Travel With Kids to London and Paris? Or Italy?

To them, Europe is one big blob and the Eiffel Tower is at the center.

Best laugh I've had yet today! :O)
I'd love to advise you to spend the entire time in Italy but I do think Paris and London stand a better chance of more tolerable temperatures than Rome. I guess I might think about what ELSE besides the Eiffel your children may be interested in? The art in Paris is outstanding but your young people might not think as much of it as I do?

London, of course, has an entirely different sort of tower - a castle, really - that they might find very interesting indeed. The free Yeoman tours are a must!

http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/

Along with that would be the British Museum (free!) with its mummies and other oddities a young person might find fascinating. They also have children activities:

http://www.britishmuseum.org/visiting/family_visits.aspx

A walk through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens to find Peter Pan, and around Green Park to Buckingham to see where the Queen lives (most of the time)? Your youngest might enjoy a little time at the Diana Memorial playground. Take a picnic!

https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde-park
https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington-gardens/things-to-see-and-do

Get a bird's eye view of the city from the London Eye:

https://www.londoneye.com

And there's Tower Bridge, the clock tower where Big Ben is, all those wonderfully creepy tombs in Westminster and the Transport Museum, HMS Belfast and V&A Museum of Childhood…

The exchange rate isn't as favorable as the euro, and the city is a bit of a sprawl but the free museums in London are a bargain. I love Paris and Rome but for some reason, London feels a little more kid friendly to me.

The Harry Potter experience outside London, the London Eye, along with riding around on a double decker bus sounds like a good time for kids of any age.

There's also Disney outside Paris. Rick mentions in one of his books or shows that he took his kids each summer for a day as a reward.

haha! i'm glad you got a laugh. let me add for the record that these kids are pretty well traveled, just not to europe. they've been to israel twice, and also mexico, the dominican, and costa rica. i guess what i'm trying to nail down is this - should we focus on italy for two weeks? or would the kids have more fun hitting two major cities (london and paris) before relaxing in northern tuscany for a week at a country house?? or do they need to see venice and rome now?

I think either approach will work well, but my vote is for your first option (London and Paris) - go for the cultural smorgasbord. Both cities offer a wide variety of sites/activities, so everyone should be able to find something they want to see or do. Under that option your kids also get to see their top choice (Eiffel Tower) and experience more countries. I took my daughters to London for a week a couple of years ago when they were 5 and 7 and they loved it. I have to think that older kids will love it more.

Have fun!

Ah, it helps to know that they have some milage on their passports.

Sure, you could do both Paris and London. That way if they tire quickly of one, there's another to explore. Do they 'need' to see Venice and Rome right now? Not unless you think they'll never be back to Italy. But both of those cities - and Florence, as you may day-trip that one - are very different so it's not like seeing much of the same for the better part of a week.

But if they have a fixation on something they KNOW they want to see, don't waste the spark? Have them pitch in on what else they'd like to see in Paris and the same for London as well? Feeling like they have a hand in the adventure keeps them interested and teaches them the fine art of researching a trip: knowledge that they'll be grateful for later in life!

Paris: DO climb the towers of Notre Dame. They'll love the chimera, and you can cover a bit of Victor Hugo's famous story before you go. That little book did a lot to rescue a church that was falling apart after the Revolution. The kids would find Pere-Lachaise wonderfully creepy for a walkabout as well.

I also like the idea of visiting London and Paris before your Italy trip. Rome is oppressively hot at that time of year, which would make any sightseeing you have planned quite uncomfortable. While seeing Venice and Rome are a must, seeing London and Paris are also a must--so I would save the Rome and Venice experience for another time. And, as previous commenters mentioned, you would have the chance to experience several countries with your kids, and they would get to see the Eiffel Tower--which they are already very excited about. Be sure to book reservations for the Eiffel Tower as soon as you know what dates you'll be in Paris. I've included information on Eiffel Tower reservations from Rick's Paris guidebook below:

Reservations: Frankly, you’d be crazy to show up without a reservation. At www.toureiffel.paris, you can book an entry time (for example, June 12 at 16:30) and skip the initial entry line (the longest)--at no extra cost.

Time slots can fill up months in advance (especially if visiting from April through September). Online ticket sales open up about three months before any given date (at 8:30 Paris time)--and can sell out for that day within hours. Be sure of your date, as reservations are nonrefundable. If no reservation slots are available, try buying a “Lift entrance ticket with access to 2nd floor” only--you can upgrade once inside. Or, try the website again about a week before your visit--last-minute spots occasionally open up.

Other Tips for Avoiding Lines: Crowds overwhelm this place much of the year, with one- to two-hour waits to get in (unless it’s rainy, when lines can evaporate). Weekends and holidays are worst, but prepare for ridiculous crowds almost any time.
If you don’t have a reservation, get in line 30 minutes before the tower opens. Going later is the next-best bet (after 19:00 May-Aug, after 17:00 off-season, after 16:00 in winter as it gets dark by 17:00. If you’re in line to buy tickets, estimate about 20 minutes for every 100 yards, plus 30 minutes more after you reach the security check near the ticket booths. When you buy tickets on-site, all members of your party must be with you. To get reduced fares for kids, bring ID.
The line to climb the stairs (to the first and second levels) is generally shorter. Once on the second level, you can buy a supplemental ticket (€6) to ride the elevator to the summit.
You can bypass some (but not all) lines if you have a reservation at either of the tower’s view restaurants. Or you can buy a reservation time (almost right up to the last minute) for €40 (or a €59 guided tour) through Fat Tire Tours. (http://paris.fattirebiketours.com/tours/skip-the-line-eiffel-tower-tour)

Other commenters already mentioned some very good ideas of places to visit in London with children. In Paris, aside from Disneyland Paris and the Eiffel Tower, which were already mentioned, I would also add that the "gargoyle's eye view" of Paris from the tower of Notre Dame could be very interesting for them, and I would also recommend renting bikes or taking a bike tour as a fun activity with the kids. Please see details on the Notre Dame tower climb from Rick's Paris guidebook below:

The entrance for Notre-Dame’s tower climb is outside the cathedral, along the left side. You can hike to the top of the facade between the towers and then to the top of the south tower (400 steps total) for a gargoyle’s-eye view of the cathedral, Seine, and city (€8.50, covered by Museum Pass but no bypass line for passholders; daily April-Sept 10:00-18:30, Fri-Sat until 23:00 in July-Aug, Oct-March 10:00-17:30, last entry 45 minutes before closing; to avoid the worst lines arrive before 10:00 or after 17:00--after 16:00 in winter; tel. 01 53 10 07 00, www.notre-dame-de-paris.monuments-nationaux.fr).

Some other kid friendly ideas mentioned in the Paris guidebook: Pompidou Center, Paris Zoo, Versailles, and Tuileries Garden.

This summer we traveled with our son's family which included our 2 granddaughters (ages 10 and 12). I was worried that our itinerary would be too diverse and they'd love one place to the exclusion of another. They started out in Istanbul for a week then met us in Paris for a week. Then we all traveled to London for a week on the Eurostar. Atfter a week in London they went to Edinburgh and then the Isle of Skye for a week.

In talking about the trip as we were together and after being home for a while, the have strong memories and highlights for all of the unique experiences these places offered.

On the short list for both girls was Paris as they'd never been. All they could talk about was seeing the Eiffel Tower. The youngest had even named her pet rabbit Eiffel (black stripe on his forehead) several years ago. They loved the kid friendly activities along the Seine and the Canal St Martin. In London they loved the London Eye, Harry Potter tour, Hampton Court Palace, princess Diana playground, museums, and plays.

You really can't go wrong with either decision though, to concentrate in Italy or see Paris and London before or after your family reunion. You might check the 2016 dates for the Paris Plage to see when the super fun activities are occurring in Paris.

Our NEXT trip down the road with the girls is Italy. They are both wanting to see Venice and the oldest wants to see Bernini sculptures in Rome.

EDIT: depending on your dates and city choices you may want to fly into somewhere in Italy and out of London and save the potentially coolest climate for last. We've gone to Italy several times, even to houses with pools, and then really appreciated a few cool days in London at the end for sightseeing.

keep the recs coming! this is SUPER helpful. originally we were thinking of doing london and venice (not paris) but a friend of mine recently traveled there and said it was so crowded (shoulder to shoulder) that she felt going with young kids could be nightmarish. i've been to paris, and even when it's crowded, there are a lot of open public spaces to spread out in, so it doesn't bother me there.

next question - most of rick steves' hotel recs for both london and paris are really for couples. is there a particular apartment rental company you would recommend in both cities? or a rick steves hotel that might work?

With children that age I would choose London and Paris over Venice and Rome, hands down. We took ours to London and Paris when they were close to that age ( a year or two older) and they loved it, especially London.

Venice is my favorite city in Europe ( we are here right now) but I would never go in summer ( too hot) and I would think twice about taking children at any time because of the crowds. Even in October the crowds can be stifling if you do not know how to avoid them. The vaporettos were so crowded today it was quite uncomfortable, but we had one person in our group who cannot walk far so chose the boat.

London has a much the kids can learn from and relate to, plus it s just so much fun. We spent a week there before coming to Venice. Stay near the river and you can use the car-free Thames Path to cover a lot of ground, then switch to bus or Tube when necessary. You can even travel on the river in the water bus. I can highly recommend the apartment we had ( one block from the river, with river view from the balcony) but it might be just a bit tight, as the children would have to share a bed.

In Paris, watch out for owner rentals which may be illegal. Agencies are safer, and I can highly recommend Vacationinparis.com.

thank you for the advice - it is really helping me shape a plan. i will check out the paris rental company you recommended. who did you use for london?

Hello me. Of the cities that you mentioned (London, Paris, Rome, Venice) I think the best city for children is London. If you will have one week, I recommend going to London, only. Places at London that the children would like :
Kew Gardens.
Hyde Park.
British National Galley (of Art) at Trafalgar Square. I guess the 11 year old child could appreciate some of the paintings there. I do not know about the 8 year old child.
London Eye.
Big Ben Bell Tower (walk by it).
The place where the Queen's Horse guards parade starts, at 11:00 a.m. (near Whitehall Street). I think being in front of Buckingham Palace is not important. The children would not be able to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace, because people would be in front of them.
The Science Museum. Walk to it from South Kensington station of London Underground.
The children might like browsing in antique and collectibles stores at Portabello road.

We did a Harry Potter walk with http://www.muggletours.co.uk/ for £10-£12 pp. The girls loved it. There were only 5 kids in our group with a wonderful guide who really interacted with everyone, kids and adults alike. The London eye was a grandparents 13th birthday treat ;-) Where there's a will there's a way.

I believe the Paris "apartment crackdown" started this year. There were reports of people having their reservations cancelled because of it. But perhaps it was only temporary.

No, I don't recommend trying to do the changing of the guard in front of Buckingham with kids either. Yes, the Eye is a splurge and I wouldn't put it high on the list by any means but it's closer to $100 for 4 than $180 if tickets are bought in advance.

The trick with London is to balance those free museums with a few splurges. The 2-for-1 deals can also be great if you can travel into central London by rail (NOT Tube) or purchase a travelcard (read the FAQs carefully):

http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/attraction-types/2for1london.aspx

http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/faq.aspx#1