A trip around Europe by Dacia Lea

Jul 5

This is a trip I have been wanting to do with my family for a while now. However, I wanted to wait untill they were older to really able to appreciate Europe. I have been to London three times, Rome two times but never visited Paris. I Loved them all and couldn’t wait for my kids to experience it with me.

When you are taking a big family to Europe and you’re looking at the cost, it can be a little bit scary. It is a little bit more affordable to take a cruise, however, we really wanted them to experience it through walking the cobblestone streets, trains to different cities, and immersing ourselves in the whole Europe experience!

Let’s just say European travel takes a lot of time and energy to plan but it is totally worth it.

By the way the kids loved it! After every trip, “I love to ask them what was their favorite and why. “The kids loved London, said that Paris was OK and it was cool seeing the Eiffel Tower, but their favorite was ROME.

We had 11 days in Europe because both boys had travel ball so we had to really had to do well with planning our time.

London:

We spend 4 days / 3 nights

We flew on a late flight out of Miami and arrived at 10 AM the next morning to London. We wanted to get there early so we could acclimate to the time. (Biggest tip I could give you is to not go to sleep when you arrive in a new country even though you’re so tired with European travel, you have to push through.)

Hotel : The Cheval 3 Quays

This was like an apartment. We had so much space, we got two bedrooms, family room, kitchen, and it was overlooking “The Tower Bridge,”

Talk about a view! Will definitely be going back to stay here. Safe, great view, clean and near everything.

Top sights in London:

Westminster Abbey

Stroll St James park over to Buckingham

Walk through green park, see shops old bond st, tour of London, changing of the Guards

Green park

Changing of the guards

Parliament Square

St. James Park

Buckingham Palace

Westminster Abbey

Big Ben

South Bank

London Eye

View from the Shard

Nails Yard

China Town

House Guards Parade

Fleet Street

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Tower Bridge - boat ride through

Painted Hall

Mouton Touché the Musical

Mamma Mia - the party

Horizon 22

Ride the London eye and the Thames rocket

Book (high tea in London)

Harrods

Day 1:

We ate yummy croissants & coffee when we arrived at Pret. A very common healthy fast food in London.
Checked into our amazing apartment/hotel that has an amazing view of the Tower Bridge & great for large families staying.
Walked to the “Borough Market.” All types of delicious food….. fresh juices, fruits, pastries, mushroom risotto, pastas, cheese sandwiches, every ethnicity represented …any food type you could think of.
Walked to see the famous “Big Ben.”
London Eye
Walked by Parliament
Had the best fish and chips & pims at “The Ship & Shovell”

We basically walked until we dropped… almost 5 miles this day with 8 1/2 hr. flight.

See more of our Day 1 here. The last video is the view from our room.

Day 2:

Got up early & hopped on the red bus to see the famous Buckingham palace. Just standing in front of it you feel a ROYAL VIBE!!! I love the tradition of the guards and all the formalities.

Went to the famous HARRODS! So impressive, you can get lost easily… the food stations downstairs, you don’t even know where to start! Fresh pastas, sushi, incredible meat choices, romon, bakery, fresh juice, Prosecco & coffee bar, & all the designer shopping . Like a kid in a candy store!

Finished the day seeing St. Pauls Cathedral. The kids are at such a good stage to enjoy everything, we had an amazing day.

Day 3 :

Full day in London! Started by seeing “The Tower of London & Crown Jewels” tour.” Super impressive tour where you get to see stunning jewels, crowns, swords, and how they lived back in the day & the timelessness of monarchy.

Then headed to Piccadilly Circus /SoHo area for lunch. Had Thai at this place called “Rosa’s”. It was my first time having Thai and really liked it. Shopped a little bit….beautiful area with great shopping.

We had tea at “Fortnum & Mason” @fortnums. The aesthetic was beautiful… loved the pop of aqua & gold. The china was stunning! It was a chance for the girls to use their manners!! We laughed so hard & tried to act civilized as possible.

I had heard “DISHOOM” @dishoom was an incredible Indian restaurant & wanted to have the crew try it for dinner. I have never had Indian in my life… I got quite adventurous with my tastebuds this trip…we went to the one in Coventry Gardens. You can’t make reservations & you have to wait in line . It was definitely worth it… never had food that spicy of food. Like a party & experience in your mouth with every bite! You have to try one if ever in the area. Have to be a foodie & love spicy!

Finished the night with the best gelato. @anitagelatousa I’ve ever had in my life. I had the mint chocolate chip in a cone and they put a dollop of fudge on top… insane.

Restaurant recommendations:

Circolo Populare

The Ivy

Burgers & Lobster

The Wolseley

Lisboeta

Dishoom (Indian no reservations but a must eat at London place)

Mayfair Chippy (fish n chips)

The ship & Shovell (fish n chips)

Paris:

We stayed 3 days and 2 nights. We took the Eurostar from London to Paris. That is the way to go, so easy and efficient.

Hotel: La clef tour Eiffel Paris hotel

Great location, beautiful hotel, clean & nice staff

Sights to see:

Eiffel Tower

Tour the louve

Versailles palace

MONTMARTRE

Muse d” rosay

Family dinner over look Eiffel tour

Places to eat in PARIS:

Dinner with a view - giraffe

Cafe de l’homme (right next to the Giraffe)

Laperouse

Coco Garnier

Nobu at Royal Manceau

Mensieur bleu

La langosterie

Forest - near Eiffel Tower

Never experienced a train ride with kids. Heard it was amazing to take the train from London to Paris . So we were daring enough to get up at 5am to get on a 8am Eurotrain to Paris… with all our luggage and all! We did it and the everyone loved it. Easy way to travel, scenic, so quiet …. I was shocked.

Day 2

Experiencing Paris

• The Lourve (Went to see the famous Lourve in Paris! Saw the Mona Lisa, always wanted to see her)

• History

• Champagne

• Shopping

• Montmarte

• Arc de Triomphe

• Sacré-Cœur Basilica

• Cafes

• Shopping

We did a dinner cruise over looking Eiffel Tower. I thought it was gonna be cheesy, but it was super cool and I would recommend it to anybody, definitely worth the money!

Dreamed of seeing the Eiffel Tower one day & even more special with the kids…. Pinch me

Bonjour

Day 3:

Shopping in Paris is like no other.

Went to the Go Yard store, Hermes, Louve Vuitton, Cartier, and Golden Goose store.

We flew out on day 3 to Rome

Rome:

We rented a VRBO in Rome. It was nice because we had “9” of us and everyone had their own room and bathroom, even each of the kids.

It was in walking distance to Tivoli fountain & everything! Quaint little restaurants all around! It was so nice with “5 teens!” When in doubt head to Rome, you will always have a good time! So much to do here. Can’t wait for my kids to experience it! The relaxed vibe, pasta, gelato, charming streets, architecture, spritz , tours, shopping, old churches, & history.

The first night we did a Segway night tour throughout Rome @fattiretours . It’s been one of my favorite tours & the kids loved it!

Day 2

Toured the Vatican with the kids. Amazing tour with so much rich history. Had a private cooking class with the kids… we learned how to make pizza, fresh pasta & gelato. The chef was excellent, learned so much. @holy_pizza_rome

The kids have said ROME has been their favorite so far!!!

Day 3

Walked the streets , just took it easy and shopped.

Fun facts learned in ROME :

you will be made fun of if you drink cappuccino after 11am only espresso
Everyone eats late in Italy
When you go into the Vatican men can only wear pants & ladies shoulders have to be covered
Toilet paper is sparse in bathrooms
Wear comfy shoes
Don’t pack too much & less luggage
Spritz & gelato is always a good idea
people are soo nice here & great energy here

Day 4

Train trip to Florence (took Eurostar)

Day trip to Florence… the food & architecture are incredible! The side restaurants with sandwiches & shopping is awesome!

Day 5

The Colosseum in ROME was soo impressive! It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the World.

Kids loves seeing it!!!

Must see in Rome:

Colosseum

Vatican

pantheon

Fontana de trevi

Day trip on train to Florence

Piazza de poppolo great area

Visit Trastevere such a pretty area in Rome

Have lunch at osteria nannarella or Mimi e coco trast

Favorite excursions in Rome kids said:

The cooking class in Rome. Learn how to make homemade pasta, pizza and gelato

Nighttime Segway tour seeing all of Rome

Big tire company

It was so fun to watch the kids at this age enjoy European travel! We walked on average 15,000 steps a day, enjoyed good food, in and out of churches, sites, shops and no complaining. So fun seeing Europe through their eyes…. Worth every bit of hard work planning & sacrifice!

After 11 days flew back home from Rome

Packing & Fashion tips :

Pack as light as possible . It is annoying, have to carry so much on plans, trains, and in and out of cities.
Try to pack with a color scheme so you don’t have to pack too much.
Wear light clothes: dresses, shirts, shorts
Wear comfy walking shoes you will be walking a lot.
Bring a light coat in case it rains or gets chilly.
Bring an umbrella
Bring 2 different credit cards, passport and identification
Keep a purse or fanny pack in front of you at all times don’t leave your phone out or in a back pocket or in back of a coat.
Get uro as soon as you get there or before
Clear your phone of pictures and have a lot of storage o phone you will get taking lots of pictures
Bring a mini charger that can fit in your fanny pack
Bring a charger for Europe that fits your blow dryer or flat iron