One day between Paris and Rome w/teenager

Andrea,, so how are you travelling between the two cities, even with a short flight its basically about a day ( well 6 hours) so that day may just be a day in transit. As for daytrips, there are so many that are easy and relatively cheap one can DIY from Paris.Versailles is an obvious one, but to make it more fun for son, do it as a bike tour . Fat Tire Bike Tours does them ( look them up, they are run by American college students so easy to deal with ) They are EASY and fun( I am likely older then you and had no problem) you visit the palace, grounds, shop in the local market for picnic supplies, etc. They also do bike tours to Monet Gardens( you may think kid may not be into the garden part, but the biking along a river and picnic are super fun) ,, plus FT does day and night bike tours in Paris. I haven't done any daytrips from Rome so can't help, but know if I had the time I would visit Pompeii!! What have you got planned for there? I have taken both my teen boys( they were 14 at the time) and both loved visiting the Catacombs ,, google it,

On your other thread someone suggested that if you are traveling by train, a stop in Switzerland, at the halfway point, makes sense. I can suggest an overnight stop that is right on your way, no detour, and offers a lot for you and your son. It is one of our favorite places and we try to include a stop there on each trip to Switzerland. The route from Paris to Rome by train goes Paris to Basel, Geneva, or other city, then from there to Milan and on to Rome. If you take the 8:23 TGV to Basel, and then head to Milan, you will pass right through Kandersteg, a nice little alpine village. You will probably need to change trains at Bern or Spiez, as most trains now go through the Lötschberg-Basis tunnel and bypass Kandersteg ( or go under it!). But it is just as easy to take the train that stops in Kandersteg. You will arrive there in the early afternoon. It is 5 minute walk from the station to Chalet Hotel Adler, and other hotels are nearby. Check in and drop your bags, then walk through town to the gondola station and ride up to the lake, Oeschinensee, a beautiful alpine lake. Www.oeschinensee.ch There is a Rodelbahn ( summer luge) there that your son will enjoy. It is a short walk to the lake, where you can rent a rowboat or take the lakeshore path past carved sculptures to a waterfall. The lake is surrounded by soaring cliffs and peaks and is really spectacular. You can get a snack or ice cream treat on the deck of Hotel Oescheninsee. Just be sure you do not miss the last lift ride back to town, around 6 pm. Food at the Adler is good if you want to have dinner there. Next morning, catch the train a short distance to Brig, and pick up the train to Milan. from Milan you go by fast ES train to Rome.

Thanks for all of these good suggestions. I hadn't thought of taking the train to a halfway point in Switzerland but that might be something he'd appreciate. In Paris we will be on a family reunion (12 of us) and in Rome just the three of us but we have tours set up, so this one day in-between we didn't know if we should get to Rome early or stay around Paris an extra day-- I very much like the in-between idea!

Your 13 year old might like Pompeii and that's a short trip from Rome although maybe that is already on your itinerary. If you are taking the train you could pick any where along the way to stop and there are lots of options but the Swiss one posted earlier sounds like a great idea.