We recently got back from a trip to Europe, and I wanted to write a quick post about something I thought about while we were there. We visited both London and Paris, and in each city we relied almost exclusively on public transportation. In London, it was on the Tube / Underground (with a bit of National Rail thrown in) and on Paris it was mostly the subway. This worked out great for us, with the possible exception of a disastrous Paris Bus 351 to CDG Airport trip. For more articles from this 2024 London / Paris trip, see the table of contents lower in the post.
Planning Trips For Kids
Planning trips for kids is always a bit of a hit or miss – in my experience, it can be sometimes hard to decide what will be interesting to kids, and that changes as the kids get older. For every time you truly hit a home run with a great trip, there are always misses. On this trip, visiting the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio London was a huge hit, while the Louvre was a bit of a miss. Even the Eiffel Tower was a bit of a miss, but that was mostly because apparently the workers were on strike the day that we were there, so we didn’t get to go on our tour to the top (that we had already paid for).
The Subway IS The Vacation
As we were riding around on the subway in Paris and London, I kind of got the impression that the kids might have been just as happy riding around on the Tube for the entire vacation. Both of my kids (but especially my 15 year old son) were super excited to navigate through the subway, and loved to figure out where we were, what lines we had to take, and where we had to transfer. Plus, you know a 15 year old boy is going to enjoy talking about “the Piccadilly line to Cockfosters” 🙂
Which made me wonder if we could make an entire vacation just about riding the subway around! :-).
(SEE ALSO: I finally left a kid by himself on the subway)
(SEE ALSO: I admit it – I don’t understand the Tokyo Subway system)
It kind of reminded me of the classic Christmas story where your kid enjoys playing with the box more than the actual present itself.
- We're Going to Europe
- Our first "first class" flight
- New York JFK Greenwich Room / AA Flagship Business Lounge
- American Airlines Boeing 777-200 Review JFK-LHR
- American Airlines London Heathrow / LHR Arrivals Lounge
- When Riding the Subway IS The Vacation
- Holiday Inn Express London Hammersmith Review
- Laundryheap Review – laundry and dry cleaning pickup service
- How To Get London Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tickets At The Last Minute
- Eurostar Train Review from London to Paris
- I'd Love To Book the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoille but...
- Marriott Courtyard Paris Gare de Lyon Hotel Review
- 7 things to see in Paris with the Paris Go City Pass
- How To Take Bus 351 From Paris to CDG Airport (But Maybe You Don’t Want To)
- Holiday Inn Express Paris CDG Airport Review
- A Hotel Gave Me Connecting Rooms... Then I Walked In On Someone Else In Their Room
- Air France Paris CDG Terminal E Gate M Lounge Review
- Why Do My Business Class Flights Keep Getting Cancelled?
- Why You Should Always Put Your Frequent Flyer Number On Your Reservation
- Air France Paris CDG Terminal E Gate L Lounge Review
- Air France Airbus A350-900 Review Paris - Newark (CDG-EWR)
- Why I Keep NOT Buying Wifi On Flights (Do You?)
- Who Is "Rose O. Dougherty" From Delta Customer Care?
- How To Get a Delta EU261 Claim (It Was Easier Than I Thought!)
- Delta Sky Club EWR Lounge Review
- The Mental Load That “Planners” Carry While Traveling
- How My 7 Day European Trip Was Free (With Some Careful Accounting)
- Trip Report - 9 Days In Europe With a Family Of 4
The Bottom Line
We just got back from a weeklong trip to London and Paris and it seemed like my kids enjoyed riding the subway more than the actual activities that we planned for them. Of course this wouldn’t be the case for someone who grew up in New York or another city where subway riding is more common. In our case, despite plans for a subway in the early 1900s, we don’t have much in the way of a subway, so it was a lot of fun for the kids.
Have you ever had kids more fascinated with riding the subway than the actual vacation? Leave your thoughts in the comments below
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
I am 81 years old and still enjoy it.
That’s awesome. I like riding the subway too 🙂