Travel Experiences for Kids: Day-Trip to London from Paris
Traveling from Paris to London for a day trip is an ambitious, but doable, experience. The high-speed Eurostar train makes this round-trip journey possible and enjoyable by connecting central Paris with central London via the “Chunnel” in under two and a half hours. This post covers how you can maximize your day trip from Paris to London on the Eurostar.
Is a Day Trip from Paris to London with Kids Worth It?
The answer probably varies from family to family. When we were in Paris in July 2023, our kids were 6 and 8 years old. At that age, we thought there may be only a handful of sights they would be interested in seeing in London: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and the London Eye. Each of those attractions can be experienced pretty quickly. Our kids were a little young for more in-depth and time consuming attractions such as the Churchill War Rooms and Tower Bridge Tour. Therefore, while a little rushed, we figured it was worth it to ‘do’ London in a day and then hopefully make a longer visit there sometime in the future.
Taking the Eurostar was very easy, as was getting to/from Gare du Nord train station in Paris and St. Pancras Station in London. Be advised that since you are leaving the European Union, there is a customs process to go through on both the departure from Paris and the departure home from London. When you arrive in each city, you can simply leave the train stations without going through any security or customs.
Preparing For Your Day Trip From Paris to London
In advance of your trip, you should purchase tickets on the Eurostar website (https://www.eurostar.com/us-en). Fortunately, for families, the Eurostar website automatically seats people in the same party together (subject to availability). Much of the seating on the Eurostar train is groups of four - two seats facing the other two seats, with a table in the middle.
Also, before your trip, make a pretty tight itinerary of things you would like to see and do. Realistically, you will only have about six to seven hours on the ground in London, so wasted time is especially costly. Planning the itinerary also includes either making a reservation for lunch or planning where to stop. Any meal should be close to the sights you will be seeing.
Different families have different tastes. In the spirit of providing a sample itinerary, below is the itinerary we followed for our day trip to London in July 2023.
Early Morning: Departure from Paris
In advance of our trip, we purchased four Standard tickets for the Eurostar which at the time cost about $368 USD total. When selecting times for our trains, we had a simple goal in mind: Maximize our time in London without a) leaving our hotel too early in the morning and b) returning to our hotel at the end of the day too late. This rule led us to select a train leaving Gare du Nord at 8:43 am and arriving back in the evening at 9:20 pm.
To leave more than enough time to get through the customs process, we caught an Uber at our hotel around 6:30 am so that we could get to the train station around 7:00 am (I am of the mindset that it is much better to leave plenty of time instead of incurring the stress of missing a train/flight). When we arrived at Gare du Nord, we had plenty of time to pick up a quick breakfast of coffee, water and pastries. One quick comment on the Gare du Nord and the surrounding area. You may read opinions that both are unsafe. We personally did not feel unsafe at all. Yes, both the train station and the surrounding neighborhood are a little seedy. But not more so than a train station in any major city in the United States. Use standard caution with safeguarding valuables and staying together and you should be fine.
Afterwards, we headed upstairs to the separate Eurostar section of the station. From customs to the boarding process, everything was very organized. They bring people through customs based on train departure time, so there is a chance you will need to wait for train to be called/displayed on the screen.
Once we got through customs, we had a short wait in the lounge area before boarding our train. Since each ticket has both a coach number and a seat number, we could easily find our reserved seats.
The train itself is very clean and comfortable, and the ride was smooth. Our family of four was seated together, and we used the table in the middle of our seats to set up snacks and play Uno. From station to station the journey takes about two hours and twenty minutes. Due to the time zone difference, we gained an hour back and arrived at St. Pancras Station at 10:00 am London time.
Mid-Morning: Arrival in London and Buckingham Palace
Having completed the customs process before we boarded in Paris, we were able to walk off the train and out of St. Pancras Station without going through any security. There is not much around St. Pancras in terms of sightseeing, so we called an Uber and headed to Trafalgar Square. From there, we made the short walk to Buckingham Palace along “The Mall” in St. James Park. We arrived too late for the changing of the guards, which happens only once per day. However, the kids enjoyed looking at the palace and seeing the guards making their rounds.
Mid-Day: Lunch
Since we had a pretty good idea of our itinerary, we also knew some good neighborhoods to make a lunch reservation that wouldn’t take us too far off our path. We opted for the Ivy Restaurant in Victoria(https://ivycollection.com/menus/), which serves upscale British fare with a good kids menu. The timing was also good because we were able to fuel up for the rest of our day.
Afternoon: London Sights and the London Eye
After lunch, we walked to the Thames River, taking in Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and of course Big Ben along the way. From there, we crossed the Thames and boarded the London Eye. To avoid waiting, we purchased our timed tickets well in advance of our visit. There was a good playground nearby for the kids to play on near the base of the eye.
Afterwards, we had about an hour to kill before we were due to arrive at St. Pancras. We used this time to stroll the neighborhood north of Trafalgar Square and grab some ice cream.
Evening: Return to Paris
After a fulfilling day exploring London, we arrived back at St Pancras International for our train back to Paris. We used the time between when we went through customs and our train's departure time to buy dinner items for the train ride home. (Note: unlike with flying, you are able to bring food and drinks through security. This means, in theory, you could pick up dinner from anywhere in London. We simply ran out of time. Since there may be exceptions, please refer to the Eurostar website for the latest regulations.
We arrived back in Paris around 9:20 local time. While considered late in the evening by our American sensibilities, dinner was just getting underway for many Parisians and the streets were lively. There are several restaurants across the street from Gare du Nord, and this was a safe and easy place for us to call an Uber. We were in our beds at the hotel by 10:00 pm.
Other Itinerary Possibilities
Options for your London day trip itinerary are virtually endless. Above is what we saw and did, but below are a few additional ideas for your itinerary:
- Afternoon Tea: Reserve a table at one of London’s famed tea spots, such as the Orangery in Hyde Park (https://kensingtonpalacepavilion.co.uk/), Brown’s Hotel (https://www.roccofortehotels.com/hotels-and-resorts/brown-s-hotel/dining/the-drawing-room/), or The Wolseley (https://www.thewolseley.com/menu/afternoon-tea/)
- Quick Museum Stop: If you feel very ambitious, visit one of London’s famous museums, such as the National Gallery or Tate Modern
- Tower Bridge and Tower of London: There are some good photo ops at both places. However, slightly off the beaten path so you may need to Uber or take a cab
Conclusion
While it is no doubt a hectic day, a day trip from Paris to London on the Eurostar is definitely feasible and fun.It offered a brief introduction to London for our children with opportunity to do a deeper London and England dive in the future. With some planning and a full day, you can enjoy a memorable experience that your children will never forget.