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It’s officially Fall! It definitely doesn’t fe It’s officially Fall! It definitely doesn’t feel like it in Miami, it really never does but that just gives us a reason to explore other states. West Virginia is one of them, fun fact I actually lived here between undergrad and grad school! Here are Things to do in West Virginia (SAVE + SHARE): 

1. Enjoy New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, or visit any of the states 35 state parks as West Virginia has 1.5 million acres of parks and public land. We personally walked the Shavers Lake Trail and canoed on the lake. 

2. Enjoy some serious adventures! We’re always trying something new and West Virginia offers a lot of options from whitewater rafting, to 1,000+ miles of off-road ATV trails, to rock climbing, caving and mountain biking . 

3. Take a train ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad which stops at the Whittaker Camp where those who worked in the lumber and coal industry lived during the work season. 

4. Explore Cranberry Glades Botanical Area where you might just get to see some black bears! 

5. Walk the Falls of Hills Creak trail to get up close to some gorgeous waterfalls! 

This week I’ll be sharing various cities and states you can experience a beautiful Fall getaway. What are some of your favorite places to enjoy autumn?

Tap the link in my bio for my West Virginia blog post and a blog post of the best places to experience Fall in the US!
Still not over our day exploring the waters of For Still not over our day exploring the waters of Fort Pierce. We danced, snorkeled, fished and went tubing. Definitely want more days like this and still pinch myself that this is what a day of work looks like for me sometimes. Thank you @seadoo for the opportunity.
If you know my husband you know water activities a If you know my husband you know water activities are his favorite! Fishing, jet skiing, just being on a boat on the ocean relaxing, name it, he’s there. So we couldn’t be more excited than to not only get the chance to test out the new @seadoo Switch but be the stars of a whole commercial for it. We had entirely too much fun filming this. Of course now he wants to buy one!

Do you like getting out on the water? Favorite activity?
Our 3 Day London Itinerary (SAVE + SHARE): 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 1: Walked across the Tower Bridge (you can take a tour of London of Tower as well), walked along the River Thames and took a make a fascination hat class with @create_your_own_hat! 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 2: Harry Potter walking tour, checked out Borough Market and went on a night ghost bus tour. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 3: Morning Tea at Peggy Porschen, Buckingham Palace for Changing of the Guards, and explore Westminster for the infamous red telephone booths, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.

If you have more time on previous visits to London we have taken a day trip to check out Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle, rode the London Eye, took a ferry ride down the Thames River, checked out Warner Brother Studios, and did a graffiti/street art tour.

Is London on your list? If you’ve been what did you do that you think is a must for visitors?

Things to do in London, London with kids, family travel
Then vs Now (swipe left)!🥹🥰 My babies are no Then vs Now (swipe left)!🥹🥰 My babies are not babies anymore. Where has the time gone? Excuse me while I go cry in the corner 😭😭😭😭. 

Too in my feelings to provide an informational post, I’ll be back tomorrow.
Why is this man always trying to stop my fun? List Why is this man always trying to stop my fun? Listen replace husband with whoever you need to but why these ppl keep acting like we can take our money when we’re gone?!? Y’all feel me or nah? 😅😬😩
Morning Tea in London! Afternoon or High Tea is us Morning Tea in London! Afternoon or High Tea is usually on everyone’s things to do in London list but since the girls and I don’t eat beef or pork the menus for most places didn’t make sense for us as they are filled with ham sandwiches and other things we don’t eat. I ended up finding Morning Tea at Peggy Porschen instead which offers a tea menu with breakfast items, while not traditional it worked best for us! It cost £35 pp.

For a traditional Afternoon or High Tea Try:

🫖Palm Court at The Ritz
🫖The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason
🫖Theatre Royal Drury Lane
🫖The Grill Room Hotel Cafe Royal (has vegetarian an vegan options)
🫖Coronation Afternoon Tea at Cellarium, Westminster Abbey
🫖The Rosebery Coronation Afternoon Tea at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
🫖The Goring Hotel

Afternoon Teas Geared Towards Families:

☕️Peter Pan Afternoon Tea at Aqua at The Shard
☕️Jurassic Afternoon Tea at the Ampersand Hotel
☕️Jungle Book Afternoon Tea at Brown’s Hotel
☕️Secret Garden Afternoon Tea at Taj 51
☕️The Buzzy Bees Afternoon Tea at St. Ermin’s Hotel
☕️Grover’s Children’s Tea at Grosvenor House Hotel
☕️The Peppa Pig Afternoon Tea Bus Tour
☕️Sherlock Holmes Inspired Afternoon Tea at the Mind Palace
☕️Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Tea at One Aldwych
☕️Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea at The Sanderson
☕️Wizard of Oz Afternoon Tea at The Soho Hotel

Have you done a proper Afternoon or High Tea in London before? Was the one you did on this list, if so what did you think of it? If you have additional recommendations please do leave a comment!

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Paris in a Day: An Easy Day Trip from Amsterdam or London

September 16, 2017      Destinations, Europe, France

This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more information. All opinions are my own.

When planning our trip to Amsterdam we knew we wanted do some day trips from Amsterdam. Since traveling Europe by train is so easy we looked at places within a 3 hour train ride. We chose London and Paris. But is one day in Paris really enough time? Judge for yourself, here’s how we spent one day in Paris. If you have two days, check out our itinerary for 48 hours in Paris with kids.

father and daughter in front of the Eiffel Tower

How to Get From to Paris from Amsterdam

The distance between Amsterdam and Paris is 3 hours on the train. The best part is you arrive sin the city center, making it very easy to start exploring. We booked our train tickets to Paris in advanced through NS International. The further out you book, the cheaper the tickets. We paid 35 Euros each adult ticket as kids under 4 ride free. Kids 12 and up pay the same price as adults but kids 4-11, are as low as 15 Euros. If you want to visit Paris from London you will take the Eurostar.

​Where to Stay in Paris

Since we only had one day in Paris we decided to stay near Gare Du Nord, the train station our train arrived. We booked the Holiday Inn Paris-Gare De Lest because it is walking distance to Gare Du Nord.  If walking isn’t your thing it is a short bus ride from the station. We booked our room via Priceline the same day and just booked a standard room for 72 Euros. Admittedly I didn’t read the details and learned the room capacity was for two people. I’ve never entered the amount of guests for a hotel room and have never had a problem with all 4 of us staying in a room together. Apparently in Europe, standard rooms are only for 2 people and they mean it. I explained we had our own baby crib and my 3 year old would sleep in the bed with us but the check-in agent said it didn’t matter. We would need a family room but they were sold so we would need 2 rooms. This is not what I wanted to hear and I’m sure my face said it. He was so kind and realizing we were only staying for one night he upgraded us to a suite free of charge so we could sleep together. We could have easily not have been so lucky so don’t be like me and read!​

The Best Way to Get Around Paris in A Day

We are usually all about public transportation when visiting countries that have great systems. However, given our short time we didn’t want to run the risk of getting lost. A hop-on, hop-off bus tour was the perfect solution for this!

We chose L’Open Tours, which in the summer operates from 9:30AM with the last departure from the first stop at each route leaving at 7PM. They have 4 different routes that take you to everything you’d want to see in Paris and we took the Green Line. It drops you right in front of the Lourve, Notre Dame, Champs –Elyseee, Arc de Triomphe, Trocadero, and the Eiffel Tower. We never waited more than 10mins for a bus and typically we waited less than 5.

family smiling in front of bus

Pros of L’Open Tours Hop On Hop Off Bus

  • If you purchase a one day pass and don’t start using it until 4PM you also get to use it for the entire following day.
  • You can buy the pass directly on the bus at any stop.
  • Kids under 4 are free and kids 4-15 are 50% off.
  • Each guest received headphones and there is complimentary commentary throughout the route giving you the history of what you’re passing.

Cons of L’Open Tours Hop On Hop Off Bus

  • The advertised free wifi did not work on all the buses we got on.
  • There is really no space to store a stroller, we didn’t bring ours but saw plenty of parents blocking the walking path or struggling to hold it on their laps.

How to Spend One Day in Paris

The Best Way to Visit the Lourve

Our first stop was to the infamous Lourve. When we got there they had everything blocked off due to a security issue so we were unable to go inside. We weren’t sure how long it was going to last, but after we finished our photo session outside things still showed no signs of opening so we left. I have been inside the Lourve before but my husband and the kids haven’t. It was a bummer but next time.

The Lourve is not open on Tuesdays so if you are only spending one day in Paris and going inside is a must for you be sure to come on any other day. To avoid the long lines purchase your ticket in advance online but be advised you’ll have a 30 minute window to arrive as you will have to select a time slot. Admission is free for those under 18.

family in front of the pyramid at The Lourve

​Visit the Notre Dame

Our next stop was to visit one of the most famous Cathedrals in the world. Construction started in 1163 but it wasn’t complete until 1345. The Cathedral is open every day from 7:45AM to 6:45PM. Admission is free but lines are extremely long so try getting there as early as possible. If you want to avoid the long lines you can also book a guided tour like this one from Viator. Bags are not allowed inside the cathedral so be prepared to check them.

Family standing in front of the Notre Dame in Paris

See the ​Arch De Triomphe

At the end of the Champs Elysse is the Arch de Triomphe. Admission is free for anyone under 18 years but those over 18 must pay. You can buy tickets online here. The top is open 10:00AM-10:30PM and until 11:00PM during the summer.
​family in front of Arch De Triomphe

The Best Place to Take Pictures of the Eiffel Tower is at the Trocadero

After the Arch De Triomphe we headed to the Trocadero which has the best views of the Eiffel Tower. It’s an open public space and there is no admission. You can even walk straight to the Eiffel Tower from here, it’s about a 5-10 minute walk. If you are traveling with kids their are two carousels on the way which might interest you. They are both cash only so be sure to have some Euros on hand if you plan to do this.

father and daughter in front of the Eiffel Tower

The ​Eiffel Tower, Need We Say More

Is it possible to visit Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower? The bus dropped us off in front of the green space that precedes the Eiffel Tower. This is where you see pictures and videos of people having picnics with the tower in the back. Unfortunately it was closed for renovations, but either way when we arrived it started to rain again so sitting down to enjoy some ice cream or other treats wouldn’t have been possible.Even in the rain the line to purchase tickets was crazy. If you have limited time I highly recommend buying your tickets in advance online. The only downfall is you have to select a time slot and if you are more than 30 minutes past your time you could be denied entrance. You can buy a ticket all the way to the top or to the 2nd floor and the prices varies based on your selection. Children under 4 are free and kids 4-11 are 50% off. The tower is open from 9:30AM-12AM but allows its last visitors in at 11PM.

mom and daughters eating ice cream in front of the Eiffel Tower

Paris by Water, Sienne River Cruise

We took the 9PM Sienne River Cruise from Beautex Parisians. It is a 1 hour cruise with indoor seats downstairs and outdoor seats upstairs. Downstairs was all glass so if you want to sit indoors like we did due to weather you will still be able to see.If you do the the 9PM Cruise like we did you will arrive back to the pier as the first Eiffel Tower Light Show starts at 10PM. It takes a while to dock and the show is only 5 minutes so be sure to be on the top deck outside to get the perfect view of the show.While the river cruise was nice and relaxing it just passed by things we mostly already saw on the hop-on hop-off bus tour so to me it wasn’t worth it and if I could redo the day I would have skipped it and used the time to visit Sacre D Ocre’ instead. They do however offer a dinner cruise which would have been time better spent in my opinion.

Unfortunately there were thunderstorms the first 4 hours during our day so we got a much later start than expected. Had we not had this time delay we would have went to Jardin de Luxemburg and Sacre D Ocre’.

Money in Paris

While US Credit Cards are widely accepted I’d recommend having a few Euros, especially coins. You will use this to pay for public restrooms as well as if you want to go on the carousel in front of the Eiffel Tower as it’s cash only.

Paris with Kids: What Kid Gear to Bring 

We didn’t get into a car while on our trip; we took the metro, public bus and hop-on hop-off bus during our stay so there was no need for a car seat. Since we used the hop-on hop-off bus we didn’t use the stroller, however if we were staying for a longer time I would have definitely brought it. Paris is very walkable and if you plan on walking through a lot of museums or walking through the Luxemburg Gardens a stroller could be very necessary.I’m a huge fan of carriers and I never leave home without mine. The carrier was great for Kennedy and allowed us to easily navigate through the crowds.

We had a great time spending one day in Paris. Next we were off to spend some time in Brussels!

Viator

​

Thank you to L’Open Tours for sponsoring our bus tour and to Bateaux Parisiens for sponsoring our Sienne River Cruise. Some links in this post are affiliate links. If you click through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We are committed to only ever recommending products and services that we personally use and like.

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Comments

  1. Caroline says

    September 21, 2017 at 1:41 pm

    I love reading your Blog. I am a single mother and love to travel with my 3 year old daughter.
    I feel you on the occupancy limit in Europe it sucks, I tend to stay away from hotels and chose Airbnb when in Europe.

    • Monet says

      September 21, 2017 at 2:02 pm

      Thanks so much Caroline! I thought the hotel would be easier since we were limited on time and could leave our bags at the hotel lobbey before check in time but I won’t make that mistake again.
      I love my solo trips with the girls, I’m sure you and your daughter have so much fun!

  2. Jewel Walwyn says

    June 12, 2018 at 4:46 am

    This blog was extremely helpful and right on point! I travelled there with my daughters this weekend and the tips about paying onine to avoid lines kept from wearing out my girls. The hop on hop off was great for our short trip! Thank you!

    • Monet says

      June 12, 2018 at 4:32 pm

      Hi Jewel,
      Thank you so much for commenting with your experience. I am so happy to hear this post helped you on your short trip to Paris!! Safe travels!
      Monet

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Hi! We’re The Hambricks

Hi! We’re The Hambricks

If kids live there, kids can visit! That's our motto and you'll often find us exploring destinations most don't find "kid friendly". We've traveled to 35 countries on 6 continents with our children since they were 10 weeks old and share tips to make it easier and affordable. But mom and dad are people too so we also write about solo travel, baecations and girlfriend getaways.

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