Any experienced people know how to do london

[Hortuslover]

Morning all,

I’d really like some help on how to do london with a teen. I plan to take 13yo ds for 2 nights in January.

I have no idea where to stay. I’ve stayed in Covent Garden before now when I’ve been for shopping trips and seemed a good location, but not sure if there’s better places to stay in terms of sight seeing. Plan is to do open top bus, national history museum, change of the guards and London dungeons..not sure if I’m being too optimistic with the amount of time we are there.

Ive not got loads of money so I’m looking for deals on hotels if anyone knows of any little gems.

Thank you.

If you want save on money try the premier inn in vauxhall. It’s right by the tube and bus station and right by the river. Much cheaper than staying in tourist hotspots, and is still zone one.

Just a little bump in the hope any one has any more advice.

I think you'll have enough time. Do check the dates for changing the guard - it no longer happens every day. It gets very crowded too.

Sounds like you’ve got a good plan.

Premier Inn at Bankside is another good location. It is right on the river and from there you can walk up to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge or down the other way to the London Dungeon and Aquarium etc. It's about 20 minutes by tube to South Kensington and the museums are a short walk from there. You can also take the Thames Clipper from Bankside up to the O2 and the Emirates Cable car or down to Battersea station. I wouldn't bother with the changing of the guard - we took our nephews last year and they thought it was fairly boring. On the other hand they loved the Jack the Ripper tour. There are some good flats on AirBNB if you aren't wedded to a hotel - we find it works out much cheaper

You'll defo fit that in to 2 days, the London Dungeon is fun!

Another vote for Premier Inn. We often use Earls Court Kensington. Or Southwark Travelodge which is handy for the South bank area.

Thank you everyone.
I’m really looking forward to it but just hope I plan it right. It’s an alternative to Christmas presents, although he will be getting a few smaller bits, so want to make sure he has a good time.

Jack the Ripper tour sounds good, I’ll look into that, think he’d like that. I’ll rule out changing of the guards.

And I never even thought about air bnb, thanks for the reminder.

Thank you everyone

If you do a jack the ripper tour visit Shoreditch and then go to Brick Lane for a curry

Me and DH do this frequently, and we only live in Kent and commute to London every day! We love a weekend in London.

Seconding Premier Inn or Travelodge. We often stay at the Premier Inn at Blackfriars. Handy for the tube or walk up to Fleet Street and there are a multitude of bus routes including the No. 11 which goes past loads of the attractions and sights - see the extract from Wikipedia below:

"The bus route passes many tourist attractions including:

Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Abbey
Methodist Central Hall Westminster
St Margaret's, Westminster
Churchill War Rooms
The Cenotaph
Downing Street entrance
Banqueting House
Horse Guards Parade
Admiralty House
Trafalgar Square
St. Paul's Cathedral

It also goes near the Royal Courts of Justice, St Clement Danes, Aldwych Underground station, High Commission of Australia, Savoy Hotel, Nelson's Column, Admiralty Arch, Big Ben, Palace of Westminster and New Scotland Yard. The Daily Telegraph called the route one of the "best routes for sightseeing on a shoestring"."

One word of warning if you are going to rely on the Tube during your weekend - check the Transport for London website before you book as there is nearly always engineering works and some sections of the lines get closed completely, particularly the Circle and District (as we discovered to our cost the other weekend).

Other than that I hope you both have a wonderful time!

Get the dungeon done early, it’s a horror walking along the south bank in the afternoon. Otherwise I think you’ll get it all done. I personally would stay at KX or Euston way but that’s because I love the British Museum and the British Library. There are some cheapish hotels there and a nice YHA.

Thanks everyone.

I’ve booked travel lodge Southwark, they were doing 15% off so got a good deal. Managed to do return train from Manchester and 2 nights stay for me and ds for £167, so I’m happy with that. More to spend while we are there

Thank you everyone for all the tips.

That sounds great!

You've got plenty time for all that. We were there last week and fitted platform 9 3/4 picture (massive queue) Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square then a walk down to embankment and stop for food all in to one morning (that was travelling in from Hertfordshire too) having the time makes getting from one thing to the next so quick and easy. We stayed near kings cross the time before and it was very handy. There's a great outside space called corams fields near there where you can pass any extra time

Have you booked train yet? You'll save masses with a family and friends rail card and it's valid for a year. Also if not totally rule out changing of the guards. My 2 loved it and wanted to go again.

Have a look at TFL Visitors Oyster Cards. They are invaluable!

Oh my days..ds will love platform 9 3/4 photo opportunity!!
So glad I’ve started this thread, you’ve all been massively helpful.

I’ve already booked train tickets, saved money by getting singles instead of return and got split tickets. I’m so excited 😆

I’m hoping to bag theatre tickets too for one of the evenings.

No need to have Oyster cards at all any more. They are being phased out. Just use your contactless debit/credit card. Also means you don't have to pay the stupid deposit.

If you are planning on a photo of platform 9 and 3/4 be prepared to queue!

I was in London for work on a random Wednesday in September and was walking through Kings Cross and the queue was massive! I imagine it moves quite quickly but was a lot busier than I expected for 2pm on a weekday.

Also download the Citymapper app to help you plan any journeys. It will also show you where it’s quicker to walk rather than tube or bus.

No need to have Oyster cards at all any more. They are being phased out. Just use your contactless debit/credit card. Also means you don't have to pay the stupid deposit.

If she uses her contactless card she’ll need separate cards to pay for her & her daughter. She’ll also be paying the adult fare for a 13 year old. If she gets a visitor Oyster Card, she’ll have to pay £5 plus whatever she wants to top up on the card, but children between 11-15 pay half fare for something like 2 weeks (although she’ll have to organise that once she’s in London - it’s called a Young Visitor Discount). You also get discounts, which might be of use.

Agree about staying just outside the centre in a Premier Inn.

If you're staying in Southwark there is quite a lot going on there.
Tate Modern if you like modern art
Southbank - see if there's anything on
London Eye
London Aquarium
Imperial War Museum
HMS Belfast about 10min tube ride
River boat - get the Clipper, it's much cheaper
Lego shop in Leicester Square is amazing for kids

Don’t assume that the tube is quickest. Sometimes it’s easier to walk between places.

There’s lots of last-minute places where you can get cheap theatre tickets.

My teens like seeing the modern buildings -shard, gherkin etc.

Always make sure you take a bottle of water with you, and snacks, as London can be tiring.

Don't bother with the open top bus. Apart from anything else, it will be freezing in January. As pp said, there are regular bus routes that go past a lot of the sights. The no. 15 is another one. It goes down to the Tower, and sometimes it's an old Routemaster. There's a maximum fare spend per day, so you can jump on and off and make as many journeys as you like.

www.tfl.gov.uk is good for journey planning.

Other than the top of a bus, walking is a good way to see London. Get a good map, something like an A-Z.

Also, if ds isn't familiar with the Underground, do a couple of journeys, and get ds to plan them and find the way around the stations. Knowing how to use the Tube is a life skill which he's old enough to acquire. Make sure to stand on the right on the escalators!