<p>We love the Portrait Gallery too (the Queen by Andy Warhol!) and the Imperial War Museum. If you feel like a day trip outside of the city, a short train ride will take you to Warwick Castle. I highly recommend it. Love the Sherlocke Holmes Museum also and Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room below.</p>
<p>If you really like walking tours, I can heartily recommend the “London Walks” group. They offer a wide variety of theme tours in London (literary, architectural, even pub crawls). My family took the “Jack the Ripper” tour two summers ago - the leader of the tour is a reknowned authorty on Jack the Ripper, and he was fantastic (even though our walking group was huge.) It was the highlight of my teen’s trip.</p>
<p>We did the “Stonhenge at dusk”, too, but not as a tour group. If you write for tickets in advance, you can enter the site after closing on your own. (I believe we were escorted by park officials.) I thought it might be sort of tacky, yet the experience turned out to be oddly moving.</p>
<p>Two great books about ex-pats living in Paris to get you into the mood:
Paris to the Moon - by Adam Gopnik
Almost French - by Sarah Turnbull
And don’t miss having Berthillon ice cream on Ile Saint-Louis - it was even better than I thought ice cream could be.</p>
<p>Here are some places for some of the best treats in Paris:
patisseries: Pierre Herme, 72 rue Bonaparte (to go)
Laduree, 16 rue Royale (there are other locales, but this one is particularly charming) – you can sit down and have wonderful pastries.<br>
chocolate store:<br>
Maison du Chocolat, 225 rue de Faubourg St. Honore and other locations; at some you can sit down for coffee/cocoa and pastries too.</p>
<p>There are great food courts/emporiums near the Madeleine – including Fauchon. </p>
<p>and be sure to go the actual Berthillon shop – many other restaurants serve their ice cream on Ile St. Louis and elsewhere, but go to the source – and try a sundae in their tea room. </p>
<p>and for a lovely museum with a great little restaurant:</p>
<p>Musee Jacquemart-Andre</p>
<p>158 Boulevard Haussmann
Paris 75008
France</p>
<p>Here’s a great and CHEAP place to stay in London. The non-profit Hostelling International St. Paul’s Cathedral site <a href=“http://www.hihostels.com/dba/hostel018001.en.htm[/url]”>http://www.hihostels.com/dba/hostel018001.en.htm</a>. It is just around the block from St. Paul’s Cathedral and a short walk to the millenium bridge and many attractions. We stayed there in complete comfort (check out their tube like bunk beds!), and listened to the St.Paul’s boy’s choir sing a service. Absolutely heaven and very inexpensive and friendly. Also nice and cheap food in the cafe underneath the church. ;)</p>
<p>Super post from Vladivar who said it all, or nearly. All I can add is start praying for decent weather (it is pouring from the heavens and freezing cold as I write), and in the midst of cultural highbrow delights take time to do a night trip on a bateau-mouche. The Seine reflecting the city lights, the magical and historical bridges and the Eiffel Tower flashing is sheer delight. I’d say yes to the transport pass as the French metro is clean, pretty fast and runs until 1.30 AM.
DO NOT try to find a taxi on Friday or Saturday night. It’s hopeless.</p>
<p>I went to London and Paris during Spring Break this year.
People have said most things, but I would like to add:
WATCH OUT FOR PICKPOCKETERS!
especially on the metro, and never take your eyes of anything valuable. in London my friend put down her camera to put on her coat (she probably turned away from it about 90 degrees) and it was gone when she looked back a second later.</p>
<p>You will need to rob a bank.</p>
<p>Can I jump in? I am starting to think about the trip my daughter and I will take next summer after she graduates. Are hotels booked very far ahead? Will June be less crowded then later in the summer? Is there affordable clothes shopping in Paris and London? Thanks</p>
<p>What fun you will have.</p>
<p>Our family likes museums, theater and walking tours. There is so much available. Agree with Harrods, Bath, Stonehenge, Tower of London, also went to Shakespeare’s house, pub lunches, tours of castles, gardens, chateaus, the Louvre, sidewalk cafes, just walking around-it’s all good. I liked Versailles but didn’t make it w/the family.</p>
<p>Wish I was going!</p>
<p>I like H&M and think they are affordable. Benetton is a lot cheaper there than USA.</p>
<p>June is not as busy as the later summer months because the French and British schoolchildren are still in school in June.</p>
<p>There are many affordable high street shops in both Paris and London. Some things, especially some branded clothes, are very much more expensive than in the US, but others are OK. You can also get interesting clothes in the markets, and in Paris there are outlet shops where you can buy French designer clothing at a discounted price.</p>
<p>London</p>
<p>Harrod’s Food Hall
Hyde and Kensington Park incl Rose garden <a href=“http://www.gardenvisit.com/landscape/london/lguide/hyde-park-landscape.htm[/url]”>http://www.gardenvisit.com/landscape/london/lguide/hyde-park-landscape.htm</a>
Hamley’s toy store
Riverboat to Kew Gardens <a href=“http://www.kew.org/visitor/findkew.html[/url]”>http://www.kew.org/visitor/findkew.html</a>
Riverboat to Greenwich Observatory <a href=“http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.78/viewPage/4[/url]”>http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.78/viewPage/4</a></p>
<p>Paris</p>
<p>Musee Rodin (in an old ‘hotel’ /mansion)
Musee Picasso (also in an old hotel/mansion)
Musee D’Orsay
Luxemburg Gardens on the weekend.–Children’s puppet shows are great
Musee de l’Orangerie</p>
<p>Candace,
Your post made me think of my eldest son’s graduation. We left for Paris/Rome the day after graduation. Fast forward to son #2. We left the day after graduation for…Worcester Mass. (College registration.) LOL Second kids get ripped off!!!</p>
<p>June will be busy in Paris, but no more so than usual. As for hotels, perennial favorites will book up quicker, but if you prefer smaller, “European style” hotels you will find something suitable, especially if you do some research and don’t just try the ones listed in popular tourist guide books - although you are already a year out, which is plenty of time. (Go to tripadvisor.com for some ideas.) </p>
<p>Can’t comment on the shopping as I detest it.</p>
<p>How fun, a mother-daughter trip! I’m jealous. Enjoy the planning - it’s fun!</p>
<p>thanks. now I am starting to get excited. But I don’t want to rush her high school years! (: Out of the way funky shops would be great. Are there any street fairs? Artists workshops?</p>
<p>We have a trip planned this summer. Unbelievably, I’ve noticed that all of our hotel choices ( popular places) are still available to change around the dates if we decide to do that- even last minute. I think the unfavorable conversion rates may have something to do with that. </p>
<p>And actually, I read that June is a busier month than either July or August, at least in Paris. Many restaurants and shops close down altogether in August.</p>
<p>Candace,
Post that question about shopping on both Fodors.com <a href=“Europe - Fodor's Travel Talk Forums”>Europe - Fodor's Travel Talk Forums;
and Slowtravel.com
<a href=“http://slowtalk.com/eve/ubb.x[/url]”>http://slowtalk.com/eve/ubb.x</a></p>
<p>thanks, weenie! My daughter is happy I am looking into our trip and not always bothering her about college apps and summer reading assignments.</p>
<p>candace, when I travel to europe with my teens I always try to take them to some teen-centric shops, areas, attractions us old farts don’t know about. And the best way to find out about those places is to post a question on lonelyplanet.com, the website for the famed travel books. (Their forum is called ‘thorntree’ and is divided into continents) Just like this forum, the ones on lonelyplanet are an invaluable source of information on everything from where to stay, to where to hang out and still be ‘cool’.</p>
<p>thanks, katliamom. I know this year will fly by. I need to start researching now. (:</p>