Thank you to Kateryna who scheduled a wonderful vacation for my family (all 7 of us)! We spent 5 nights in London and 2 nights in Paris.
» Day 1 - We flew from NY JFK to Heathrow on an overnight flight. Sleeping on the plane helped us feel a little refreshed, but it takes a few days to become totally adjusted. There was a car service set up to take us directly from the airport to the hotel. We dropped our luggage at the NYX hotel (check-in isn't until 3) and then set out on a 3 hour private Black Cab tour. We needed two cars because of our group size. Our guides Lee & Matt were knowledgeable, entertaining, and hilarious. They have a preset tour that they do, but were super flexible and took us to Abbey Road because I'm a huge Beatles fan. Everyone loved the tour! After the tour, we were dropped off at the Borough Market where we got some of London's famous Strawberries and Chocolate cups. Then we walked about 35 minutes to the London Eye to finish off our day.
FYI - The NYX hotel is in the Holborn district of North West of London, a beautiful area. Also, throughout our trip, we tipped about 10 pounds per hour for our tour guides, which they very much appreciated.
» Day 2 - We did a Royal London two hour walking tour beginning at 10am with our guide Delianne. This included seeing the changing of the guard, Buckingham Palace, St. James’s Palace, Clarence House and the Green Park. Delianne is an expert in royal history and shares great stories about the rituals of the British monarchy.
In the afternoon we visited Westminster Abbey, a historic Gothic church in London, famed for hosting British coronations, royal weddings, and burials since 1066. It houses the tombs of monarchs like Elizabeth I and Edward the Confessor, memorials to literary giants such as Shakespeare and Dickens in Poets’ Corner, and the Coronation Chair used in every royal crowning since 1308.
» Day 3 - We took day 3 as a free day and split up to do different things. In the morning, some of us went to do a tour of Tottenham stadium while others visited Kensington Palace. Both groups had a great time and you couldn't go wrong with either choice.
In the afternoon we spent a few hours at the Churchill War Museums. If you love history and all things WWII, this is a must see.
FYI - Uber and cabs can get you everywhere you want to go, but the London Tube/subway was super easy to use and I definitely recommend using this transportation at least a few times.
» Day 4 - We went to the Tower of London, a historic citadel and castle. The Tower was originally a fortress that has served as a royal palace, prison, treasury, and is the current home to the Crown Jewels. We all absolutely loved the Beefeater-led tour!
FYI - Our Beefeater was named Andy Murray (just like the British tennis star).
After the Tower, it was off to see the state rooms at Buckingham palace.
FYI - There are 775 rooms in the palace, but you'll only get to see less than 20 state rooms. The most impressive part of the visit was the grand staircase.
We then set out for a 3 hour Cruise with dinner on the river Thames. Dinner was delicious, and the nighttime views of London from the Thames were absolutely breathtaking.
» Day 5 - We had a private driver take us about an hour away to the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio. My family are huge Harry Potter fans, and they loved seeing the behind the scenes tour and the original film stages. We spent 5 hours there in the studio. This is a must stop if you're a Potter fan!
» Day 6 - We took the Eurostar train from London to Paris, France. A driver took us from the train station to our Paris hotel, Les Jardins d'Eiffel where we dropped off our luggage (check-in is at 2pm) and walked the 10 minutes over to the Eiffel tower. The hotel location was phenomenal, in a beautiful neighborhood with tons of restaurant options, beautiful Parisian cafes, and plenty of gift shops.
We thought London was great, but Paris (IMHO) was far more beautiful.
FYI - Even though we don't speak any French, we never had any communication problems anywhere. Everyone we spoke with could speak very good English, especially in this area.
We had nighttime Eiffel Tower Summit Tickets and loved going to the top which gave us great picture opportunities and a sunset view of Paris. As an added bonus, don't miss the Eiffel Tower sparkle!
» Day 7 - We did a 2.5 hour private Louvre Museum visit and our tour guide Pat was our favorite guide of all! She brings you through the museum at a perfect pace and we saw so many beautiful famous works of art, including selfies directly in front of the Mona Lisa!!
After the Louvre, we walked around neighborhoods, had dinner, and relaxed before our early morning commute back to the airport.
FYI - You can tap to pay for just about everything both in England and France, but plan on having English Pounds and French Euros for tipping.
In summary, this trip gave us memories we’ll cherish forever—from laughing with our guides to watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle at sunset. Traveling with family can be chaotic, but this journey was pure magic. KimKim planned a beautiful fulfilling vacation for my family, and I'd highly recommend them.
wonderful 8 day vacation for my family!
Hotel Review
Les Jardins d'Eiffel
Paris
Nestled in the elegant 7th arrondissement, Les Jardins d’Eiffel is a peaceful retreat just minutes from the Eiffel Tower and the Seine. It's quiet courtyard garden and select rooms with (limited) tower views add a touch of romance, while the modern, well-equipped rooms ensure comfort.
Note - If you're from the US, don't forget to bring your adapter with USB connections for charging your devices. The rooms do not have these. We used these.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3LZ5896?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2&th=1
Location
The location was fantastic!
Staff
The English speaking staff was warm, the breakfast satisfying, and the location unbeatable—perfect for exploring Paris on foot.