Paris trip - 16 & 14 year old sisters

[Tormundsbeard]

I'd describe my daughters as fairly independent & mature. They have asked if they could go to Paris for a weekend on their own this summer... They will be nearly 17 & 15 and regularly go up to London shopping with friends for the day. How safe is Paris? would two girls get hassled? My suggested compromise is I go too, but they can do their own thing.. I am trying not to think of Taken and wondered what other people thought?

if one of them was 18 then yeah, why not.. otherwise i wouldn't risk it..some hotels don't even allow children under 18 to stay without adult supervision.

My DD1 went at age 17 with a friend who was also age 17. They booked a studio apartment and they had a ball. If the 15 yo is sensible and will listen to her sister then I say they should go. It would be a great experience for them.

I love Paris and have traveled there with friends in the city age 16. Just on our own .I'd say at 16 I thought I was being very grown up and loved it but came across situations that were difficult and could have been compromising. If my 16 yo was going with another 16/17 friend I'd be ok , but with a 14 yo sibling, I'd say go too, and give them some space , but be there if they need you. I think it's too much responsibility for the older one.
My DDs are actually now 13/17 and I'm planning a trip with both of them!

Where would they stay overnight? Most accommodation won't take unaccompanied under 18s. Even youth hostels say at least 16 I think (and your 14 year old would need an 18+ adult with her, not your 16 year old)

I wouldn't be happy with my DDs of that age being somewhere overnight where either I or another adult couldn't get to them within an hour or so if necessary. What if they got ill or injured? Bags stolen?

I'm pretty permissive compared to many of DD's friends' parents, but I wouldn't let her do that unless she was staying with a trusted adult, or I was there too.

Drinking wine and smoking at 14? Seriously???

I have assumed that the attraction for them is to shop & sit in cafes and feel grown up (probably involving wine & cigarettes). But it might include clubbing etc. They are sensible, ..

Drinking, smoking, playing at grown ups and potentially clubbing at 16 and 14 alone in a foreign country. One of them is barely an adult and one is a child. You are off your head, your dd's don't sound sensible and neither do you to even be considering it.

Hmmm. My initial reaction was to say it’ll be fine but after reading all these posts I agree with waiting until they’re 16 and 18. A day trip on the Eurostar might be a good compromise?

14 does sound young but it won’t be long she’ll be going on school trips to European cities, especially if she studies languages. And unless things have changed a lot since I was at school, they definitely won’t be supervised 24/7 on those! Plenty of drinking and smoking too...

I would, as I trust my teens to be sensible, but you need to understand that whatever rules you set will probably be disobeyed.

The drinking and smoking and clubbing thing would be a red flag for me as far as the 14yo was concerned. I wouldn't be delighted about it at 16, esp the smoking, but I accept it happens and 16yo need some independence. However, 14 is too young. I think that you should go, and meet up with them in the evenings.

Good God no.

Cinnamus have you ever been anywhere other than Paris?

Thank you for the varied feedback. My gut feeling was always no, but this can be something they can look forward to when they are a few years older.

I am proud of their independent spirits, but remembered visiting Paris in 80's when in my teens and being hassled much more than in London and wondered if that were still the case.

We visit relatives in Nice every summer, so this year, rather than fly direct, I will look into going by train, with a stopover in Paris. They can spend an afternoon doing their own thing, while I am in the same city.

I was guessing about their smoking, drinking, clubbing ambitions but isn't that what teens want to do?