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Where to go w/2 kids (ages 7 & 10) after Paris

Posted by (Silicon Valley) on

We're taking a trip this summer. Will be spending 2 weeks in Britain. (Mostly London, then Lake District & Edinburgh.) We have the time, so I want to take another week or 2 in Europe with the kids. (Husband has to go back for work.) I did the hostel thing 20 yrs ago & have traveled in France & Alps region for work & fun quite a bit. (Prior to kids, so haven't been back in 10 yrs. OMG! I can't believe it's been that long!) I know I want to take them to Paris. But beyond that, I'm a little stumped. (Or maybe overwhelmed w/choices.) I'm thinking 4 days in Paris. My plans for Paris are mostly experiences. We will hit the obvious 'hot spots.' One full day will be Versailles. Another will be Giverny. (Monet's home & garden.) The only museum we will be attending by this point will be the Musee de l'Orangerie. They have studied impressionists at school & are very familiar w/Monet. I know that this museum will not be lost on them. Plus it's small, which I think matters at that point in our trip. Other than that, I'm pretty sure museums, castles & churches had better be outstanding by that point in the trip or they will mutiny on me. My plan in Versailles is that we will tour the palace in the AM. In the afternoon we will picnic, rent bikes & generally hang out by the Grand Canal. :-) Something for all of us.

So, knowing that in general museums are low on the priority list, where should we go from there? Should be we stay a 5th day in Paris to keep the pace leisurely & then go home? I was toying w/the idea of Bruge. (Maybe from London & then to Paris?) I remember loving Brussels & The Netherlands. (Went for work & had my husband join me, bout 12 yrs ago.) But the trip had a different focus & I'm not sure how it would sit w/kids ages 7 & 10. (Especially since we aren't generally hitting museums.) We have friends in Switzerland, (Zug) so we could take a train (4-5 hrs from Paris) there & do a few things there. I feel like I'm trying to go too far if we head to Zug. But the cost of housing would be right.

Like I said, I'm overwhelmed w/the possibilities. I also need to remember that this is their first international trip. I'm trying to mold my little darlings to love travel as much as I do. It HAS to be fun for them too. Thanks for your input.

Jill

Posted by
1078 posts

Our 11 year old grandson really enjoyed Amsterdam-the bikes, the canal boat tour, Anne Frank house, and the museum Nemo near Centralle--it is a hands-on site geared to the kids. It also has a huge out door chess board on the roof where he played a game with another boy.
We probably spent more time there with him inside the museum because of all the things to do-and the games and hands-on stuff were in both Dutch and English.
We also took the night ferry to the UK, and there did the Tower, the London Eye, and tried to do the Harry Potter tour, but did get to the station for his picture pushing the cart into the wall.

Posted by
5493 posts

Barcelona - was there last May with 4 kids from ages 9-1 and we had a blast! Aquarium, Park Guell, nice parks, restaurants, beaches had no problems with kids...

Posted by
3398 posts

Chateau de Thoiry is not far from Giverny...it's an exotic animal collection owned by an aristocratic family that has been "collecting" for a couple of hundred years. Pretty much a small zoo but if you rent a car, they also have a spectacular drive-thru safari park. The lion enclosure in the zoo is something else...you walk through the enclosure in a plexiglass tunnel that takes you face-to-face with the lions. Amazing!
How about a bike tour of the Dutch countryside? There are hundreds of kilometers or well-marked bike paths that go all over the place. You can ride around, stop for snacks or lunch, stay the night in a cute town, and then move on the next day. Rent a houseboat in Amsterdam for a few nights - there are quite a few listed on airbnb.com. Any kid would think that is an adventure! I'm sure your kids have been exposed to Van Gogh in school so you could hit that museum as well.
Hut to hut hiking in the alps? We did this with our son and he loved it! There are many, many of these refugios or huts and the hospitality, meals, and views are really a memorable experience. All you need is a small backpack to carry a couple of changes of clothes - most of the huts provide bedding making it really easy. Swiss Mountain Huts, Italian Mountain Refugios.
Don't forget the Paris catacombs - always a hit with kids!

Posted by
17 posts

Love, love, love the houseboat in Amsterdam idea. Cheaper than hotels. FYI--just got some great feedback from a friend of a friend who used to live in Amsterdam & she suggested: Linneaushof, Walibi World, Dolfinarium & either Marken or Volendam. Based on all of this, we are definitely leading toward Amsterdam. Now, I'm getting excited, instead of overwhelmed. :-)

Posted by
1717 posts

Hello Jill. You said : you and the two children will travel in Great Britain for two weeks, and go to Paris. I think that is enough for this trip. Traveling from Paris to Amsterdam might be too much traveling for the seven year old child. I suggest be at Paris for six whole days, including day trips in France. And fly from CDG airport of Paris toward your home. The seven year old child will probably not remember most of the things in Europe. A place in England that I think the children would like is Warwick castle. And in London I guess the ten year old would like the Museum of London (walk to it from St. Paul "Tube" station). Children like to see things of nature : they would enjoy a day at Kew Gardens (south of the southwest corner of London). And, if you will go to the south of England, I think the old British Navy sailing ship H.M.S. Victory, and the nearby Mary Rose ship at Portsmouth Harbor are great ! At Paris, go to the Science Museum for children in Cite' de Science et Industrie at the big park that is located north of Paris.

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