First time family of 4 traveling to England and France

Dina - How many days will you be spending in both cities in June ?

We haven’t determined that yet. We were going to give ourselves 10 days for the whole trip.

I have flown into London and home from Paris on a trip before. It worked well. We traveled by Eurostar between the two cities. Search for multiple cities and find your best deal. If you have never been to Europe before, I would suggest flying into London so that you can get your feet wet where you know the language, and then fly home from Paris.

I have stayed once in a hotel, once a B&B way out in the suburbs which had two bedrooms, and once rented a flat from a university. I think the flat had three bedrooms, was furnished somewhat like a dorm except for a double bed in one room, and had a kitchen and laundry facilities. Location was near the British Museum. Nice if you are staying longer and want to give everyone some space.

I don't know about wheelchairs, but if walking will be an issue for you, I would spend a bit more to stay in the most convenient location (Ie not in a B&B way out in the suburbs).

Dina - You can fly into CDG Paris and fly out of Heathrow London airport to head home. For 10 days, you can do Paris for 5 days and London for 5 days. Here is a list of hotels with wheelchair access for London and Paris:

https://wheelchairtravel.org/london/hotels/

https://wheelchairtravel.org/paris/hotels/

https://en.parisinfo.com/where-to-sleep-in-paris/info/guides/accommodation-and-disability

https://en.parisinfo.com/practical-paris/visiting-paris-with-a-disability

Stay in a hotel so the front desk can give you assistance with questions and reservations rather than renting an apartment. A hotel will have an elevator. I do not care for BnBs in cities as they are not as sound proof as hotels. Not as high up.
This is a wonderful choice for a first trip to Europe. We did it with our family, a great success.
Do have a price point for hotels? Two bedrooms? Or a family room?
We flew into London, took Eurostar to Paris and flew home out of Paris. The kids didn’t want to leave London!
Once you get your flights and hotels set, come back to this forum with more questions.

Fly into London and home from Paris, or vice versa - book using “multi city” not 2 one-way tickets. The only way to tell which is cheaper is to put in your dates and see. When I did it, London first was better, but I don’t think that’s always the case.
Book your Eurostar train ticket as soon as you can - prices only go up and it’s very expensive last minute but reasonably affordable early.

I don’t know about the wheelchair question, but do be sure to ask about elevators. They are not in all hotels, and in some are too small for a wheelchair. You can certainly find a hotel that is suitable, but you have to know to ask.

I generally advise those with teens to stay in Airbnb or other apartments. Quad rooms (in Europe you have to book a room specific to the size of your party, there’s no squeezing 4 people into a double room) are expensive. A 2 bedroom or one bedroom plus sofa bed apartment is cheaper and provides more privacy. However, just like with hotels you do have to ask about elevators if stair climbing is an issue. I have stayed in lovely Airbnbs that are 4th floor walk up, and others that are ground level but 2 story. Also at an apartment you can keep snacks in the room - this is essential for kids, in my experience! Many hotels in France are strict about not allowing eating in the room, which drives me nuts. Of course no one can tell if your child neatly eats a granola bar stored in a suitcase, but I don’t like breaking rules, feels disrespectful.

Thank you so much to everyone for all this information! So so helpful. A lot to think about.
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Does your 10 days include time getting to and from Europe? If it does, as your first day is likely to be lost to jet lag and the last day is just getting to the airport, usually, I would suggest that you pick either London or Paris. You are going to lose 6 hours door to door travelling between these 2 cities.

In London, there are a number of mobility shops. Once you have decided where you are staying, google “mobility help shops” to find the closest. Most hire wheelchairs, which maybe cheaper than buying one.

I would opt for an apartment rather than a hotel, as you may have to take 2 rooms and June isn’t a cheap time of year to be travelling. Checkout Premier Inns as they have some family rooms and some for those with limited mobility.

Do you mean a traditional B&B? I think you’d struggle to find one that is mobility accessible, but I’m definitely not a traditional B&B person

Modern hotels should be accessible and that’s probably what I’d pick. You’ll need two rooms most likely and they may not be adjacent, but at least the teens are old enough to handle being on another floor.

Air B and B? Maybe, just ask a lot of questions about the accessibility. Most of the new flats in London (can’t say for Paris) won’t allow air BNB, so you’d have to pick carefully and consider baggage drop off and pickup.

There’s no rule about pricing with flights to London and Paris. If it’s your first time, you might find London to be a bit less of a culture shock. The transit strikes seem to be over for now in Paris but check the France forum sporadically for any updates.

And I’d also add that just picking one country might be a good idea for a short trip as you’ll lose the better part of a day changing countries, plus you’re dealing with two sets of reservations, currency, and getting lost

Also be aware that in Europe what they call the first floor is what we in the US would call the second floor. If you are near a major airport where there is competition between airlines, you will have a better chance of getting a better price. Not to be discouraging, but if you plan to use the subway, you will need to see which stations are handicapped-accessible. Many have lots of stairs and no elevator.

To add to what Cala said:

• The ground floor is 0 (zero), the ones above it are first, second etc. (1, 2, 3, etc.). The ones below it are -1, -2, -3. Obvious. Click here for photo.
• A B&B will not have a lift (elevator). It may have one or two steps up to the front door (standard house design).
• For "step free" access to the tube (aka London Underground, NOT subway), read this: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/avoiding-stairs-tube-guide.pdf
  • Most deep stations have escalators, but these are rarely all the way from street level to platform, often there is one flight of stairs down to a concourse, then escalators for the big drop to a lower concourse, and possibly a few steps to the final level.
• In the Paris métro most stations are just below street level, with only stairs down.
• In both cities, to absolutely minimise stairs, buses are better.

And, for the Eurostar trains London-Paris (and vice versa), see here: https://www.eurostar.com

You are better off flying into London and home from Paris.

Heathrow imposes large departure taxes on flights departing to the US. I checked flights on American Airlines for the same dates in June, in the lowest Economy fare class, using New York as a departure point. It is $40 per person less to fly into London and home from Paris than going the other way. For a family of four, that is a saving of $160. And more expensive flights would have an even greater price difference. The fares I looked at were in Basic Economy ( no checked bags, no free seat selection) and were $710 and $750 for the non-stop flights.

The Eurostar train between London and Paris is quite inexpensive if bought well in advance—-like now or as soon as you have firm dates. Buy the airfare first as flights can be priced differently day by day.

Right now the Eurostar fare for June is as low as $61 per person for late afternoon trains; $76 for mid-day trains. That is on the US site. If you switch it to UK it says 46 and 57 pounds, which is about $1–2 cheaper at today’s exchange rate.

A 10-day trip means 9 nights in Europe. I would break that up as 5 nights London and 4 nights Paris, assuming London is your first stop. Our family found more of interest for teens in London, and they liked the food better there (!)

Premier Inns in London have well-priced family rooms for 4, and the County Hall and Blackfriars locations are particularly good, in my view. If by B and B you mean an “Airbnb” apartment, there are lots of those on offer, but in both London and Paris you need to be assured the apartment is a legal short-term rental. That can be tricky. A serviced apartment in a dedicated building of such flats is a safer bet, but more expensive.

If on the other hand you mean a traditional English Bed and Breakfast, they are becoming scarce in London, and family rooms are particularly hard to find. But hopefully someone may have suggestions.

Your boys should enjoy the Sewer Tour and Science Musuem (espec. the revolving room) in Paris. Both are on the Museum pass.

We love B&Bs, but with your needs, you probably should look for a hotel.

I have traveled with kids from age 5 up to late teens. We lived in Germany for four years and have traveled extensively with kids.

Age 13 and 16 can handle the same things that adults would want to see. I always assigned books of the place we were visiting prior to our trip.

My kids loved the Eiffel Tower and a Seine River cruise. Also, they loved the Tower of London and Westminister Abbey and Parliament. We went into Parliament while it was in session.

We stayed as several B&B Hotels (boutique hotels serving breakfast). None of them had elevators/lifts and typically the lower floor was above street level. Ironically the London hotel we used had an elevator but we had to evacuate at night because of a (false) fire alarm not using the lift.

London's accessibility is getting better but we encountered some underground stations where the escalator was out of service.
https://www.visitlondon.com/traveller-information/getting-around-london/accessible-public-transport

The London Underground network offers excellent accessible facilities
and step-free access at many locations, although not all London Tube
stations are fully accessible so make sure to check the Transport for
London (TfL) journey planner before you travel.

London buses There are accessible buses in operation across 700
London bus routes, all fitted with low-level floors, wheelchair ramps
and audiovisual announcers. Wheelchair users can travel free of charge
on all Transport for London buses, and registered assistance dogs are
also welcome on-board.

You can get airport assistance at Heathrow with wheelchairs and aide. Also check out: https://www.visitlondon.com/traveller-information/essential-information/accessible-london/wheelchair-and-mobility-hire-in-london

Right now the Eurostar fare for June is as low as $61 per person for late afternoon trains; $76 for mid-day trains. That is on the US site. If you switch it to UK it says 46 and 57 pounds, which is about $1–2 cheaper at today’s exchange rate.

Be aware that like airline tickets, Eurostar ticket prices change, getting more expensive the closer you get to departure. This was driven home last May. As soon as we had our plans firmed up, we bought our Eurostar tickets. I think they were less than $90.00.

When we got to London from Paris, we met up with friends who were going to Paris at the end of the week. Thursday at breakfast they were asking about Paris. We asked them what time their Eurostar train was leaving and they told us they hadn't bought their tickets yet. They ended up paying nearly $200.00! Buy as early as possible!

Thank you again to everyone for all the helpful information. I really appreciate it.
I most likely will be using my prosthetic but just in case I have some problems with it I wanted to be prepared.
Any suggestions for a hotel in Paris?
Planning to go to Disney Paris. Should we buy those tickets ahead of time?
Packing suggestions? We are going in June. Will the temperature be similar to temperatures here in New York?
Do we need to pack any “dressy clothes”?

Our family stayed in the Hotel Excelsior Latin a few years ago, which is in the 5th arrondissement in Paris. It was a great location for walking and exploring, with interesting shops for our kids to see. (Their favorites were a games store and a camping store nearby!) We had five in our group, and this hotel had several types of rooms to choose from for families. We had one with two rooms, 3 single beds for the kids, no door separating the rooms, and a single door to the hallway. This was also the only hotel we'd stayed in that had an ice machine in the lobby! I found this very helpful in the heat wave - I kept my small thermos filled with ice all day and that was a rarity in Paris.

I would try to use buses if possible, because you see more and there are so many less stairs to navigate than the Metro. We switched our travel mode when my husband hurt his knee - and realized that the buses were a nice way to see more of Paris, even if it was a little slower than the underground route.

Have a great trip!
Laurie

Planning to go to Disney Paris. Should we buy those tickets ahead of time?

Yes, definitely. There are a plenty of offers on advance tickets. Turning up at the gates and buying tickets there and then is the most expensive option.