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Travel School: London & Paris

TRAVEL SCHOOL: LONDON & PARIS

By: Celeste Ezell | August 3, 2023

Our family just returned from an amazing trip to Europe with about five days in London and five days in Paris. Since we don’t travel often, we packed our time with as much as possible without burning out our youngest. Our favorite experiences in London were the Tower of London, British Museum, the London Eye, and Frozen the Musical. Our Paris favorites were the Louvre, Sainte Chappelle, Montmartre and Versailles. We were most thrilled when we recognized masterpieces and landmarks we already knew about. Here are some ideas we used (or wished we had) to make the most of it!

Videos

Many movies are set in London and Paris. Watching one right before your trip will help your child recognize some of the famous landmarks.

Paris: The AristoCats, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ratatouille, Madeline, Miraculous

London: Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, 101 Dalmatians, Paddington Bear & Harry Potter.

Books

Invest in books that keep little ones busy and help familiarize them with the cities: sticker books like Stickyrama Louvre or Paint by Number Sticker Masterpieces, Kids Travel Guide, coloring books, pop up books or story books like Charlotte in Paris or Katie in London

Maps

Invest in a children’s map of the city or print your own and cut & tape on it pictures of each landmark you visit.

Audio Tours

Nothing is more memorable than a good story about the people who made each landmark famous. Several attractions offer kid-friendly audio tours. Our kids loved the Tower of London audio tour, the Hop on Hop off buses and Château Chenonceau.

Museums

Museums are the hardest for kids, so it’s important to meet them on their level. Use the museum guide or print photos ahead of time and do scavenger hunts for certain famous works.

We took turns in our own photo shoots, posing like statues or pretending to hold a portrait or artifact in our hands. Violet’s finger puppets took bites out of landmarks as if they were godzilla! Making up our own games, we counted the number of animals in a collage and played “I spy.”

Hire a family tour guide from Paris Muse Clues or With Locals, London

Parks

Locate parks near landmarks or restaurants for some high energy play time with the local kids. Or find a park near your hotel and play in the morning or in the evening. Take a picnic so you’re not rushed. We could not pull our children out of The Children's Play Area Jubilee Gardens behind the London Eye before closing, it’s wonderful.

Souvenirs

We made a deal with our little girl that if she did not bring many toys with her from home, she could buy a stuffie in each country we visited. And we invested in a small shoulder bag for her to carry her friends with her. These animals became her pretend travel companions and took turns accompanying her on outings. We let her pick a small souvenir from each museum, and now, as she plays with them at home, she remembers where she got them.

For more ideas, visit Family Friendly London or Lonely Planet’s Paris with Kids.

Celeste & Daniel Ezell are parents to three children who have attended, attend or soon will attend their accelerated K-8 Micro-school. They founded Chronos Academy to integrate all subjects to a timeline with creativity, music and making. You can reach Celeste by email at celeste@chronos.academy. Follow Chronos Academy at @chronoscohorts or learn more at chronos.academy