My London & Paris Adventure (July–August 2025)

London Itinerary Recap

Day 1 – July 22 (Arrival Day)

• Arrived in London and checked in at The Clermont London Charing Cross

• Explored Trafalgar Square and admired the fountains

• Strolled around Covent Garden

• Saw Buckingham Palace

• Evening preview walk to the London Eye

• Dinner at Dishoom (memorable for its flavors and hospitality)

Day 2 – July 23

• Breakfast at The Wolseley (fish cakes, poached eggs, banana bread with mango butter)

• Walked through Piccadilly Circus and Burlington Arcade

• Explored Borough Market and Leadenhall Market

• Lunch at Barrafina (pan con tomate, seabass with mojo rojo)

• Visited the Tower of London, crossed London Bridge, and Tower Bridge

• Treated to lemon and basil chili gelato from La Gelatiera

• Dinner at Café Murano (burrata and tortelli)

• Evening walk through Hyde Park, The Mall, and Trafalgar Square

Day 3 – July 24

• Rainy morning with a late start - it rained all day today

• I spent four hours exploring Harrods, taking a black taxi there and back since it was raining today.

• Dinner at Sketch (fun ambiance, great food, futuristic pod bathrooms)

• Evening stroll through Soho back to hotel

Day 4 – July 25

• Morning at the National Gallery

• Emotional visit to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey

• Walked across Westminster Bridge

• Lunch at St. James’ Park Café (fish and chips)

• Visited Horse Guards, Buckingham Palace (again), Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens

• Explored Knightsbridge and returned through Piccadilly

Day 5 – July 26 (Final Day in London)

• Stumbled upon a street parade near Big Ben

• Visited Westminster Abbey in full

• Afternoon tea at the Abbey Café (ginger lemon tea stood out)

• Dinner at Nopi (excellent food and service)

• Walked through SoHo, revisited Big Ben, crossed the Jubilee Bridge

• Packed for Paris

Paris Itinerary Recap

Day 6 – July 27 (Arrival in Paris)

• Eurostar to Paris, train delay, and seat reshuffling

• Walked nearly a mile from the taxi drop to the Castille Paris hotel due to Tour de France road closures

• Checked out Place Vendome (which I did daily)

• Warm welcome watching the Tour de France finale live and talking to a Danish family under my umbrella

• Room service dinner and evening in to rest

Day 7 – July 28

• Breakfast buffet at Castille

• Walked through Tuileries Garden, saw Eiffel Tower from a distance

• Strolled Pont des Arts and past Sainte-Chapelle

• Lunch at Les Deux Palais (standout cappuccino, French onion soup, salad)

• Visited the exterior of Notre-Dame

• Rested at hotel before visiting Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur

• Ate 3-fromages crêpe and gelato

• Taxi to Arc de Triomphe, walked Champs-Élysées

• Watched Eiffel Tower sparkle at 11 PM

Day 8 – July 29

• Spent the day in Le Marais

• Relaxed in Place des Vosges

• Toured Victor Hugo’s house and Musée Picasso

• Lunch solo at Cour des Vosges La Terrasse (reading "The Winemaker’s Wife")

• Picked up macarons, wandered shops

• Ate dinner at L'As du Fallafel (delicious falafel sandwich)

• Souvenir shopping for Mary Reece at Galeries Lafayette

Day 9 – July 30

• Morning walk through Tuileries Garden

• Visited Musée d'Orsay (highlight: Pierre Bonnard’s works)

• Lunch at LouLou (aubergines alla parmigiana, tagliolini with raw tuna)

• Short rest before 5:30 PM entry to the Louvre (emotionally moving visit)

• FaceTime with granddaughter, reflections on the power of art

Day 10 – July 31

• Metro to École Militaire, walked Champ de Mars to base of Eiffel Tower

• Breakfast/lunch at Terres de Café (banana bread, cappuccino)

• Shopped for Mary Reece at Jacadi

• Picked up a sandwich and baguette at Eric Kayser Vendôme

• Sweet treat at The Ritz (blueberry coconut parfait)

• Evening reservation at Notre-Dame (interior visit and prayer)

• Dinner at a taqueria (mushroom tacos, guac, mineral water)

• Watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle at 10 and 11 PM

• Watched the Olympic balloon rise at 10:30 PM

Day 11 – August 1 (Final Day)

• Rainy morning sleep-in, ate leftover sandwich

• Afternoon stroll and another visit to Galeries Lafayette to see the view from the terrace and look at the designer goodies before changing for the Crazy Horse show

• Enjoyed strolling Champs-Élysées on the way to the show

• Dinner nearby before 10:30 PM show (empowering, artistic experience)

• Walked through Champs-Élysées in the rain on the way back to the hotel

• Packed and reflected on a transformative journey

Day 12 – August 2 (Travel Home)

• Departed Paris for JFK

• Overnight stay in JFK terminal due to travel delay

• Explored TWA Hotel at 1 AM (unexpected party scene)

• Returned home on August 3 after 32+ sleepless hours of travel (worth it)

Final Thoughts

This trip was a dream come true—a celebration of beauty, curiosity, and the sweet serendipity of saying yes to life. From museums to market stalls, banana bread to baguettes, every moment shimmered with its own little kind of magic.

London was elegance in motion.

Paris was poetry kissed by rain.

And me? I was all in—awake, open-hearted, and more me than I’ve felt in a long, long time.

Total Steps Walked: Countless (over 250,000)

Memories Made: Endless

Travel Tip: Four full days in each city would have been perfect for me.