Suggestions of what to do in London with 12 yr old dd.

[Joyfulincolour]

We are going to take our 12yr old dd to London for the first time. It’s her birthday so we want to make it special. She likes art, crafting, history and shopping. Can you suggest somewhere to eat that a 12 yr old would like?!
She will have some birthday money to spend and likes Primark 😱 so where would be best to do that please?
We are staying near Covent Garden.
Thanks.

Also, is the London pass worth it?

Depends how much you want to cram in for the London pass. I've done a similar one in New York and it was worth it but we were going to 3+ attractions everyday for 5 days (amazing but tiring!)

I would recommend the national portrait gallery if you DD likes history and art - it's free and not too far from Covent Garden. The Tower of London is always fab. (I loved the Crown Jewels! )

If your planning on the tower or Kensington palace it might be worth looking at CSSC membership. It's

We loved the London dungeons. They were a bit scary but lots of fun we did a combined ticket with the London eye which was good too.
We ate at the ivy grill in Covent Garden which both our girls loved (9 and 14)

I love the Natural History museum, but queues can be big in December.
Victoria & Albert museum around the corner too.

We took our DS for his 12th birthday, he loved The Cereal Killer Cafe. Also ate at Hard Rock Cafe.

We also went to the Tate Modern (that bit was my choice!)

If you are staying near Covent Garden then Tottenham Court Road is easy to get to. There is a big Primark there that I prefer to the one the other end of Oxford Street (near Bond Street). There is a big MUJI there to as well as one in Covent Garden.

Museum of London is great - it's near St Pauls which is great to see too.

Lots of places to eat in Covent Garden - id suggest you look on TripAdvisor and book one as they can get so busy around peak times. When my brother was that age he liked shake shack and meat liquor.

I missed what time of year you said - if soon I'm sure she would love winter wonderland in Hyde Park.

I've done some fab walking tours which really being the stories of London to life!

If you want an unusual museum I'd try Dennis Severs House (need to book far in advance) if you Google it, it's so unusual and special. Plus Spittal fields is cool to hang around too.

Madam Tussaud’s is fab (I hugged Benedict Cumberbatch 😂)

In no particular order, these have been my DCs' favourite London meals:
Inamo in Soho - Each table has an interactive surface, basically like a large iPad. You can draw on your table, play interactive games such as battleships with the rest of the people dining with you, change the colour and mood of the area around your table and check out the local area. One of the coolest features is the chef-cam which allows you to watch your food being prepared. It's Asian cuisine (think Wagamama) so expect lots of noodles and rice.
We always try to fit in a trip to Chin Chin Dessert lab for the liquid nitrogen ice cream, even in the winter! There’s a branch in Camden and Soho.
Also in Soho is HipChips, a restaurant dedicated entirely to the humble crisp. Platters of crisps served with a large choice of inventive dips, both savoury and sweet! www.hipchips.com/crisps-dips
My Old Dutch - various locations serving jaw-dropping pancakes. A good range of savoury (I like the ratatouille and creamed spinach but my DCs like the Italian, the Chilli con Carne and the Hot Dutch). You can also make your own. An even better range of sweet pancakes and a 'specials menu' with a pancake called Star Trek on Nutella!
Cereal Killer Cafe, Brick Lane and Camden - an amazing collection of cereals from all over the world. I let my kids enjoy a massive bowl of lots of different types for a fun lunch one day. Not a good option if you care too much about healthy eating! And The hot chocolates really do have to be seen to be believed.

Wow, thanks so much everyone. I'm off to look up some of these places! 😁