Anyone with experience taking the family to Barcelona, London and/or Paris

Would you recommend any neighborhoods to look at for Airbnb?

I really don't have any great recs for airBnBs since I'm usually with my DD. We liked the Belgravia area since it was so close to Victoria station and not too far from Buckingham Palace- and it had lovely architecture. I'd probably figure out what landmarks you'd like to be close to, what area(s) are close and then pick from there.

Last summer we stayed near Hyde Park in Mayfair and while I didn't enjoy it as much as in Belgravia you might love being so close to Hyde Park. It was a rare sunny day and everyone was out playing soccer, having picnics, etc.
 
I was kind of thinking of staying in the area of the British Museum. It's someplace we plan to go to and it's on the Hop-on-Hop-off route so we can start our tour there. I believe it is also near China Town, Russel Square, Covenant Garden..

One more question... I've seen pictures of an area that kind of looks like Times Square. Where/what is that? Piccadilly Circus?

I'll add that I'm a little nervous about trying to figure out public transportation. Is it less confusing than I fear? I tried in NYC and was like, Nope!
Jess



I really don't have any great recs for airBnBs since I'm usually with my DD. We liked the Belgravia area since it was so close to Victoria station and not too far from Buckingham Palace- and it had lovely architecture. I'd probably figure out what landmarks you'd like to be close to, what area(s) are close and then pick from there.

Last summer we stayed near Hyde Park in Mayfair and while I didn't enjoy it as much as in Belgravia you might love being so close to Hyde Park. It was a rare sunny day and everyone was out playing soccer, having picnics, etc.
 
I'd guess Picadilly Circus/West End (theater) district is what resembles Times Square-neon marquees/billboards abound.

DD and I got lost around the British Museum so I've probably seen more of that area than necessary :) That said, iirc, it was nice and didn't feel unsafe.
 
Planning a similar trip for June 2020. Kids will be 21, 19, 17. I appreciate all this advice. Thanks! Hadn’t thought of using Air B&B. That would be great for us, otherwise we’d need 2 hotel rooms.
 


We went on a Europe trip this past summer, with DD23, DD15, and DS12. We did the Tauck Grand European Tour--please check out their itinerary, it's meant as a family tour. The youngest tour member was 8. See if there are ideas you can steal. Tauck may have something similar for Barcelona--I must say, they did a great job of balancing kid activities with more grown-up ones.

In London, we liked the Shard, the Tower of London, we did a bus tour (hop on/hop off--there are several, and you can get ones that include tickets to sights like the Tower). Kids loved the Harry Potter tour. I would have liked a Jack the Ripper tour, but we couldn't fit it in. High tea wasn't my thing, but if you have people who like to be fancy, it would be fun. Borough Market was a fun place to shop and eat. The London Eye was fun, but..I'm afraid of heights. I was doing okay, we were literally the next car to be unloaded, when the wheel stopped...and reversed...and took us all the way back up to the top again. Our guide said he'd never seen that before in 8 years of touring. An optimist would say that we got two rides for the price of one, but I was so, so glad to get back on the ground!

In Paris, we did a Seine river cruise, a chocolate dinner/tasting/kids made chocolate bars. We also visited Montmartre, which was very cool. I was less impressed with the Palace of Vaux le Vicomte. Obviously, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre.

We stayed in hotel rooms, so I can't help you there. I will say, study maps, etc.--Rick Steves has books on the cities you mentioned--and figure out where you'd like to stay. After hitting the big touristy places, try to find little gems in the area you're staying--parks, small museums, other things that could be interesting. Try the local restaurants, poke in the local shops--London, especially, has shops that have been open for hundreds of years, and some great flea markets.
 
Be careful with the British Museum... it's heavily haunted! ESPECIALLY the "Ghost Station" on the underground beneath it.

As far as public transport goes, I've never bothered with buses since the underground is so efficient. Has to be the easiest system to navigate in the world. Sadly, some of it is a bit grimy, but other places are all modern concrete, metal and glass. Depends on where you are.
 
I think I'm chickening out on Airbnb. It is a nice idea, especially for my larger family. I'm just a little nervous to try it. This is a big trip and far away. I'm more comfortable not getting ripped off and more comfortable with our safety to use hotels. We are looking at Park Place County Hall in London and Eifle Seine Hotel in Paris (also looked at Holiday Inn Paris-Canal de la Villette). We haven't started looking at Barcelona hotels yet.
 


I think I'm chickening out on Airbnb. It is a nice idea, especially for my larger family. I'm just a little nervous to try it. This is a big trip and far away. I'm more comfortable not getting ripped off and more comfortable with our safety to use hotels. We are looking at Park Place County Hall in London and Eifle Seine Hotel in Paris (also looked at Holiday Inn Paris-Canal de la Villette). We haven't started looking at Barcelona hotels yet.

I think you need to do what feels right for your family. We had great experiences with Airbnb in France and it gave us the opportunity to stay in amazing places at a great price We averaged about $175/night for a family of 6. Reading reviews is very important as is trying to figure out where it is located.
For Paris, the Hotel Eiffe Seine is located a little out of the way for my taste and the Canal de la Villette is too out of the way. When you look at hotels in Paris, the last two digits of their “zip code” correspond to their areondisement (neighborhood). I recommend staying in the single digit areas as that is where you will be doing most of your touring. I like the Marais district, my sister likes the Latin Quarter. Both places are lively. Her favorite hotel is Hotel de la Fleurie. My parents stayed at Hotel Saint Dominque a few years ago and liked it.
 
I just sent a host a message through Airbnb. It's a super host and he has great reviews. Fingers crossed. I'm a little nervous about it but feel better using someone with a ton of glowing reviews. The place is still a little off site but much closer than the Eifel Tower. It's a 5 min walk to the train and has a bus stop across the street. Plus the reviews say the location is better than people expected. The reviews also rave about the bakeries nearby. It's a 40 min train to the Eifel Tower, but the train is right near us. So on our arrival half day, I think we'll shop for pastries, cheese and wine and just make a night out of going to sit by the tower. The other 2 days we are doing a hop-on/off tour and a Seine ride so once we get to our starting point, our room location won't really matter anyway.

Any tips on where to go hang out at night? We have twin 12 yr olds with us. Nothing unsafe or crazy...more like street performers and/or vendors etc. Someplace fun, colorful and lively.

Thanks...
Jess


I think you need to do what feels right for your family. We had great experiences with Airbnb in France and it gave us the opportunity to stay in amazing places at a great price We averaged about $175/night for a family of 6. Reading reviews is very important as is trying to figure out where it is located.
For Paris, the Hotel Eiffe Seine is located a little out of the way for my taste and the Canal de la Villette is too out of the way. When you look at hotels in Paris, the last two digits of their “zip code” correspond to their areondisement (neighborhood). I recommend staying in the single digit areas as that is where you will be doing most of your touring. I like the Marais district, my sister likes the Latin Quarter. Both places are lively. Her favorite hotel is Hotel de la Fleurie. My parents stayed at Hotel Saint Dominque a few years ago and liked it.
 
At 11pm, they light up the Eiffel Tower with twinkling lights for 5 minutes. Definitely worth the effort to go--it was my DS12's favorite thing on the entire trip! Well, that, and the Sistine Chapel, but you aren't doing Italy, so...
 
I highly recommend the website Ivy instead of air bnb for housing in London. Some friends of mine who live in England told us to use it and it was totally worth it. The company is based in London and only lets London flats that they've previously vetted. They were extremely helpful when it came time to choose a place to stay and the place we stayed at was wonderful. It was within a 5-minute walk to Glouster Station in a safe neighborhood and was close to shops and restaurants.
 
40 Minutes train ride seems to me as though its quite a way out - definitely outside of Central Paris. Did it say which train? Which line its on? Is it RER or metro line? Tell us which station or line and we can maybe help you work out what the area is like and how far out it might be.
DLP is a 30/40 minute train ride into Paris and if you are travelling that far every day it may get tiring especially at the end of a long day.
If for example you stay to watch the Eiffel Tower light up its going to be after midnight when you get back to your base.
 
Europe has so much to offer, history, culture, art... Just amazing.....DH and I just made our first trip this year.

I spent months researching everything, Transportation from taxi to hop on hop off buses, museum passes, group and private tours, etiquette/manners/customs where we were going, learning a little bit of the language.

We loved it so much, and are already starting to think about next year and were to go...
 
We're all set for London (hotel) and Paris (Airbnb)….now on to figuring out where to stay in Barcelona. I'm torn between wanting to be right at the beach and metro to things or closer to attractions and metro to the beach. I like the idea of being by the beach because that makes it easy to enjoy the beach whenever we have a little bit of time (instead of committing to a trip to the beach). We definitely want time ont he beach but it's also nto the main reason we are going to Barcelona.

J-
 
Europe has so much to offer, history, culture, art... Just amazing.....DH and I just made our first trip this year.

I spent months researching everything, Transportation from taxi to hop on hop off buses, museum passes, group and private tours, etiquette/manners/customs where we were going, learning a little bit of the language.


We loved it so much, and are already starting to think about next year and were to go...
Yes!
This is how I plan most any trip I go on and the further away from home the more I immerse self in trying to understand what I'll experience when I get there.
 
The best thing that my brother brought home from Barcelona was a host of marvelous recipes for sangria. The shop owners will share their recipes when you find something you like.
 
Absolutely Agree! I mean, I'm a Disney person, so obviously I'm a compulsive planner. Plus, I say this all the time...I am never happier in life than when I am planning a trip. I honestly enjoy planning as much as I enjoy going.

I also, believe strongly in the joy and benefits of travelling. We have 5 kids. I feel like I was given a certain amount of time to fill them with experiences. Our oldest turns 22 time May. I am on 'bonus' time with him. I don't have much longer to guarantee that we can travel as a complete family.

Jess



Europe has so much to offer, history, culture, art... Just amazing.....DH and I just made our first trip this year.

I spent months researching everything, Transportation from taxi to hop on hop off buses, museum passes, group and private tours, etiquette/manners/customs where we were going, learning a little bit of the language.

We loved it so much, and are already starting to think about next year and were to go...
 
40 Minutes train ride seems to me as though its quite a way out - definitely outside of Central Paris. Did it say which train? Which line its on? Is it RER or metro line? Tell us which station or line and we can maybe help you work out what the area is like and how far out it might be.
DLP is a 30/40 minute train ride into Paris and if you are travelling that far every day it may get tiring especially at the end of a long day.
If for example you stay to watch the Eiffel Tower light up its going to be after midnight when you get back to your base.

Agreed that the locale in discussion is probably on a commuter line however if you are going for say 2 or 3 days you might want to be more centrally located but if staying for say a week or more then other considerations might take precedence.
 
We're good. Not really out of the way, but not 100% in the middle of things. Had to balance cost in here too....this is a 2 week trip, in 3 cities plus Disney, with 7 people. We're near 3 metro stops. We arrive from Disneyland mid day on day 1. We will dedicate that night to going to the Eiffel Tower at night. We plan to bring snacks and have a bit of a picnic too. We can stay for the twinkling lights. The late night is fine....my kids are good at doing late. The next day we will do a hop on/off. So really, once we get to the tour, it doesn't really matter where our room is because we aren't going back. Day 3, we will either do the tour again, or wander.

I am looking for tips on getting a good 'café in Paris' experience...and also where to picnic along the Seine.

For London...a good Pub experience (that I can bring 12 yr olds to). We are staying within walking distance of the Eye, if that helps.

Thanks again...this thread is great.
J-


Agreed that the locale in discussion is probably on a commuter line however if you are going for say 2 or 3 days you might want to be more centrally located but if staying for say a week or more then other considerations might take precedence.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top