Edinburgh or Dublin?
 

We are thinking about a trip in March or April, taking my 14 year old son to see a Manchester United game. Since we'll have 10 days, we'd like to add on another location, possibly Edinburgh or Dublin.

We've been to London lots of times, also Bath, Stonehenge and Salisbury, so don't want to go back there. Definitely do NOT want a car on this trip, so has to be accessible by public transportation.

Thank you for any suggestions!

Dublin is OK. Edinburgh is amazing.

Without a doubt IMO - Edinburgh would be #1.

Regretfully (being a dubliner!) i'd have to agree - Edinburgh would be my choice too. Compact, lots to see and do in a small area and much more striking visually than Dublin.

There's a science museum there designed for kids that we really enjoyed (we were about 30 at the time!). I think they have something for all age groups so it may be worth investigating if your son would be into that kind of thing.

Edinburgh, absolutely.
Much as i love Ireland, Dublin was one of the most disappointing cities I've visited. Great people, great pubs & bars in Temple Bar area, but much more to do & see in Edinburgh. (mind you, I'm a little biased i suppose, as i loved Edinburgh so much, i moved here to live!!)
If you go to www.edinburgh.org.uk ,there's plenty of information, plus a great little video of the city.

liverbird wrote: "Great people, great pubs & bars in Temple Bar area"

That hurts!

I would have to agree - no contest Edinburgh! Wonderful city.

Edinburgh...fab city. I LOVE it. Dublin was fine...just not in the same league as Edinburgh.

Wow, the vote is unanimous! Can't say I've ever seen that on Fodors!

Thanks so much for your advice. Edinburgh sounds like a lovely place. I'll look into it some more (and check that website, liverbird). Littlejane - the science museum sounds like something we'd both like.

I love Dublin and think it is underrated by many visitors to Ireland - but agree that Edinburgh has more to see and do - and is a more fascinating city overall.

Yeah, this is a total no-brainer. Edinburgh in a walk. Your boy will love the fantastic castle and be sure to take a ghost tour at night with him.

Dublin is the capital of Ireland -- it's functional.

Edinburgh is a tourist's wonderland, and the capital of Scotland (although the Scots may be suitably embarrassed about their parliament building). It's great. Just remember, all the hills in Edinburgh go the same direction: UP.

No opinion on the Dublin vs Edinburgh discussion but for those of us who love Dublin I think the following may be a little harsh :)


"Dublin is the capital of Ireland -- it's functional."

Well, I haven't been to Dublin, but I vote for Edinburgh, where I have been. Chock a block full of history and good hiking outside of town. I had the best chocolate chip shortbread ever from the Marks and Spencer on Princes Street. Been trying to recreate it ever since without success.

Toriliz wrote: " I had the best chocolate chip shortbread ever from the Marks and Spencer on Princes Street."

I am sure you can get it in M&S on Mary Street in Dublin.

Since you are going to be in Manchester and want "public transportation"...then of course Edinburgh is your best bet.

To get to Dublin, you have to cross the Irish Sea!( as I am sure you know)

In Edinburgh:

1. The Grassmarket area below The famous Castle is a nice place to just walk about and look.

2. Of course there is the famous Castle ,which you will no doubt do and expereince the views from some of the balconies.

3. In March and April , the lovely Princess Gardens may not totally be in full bloom.

4. Princess Street is a street you will walk down and shop and and see sites such as The Scott Monument... a Scottish fellow is always standing here playing the bagpipes.!

Your 14 year old can stand beside him and have his picture taken.!

Princess Street leads you to Calton Hill and if you walk here,the views back toward the City Centre are terrific.!

5. The famous Royal Mile with it's many historic building...this starts from the Edinburgh Castle and culminates at Holyrood Palace.

Now Holyrood Palace is the residence of the Queen when she is in Edinburgh.

If she IS in Edinburgh during your visit there ...then there will be a flag flying on top of the Palace flagpole.

She was there when I was there and No, I was not invited in for Tea !

Dublin:

Dublin is certainly not short of it's tourist attractions.

1. There is O'Connell Street which has monuments scattered along the way.
Along here you will see the statue of James Joyce ,who was born in Dublin.

Also along this street , the Post Office is a must see due to it's 1916 historic event.

2. At the end of O'Connell Street is O'Connell Bridge... you cross this bridge to get to the famous Trinity College.....

The College is a must see place when you are in Dublin.

Here you can walk the grounds...have an outside lunch and then line up to get a ticket to see the "Book of Kells".

Then you just HAVE to see the very long room ( over 200 feet)which houses the Library and the Busts of many famous literary and scientific figures.

For example ,there is a bust of Jonathan Swift here.
He was born in Dublin and of course wrote the famous Gulliver's Travels.

The Custom House is a delightful building to see....and it is best to see it from across the street (which means from opposite the River Liffey).

The Custom House is lit up very nicely at night.

Dublin Castle....this is a lovely place to see ,but it certainly is not as imposing as the Edinburgh Castle ,which towers on a high hill over the city of Edinburgh.

Temple Bar is the famous night spot ,although others are in the same area.

Phoenix Park.... I would go here and see the cross on the hill which marks the places where Pope John II gave a sermon to over a million people in 1979.

And of course even if you are not a beer drinker,(and your 14 years is not !!? :) but a tour of the Guiness Storehouse is very informative ....Psst !! free beer sampling at the end of the tour.

You guys are awesome. Percy, you make me want to go both places, but sadly we only have time for one, so we'll have to choose. Thanks for laying out activities in both cities for me.

Fly into Dublin , on to Manchester (by plane direct flight or by sea to Holyhead and on by train),on to Edinburgh and home. Openjaw ticket. You have plenty of time to do this.

travelgirl2

I like both places (as you can tell)
and I could have easily listed five more places and things to do in each place.

Robert Louis Stevenson's grave site is in Edinburgh ,well not gravesite but his Memorial in the western part of the Princes Street Gardens.

It is interesting to be told by a knowledgeable local of how he came to write Treasure Island !

Dublin ...is not short of it's authors also.

Also ,there is the statue of Molly Malone....she is along the sidewalk on a curve of the street ,a block or so from Trinity College.

Do you remeber the song about her.!?

here are some of the opening lines:

In Dublin's fair city,
where the girls are so pretty,
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,
As she wheeled her wheel-barrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"

Your husband will enjoy the statue of Molly Malone !!

I think you wil like Edinburgh or Dublin,since you have been to neither place ...you have
no
comparison to make.

have a good time.:)

visited both, much prefer Edinburgh

Sorry - while Dublin is nice for a city - it does not even come <u>close</u> to Edinburgh for visitor attractions, sites, scenery or just about any other measure.

I've been to both and MUCH preferred Edinburgh.

You say you are going to a game in Manchester. Anything else you plan to do there? If not then you'll probably have about 8 days and that might be a bit much for just Edinburgh. There are some day trips available by public transportation although not super easy. There are numerous &quot;day tours&quot; that get you out into the countryside. I was in Edinburgh for 6 days and did one day tour to Sterling and Loch Lomand which was ok even though I generally don't like &quot;tours&quot;. Another suggestion would be to do York on your way up to Scotland. A couple of nights would be sufficient to see it. Amazing cathedral and really nice town walls.

Even if you want something other than just Edinburgh and Manchester I would not do Dublin on the same trip. Ireland is wonderful, and on a visit of a week or two, Dublin is a good couple of days, but to go to Ireland and Just do Dublin seems like a waste of time. It was my least favorite part of Ireland.

Here are links to my photos of Edinburgh (www.pbase.com/annforcier/edinburgh_scotland) and also of York (www.pbase.com/annforcier/image/56411913)

actually, Glasgow would be a good day trip from Edin. !

I have to agree with isabel

If you are going to Edinburgh and you are passing through or near York
then

for sure go to York.

If you only do the Minister, walk about in the Shambles, walk the Wall....in April the daffodils will be out and they grow on the slopes of the Wall,

Then there is Clifford's Tower, a remnent of the York Castle.

It is a short distance from the Shambles and since it is on a high hill, the views from the top are terrific.

There is nothing to see inside of Clifford's Tower, but a spiral staircase takes you to the top.

I love the idea of stopping in York. Clifford's Tower looks very interesting.

We will likely try to get to Glasgow, and may even fly home from there, since the flights are $80 cheaper than from Edinburgh.

Manchester games are on Saturday and we have to fit it into my son's week of spring break, so we'll have to fly into or out of Manchester (or London).

Isabel - I love your pictures. It is the architectural elements that I tend to take pictures of while travelling, and it looks like that catches your fancy also.

Thanks again for everyone's input!

I was thinking we'd add a few days onto spring break to make it into 10 days.

I visited both in quick succession. If I could merge the atmosphere of Dublin with the asthetics of Edinburgh, I would go and live there tomorrow.

Edinburgh makes the most sense and is probably better suited to taking a teenager. The main thing that I loved about Dublin was the bars and that just isn't the same with kids in tow.

Just a point - do you have a source for tickets to a Man U game? I suggest you really need to get something sorted before you go to save disappointment, particularly for a club like that. For the first time in my life I will quote from yesterday's Observer:

&quot;Ironically, it is only the extremely well supported clubs, such as Liverpool and Manchester United, where non-season-ticket-holding parents find it almost impossible to obtain tickets on the open market to introduce their children to the experience of a live game.&quot;

Another point to bear in mind, Premiership games are not all played on Saturday afternoon due to TV coverage requirements. So I suggest you research fully beforehand. Perhaps start at www.manutd.com. Good luck, hope you get there.

Thanks everyone! We've narrowed things down now. We'll be going to London, Manchester, York and Edinburgh, with a possible day tour outside the city or a day in Glasgow. Airline tickets from the NY area into London and back from Edinburgh were very reasonable at $593 per person.

stfc - good point about the Manchester United tickets. It does seem impossible to get single game tickets. Any available re-sales from season ticket holders aren't released until the stadium is sold out, and they're still probably hard to get then.

I finally bit the bullet and bought Hospitality tickets, which was all that was available this far in advance, and include a meal and a ticket to the game. For a price of about $325 per person. Yikes. I'm not a sports fan, so I've never spent so much money on something like this. My son is joking that for $325 we get a hot dog and a ticket to the game.

I'm going to try to arrange a tour of the stadium, where they also have a museum. They're not on sale yet for the spring, but I plan on getting tour tickets when they become available.

Thanks again for everyone's help. Fodorite's are the best!

Edinburgh with York in a hearbeat. I would also stop at Whitby)if you have time) which is a darling town on the coast north of Robin Hood&quot;s Bay(?).Think Dracula.......coming out of the sea.

There is a wonderful and VERY helpful poster on here named Sheila who lives up in that part of the world that has shared helpful hints to all of us through the years.

Have fun and be sure to have a Glenlivet! Ah the haggis.

Travelgirl, apologies,
as i put the wrong web address for the video of Edinburgh, which also has lots of great advice too.

It's www.edinburgh.org/video.
Hope you have a good trip!

Nice video, liverbird. The music got me in the mood for Scotland.