New York, Paris, Tokyo… there are so many amazing cities in the world, and lucky me, along with my family, I’ve had the opportunity to visit quite a few of the greats! Of course, not everyone agrees about which of them deserve to be on the Best List even among family members, which we discovered one evening over dinner during a recent visit to Paris. The boys and I thought it might be fun to take the conversation a step further and make a Top Ten Cities list.
Spoiler Alert!
Paris didn’t make the list and neither did Tokyo!
Now, don’t get me wrong, I loved visiting both cities and given the chance would go back to both of them repeatedly, in fact I’ve been to Paris on three separate occasions, but others in the family didn’t agree, so they didn’t make the list. I know some reading this list might say, we’ve left off important cities, or personal favorites, but before you do, let me explain that in order to be considered each city had to meet two important criteria:
All four of us had to have been there personally.
The vote had to be unanimous.
Many places I personally consider great didn’t make this list which begs the question, “What makes a city great?” The answer is it’s different for everyone, which is why we had to have the honorable mentions list, and still a few of my faves didn’t make it.
Just nominating a city wasn’t enough. Each of us also talked about what made us love a particular place and or why we didn’t. This was such a fun activity that we carried the conversation/debate on for multiple days after. So without further ado…
Edinburgh, Scotland – a beautiful and mysterious place filled with fascinating history, the nicest people, all surrounded by faded splendor and crumbling beauty!
As I mentioned above there were a number of places that one or more of us wanted on the Top Ten List, but sadly didn’t make it, still we felt they deserved a mention, so here they are:
Half Moon Bay, California – Tim’s happy place, great fish and chips, almost guaranteed wildlife sightings and high surf are just a few of the things that draw us to Half Moon Bay on a regular basis. If only there was a little more going on in this lovely little town, though it’s a great place to get pumpkins!
Disneyland – Okay, not technically a city, it’s definitely high on my personal list and it is the Happiest Place on Earth, so I’m making an executive decision and throwing it on!
London is one of our favorite cities and lucky for us we’ve had plenty of opportunities to take advantage of its world renowned museums! This collection of photos spans over the course of 11 years, which is why you’ll notice difference in quality and the ages of my boys.
Traveling with kids close to six years apart can be challenging since they have different interests and attention spans. Our solution is to switch off between museums, historic sites and attractions. This way everyone experiences something they love. We also do our best to stick to highlights in each place, so those of us who aren’t quite as interested in a particular place aren’t too tortured. I’ll never forget the time I took the boys to the British Museum by myself. Simon was learning about Egypt in school and was so fascinated he wanted to read/see everything! I looked over and poor little Elliot was licking the glass of the display case… oops! Time to go!!
The British Museum
The world-famous British Museum has a long and fascinating history and has been open since 1759! The building itself is stunning, especially the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court. The British Museum is home to the Rosetta Stone, ancient Greek sculptures originally part of the Parthenon, and 8 million other objects! Yes, 8 million! It is well worth a visit, after all the 6 million people who visit every year can’t all be wrong! If you’re taking my advice and just checking out the highlights you’re in luck because the museum has ideas for you! They offer suggestions for both 1 and 3 hour visits as well as guided tours and self guided audio tours. There are multiple food options ranging from the extremely casual to fancy. There are a number of gift shops and while a lot of museums just sell the same old junk I happen to think the gift shops here are worth a visit!
The Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum in London is a favorite for all of us. It’s been open since 1881 and the building itself is a site to see! The entire outside and the central entrance hall are just beautiful. The boys and I can easily spend an entire day here, leaving only when they close for the evening. Like most of the museums and castles we’ve visited the food in the cafes and restaurants is quite good, so there is no need to eat first before going. They offer both adult and kid friendly food items and adult beverages too! This is definitely a repeat destination, but extremely popular, it can get very crowded.
The London Science Museum
We visited the London Science Museum when Simon was just a little boy and haven’t had a chance to get back. Maybe we’ll give it another shot on our next visit? Like the other museums admission is free and there are nice places to eat.
The Tate Modern
The Tate Modern opened in 2000 and is located in Bankside in what used to be a Power Station This is one of our favorites and is definitely worth a visit! It’s just across the river from St. Paul’s Cathedral and is one of the United Kingdom’s top three tourist attractions. Like the history and science museums I mentioned above the Tate Modern is also free! It’s exhibitions are always changing so repeat visits are a must, just check the website before you go to see what’s on. Of special note at the museum is the Turbine Hall which has ever changing exhibitions of contemporary art. Here is what the official website has to say:
Since opening in 2000 over 60 million visitors have experienced the Turbine Hall and it has earned a unique place in the public imagination.
It has hosted some of the world’s most memorable and acclaimed works of contemporary art. And the way artists have interpreted this vast industrial space has revolutionised public perceptions of contemporary art in the twenty-first century.
An idea for an itinerary would be so start at St. Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London and then cross the River Thames on the Millennium Bridge and see the Tate Modern. The bridge offers spectacular views of St. Paul’s north side and the Globe Theater is also nearby on the Tate Modern side.
The British Museum
Queen Elizabeth II Great Court
Queen Elizabeth II Great Court
Central Entrance Hall
Amazing building details
Natural History Museum
The Turbine Hall with exhibition. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
There are many places of worship worth visiting in or around London, but most recently we visited St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Both are so much more than just houses of worship and if you have time I would highly recommend trying to fit both in.
St. Paul’s Cathedral
In my generation St. Paul’s is probably most famous for having been the location where Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer, but there has been a cathedral dedicated to St. Paul in its current spot for 1,400 years! If you’re an English history lover, like me, you’ll also be interested to know that theirs was the first wedding of an heir to the throne to take place in St. Paul’s in 480 years, following the marriage of Prince Arthur to Catherine of Aragon in 1501. This is also the location Mary Poppins is singing about in the song Feed The Birds in the movie Mary Poppins! Information about the current building from the official website:
The present Cathedral, the masterpiece of Britain’s most famous architect Sir Christopher Wren, is at least the fourth to have stood on the site. It was built between 1675 and 1710, after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, and services began in 1697.
This was the first Cathedral to be built after the English Reformation in the sixteenth-century, when Henry VIII removed the Church of England from the jurisdiction of the Pope and the Crown took control of the life of the church.
There are many things to see and discover inside St. Paul’s and my boys were both very interested, however I think my older son was the more engaged of the two. Sightseeing times are between 8:30 am and 4:00 pm and both guided and audio tours are available. We went with the self guided audio tour.
The Whispering Gallery Photo Credit: Wikipedia
It seems like Simon and I climbed just about every staircase in Europe the summer of 2013 and St. Paul’s many staircases were no exception! There are three galleries to visit in the dome, the Whispering Gallery which is 257 steps up from the cathedral floor and is on the interior of the dome. If you whisper into the wall your voice can be heard clear on the other side of the gallery, hence the name!
Next is the Stone Gallery which is on the outside of the dome and is 376 steps up from the cathedral floor. Finally after climbing 528 steps you’ll reach the Golden Gallery! If you make it to the top you won’t be disappointed because the panoramic views of London are spectactular!
We also visited the underground crypt where many famous people have been laid to rest, the Duke of Wellington, Lord Nelson and the architect of St. Paul’s, Christopher Wren, are just a few. Also located in the Crypt is the St. Paul’s cafe which serves lunch as well as tea and snacks. You’ll find a loo down here as well.
The West Front
St. Paul’s with Iconic Double Decker Busses
The Stone Gallery
Beautiful Views from the Golden Gallery
The Shard
The London Eye
85 meters up!
Westminster Abbey
Photo Credit: J-Ronn
Located near Big Ben and the House of Parliament Westminster Abbey was founded in 960 and with that much history behind it, it is definitely worth a visit! It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Every coronation since 1066 has taken place here as well as sixteen royal weddings, most recently the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011. There are 3,300 people buried or commemorated at Westminster Abbey, many of them among the most significant in England’s history.
Kings, queens, statesmen and soldiers; poets, priests, heroes and villains – the Abbey is a must-see living pageant of British history. Every year Westminster Abbey welcomes over one million visitors who want to explore this wonderful 700-year-old building. Thousands more join us for worship at our daily services. The Abbey is in the heart of London.
They offer audio guides in multiple languages, but on my last visit I paid an additional £5 to take the Verger guided tour. It was SO worth it! The tours last for about 90 minutes and include a tour of the Shrine (containing the tomb of Saint Edward the Confessor), the Royal Tombs, Poets’ Corner, the Cloisters and the Nave. Many of these highlights aren’t available on the audio or self guided tour. Tour times vary and the number of people is limited, so you’ll need to ask at the ticket counter. Sadly most of my personal photos of the outside were lost a few years ago, but I still have these few selfies and I scanned a few from way back. Maybe I’ll need to go back and take some new ones…
There are so many people buried here it’s impossible to list them, but here is a short list of some that are of particular interest to me:
The Tower of London is my must not miss of all the places in this post. It might be my must not miss pick for all of London! It has something for everyone and is very family friendly. It’s been around since 1066 and is still in use today! I am absolutely fascinated by the idea that a lot of these buildings have been in constant use for 1000 + years!! WOW! There are many exhibits in the different buildings and the restaurants here have quite good food! Think fish & chips, roast beef, fresh scones, kid friendly food and even wine and beer.
You’ll probably recognize The Yeoman Warders when you see them as they’re a very iconic symbol of England and there is even a photo of one welcoming you to London in the airport! They’ve been guarding the Tower since Edward IV’s time! Their history is quite fascinating and they give free guided tours of The Tower in a very family friendly and funny style!
The Queen keeps the Crown Jewels here and even though they are still in regular use there is a very nice exhibit which displays them for public view. Often the lines for this exhibit can be quite long, but if you’ve never been I highly recommend it. There are two ways to view. The first is via a moving sidewalk that you just stand on and it moves you slowly by each display case and then on into another room filled with various items like plates, goblets and other types of jewelry. The second room doesn’t have the moving platform so you can wander around at your leisure. The second is via a raised platform on just the other side of the display cases with more detailed information printed out and displayed in front of each case. You’re a little further away but you can take your time. Both times we’ve visited we’ve gone through twice and done both, but we’ve never done this in high season, so I’m not sure how it would be with large crowds. My older son and I both love this exhibit!
Did you know that for 600 years the Tower of London was a zoo?! Apparently past kings and queens needed a place to keep the exotic animals gifted to them from other monarchs around the world. There is a great exhibit here showcasing the different types of animals that lived here including a polar bear who lived in the moat and fished in the River Thames! There are super cool wire replicas of the animals throughout the grounds!
The Tower is also where they used to mint the kings money and there is a fairly recent exhibit. My boys were divided in their interest on this exhibit.
The first time we visited The Tower Simon was afraid to visit what is called The Bloody Tower, but on a return visit he decided he was brave enough to go in and discovered that it wasn’t really as scary as the name implies. Of course we are safe in the 21st century! This is where The Princes in the Tower disappeared/were murdered after being imprisoned here and there is a quite good exhibit offering many theories about what happened to them, but in the end it asks you to decide.
There are so many things to see here I could go on and on! I would allow at least half a day to visit and maybe longer in the summer. This is the place where Anne Boleyn (Henry VIII’s second wife) famously lost her head and she is buried in the chapel here. If you’re interested in what it was like to go to war 500 + years ago there is an entire exhibit dedicated to arms and armor. Ever wonder what plumbing was like hundreds of years ago? You can see what it was like to use the toilet way back when and there are rooms decorated with period furniture too!
We always visit the Tower when in London and in fact it was my pick for a birthday activity one year! There is no water in the moat and often they host activities in the summer months. We had a chance to shoot a bow and arrow and wow it’s much harder than it looks!
Last year in honor of 100 years since the start of WWI there was an incredible display of ceramic poppies dedicated to those who lost their lives which I would have loved to have seen in person. There was one poppy “planted” for each life lost. This photo is provided by the Historic Royal Palaces website as was the photos of the Yeoman Warders.
If you want to learn about a large span of english history with your family (or on your own) in a fun, interactive and inviting way this is the place to do it!
View of the Tower from the rivers edge.
Traitors Gate
This was the toilet!
Archery in the moat
Changing of the Guard
Memorial to those who, GULP, lost their heads
Window View
Replica of Lions that once lived at The Tower
Elephants
The polar bear who swam in the moat
The Armory Exhibit from our 2006 visit
2006
View of the Tower Bridge from the T owed of London 2006
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is another great place to visit, and It’s celebrating its 500th anniversary this year! It’s located a bit outside of the city so if you have very limited time you might not want to make the trip. But I highly recommend it! If you do decide to go you can there via train or by boat! We went in the winter and took the train.
It was the favorite residence of King Henry VIII and I especially enjoyed visiting the hall where he presided over his court! Unfortunately I lost a lot of my personal photos a few years ago, so these photos are courtesy of the Historic Royal Palaces website which is a fantastic reference.
Like most of the royal residences it’s very family friendly and there are people dressed in period costume performing and showcasing what life was like when this palace was still in use. Because this is the 500th anniversary I am sure there will be many spectacular activities and events taking place all year long!
The gardens here are spectacular and worth seeing all on their own. They include a hedge maze which dates back to the 1600s! It’s fun to try and get to the center and harder than we thought it would be!
Searching for the center
Is it this way?
We found it!
Buckingham Palace
I was fortunate enough to visit Buckingham Palace during Christmas time and it was spectacular! I highly recommend it but would suggest that younger kids might be bored. Every now and again they offer special tours and this was one! For five weeks they offered two tours a day with 30 people per tour. It seemed very private. We were the only ones there in this 700+ room palace! We were able to walk through around 20 rooms and got to see everything up close and personal. No velvet ropes keeping us back from anything and nothing removed to accommodate the thousands of visitors which trample through every summer. We entered through a side door in the palace wall and it was all very exciting!
The palace has been largely untouched since Queen Victoria lived there and yet everything is in perfect condition and of course incredibly beautiful! All of this was made even more special by the fact that everything was decked out with incredible holiday decorations and Christmas trees! At the end of the two hour tour we had champagne and got to shop in what’s normally the billiards room. I picked up some ornaments and a few tea towels. Here is the crown ornament I purchased on my own tree at home.
Kew Palace
Kew Palace is located within the Kew Botanical Gardens and is only open April through September. It was a royal residence and retreat and although a quite lovely place from the outside there isn’t a lot to see inside. I recommend visiting only if you’re already going to Kew (a fabulous place to visit, but more on that in another post).
Windsor Castle
We visited Windsor Castle in 2006 on our first family trip to England. This was in the springtime when the Queen was not in residence and we took an audio tour. Tim stayed with Simon and I went at my own pace. Like Buckingham Palace there are at times special tours of Windsor and if I ever get another chance to visit I’m definitely taking one!
St. George’s Chapel is located on the grounds of Windsor Castle and there are 10 monarchs buried there. Including Henry the VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour. If you are a lover of history and especially Tudor history this will be a must not miss for you!
Windsor is not only a castle but also a town and there are quite a few nice shops and restaurants to poke around before you take the train back to London or wherever your next destination might be.
Gardens on the Castle grounds
To the Castle
Riding the train to Windsor
The town of Windsor
Kensington Palace
We also visited Kensington Palace on the 2006 trip and weren’t all that impressed. there was an exhibit of Princess Diana’s gowns, but I didn’t think it was done very well. I’m not sure what it would be like now since it’s been quite a few years, but at the time I remember being very unimpressed and disappointed that I had wasted the price of admission. I recently looked online and see that there are many exhibitions on display and some are probably very good as it looks like they’ve updated it quite a bit. The gardens are also very beautiful. I have a similar picture in my collection, but this one provided by the Historic Royal Palaces website is just a tiny bit better. 😉
I LOVE London! Absolutely love it and while it’s hard to choose an absolute #1 favorite city, I think this has to be the ONE! Fish and chips, mushy peas, clotted cream, a millennia of fascinating history, those charming accents, shopping, royalty, english breakfast tea, Hunter boots, English taxi cabs, the tube, theater and I could go on and on. I just love it. My kids love it too which makes it all the more fun!
There are so many wonderful neighborhoods in this vast city and many many fantastic things to see, I’ll be sharing some of my personal favorites in a series of posts, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to complete this list. Just too many good things and I do hope to get back soon so I can add even more!
Not only do we love visiting this awesome city, but it’s a great place to start and end our various adventures. It’s a great jumping off point to many other destinations! It’s also great to fly into a place where we understand the language, know our way around and are familiar with the hotel! This can make all the difference in getting our trip off to a good start! It’s also a great way to end our journey. We’ve done this a number of times now and even have our arrival tradition of cocoa in the hotel lobby!
Surprised and Delighted!
So, about that cocoa! It’s served in the absolutely exquisite lobby of The Corinthia Hotel, one of the many places I’m going to tell you about in this series of posts! The lobby is so beautiful it almost deserves it’s own post. Anyway, about that cocoa. Imagine our surprise and delight when we ordered a cup of cocoa and this is what we were served! We had just arrived tired and a bit damp straight from our flight and tube ride and we decided it would be a good idea to just sit for a few minutes and warm up. Who knew it would be the “high tea” of cocoa served in beautiful china pots with a selection of homemade marshmallows strawberry and traditional, white and milk chocolate shavings, and freshly whipped cream. Alongside each cup was a tiny quince pie and also included was a lovely plate of chocolate truffles! We set to work loading up on all the chocolate shavings, marshmallows and cream that our mugs could hold! we couldn’t believe our good fortune! This seemed like an experience worth making a tradition out of. Not only do we always order cocoa upon our arrival at the Corinthia Hotel, but we’ve done our best to order it in every single city we’ve visited since!
Heading to the pool 2011
The Corinthia Hotel – The Corinthia opened in 2011 and is a luxury hotel. The rooms are beautifully decorated and very comfortable. If you’re visiting with kids they have “family” rooms which are quite spacious. They do a really nice job of making the children feel welcome in various ways. There are miniature robes and slippers, stuffed animals, bags of candy and even specialized toiletries waiting for them. The rooms themselves have many really nice touches including their own Nespresso machines, heated shower floors and bathtubs with televisions. There is turn down service each evening and included with that are small boxes of chocolate for each guest. In addition to the lobby, which is a lovely place to sit and have a small meal or drinks, there are also other dining options and all of them are worth visiting. The Breakfast is especially yummy! The spa and pool are incredibly beautiful and we always look forward to visiting them. However, the hours for children are extremely limited and are unfortunately during prime sight seeing time, so we don’t always get to go. They are very strict on this point and children are not allowed in the vitality pool either. The hotel is within walking distance to many things: Trafalgar Square, The National Portrait Gallery, Leicester Square, The Mall and many other places.
The Lobby
Above the lobby hangs an extraordinary Baccarat chandelier with one red glass orb! It’s amazing and it reflects upon all the shiny tables down below creating quite a cool effect! It’s an absolutely beautiful spot to just sit and relax. Even on the rainiest of London days it’s always bright and cheerful and the flower arrangements are all works of art!
The flowers change once a week or so and of course are always in theme with whatever is in season that time of year. A few years ago I dropped my computer so sadly I don’t have many photos of the Christmas flowers anymore, but you can see that the summer arrangements were spectacular. They have their own florist on site and it’s fun to take a look at what they’ve got going on. They also have a mini Harrods inside the hotel as well.
In 2011 we spent New Year’s Eve at the Corinthia. During our stay the boys met other children also staying at the hotel. We spent most of our evening in the lobby visiting with other guests and enjoying the atmosphere. Just before midnight we all went outside and watched the fireworks over the river. 2012 was a big year in London with the Queen’s Jubilee and the Summer Olympic Games taking place. The fireworks show was extra big! After it was over we just went back in and put the boys to bed! How convenient was that!?
This is a photo of Simon and I and all those fireworks! Pictures don’t do it justice, because you could also hear Big Ben chiming in the background and there were hundreds of people all around. All in all it was a night to remember!
The Spa in the Corinthia
The Spa in the Corinthia hotel is unlike any spa or pool area I’ve ever been to. It’s mainly for the use of adults, but twice a day for 90 minutes the pool area is open to children. We are usually too busy running around London visiting as many sites as we can to make the allotted times, but we do try to fit in a swim or two each time we visit. They’re pretty strict about this policy. There is a small gym with a trainer on hand that I’ve used a few times and it’s nice, but I’d rather go for a run outside if given the choice.
It’s very dark in the pool area and the floors are incredibly slippery, so shoes are a must! The pool is lined with what looks to be stainless steel and the floors and ceilings are all black.
Before you enter the pool area there is a lovely little room with water and sofas that has the most interesting ceiling. It looks like lots and lots of little fiber optic light strands!
There is also a vitality pool (luke warm hot tub) with an underwater sofa of sorts and a waterfall chair. The boys love that! In addition there is a sauna and a little lounge area with a fireplace. Of course all of this is nice, but what’s most important is the room itself!
The Room
The rooms as you can imagine are all very lovely. The closets are lit from within and are stocked with umbrellas (for the very likely event of rain!) and other amenities one might need while staying. As I mentioned above they take very special care of the children during the visit and it’s been different each time, so we are always surprised by what we find. Once when staying during the Wimbledon Tournament they left tiny chocolate tennis rackets for each boy!
Another time it was a bag full of chocolate playing cards and specialty juices. Of course there is a fully stocked mini bar in each room and you can prepare your own coffee using the in room Nespresso machine or cocoa or tea!
Other things our boys found fun were the doorbell just outside the door of our room, the TV with remote on the wall of the bathtub area and electric blackout shades over the windows! I love that the towels are always fresh and fluffy, the sheets are as soft as can be and the shower floor is warm! One thing I don’t love is the shampoo. However, I’ll admit that traveling isn’t the best on long hair no matter the products.
More often than not when discussing our next adventure our boys ask to go back to the Corinthia Hotel! Greeted by extremely polite doormen in top hats and long coats, gourmet cocoa, A hearty breakfast buffet, the softest sheets, a pool and spa with the vibe of a night club and surrounded by flower arrangements any bride would envy! What’s not to love?!
New York, Paris, Tokyo… there are so many amazing cities in the world, and lucky me, along with my family, I’ve had the opportunity to visit quite a few of the greats! Of course, not everyone agrees about which of them deserve to be on the Best List even among family members, which we discovered one evening over dinner during a recent visit to Paris. The boys and I thought it might be fun to take the conversation a step further and make a Top Ten Cities list.
