Help! London this weekend

[clippityclop]

Dh and two teens dds and me, staying near St Paul's. Really need some ideas! Only plans are show booked for Saturday night then panto at Hackney on Sunday afternoon. Please help to fill in the gaps and avoid dithering while we're there! Would be nice to see the lights, but not just spend hours on Oxford Street on the Saturday. Should we head to Hackney on Sunday morning? Travelling on elsewhere early Sunday evening.

Borough market, Spitalfields and Brick Lane. All great for teens

Natural history museum?

When do you arrive on Saturday?

There's a Parkrun at Mile End (plus others in east London). You could probably till book skating at one of the rinks that pops up at this time of year.

Some ideas here londonist.com/things-to-do-in-london-this-weekend and here www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do-in-london-this-weekend

Carnaby street with teens.

Columbia Rd flower market is fun on a Sunday morning (although it does get busy). I would do that and then walk up through Haggerston Park, along the canal and through Broadway Market (the actual main market there is on a Saturday but it is a lovely local high street with lots of independent cafes, shops etc) and London Fields Park to Hackney Empire.

London is mad at the weekends at this time of year. Make sure you have a plan for if you get separated in every area. South bank is always fun and there are some sheds of Christmas bumf there at the moment.

What sort of things do they like doing. All of the museums are open in both days. Science museum, natural history and V and A all at South Kensington. V and A has exhibition about video games at the moment. Transport museum is Covent Garden or British museum. A walk along the south bank is good with lots going on. There is a Christmas market outside royal festival hall.

You could walk along Oxford and Regent Street after the show on Saturday night once crowds have gone down.

It won't take ages to travel to Hackney. I would stay central and travel there for lunch.

I agree that Carnaby Street Good - the lights are great, also Seven Dials shopping area has lovely lights. Forbidden Planet is fun for geeky teens.

If you’re staying near St Paul’s then a walk around the deserted City is fun at the weekend - maybe on your way to Spitalfields Market. There are Harry Potter routes if you’re that way inclined, or you could do the Mithraeum and the gladiatorial arena if you’re into ancient Romans.

Winter wonderland in Hyde Park is good fun, worth a visit.

Beautiful lights in Mayfair, tucked away from Oxford St etc. That’s where I’d head (also to drool at the windows of the beautiful designer shops and jewellers)

Walk from St Paul’s over to the Southbank. Pop into the Tate, even if just the turbine hall. Go right towards the Eye, there’s a Christmas market down there, you can enjoy that and then turn back and make your way East along the river to Borough market where you can pick up lunch (or sit in somewhere, there are loads of restaurants), peek into beautiful Southwark Cathedral. Could go to the Clink museum/take a boat ride. Take in London Bridge. Then back over the bridge and wander around the City which I love on a weekend, or carry on to Tower of London. Or the Emirates cable car?

Sunday-a market like Spitalfields, Columbia Rd or Camden.

Sunday morning you could do Columbia Road market as a PP suggested then Brick Lane which is very lively on a Sunday including graffiti spotting on the adjacent streets (arty and much better than it sounds) and the Huguenot weavers houses on Fournier Street and have lox and bagels at one of the two famous bagel shops at the Bethnal Green Road end of Brick Lane.

It a a fairly short bus ride (15 minutes) to Hackney from there if you have had enough walking.

Skating at Somerset House always went down well with my DDs.

You can get an evening open top bus tour of the lights which is a fab way of seeing them and seeing all the hustle and bustle without being bogged down by it!

This looks really fun, on Brick Lane on Sunday.

www.renegadecraft.com/fair/london-winter

Lots of designers/makers, food trucks, DJs. I've been to this, or something similar, in previous years and it was really great.

As PP have said you can then get a bus up to Hackney if you don't fancy the walk, but a wander up the canal, through Broadway Market and then London Fields is lovely.

Have fun!

boat trip down the river to Greenwich, wander about. then take DLR to Stratford and change onto Overground for Hackney

I went last weekend - when it goes dark; the streets start moving at snail speed so everyone can see the lights. Oxford/Regent/Carnaby were insane.

Definitely have plans for if you get split up.

More for you than the teens, if you're into gin - a Sipsmiths shop next to Fortnum and Mason, Piccadilly - you can try little tasters of lemon drizzle gin, mince pie gin ….. lovely. Make wonderful gifts as they wrap them beautifully and put them in a fab bag.

I love Columbia road flower market in the run up to Xmas too. Plenty of “Love Actually” worthy scenes - people tying Xmas trees to minis etc. I usually try and go and buy my wreath (for a bargainous price).

My DD who is 16 would choose Camden Market every time though.

We're going on Sunday. Starting in Trafalgar Square at National Gallery (7yo dd desperate to visit an art gallery and it's free) then over to natural history museum for ice skating (pre booked) then dinner in Covent Garden (seeing lights along the way). I love bimbling around London and am really excited dd wants to visit an art gallery. Not sure dd1 and 3 are as bothered but they're fairly amenable.

Millions of things to do! Camden is the best market for teens. Carnaby St for the Bohemian Rhapsody lights and shopping. Any one of the ice rinks. Winter Wonderland or Winterville (Clapham if you want somewhere less packed than Hyde Park).

I'd go to Winter Wonderland, but only if you are a sucker for Christmas markets, fairgrounds and ice sculptures.

Or walk along the South Bank looking at the christmas stalls, listening to buskers.

You could have a quick look at a few famous paintings in the National gallery (Sunflowers or George and the dragon are popular.
Teens usually love Spitalfields. Amazing street art round there, good food market and vintage clothes stalls if they like that sort of thing.

You could do a river boat trip on the Clipper from London Eye to Greenwich, then walk under the river ithrough the victorian foot tunnel and make your way back into the centre via DLR driverless train to Docklands, then wander around St Pauls, the Lodnon Museum etc.

If teens like fashion, you could go to the fashion museum or V&A.

If you don't mind a paid for activity, what about St Paul's itself? It is quite expensive, but there's a lot to see. It could take up a good chunk of Saturday, if your dc are interested. I think it's somewhere everyone should visit at least once.

My friend and I enjoyed Camden market, lots of cool stalls and great food and drinks places. Would recommend the Thai food stall and the freshly squeezed orange juice stall were fabulous.

I live in London. I would book a flight on the London Eye and then walk from the south bank over Westminster Bridge, see Houses of Parliament, walk up Whitehall, see the horse guards on parade, up to Trafalgar Square, Nelsons Column, then onto Pall Mall and walk down to Buckingham Palace. The most iconic sights of London are within walking distance of each other for most able bodied people. I certainly wouldnt waste a rare visit on faffing around at a street market.