheon, not on your list, and the Arenes de Lutece, not on your list, but I did quite a bit of walking to get there. I do think I walked back via the Luxembourg gardens. On a short trip, it would not be on the top of my list.

Kind of ditto Victor Hugo's home which I also visited in January. Not on the top of my list, though the cafe is nice and the square that it is in is a nice area to visit. This only made my list on about my 8th visit to Paris including a semester abroad.

If you go to Les Invalides, definitely consider the Rodin Museum which I think someone else also mentioned. Easy to combine the Eiffel tower, Les Invalides and the Rodin Museum in a busy day. Aside from Napoleon's tomb, help your kids find his horse inside the museum!

If you want to be outside of Paris for a day, one of my kids' biggest memories is going on a bike tour at Versailles. I know Versailles isn't on your list, but with kids, a day to take the train out, get a bike, buy a picnic at the market, ride through the gardens seeing the Trianons and Hamlet and have a picnic was a blast. We also did the bike tours in Paris proper. The evening one ends with a Seine cruise.

Have a wonderful trip!

Thank you Tigerfan. So right now it's just 15 year old daughter and me for Paris next April and the whole family in 2026 to the UK. :)

HI there, it seems you've made a lot of progress! I'll just add that we were in Paris on Easter 23 and it was more crowded than we expected but still completely fine. Like it seemed more like the last time we went in June...but then again after the pandemic crowds seem to be up all over all the time!
Anyway, it really wasn't an issue. The ONLY thing I'd note is that they also celebrate Easter Monday. Trains were busy but I don't think that matters to you anyway!

Lastly, there is something about British literature that makes you want to see these fabulous locations! I get it. My boss visited Yorkshire after loving the All Creatures Great and Small series. And I've ready several books set in England that I would love to see in real life!

If just you and your daughter in Paris next year, consider attending a performance at the Opera Garni and/or a concert at a church - it won't be as expensive if you are not buying tickets for 6! I didn't take my kids when they were 11, but I loved both last January.

Thank you Amanda and Tigerfan!

I ended up booking 7 day Paris RS tour for my oldest daughter and myself, early April pre-Easter. I do plan on arriving a few days before the tour starts so that we can have one full day at the Louvre (if daughter is up for that long) in addition to the afternoon the tour calls for. It just will help me navigating a country whose language I'm not super great at (did take a year of French in high school but that was awhile ago) and definitely takes some mental load off me for logistics, decisions, etc.

I did look at the opera, I would want to find an afternoon performance, I think, due to not really wanting to be out after dark (but correct me if that's not really an issue). But Carmen is playing, I do love that opera (now upon further research I believe that's at Bastille Opera, not Garnier. Dante's Divine Comedy, is , however, at Garnier.

pbscd,
Congratulations on getting your visit to France in hand. Since you will have extra days in Paris, I would recommend the Cluny Museum. I finally made it there last year after six trips to Paris and was really impressed with its wonderful medieval collections, as well as the beauty of the museum itself. If you have a free afternoon or morning try to go. It is in the St. Germain area, so you could combine it with an extra visit to the Orsay or a stroll around the St. Germain neighborhood. We had lunch nearby at Breizh Cafe of tasty savory Breton crepes at good prices.
Amusez-vous bien!

I don't know how open minded you are, but there's a wonderful movie about Paris that your oldest daughter might enjoy. It's called "Amelie". There's a few adult themes that earned it an "R" rating but if you and your daughter have a good open relationship you should be OK. You might want to watch it first. If you watched it, you could look for some of the iconic locations where it was filmed.

Thank you! I know my dad owned that movie when I was a kid, I don't remember if I watched it or not. I'll see if our library has it and preview it.

I'll add Cluny museum to our list! We both love museums and art. I have Rodin on my short list, too.

We do have a good relationship and I discuss topics with her. I think I need to. I heard a long time ago to bring things up with your kids so they know they can talk to you later about them. And there's just so much.

pbscd,
I wouldn't worry about going to an evening performance at the opera in Paris. Like New York City, there will be lots of people still out and about after the performance. Remember, people go out to dinner there later than they do in most American cities. You should be fine and safe.

Victor Hugos house is in Guernsey where he published Les Mis, he rented an appartment in Place de Vosges which I think you mean?

Thank you for the evening performance advice!

I'm sorry, I meant Victor Hugo Museum https://www.maisonsvictorhugo.paris.fr/en/paris/museum. But someone said it was underwhelming.

The appartment is good, but the house in Guernsey is like stepping into Hugos mind! It is the only property he owned and the house interior is another of his creative master pieces. He publish Les Mis there and wrote 'Toilers of the Sea' and the 'Man who laught' there. The later being the inspiration for the Joker in Batman!
To confuse maters, Hautville House in Guernsey is also a Paris Museum, which is why as British Island we were visited by the Olympic Flame this summer! Second time in 12 years!

And Air Aurigny fly to Guernsey direct from Paris CDG so Guernsey is easy to do as a side trip.

Condor also sail to the walled city of St Malo from Guernsey, with rail connections from St Malo direct to Paris- a side trip from a side trip if you wanted to.

Thank you! I'll look more into that. - edit , I looked more into it, and my husband doesn't want to miss Guernsey so we'll try to work it into our UK trip the following year. He likes Victor Hugo as much as our oldest and I do.

Since we're doing the RS tour, we're staying at the Hotel Londres Eiffel. If it's OK to still post this in this same thread (which I realize has changed a bunch since starting it), would you generally recommend booking the extra days there (that's my strong leaning) vs staying somewhere closer to the Louvre? My tentative plan is to leave our home on Wednesday, land Thursday, Louvre Friday, then other places kinda close (especially if we're not comfortable using the Metro and are mostly walking at this point), including Napoleon's grave over the weekend. Welcome meeting and dinner Sunday late afternoon/early evening, tour ends Saturday morning after breakfast, probably fly out that day. And if I do book more days with this same hotel (not having to repack and worry about check in/check out is quite appealing though I have looked at their prices and of course it's not cheap, should I specify that I'm going to be on the tour starting Sunday? Or does it really not matter and I just book the 3 nights?

Ipbscd,
I think you are wise to begin your trip at the same hotel you will stay at for the RS tour. Why complicate things by moving for a couple of nights?
May I make a suggestion for your non-Louvre day? The Invalides (with Napoleon's tomb) is within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower and the Rodin Museum. We have visited all three in one day, and we are old enough to not move quickly. We didn't go up the Eiffel Tower, but enjoyed viewing it from a couple of different angles and the Champs de Mars. Then we walked to the Invalides and spent a good two hours there (It is a military museum with lots of things to see besides the little general's tomb. Suits of armor!)
We then walked to Rodin's museum/house. There is a nice cafe there with good food choices at a reasonable price. Lunch beckoned us. The sculptures throughout the grounds are one of my favorite things in Paris. The artworks inside the house aren't so interesting in my opinion, but "The Thinker", "The Kiss", The Burghers of Calais", The Gates of Hell"......these are not to be missed! And besides the sculptures in the garden, the gardens themselves are lovely and a good spot to rest and contemplate all you have seen that day.

It is a shortish walk from there to the Seine, and then.....? You can cross the Pont Alexandre III (not too far away) or just stroll along the Seine. Or take the metro the Opera for an evening performance or just a tour there.

I go to the Rodin Museum every time I visit Paris. He is one of my all time favorite sculptors, and my favorite modern one. I am betting your daughter will also like him a lot. Whatever else you decide to do or not to do, I recommend spending 1-2 hours there.
Amusez-vous bien et bonne chance!

...would you generally recommend booking the extra days there (that's my strong leaning)...(not having to repack and worry about check in/check out is quite appealing...should I specify that I'm going to be on the tour starting Sunday?...

Yes, stay at the tour hotel for the very reasons you cited. Relocating for such a short period (having to check out / check out / store luggage) is too much of a hassle. Mention being on the tour and you might get a better rate. Even if you don't, the extra money will be well spent to avoid the hassle of moving.

Thank you, Judy! I do want to visit the Rodin museum, for sure! So thank you for suggesting that for our first weekend. And yes, we do want to see the whole museum, not just Napoleon's tomb, that's just a high priority for my daughter (I don't believe I've ever met anyone who likes Napoleon as much as she does).

My dad sent me a photo of my grandpa with his company (101st airborne) at the Eiffel Tower and wants me to get a picture of my daughter and me at the Eiffel tower from that perspective.

Ok, I'll contact the hotel about the extra 3 nights, thank you!

pbscd,
Aha! For the Bonaparte fan, a painting in the Louvre which I prefer far more than the Mona Lisa is the very large painting of Napoleon's coronation by Jacques Louis David. You can study it for hours, checking out all the faces of his family and of the notables of his court. The Britannica.com entry for the painting gives you a breakdown of who's who. (I am a history major, so this kind of trivia is fun for me. Not so much for normal people I think.)
And just in case you can find it at a restaurant (not so common as boeuf bourgignon), try some Poulet Marengo. It is a dish conceived by Napoleon's chef to celebrate the victory of the battle of Marengo in Italy (according to legend). The ingredients were scavenged from the countryside. It is a favorite of me and my husband, although I omit the eggs and crayfish, as do most people today. It would be a fitting end to your Invalides day!

Enjoy yourselves!