Adventure Awaits Your Family

We flew in from Iceland via  Keflavik airport (KEF). Spending a few days there before getting to London really helped us with the time adjustment and we saw a beautiful country on our bucket list as a bonus!

 11:45 a.m. -We arrive in London. We stayed at The Mansion Apartments by Mansley. I wanted a historic property that was close to everything and while the furnishings were older, there was an amazing amount of space and a washer and dryer in the unit as well as a full kitchen. 

1:30 p.m. – Lunch at Goat Tavern 

3:00 p.m. – Visit to Kensington Palace and walk through Hyde Park and Speakers Corner. 

4:30 p.m. – walked to Trafalgar Square and headed to Covent Garden for shopping. 

7:00 p.m. – We ate dinner at Dalloway Terrace. The ambiance was second to none, but my kids probably would have preferred some place with a larger menu. 

 9:00 a.m. – Visit to Tower Bridge and Tower of London. My kids probably liked this best out of everything we did in London. It not only holds the Crown Jewels but you can explore a real castle and learn about the history and heritage.

 We grabbed lunch from some vendors. 

1:00 p.m. – St. Paul’s Cathedral (you should buy tickets ahead of time for entry)  

4:00 p.m. – London Eye. Okay this may be an unpopular opinion, but we could have (and should have skipped this tourist trap). It was more of a check the box versus something we will repeat in the future. It was super hot as the capsule you go up in is all glass and the sun beats in, and we were crammed in a small space with another family who had kids with sound on their shows full blast. We also did not realize it moves VERY slow so takes a long time to go around the Millennium Wheel. 😊 

7:30 p.m. – Dinner at Churchhill Arms. This is one of the oldest and most iconic pubs in London. It is covered in beautiful flowers! What is not expected is the cuisine. You would think Fish and Chips, but this pub serves Thai food. 

 10:45 a.m. – Visited Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guards. While we had good intentions, this was a bit of a challenge as the Queens Jubilee had just kicked off. Roads were closed and were packed with people, but we did get to see the changing of the guards!

12:00 p.m. – we grabbed lunch at Bag O Nails Pub. 

1:30 p.m. – we walked to Big Ben and then across Westminister Bridge toward Elizabeth Tower. 

1:45 p.m. – We visited Westminister Abbey. This iconic church offers guided tours, but we opted to walk through on our own. There are headphones available to learn about its rich history.  

6:00 p.m. – we surprised our kids at took them to Wembley Tour Stadium to see a soccer game! If you are in London and its in season, I HIGHLY recommend. The experience and excitement was like no other sporting event we have been to!

 8:30 a.m. – we took kids to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London. We have some big Harry Potter Fans in our house and this was a very cool experience featuring real items from movie sets and recreated sets for us to walk through and experience. 

7:00 p.m. – Ate at The IVY Kensington Brasserie.

Pack up and get some rest as we head to Paris in the morning.  

9:30 a.m. – we took the train to Paris. Super easy to navigate and get tickets for (we booked ours in advance).

1:00 p.m. – we arrived in Paris and headed to our Airbnb. While the apartment was perfect for our family, we probably would recommend staying someplace a bit closer to attractions. 

2:30 p.m. – We took the metro to Arc de Triumph and then visited Place de Concorde right after 

5:30 p.m. – Oui, Oui! we visited the Eiffel Tower! There is a great place called Trocadero for pictures with the Tower in the background. I wish we had done a professional photo shoot here. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the views and experience of being in the Eiffel Tower! 

7:30 p.m. – we had dinner at Firmine – this had GREAT pizza for the kids 

 8:30 a.m. – visited Sainte Chapelle. This holy chapel features 1113 stained glass windows throughout.

10:00 a.m.– we did a pastry class at Le Foodist. We decided on Macaroons, and this was a highlight in Paris. If you have the chance, do a cooking class! It is a fun family experience, and you get to enjoy what you make at the end.

1:15 p.m. – Walked by Notre Dame and then the Pantheon and grabbed crepes on the way (if you walk by any food stand with crepes, stop and get them!).

2:00 p.m. – walked through Luxembourg gardens and then headed to the Louvre 

3:00 p.m. – we did a guided tour of the Louvre. While I think tours are a great way to learn, the one we selected was aimed more towards little kids. I would find a guide experienced in showing the highlights and moving you thorugh the museum! 

7:00 p.m. – Iovine’s Louvre – we had pizza here as it was right near the Louvre. 

 7:30 a.m. – Train to Versailles! We purchased tickets ahead of time, but walked through on our own with headphones that guided us. 

12:30 p.m. – We walked through the Gardens at the museum – spend an hour or so here – they are massive! 

3:00 p.m. – we took the train back to Paris 

4:30 p.m. – we walked along the Seine river and added a lock to the famous bridge 

8:15 p.m. – We did the Seine Le Calife dinner cruise. HIGHLY recommend this one. The food was delicious, the ambiance was wonderful with wood paneling, cozy lighting and excellent service. We all liked this dinner cruise and it showed all the main sites at night, including the Eiffel Tower lit up. 

 9:30 a.m. – headed to The Basilica of Sacré Coeur de Montmartre, visited the church and watched the amazing street performers for a while before heading to a café with great views and crepes. 

We walked around Montmartre to shop and explore before heading back to our Airbnb. 

7:00 p.m. – we ate at Le Petite Marche – great Asian inspired food! 

Back to the hotel to pack up and get ready for the last stop on our trip, Amsterdam!

 8:30 a.m. – Train to Amsterdam

Afternoon was spent exploring and walking the canals. Amsterdam is like living in a story book. The cobblestone streets are clean, people bike everywhere, food is delicious and the people are so nice. It is one of our top five places we have been to! 

10:15 a.m. – we did a tour of the Anne Frank House and continued exploring and walking around the city. There are boat tours on the canals which we will do on our next trip! 

We will most definitely be back to Amsterdam - much different than what we expected. 

This trip has come to an end and we must return to reality - we travel home in the evening back to Chicago. 

Check out our next European adventure here.