Paris or Edinburgh - 3 days which to choose?
 

I'm looking for suggestions whether Edinburgh or Paris for a 2 to 3 day trip with my 10 year old son. I'm on the fence between the two places. We would depart from London after spending 5 to 6 days there. Unfortunately, we would have to come back to Heathrow for our flight back home but which would be a better experience for my son.

Pro's and con's?

Better experience in what sense? What sort of things do both of you enjoy or hate?

Would he be intrigued or lost at the idea of people speaking a different language (or a different version/accent of the language he's used to?)

Edinburgh - smaller, colder/brisker, but it has a dramatic castle, spooky alleys, steep hills (would he enjoy walking up Arthur's Seat, which would be like climbing a mountain to a 10-year old?), and is near the sea (Forth Bridge, Britannia at Leith).

Paris - bigger, grander buildings, masses of art galleries/museums, river trips, the Eiffel Tower to see sparkling at night, the Arc de Triomphe to climb up and wonder at the traffic on the roads below, parks to walk and run around in.

When are you intending doing this?

Is your son into castles or art?

Patricklondon, he may well think a thick Scottish accent is a foreign language, never mind French. :)

Possibly so, though less likely in the tourist parts of Embra than in Govan.

When? If there is a chance of good weather I would pick Edinburgh, which can be covered pretty well in two or three days rather than Paris, which needs longer. I would also take the night train one way - see:

http://www.seat61.com/CaledonianSleepers.htm

What could you be thinking?

PARIS!!!

There is just no comparison.

Half of my family is from Scotland (Galashiels) and my aunt graduated from University of Edinburgh.

You don't write when you are going on your trip, but from October to May the damp in Edinburgh can drive you mad.

And let us not even discuss the food.

Thin

Instead of Edinburgh or Paris, I'd look into York: the railway museum, walking along the wall and in the Shambles (the medieval center of town), the Castle Museum, the minster. Not to speak of the Viking experience.

York fits well in a 2-3 day trip including transportation time.

Or, if you don't mind the extra expense, change your flight home to leave from Paris or Edinburgh. The trip back to London for your trip home will cost money and sightseeing time.

With nothing to go on except my own preferences, I'd subtract a day from London and add it to Paris. Weather is less likely to be an issue whenever you go, more variety of activities whatever you like, more interesting food options if only because it's a bigger place and French, not Scottish. I'll add, I have nothing but warm feelings for my family from Edinburgh and Edinburgh itself but for a visitor, no contest.

If I think back to my kids at 10, the answer for them would have been Edinburgh. I don't believe the museums in Paris would have appealed to them, but a castle would have been very cool. (We didn't take them out of the US until they were 16 and 13, and it was to Ireland.)

In Paris I would haven taken them to climb Notre Dame and the ET. A boat ride for sure, maybe the Canal St. Martin. Les Invalides might be interesting to your son; my 8 year old grandson would love it.

Really, you can't make a wrong choice between the two.

Probably Edinburgh (I don't think pepper and your son are in the same demographic ;) ). The castle for sure, maybe a quick day trip by train to Stirling, the terrific museum of Scotland, the zoo/panda, medieval bldgs, bagpipers . . .

Edinburgh is much more doable in 3 days. You can take the train up and fly back from EDI to LHR either the morning of or the evening before your flight home.

BUT - we don't know your son - if he is big time into art, then Paris is good too. Train to Paris, then fly back to LHR.

Agree with Janisj.

I don't agree with the concept of "doable" when it's a city. No one expects to "do" a whole city in a few days, just the parts they choose to "do" (well, sensible people don't). So a well planned few days in either would be satisfying. There's just more to choose from in Paris.

An unanswerable question. "which would be a better experience for my son."

Unless you provide criteria that would make it 'better' for your son, no one can answer your question.

I also don't even see any 10 year old boys writing here and telling you which they preferred personally based on their interests. So you aren't even getting any personal preferences that are relevant.


What you are getting instead are hilarious comments like:

"What could you be thinking?

PARIS!!!

There is just no comparison."

Uh huh, so speaks a ten year old boy?

Who knows, but I'd put my bet on Edinburgh for a 10 year old boy over Paris. 10 year old boys aren't as impressed with the mystique of how chic and superior French people are.

I agree that for a 10 year old boy Edinburgh would be preferable, especially with only 3 days.

Are you a 10 year old boy jamikins? Or are you just guessing like everyone else who has suggested one over the other.

Here's my guess for the average 10 year old boy today. Whichever one has a hotel that provided Xbox or Playstation in the room and is across the street from McDonald's where he can get Happy Meals.

Right now I think Edinburgh McDonald's should be giving out Batman Lego characters with their Happy Meals. Anyone know what Paris has to offer?

http://m.mcdonalds.co.uk/mobile/prom...appy-meal.html

What a sad post - reflecting more on you than on any 10 yo I've taken to Europe . . .

Let's keep it simple. His interests vary. I think underestimate a 10 year olds dislikes and sophisticated likes.

Yes he is 10 but I think (I can't say for other 10 years olds) he knows the difference between the two. Two places that he would want to go to but leaving it up to me as to making the first choice. In either case he has expressed that if we don't see one over the other on this trip he definitely wants to visit it someday. With that said either place, I'm sure I can't go wrong.

What I'm looking for from the experience travellers is which place would be better for a 1st time traveller for a 10 year old. He loves castles and he loves culture. He knows what to expect in Paris but nothing about Edinburgh.

Perhaps I'm a bit biased as well as my wife and I just got back from Paris a couple months back. I'm OK going back but I'm really wondering which would a better choice overall.

I think Edinburgh is the best option for reasons already mentioned, and I agree that it is unfair to assume a 10 year can't appreciate what either Paris or Edinburgh has to offer. I took my grand kids ( two were 10 years old, one was 11 ) to Europe this past June and although none of them had expressed much interest beforehand, they loved it. My granddaughter is now reading biographies of medieval queens and the boys continually mention things they saw and are still asking questions. They all took their electronics with them but never used them and they never watched T.V. They never asked to eat at a Mc Donald's either.