Many of you have asked how our 3-week European Odyssey came together so I’m going to spend a few posts breaking it all down for you. It took a ton of planning, but it all paid off because overall, everything went really smoothly. Heck even Mother Nature blessed us with flawless weather. Let’s get started with tips for the flight out and our first stop, London:
1. Take the morning flight to eliminate jet lag. Typically, from here in Chicago anyway, you have the choice of a morning or early evening flight to London Heathrow. In theory the evening flight sounds good because you can sleep and arrive in London fresh and ready to start a new day. Unless you are a bionic plane sleeper, the ability to do this is rare. Even when I manage a few hours of airborne shut-eye, I’m still nodding off the next afternoon. I highly recommend the morning flight, ESPECIALLY if you’re traveling with kids. You basically fly all day, add the time change and you arrive in London in time to go to sleep. Head straight to your hotel, hit the sack, and you’ll be fresh and truly ready to go the next morning. NO JET LAG!
2. Take the Heathrow Express train from the airport to Paddington Station in London. Comfy, cheaper, and more reliable than a taxi. Get these tickets ahead of time to make your trip smoother.
3. Book your hotel near Paddington Station. We used Bookings.com for all of our hotel reservations throughout Europe. Even though we each dragged a bag or two, the 2-minute walk to our hotel was completely manageable. Note: we only stayed in London a couple of days. If you’re staying longer, there are many other great hotel locations to consider.
4. Use the tube. London has a great subway system that will take you to all the sites. Buy a pass for unlimited rides all day.
5. Get the London Pass for touring. We saw the Tower of London (you must see the crown jewels!), cruised the Thames, saw Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Windsor Castle, rode the London Eye and more, all included, with a fast track feature to skip lines.
6. See a show or two in London’s West End. We took the kids to see Phantom of the Opera. The London Pass also gives you theater discounts so take advantage. Buy your tickets well in advance as they can be limited. We bought our tickets before arriving in London.
Overall London is a friendly, casual city. Even theater-goers dress casually. Be sure to bring good walking shoes, wear layers and always be aware of your purse/bag/wallet. The weather in July was mid-60’s to 70’s, partly sunny, mostly overcast. We were lucky to escape rain!
Have you been to London? Favorite highlights? Tips for overseas travel?
I”m impressed that you knew to do all this! I would be clueless and overwhelmed! What resources did you use?
London is a fun family vacation! You have had a great summer!
Wow! You did very well – great tips!
I studied abroad in London and fell in love with the city. Your post and pictures are making me want to go back STAT!
I haven’t been to London since I was a kid (so I guess my parents had to do all of these things!). Great tips for family travel.
I studied abroad in London when I was in college and I loved in there! Such a great city. Sounds like you guys made out really well with all your travel arrangements!
Great tips! What great spots to go. You covered a lot in just a few days. The castle and grounds loook amazing 😉
Planning does make for a better experience and it’s nice it all went so smoothly for you.
I’ve never been to London, but its definitely on my travel bucket list.
I’d love to be able to go to London, with or without the family.
Awesome advice!! I’ve always taken a late afternoon flight to England, but maybe a morning flight makes more sense because it arrives just in time for bedtime!
Great tips! I always peruse blogs for insider tips before going somewhere.
I’ve never been to London and now I really (REALLY!) want to go!
One of my sons and his girlfriend are heading to London later this year. I’ll be sharing this with them.
Amazing. I have been to London – just once, but I loved it. Buckingham Palace and the Tower were favorites. I just loved the vibe of the city.
Useful tips and lovely pics.
THANK YOU FOR THIS!
we lived there for a year growing up and Ive decided to bring the child in the fall and I was already kinda –ok very–overwhelmed.
Great tips!! This looks like a wonderful trip and well thought out, I’m excited to read the rest of the series.
Oh good! I used booking.com for Colombia. Glad to see it worked well!! Love taking the train instead of a taxi from the airport whenever possible. I also love the Tube. Mind the Gap!
Great tips! One thing that I try to do whenever possible is stay somewhere that I either have a kitchen, or at least a refrigerator. It saves a lot of money not having to dine out for every meal. I think it’s a great experience to go to the local grocery stores, too, especially abroad! You can find some amazing local products at great (non-touristy) prices!
I saw the Phantom of the Opera 10 years ago in London and was one of my most favorite memories! Thanks for the bookings.com tip! Great pictures!
It’s easy to see you had a great time in London. Beautiful picture of all your family. We are planning to go to London next year… thanks for sharing your advice about buying a pass for unlimited rides all day.
Have a nice weekend!