Well, if they haven't been to Yurp before, and assuming they are not experienced travellers in general, I'd suggest the line of least resistance, which is to follow the well-beaten tourist trail but geared towards their particular interests as far as possible.
So in London I'd suggest the Tower, an open-topped bus tour (great even for old hands), Greenwich, Somerset House (and the Courtauld Gallery) - if the weather's warm, the fountains are on, and the baby has started to walk, then the courtyard is great for kids to play in the fountain, but take dry clothing. Hampton Court, Kew Gardens, a river trip from Greenwich to Kew is excellent. There are numerous Royal Parks which are beautiful in the sunshine, so a trip to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery followed by a walk along Whitehall to Horseguards, then into Saint James's Park and the Mall to Buckingham Palace and tea with HMQ. The lights in Piccadilly Circus are ok at twilight, but otherwise it's just a tourist trap, although a meal at the Criterion is an enjoyable experience. In the same area, and connecting with the Mall etc., a walk along Jermyn Street to St James's Palace, tea at Fortnum & Mason or the Ritz, a visit to the Royal Academy and a walk up Burlington Arcade. Soho is well worth exploring, starting at Carnaby Street, getting lost and finishing at Old Compton Street - loads of interesting eateries around there. Camden Lock, the canal and the Regent's Park are all interesting - the zoo is in the park, if you approve of such things. Around Farringdon and Clerkenwell is very interesting. There's a great market on Leather Lane, and another which is superb at lunchtime at Exmouth Market. There's also Columbia Road flower market, Brick Lane and Bethnal Green road, which are gfeeat at weekends, and Whitechapel Art Gallery to escape to (it's also Jack the Ripper and Kray twins territory...). It's endless, really. I've been here for over 30 years and still finding new and interesting places. Paris is the same. To some extent it's easier to tell you what to avoid, such as the rip-off joints around the Champs Élysées. When I go I try to stay in a couple of hotels on the rue Madame, near the Jardin du Luxembourg - depending on whether the exchange rate is for or against me. If you forego the hotel breakfast you can have breakfast in the lovely little Cafe Fleurus, rue de Fleurus, where Gertrude Stein and Alice B Toklas entertained the likes of Hemingway, Picasso and others, then start the day in the Jardin du Luxembourg. The area around the JdL is full of interest, and it's easy to go from there to Saint Germain des Pres and the Latin Quarter. The usual tourist haunts such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, bateaux mouches, Notre Dame, but also places like the rue Mouffetard, the mosque, numerous markets. A walk along the Canal Saint Martin is enjoyable. The Pompidou Centre is good - the rooftop restaurant is enjoyable in the sunshine. Montmartre is simultaneously overcrowded, overrated and under-explored. Try to get off the beaten track around there - I quite like some of the rougher areas to the east of Montmartre around Barbes, but they're not to everyone's taste. I also like the area around Buttes Chaumont, Belleville and the walk to Pere Lachaise. Finally, and a bit more upmarket, I like two more of the 'English' parks - Parc Monceau and Parc de Montsouris, which is not far from the catacombs and rue Daguerre. I don't know Normandy very well, even though I cycled through it from Caen last month. I spent a couple of weeks in Rouen a few years ago, and really liked it and thoroughly rommend it. Hope that helps, B > On 12 Jul 2015, at 18:42, David J Brooks <[email protected]> wrote: > > My daughter and son in law are planning a trip to London, Paris and > Normandy in the fall. Its been 40 years since i was in London, stayed > at Bayswater and Queensway at a small hotel that i forget the name of. > The plan on a few days in London, then off to Paris, then off to > Normandy. > > I went to the museums in London, and Piccadilly Circus area but i'm > sure things have changed, > > Any advise, things to see for the first time European travelers, with > a 10 month old > > Dave > > -- > Documenting Life in Rural Ontario. > www.caughtinmotion.com > http://brooksinthecountry.blogspot.com/ > York Region, Ontario, Canada > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
