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Post by playingcinderella on Mar 30, 2023 19:47:50 GMT
We are taking our teens (15m, 13f) to London in July. Seeing live theatre is definitely in our plans but I'm curious what else you would recommend. I know everyone thinks their kids are great but mine actually are 😃. The youngest is a foodie and a history buff - especially WWII. The oldest is into theatre, computers and Sherlock Holmes. They have traveled within the US quite a bit but this is their first International trip. I'm going through all the old threads too to dig up suggestions.
Love any tips or suggestions you have.
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Post by roundtwo on Mar 30, 2023 20:23:11 GMT
For the history buff, I highly recommend The Churchill War Rooms. I went a few times when I lived there and loved it every time I went. Buckingham Palace is open for summer visits from 14 July to 24 September so depending on your dates, it may work. They have a different theme each year and it is pretty cool to see the palace and the gardens. I have a couple of walking tour books that I used quite frequently - they are self guided and some of them take you to off the beaten path type places. One walk took in a bunch of glass lamps which was pretty neat. I am partial to the ones on Canada Gate at the entrance to Green Park. As for food, I loved wandering the food hall at Fortnum and Mason. Afternoon tea is a must do of course - I am not a tea or coffee drinker but the little goodies that come with tea are great. I went to a few different places and the Library at County Hall is one of my favourites - it is such a unique setting. The Orangery at Kensington Palace is nice too. Holland Park is just between Kensington High Street and Notting Hill and is a very unique spot in the city. It has a woodland, some beautiful gardens, an Opera House, sports fields and peacocks.
I couldn't do this one - my claustrophobia would have kicked in big time - but friends rode the Mail Rail and said it was very cool - I suspect teens might like this one. |
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Tearisci
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Nov 6, 2018 16:34:30 GMT
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Post by Tearisci on Mar 30, 2023 20:28:00 GMT
My DS was a bit younger when I took him but he really enjoyed the Tower of London and seeing the crown jewels.
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Post by padresfan619 on Mar 30, 2023 20:34:42 GMT
I went to London with my mom when I was a senior in high school and had a blast! We did a dinner cruise on the River Thames that was amazing! I also really liked the London Bridge tour, Harrods, and high tea at our hotel.
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Post by malibou on Mar 30, 2023 21:05:17 GMT
The Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum are all adjacent to each other. We always have to drag Ds out of them at closing.
The reservation system for the Sky Park at the top of the Walkie Talkie building is a little tough to navigate as reservations open up for just the current week, but it is free and so worth it if you can score a spot. We were just there and went a 6pm to see it while the sun was still up and enjoyed it after the sun went down and everything was lit up. It's on the 36th floor and you can see all kinds of landmarks. We will do that again for sure.
If you go to Westminster Abbey, be sure to ask someone to point out Wilgefortis in the room with saints. Give her a quick look up. 😁
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Post by gar on Mar 30, 2023 21:22:30 GMT
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Post by Basket1lady on Mar 30, 2023 23:26:52 GMT
There's a Sherlock Holmes museum at 221 Baker's Street, along with a gift shop (natch). It's cute and worth an hour of your time. There's also The Who Shop on Barking Road that my DD loved (she was 15 when we went there).
DD went to a performing arts HS for theatre and we all loved our tour of the Globe Theatre. There wasn't a show going on when we were there in 2014, but DD was allowed to stand on the edge of the stage and give a quick monolog.
Buckingham Palace is well worth the trip. We were actually there the day that the Queen died. But the tour is well done and I was really surprised at how much of the public rooms we were allowed to see. The Tower was another that exceeded expectations. The teens chose to sleep in vs seeing the crown jewels, but if that's important to you do it right away when it opens. The line gets crazy long! We also did Westminster Abbey and and Windsor Castle and loved those as well. It wouldn't hurt to just brush up a little on British history--when my kids learned in their US schools didn't do much beyond the Queen and the Revolutionary War. Just a quick look into the various houses and big figures would be helpful. DH and I did a tour of St James and found that very interesting.
If they are Harry Potter fans, Leavesden Studios is a must see and plan on spending all day there. There's a bus that goes from Watford Junction station to the studios, so you don't need a car if you don't have one.
They chose Versailles vs Hampton Court ("house" tours aren't their thing), but I've heard great things about that and it's on my list.
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scrappinmama
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Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on Mar 31, 2023 0:01:16 GMT
My sons were 15 and 18 when we took them to London. We had a great time and vowed to come back and see other parts of England on future trips. I know people say that Stonehenge is overrated, but we loved it! We took a tour that stopped at Windsor, Bath and Stonehenge. It was a very long day, but we saw so much! Bath was fascinating.
Definitely do Tower of London. Skip Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. At least for us, it was not worth it. On our first day we went to Shrek's Adventure and I'm going to be honest...we LOVED it! We laughed so much. It's like a walk through attraction where people in character come out and you go on an adventure. We did it because we wanted to kill time until our hotel room was ready, but it was raining and we didn't want to be outside. I'm glad we took a chance.
Westminster Abbey was also great to walk around. We also got tickets to Phantom of the Opera. Wow! That performance was amazing and we will never forget it.
We ran out of time, so missed Hampton Court. But I highly recommend visiting. There are some great YouTube videos if you want to learn more about it.
London is a great city for young people. I hope you have a great time!
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Post by mom2jnk on Mar 31, 2023 0:36:41 GMT
The very favorite thing we did when we were in London and DD was 15 was a food tour with a company called "Eating London." For your foodie/history lover, it is the perfect thing. A combination of local history and the best bites of all different kinds of foods. Highly, highly recommended. We hesitated because of the price, but it was simply outstanding and we still talk about it seven years later!! So worth it. Eating London East End TourThe Borough Market tour also looked fantastic. We spent an entire morning visiting Borough Market on our own and I can just imagine how fantastic that tour would be too. We had High Tea at the Landmark Hotel which was really well done and no one there even blinked an eye at our disheveled tourist look. The Tower of London is a must see! And the British Museum is worth an entire day of exploration. We were so impressed with the fancy and civilized food available in the food court there. Westminster Abbey was interesting but so so so crowded that it was hard to see anything. I wouldn't do that again. ETA: The wax museum and the London Eye were way overrated and highly annoying (mandatory photo ops on the Eye like at amusement park rides and then they try to sell you the photos. yuck.) Buy Oyster cards for public transportation for everyone...public transport in London is clean and reliable and it is a wonderful life lesson for teens to learn to navigate the Tube and busses. |
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Post by Basket1lady on Mar 31, 2023 3:58:52 GMT
The very favorite thing we did when we were in London and DD was 15 was a food tour with a company called "Eating London." For your foodie/history lover, it is the perfect thing. A combination of local history and the best bites of all different kinds of foods. Highly, highly recommended. We hesitated because of the price, but it was simply outstanding and we still talk about it seven years later!! So worth it. Eating London East End TourThe Borough Market tour also looked fantastic. We spent an entire morning visiting Borough Market on our own and I can just imagine how fantastic that tour would be too. We had High Tea at the Landmark Hotel which was really well done and no one there even blinked an eye at our disheveled tourist look. The Tower of London is a must see! And the British Museum is worth an entire day of exploration. We were so impressed with the fancy and civilized food available in the food court there. Westminster Abbey was interesting but so so so crowded that it was hard to see anything. I wouldn't do that again. ETA: The wax museum and the London Eye were way overrated and highly annoying (mandatory photo ops on the Eye like at amusement park rides and then they try to sell you the photos. yuck.) Buy Oyster cards for public transportation for everyone...public transport in London is clean and reliable and it is a wonderful life lesson for teens to learn to navigate the Tube and busses. If you do Westminster Abbey, go first thing in the morning when it opens. We had skip the line tickets but there were only 4 other families in the regular line. By the time we left, the line was around to the front of the church. |
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sueg
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Post by sueg on Mar 31, 2023 6:29:22 GMT
I second the suggestions already given.
As well as the Churchill War Rooms, the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth - just the other side of the Thames from Westminster - was also incredible. The British Museum, Natural History Museum and Science Museum - all great and all free! Just check if they are still doing timed ticketing when you are there. We were in London 2 weeks ago, and it was advised for the National Gallery and British Museum. They didn't seem to be checking times too closely, but the queues for pre-booked were much shorter than General Admission - we walked straight into both, about 15 minutes before our 'scheduled' time. It may be different by the summer though - a gallery guide outside the National Gallery told me they introduced it when they reopened after Covid, and hadn't done away with it yet.
We also loved the Tower of London. You can do guided tours there, but we just wandered on our own. Definitely go straight to the Crown Jewels if you want to see them! We did a Jack the Ripper tour that started just near the Tower, and the company we did that with (can't remember now, it was on a visit years ago) had quite variety of walking tours.
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paigepea
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Post by paigepea on Mar 31, 2023 12:44:49 GMT
We went last test with our girls, then 16 and 13.
Churchill museum if your kids like history. Walking tours, Westminster Abby, parliament, British museum, soho, covent garden, borough market, I’ve heard notting hill is great but we didn’t go. My girls enjoying sitting outside at cafes and people watching.
We saw Matilda, wicked, and And Juliet.
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Post by playingcinderella on Mar 31, 2023 14:19:54 GMT
Yay! Thank you for all your ideas, off to research and add to my list.
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scrappinmama
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Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on Mar 31, 2023 18:38:32 GMT
British Museum was great, but make sure you give yourself enough time. We were there for 4 hours and definitely should have allowed for more time. Imperial War Museum has a Holocaust wing and it is very powerful. I'm glad we took the kids through it, but it was emotional and my oldest son and I both got choked up seeing the exhibit.
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Post by slowrunner70 on Mar 31, 2023 18:42:27 GMT
The Choir of Man at West End. Such a fun show
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Post by auntkelly on Mar 31, 2023 18:54:28 GMT
My kids were the same age as your kids when we took them to London.
You've gotten lots of great tips, but the one I think is the best tip is to arrive at the Tower of London a few minutes before it opens, and then as soon as it opens, head straight to the building where the Crown Jewels are displayed. We were able to ride the people mover through the Crown Jewels three times w/ no wait before we moved on to see the other sites at the Tower of London. By mid-morning, the line to see the Crown Jewels was all the way down the sidewalk outside the building. I was pleasantly surprised at how much my kids enjoyed seeing the Crown Jewels.
My son, who is a big history buff like me, was completely in awe of the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum. I don't think I'd even heard of the Rosetta Stone until I was in college, but clearly my son had a better grasp of Ancient History than I did at his age. We split up to tour the museum on our own. When I walked into the area where the Rosetta Stone was displayed, I saw my son circling the display case and his jaw was literally dropping. He looked up and saw me and whispered "Mom, it's the Rosetta Stone!"
I think that's one of the fun things about traveling w/ teens-no matter how much you plan, you never quite know what the teens will love and what they will find boring.
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uksue
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Location: London
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Post by uksue on Mar 31, 2023 19:03:23 GMT
Totally agree about not going to Madame Tussauds. It's so outdated now.
There's some great ideas in here. My son stil lives the ski lift ride across the Thames and the London eye- it's amazing in the dark as well as the daytime if the weather is good.
We really need to get into London soon. It's only 15 mins away on the train for me but I've been crippled by my knees for the last year . They're improved atm.
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Post by stacyscrapper on Mar 31, 2023 19:17:15 GMT
My daughters are the same ages as your kids and we just visited London this past December. It was the trip of a lifetime! How exciting that your family is going. Highlights for us were seeing theatre(To Kill a Mockingbird and then we split up and two of us saw Book of Mormon and the other two saw Matilda.) If your kids enjoy history, I’d highly recommend the Imperial War Museum. We dressed up for afternoon tea at the Goring Hotel and brought a backpack to change in their bathroom afterwards. That was our best day of sightseeing; only day we wore athletic clothes and walked and walked to see all the sights. The flea markets on the lower east side of London make for a fun morning. We were also able to watch England play a World Cup match from a crowded pub. That was super fun too. We stayed at an Airbnb in Kensington and I was glad we did. Every time we were in midtown it seemed overly crowded and touristy.
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Post by malibou on Apr 3, 2023 19:30:39 GMT
Dh and I were talking again about how awesome the Sky Park is. He said that a general admission ticket was hard to get when we were just there, but that it's easier and can be done further in advance of you make reservations for one of the 3 restaurants, or the bar.
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The Great Carpezio
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Post by The Great Carpezio on Apr 3, 2023 20:35:42 GMT
I don't have anything unusual to share. I have been to London twice as an adult without kids visiting friends and used it as a hub so not a ton of time in London. If I went back with my kids (15-year-old boys) now, I would do a lot of the same.
-Tower of London
-Portobello Market
-Fortum and Mason and the like
-River Thames trip/Greenwich tour
-London Natural History
Things I did not do that I would consider:
-The Globe Theatre
-Food tour (my kids would be into it.)
We also did one of those long day bus trips to Stonehenge, Windsor and Bath. I would prefer to rent a car and go where I want, but if I was strapped for time and didn't want to rent a car, I would still consider it. I am glad we did it; we have just learned we like to control our time and my DH isn't afraid to drive anywhere.
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Post by playingcinderella on Jul 30, 2023 13:09:29 GMT
We made it back from our trip to London and once again the peas are the Best! My history buff loved the Churchill War Rooms and the advice for the Tower of London saved us from standing in a single line. The only thing that was a dud for us was the Sky Garden - it was so crowded and the line to get out was insane. We ate some incredible meals, saw fabulous theatre and really enjoyed the sights and museums. We had a fabulous trip and I so appreciate all of the tips and suggestions.
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scrappinwithoutpeas
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Post by scrappinwithoutpeas on Jul 30, 2023 19:39:48 GMT
I second the advice given above. We did London when DD1 was mid-20s, DD2 was a teen, and DS was a just pre-teen. They all loved it and there was definitely something for everyone!
I will add that if you decide to do tea at the Orangery at Kensington Palace, book in advance. They were closed for a private event (wedding) on the day we had penciled in for tea there, so we had to make other plans. We hadn't pre-booked since we were not sure of our timing beforehand.
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