Check my itinerary!

Personally, I don't think 2 days are enough for Paris, even just hitting the major sites... We were there for 5 days with 1 day of Museums and I don't think we saw enough of the city.

I said the same thing about not wanting to go to art museums since I really cannot relate to them. The Louvre was pretty "meh" in my opinion, but the Musee d'Orsay was phenominal. I loved every moment of it.

I'm the best help on the Rome part. (I was last in London in 2003-from what I remember, your schedule looks good. Since you are there on a Saturday, you might add in Portobello Market-not sure I spelled it right but..) Also, the British Library is interesting and can be seen in a small amount of time. (all the good stuff is one room) As to Rome- Ostia Antica only took us 1/2 a day. You might like to add the Catacombs or something on the Appian way since you can catch the bus for this area right outside the train station for Ostia Antica. Have fun.

Looks like a pretty reasonable itinerary. Personally, I don't think the London Eye is worth the wait when you can also get a great view from the top of St. Paul's and see a fantastic cathedral at the same time... but that's just one traveler's humble opinion.

And let me give you a hint on a great time saver- DON'T waste your valuable time battling the summer crowds at the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa. You've seen facsimiles hundreds of times before, and to be honest, other than being surprised how small the painting actually is, you'll gain no new insights by seeing it in person.

"From what I have been told, if not interested in art and museums, major sites in Paris pretty much can be done in a day." It's hard to evaluate the validity of that statement without knowing to which "major sites" you refer. One day, however, sounds really tight for even the most spartan Paris tour, especially in the early summer, but let us know what you were thinking. (Actually, Hitler did tour Paris in one day, but let's not talk about that...)

Oh, and I would love to go to a cemetary where they gave people crepes... oh, sorry, you wrote "creeps"...

Connie, Thank you for the information. I looked up Portobello Market on Tripadvisor. I could spend hours looking at antiques and alot of money. I would like to see the catacombs on Appian Way, but I don't think my son would go for it. He's a little squimish with anything related to death. I guess I will have to leave him on a bench with a gelato and go for a visit.

Thank you Tom. I am planning on staying at Premier Inn County Hall, literally at the base on the Eye. Hard to look at it everyday and not take a ride. I have seen Rick Steves DVD were he walks up St Pauls. I would literally pass out trying to do that climb. In Paris, I am thinking of seeing Eiffel Tower, Arch de Triomphe, walk Champs Elysees, Notre Dame and possible cruise down Seine. I agree that for me, going to the Louve would probably be a waste of time. But how can you not see the Mona Lisa. We are in Paris on a Wednesday, which according to RS book is open until 21:45. Maybe go around 8 or so and hopefully avoid crowds.

I'm surprised that Disneyland is "a needed break". For us that would be one of the busiest days of the trip.

Have you have ever driven through the San Onofre border checkpoint and seen the people crossing sign? The man and woman are running while the little girl is being dragged with her feet in the air. We jokingly refer to that as our family at Disneyland.

We bought a similar sign at Disneyland that shows Goofy dragging other characters around for our fridge.

It sounds fun although I agree with people who say there is too much to see in Paris for just two days.

Tudor/royal history: See if you can get to Hever Castle, south of London. It was the home of the Boleyns and where Anne and her sister grew up. It has been re-whatevered to that time and is really a treat, beautiful gardens too. I was taken by friends, so I don't know how you can get there. The Imperial War Museum in London is wonderful - especially for boys. Planes from both WW's, and recreations of what London was like during the blitz. Also the Tower Bridge Museum (not the Tower Museum, but next to it) is excellent for boys. We also liked the Tower Hill Pageant there. Then there's Greenwich, walk around an old ship, stand with one foot in the western hemisphere and the other in the eastern. The British Museum has a great collection from ancient Egypt (are mummies too creepy?) and it's free. The Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood is off the beaten path, great collection of 100 years or more of toys (boys and girls in separate sections, of course), including great model trains and doll houses. Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. . .

In Paris, there is (used to be?) a sound and light show at Les Invalides in the evening (of course) about Napoleon. During the day you can visit and see his tomb (too creepy?) and the military museum. When you go to Notre Dame, also visit Sainte Chapelle, just a gem of a church, all stained glass.
You can rent bicycles and ride around the Bois de Boulogne, lots of green and trees (unlike Phoenix).

The Louvre is massive and contains alot more than just "art" in the traditional sense (paintings, etc) although it does have alot of that as well. Since you are interested in history, there is a HUGE section of Egyptian/Persian/Mesopotamian artifacts (incl. mummies, sphinxes, the code of hammurabi, etc) that you might enjoy. You can only see a small section of the Louvre in one day anyway, but I would recommend scouring the Egyptian section if you do go.
You have two free days in Paris, so that's good. I would recommend going to the Eiffel Tower during the middle of the day when there aren't so many people if you're planning to go to the top, but if you just want to see it, go at night when it is lit up because it's beautiful and you can sit on the lawn and have some wine or something. Also, it sparkles at every hour after 10pm (well, I know it's after 10pm in the summer... but that's because it doesn't get dark til then in July. in May, it might be earlier.)

Ciao, Kristen. I like your itinerary, really, but it is focused on three large, major cities just packed with days-and-days of possible sites and cultural opportunities to explore. All three can also be overwhelming. This is no criticism, certainly, because the trip sounds like much fun, BUT for me, I'd rather balance out major urban areas with smaller locales, too. I also enjoy at least one or two train runs, a great way to meet people (in 2nd class!) and see some of the landscape as it races by. I wonder if London and Paris with a stop in the English countryside or small towns OR Normandy wouldn't be better, saving big, chaotic, crazy Roma for a trip that is specifically Italiano (like Rome, Tuscany, Siena, Florence, and maybe Cinque Terre as a trip, another time). Just some feedback. As I said, your trip sounds great, but it's heavy on 'big city' thrills.