London/Paris in 10 days with 12 year old grandson
England
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Jun 1 - Jun 9, 2025
This was a 10 day trip to London and Paris with my 12 year old grandson who has intense interests in history in general, and world war I & II especially. We had specific sites of interest that a normal group tour do not cover. I engaged Kim Kim for a customized itinerary. Jane was able to make an itinerary that covered all the places we specified within the time frame of our travel in a reasonable pace.
The private pickup to and from airports and train stations were extremely helpful. The drivers were ontime, communicated ahead, and friendly, both in London and Paris. The daily itinerary including local tours were arranged very well, especially for most that the meeting point was only 5-10 min from the hotel.
The hotels were the quality we expected, the breakfasts were good, and the location ok. One thing about the hotel in London (Georgian House) that we did not realize while checking the website is that it is a hotel without elevators. We were also given a 'Harry Potter' theme room in the basement. The window cannot be open. It is charming in its decor that fits the period. It would have been a fun stay for a day or two, but being there for 5 days we felt very crammed, and sort of inconvenient. My grandson was NOT a Harry Potter fan, which I thought I mentioned in our planning conversation as well. But it worked out. The AC hotel in Paris was by comparison much more comfortable :)
The Normandy tour was the reason we detoured to Paris at the end of the trip. In the description on the roadblock, it mentioned it was a group tour, 15 people or less. The tour we were on was a huge group of 55-60 people. It was a bit overwhelming for the 12 year old to hear the narration in the big coach. Not sure how it was changed.
I really appreciate your team, Jane and Gabrielle (?) for your quick action in securing us the Leeds/Dover/ Canterbury tour which was canceled the last minute so we did not lose a day.
All in all, this was a memorable trip that we saw everything we planned to see (including the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris) . The trip went smoothly other than the two of us getting turned around by google map directions a few times. The 12 year old usually saved the day:)
Thank you Jane, Romane, and KimKim for a great job in helping out the logistics and clear communication.
Activity Reviews
The museum was very well planned, and interesting. It's well worth a visit if you are interested in Churchill's role in WWII and how he played it out.
The Flexi Fast Track pass is a very convenient way to get to London Eye without a specified time.
It was fun to see the changing of the guards. We wish we had more time to visit the White Tower, which is very interesting for people with interest in military history, more so than the Crown Jewels. Wish the guide would point that out rather than giving the impression that it was a 11the century tower, seems nothing much to see. The walking tour or West Minister etc was a bit disappointing that we did not get to go inside the grounds.
Another rainy day. We were not able to see the changing of the guards in its full gala. The castle itself was impressive. Wish we could take pictures inside to remember it. The Roman Bath was a great learning experience for my grandson to experience how it was built, used, and preserved. He got a kick out of drinking Bath water at the end. Bath is another charming town to stroll around. Stonehenge was one of the highlights of our visit. It's amazing experience to see it up close.
The weather had a lot to do with the tour. It was a dreary day to visit Dover, so the White Cliff was not as impressive as we imagined. The Leeds castle was a beautiful place which we would not have visited had we not joined this trip. The Canterbury Cathedral is amazingly beautiful, even my 12 year old grandson was impressed. The city of Canterbury is charming, a nice town to walk around, window shopping and have some lunch or snacks. We did not join the tour that had the Greenwich River boat ride. The tour was canceled at the last minute. Not sure how often this happens. We were able to join a similar tour at the last minute thanks to the agent.
We would go back anytime. Wish we could spend more time there.
The driver was on time (early), but very quiet and was not communicative in terms of giving more tips on navigating the train station. He also parked quite a bit from the actual train station, we weren't even sure if we were walking to the right building . He might not be able to park close because of parking restrictions. Not sure.
the driver texted me a day ahead to assure me of time and place of pickup. The reassurance was very nice. He was right where we expected him, and answered my questions re getting around in Paris on public transport. Very helpful and friendly. His name is Thomas, I think.
This trip was what my grandson wanted to do. Thus we made the trip to Paris so to join the tour. It was very an eye opener and something one would remember. The tour covered all the places in the itinerary. We just wished we could spend more time in Omaha Beach and visit the museum as well. We understand it's logistically not feasible. The lunch provided was good, at least we did not have to go find lunch on our own. The American Cemetery was a very poignant experience. The veterans there (cause of D-Day anniversary ) added to the experience.
