As a teacher, I’m usually traveling on school breaks throughout the year and the Spring Break week is one that I look forward to each year for our travels. It’s the time in the new year when you really need a break and when the weather gets a little better. This year, we spent a week in Europe and it was such a fantastic week full of rest and exploration. Here’s a Spring Break itinerary for London, Venice, and Paris if you’re looking to head to Europe for a break in March or April.
Day 1 – Friday/Saturday – Fly to London
We usually do a red-eye into Europe and arrive mid day on Saturday after leaving Friday night. Grab the Heathrow Express into Central London (you can download the app and buy tickets on your phone without having to stand in the queues for tickets), then jump on the Tube to get to your hotel.
Stay at: The Hoxton Holborn
This hotel has become our go-to in London and we love it for so many reasons. The location is fantastic, the design is impeccable and the restaurant is great. It’s also super easy to work from, so if you’re still checking emails while on break, it’s a great spot for that too!
Eat at: Covent Garden
Walk 5 minutes down the street from the Hoxton and you’ll have a ton of restaurants to choose from in Covent Garden. Some of our favorites in that area include: Wildwood (clean Italian), Barrafina (Spanish) or Lima Cantina (Peruvian).
Day 2 – Sunday – Morning in London / Fly to Venice
Spend the morning in London on your second day adjusting to jet lag. Sleep in, have breakfast at Rondo, the restaurant in the Hoxton, and then wander a bit to get some fresh air. Take a mid afternoon flight to Venice from Gatwick or Heathrow and you’ll arrive into Venice in the evening. Have a large lunch at the airport as restaurants in Venice aren’t open super late and when we arrived around 8pm it was hard to find anything open.
Upon arrival into Venice, you can take a private water taxi for 140 euros or a public water bus. We arrived in the dark and decided to do a private water taxi that took us right to our hotel. Whichever you choose, just follow the signs for the water taxi’s and you can board whichever boat is right for you to get into central Venice.
Stay at: Cina Centurian Palace
I liked the location of this hotel and the staff offered great service. One thing I didn’t love was the wifi connection that kept cutting out, but our room was large by European standards and was super comfortable.
Day 3 – Monday – Explore Venice
Spend your first day in Venice exploring and head out early in the morning to beat the crowds – the tour groups in Venice are everywhere! We went out around 8am and wandered San Marco’s, the Doge’s Palace, and the Grand Canal areas and still had a lot of people around.
Once the crowds get insane, head back to your hotel for a rest and then head back out in the afternoon. Overall, we didn’t love the food in Venice so I don’t have any recommendations for that but what I will say is that even in the out-of-the-way more local spots, we never found food we loved, so have low expectations for this part of your trip.
Day 4 – Tuesday – Venice / Paris
Venice is small and it honestly doesn’t take that much time to see most of it. We spent all day Monday and then the morning on Tuesday wandering Venice and we felt like we had seen as much as we could. If you are a big museum person, you might want another full day in Venice to do all the museums – that’s not our thing so we felt like we had gotten in enough and flew out to Paris mid-afternoon.
Once you arrive in Paris, jump on the Metro and head into the city. There are a lot of great hotels in Paris, but I’m sharing my favorite below that you can head to and drop off your bags.
Stay at: Hotel Oratio
This spot has become our new go-to in Paris – it’s in our favorite neighborhood (St. Germain) on the Left Bank, close to the Ile St. Louis and Notre Dame, and just easy to get to. It’s also in a more local area of Paris which I love and the rooms all have balconies.
Eat at: Cafe St. Regis
We’ve been going to this spot for over a decade and it’s one of our all time faves – order the Chicken Paillard and a glass of rosé and just savor the evening.
Day 5 – Wednesday – Paris
Spend your Wednesday exploring Paris! For us, we go so often that we spent our day doing all the things we love but if you haven’t been, I have a whole bunch of info on the best things to do in Paris below! If you’ve been before, here’s what I suggest doing for this day:
Grab a croissant and a coffee and wander to Jardin du Luxembourg to sit and take everything in
Head to breakfast at Louis Phillippe across the Seine, passing Notre Dame on the way and have a French omelette
Continue your wander up the Seine by the Hotel de Ville, the Louvre, and views of the Eiffel Tower
Circle back through St. Germain, grabbing macarons at Laduree to enjoy
Sit at a cafe for dinner and eat steak frites and drink French wine
Finish out the day on the balcony of your hotel room at the Hotel Oratio watching the sunset
All My Paris Posts
10 Lesser Known Things to Do in Paris
Day 6 – Thursday – Train to London
On Thursday, jump on the Eurostar back to London. You’ll need tickets in advance for this but it really is the best way to get between Paris and London – so much better than flying! You’ll want to arrive about an hour before your train to go through passport control and security.
Once you arrive in London at St. Pancras International Station, you can jump on the tube at head back to the Hoxton Holborn.
Eat at: Dishoom
For your first night back in London, head to Dishoom, one of my all time favorite spots. This modern Indian restaurant doesn’t take reservations and there will definitely be a line, but it moves fast and it’s totally worth it.
Stay at: The Hoxton Holborn
Day 7 – Friday – London
We go to London a lot, so we used this day for shopping! Some of my favorite spots include the St. Pancras Train Station for shops like Whistles, Reiss, and LK Bennett. I also love stopping by COS in Sloane Square in Chelsea and a stop by Uniqlo in Covent Garden is always a must.
If you haven’t been to London before though, here are all my best tips for the city and what to see and do!
Eat at: London has no shortage of amazing restaurants but if you’re looking for something semi-fancy and delicious, I love 34 Mayfair. For casual, head to a local pub and get a pint of Guinness or try any of these great spots without a reservation.
Day 8 – Saturday – London
We usually spend our last day in London running some errands for things we like to enjoy in the city or take home with us. Some of those things might include: picking up breadsticks from Bread Ahead (Nick’s all time fave), having cinnamon buns at Fabrique (a Swedish bakery), doing any returns from our shopping the day before, and just wandering in hopefully good weather.
Day 9 – Sunday – Fly Home
For your last day, grab breakfast at the Hoxton again and then finish packing up your room before jumping on the Tube or the Heathrow Express to head to the airport after an incredible Spring Break trip through Europe!
All My Posts on: