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Original poster

London for geeky teens - but free or cheap?

82 replies

notwhatineednow · 03/04/2022 13:15

We're in London for the holidays and I have some days planned that are going to be pretty pricey!

Can anyone help me plan a cheap or free day to balance it out?

I'll have 4 DC with me that day, two 13 year olds and two 9 year olds.

Can anyone suggest anything for the 13 year olds to do?

They like tech, warhammer and other table top games, art, computer games, anime, science, history, music and they're good in museums.

(The 9 year olds are easier to entertain, but any tips for them would be great also!)

OP posts:
Original poster
notwhatineednow · 03/04/2022 21:52

@iCod

London. If shops Etc are a hassle and money an object 😀
London? One of the major capital cities of the world, with more free museums, collections, cultural and educational activates, fun events, historical sights, beautiful parks, and weird and wonderful activities than you could possibly enjoy in one life time, shouldn't be enjoyed if you're not rich?

Are you sure that's what you mean?

I mean, sure, London's easier if you have money in your pocket, but I grew up there and lived there my whole life till about 15 years ago. Some of the best times in my life were when I was totally skint in London in my late teens and early 20s - and we certainly weren't sitting home staring at 4 walls!

There's plenty of exciting stuff to do in London with a bit of imagination that doesn't cost much. The Cable cars instead of the Eye. The commuter boat down the Thames instead of the tourist one. Museums, parks, art galleries, cool stuff to look at and do. all the stuff on this thread.

Or should we leave my home town to be a playground for the rich, only?

OP posts:
theshadeofgreen · 03/04/2022 22:02

The Namco arcade?! We squeezed the majority of the above suggestions into item 4 day pre covid trip, yet the arcade is the thing my DS remembers BlushGrin

Original poster
notwhatineednow · 03/04/2022 22:03

@Camdenish

Walk over Tower Bridge. Get caramel peanuts to share between two, £6, or ignore and free. Look at the river and the bits of walls and the Tower. If you can plan for a bridge opening that is doubly exiting.

Walk past Ken’s Great Glass Testicle and enjoy the Thames, maybe try and get onto the beech, and go into Tate Modern.

Back over wobbly bridge to look up at St Paul’s. Maybe have a look at some Great Fire things.

Ooh, I hadn't thought to check bridge opening times. Sadly it's not going to open on the day we'll be there but one for next time...

I found the opening times here: www.towerbridge.org.uk/lift-times

OP posts:
Original poster
notwhatineednow · 03/04/2022 22:05

@MrsHugget

Place marking for my grumpy sullen teen who said "there's nothing to do in London " Plonker
Grin Grin
OP posts:
ThinWomansBrain · 03/04/2022 22:06

as others have said, lots of the museums and galleries have free entry to their permanent exhibitions.
Look at Groupon - often get discounted thames river trips.
A friend and I recently did some free walking tours that you downloaded to your phone - really great, at your own pace, tons better than being marched round in a large group. I found them on the National Portrait site - the ones we did were focussed on women artists, or influential women, but if you have a search around you might find similar more suited to your childrens interests.

Enjoyable couple of hours walking around bloomsbury (practically on my doorstep, so I should know it really well) looking more closely at places I didn't know were there, and googling more info on our phones.
Word of warning - the time estimate given would mean charging around and not stopping to look at anything - but you can just do a few points of interest.

Camdenish · 03/04/2022 22:07

Oh gosh, Namco! My DC ( and DH) bloody love it. Costs though.

HelloDulling · 03/04/2022 22:10

Download the Go Jauntly app. If you need to get from A to B on foot, it suggest the route and points out all sorts of things on the way.

ThinWomansBrain · 03/04/2022 22:10

if you can't find anything online, I jsut had a look at amazon and there's a book called "London Adventure Walks for Families: Tales of a City "

Original poster
notwhatineednow · 03/04/2022 22:16

@iCod

You see I don’t think that young children like wandering around watching the world go by
I agree that's more of an adult activity. I have had some lovely times just walking about London with my 13 year old before, but this is a different dynamic with 4 DC in tow, of course.

Did you see these treasure trails upthread? They basically gamify sight seeing. We've done similar activities in the past and they've enjoyed it. At £10 for a couple of hours entertainment for all 6 of us, that's a bargain!

And if it's somewhere like Southbank then we can stop to see the Skaters etc too. I loved watching them as a child. I'm trying to decide between Southbank, Tower Bridge and Kensington Gardens.

www.treasuretrails.co.uk

OP posts:
Dinoasaurme · 03/04/2022 22:39

@SE13Mummy mudlarking on the banks of the Thames is illegal without a license

Dinoasaurme · 03/04/2022 22:43

OP you can get the clipper from by the Cutty Sark to O2 for the Emirates Airline.

Defiantly don't walk from Cutty Sark to O2 as it's a horrible fumy road wiring into Blackwall tunnel. There's always loads of traffic slong Trafalgar Road so avoid the bus there too as you'll be an hour - not worth it.

Shortbreadselection · 03/04/2022 22:46

The Novelty Automation Museum

Original poster
notwhatineednow · 03/04/2022 22:51

@Dinoasaurme

OP you can get the clipper from by the Cutty Sark to O2 for the Emirates Airline.

Defiantly don't walk from Cutty Sark to O2 as it's a horrible fumy road wiring into Blackwall tunnel. There's always loads of traffic slong Trafalgar Road so avoid the bus there too as you'll be an hour - not worth it.

That sounds like good advice, thanks!
OP posts:
Original poster
notwhatineednow · 03/04/2022 22:51

@Shortbreadselection

The Novelty Automation Museum
Been there, we loved it!
OP posts:
Camdenish · 03/04/2022 22:54

The 453 bus route takes in some good bits, Trafalgar Sq, Horseguards, Piccadilly,

OnGoldenPond · 04/04/2022 00:27

The South Bank is a good shout for teens. Yes the skaters and the graffiti are still there - DD's boyfriend often takes his board there Smile

While there might be worth seeing what is on at the BFI. They have a season of anime on in May, would you be around then?

FogniniFog · 04/04/2022 00:50

Free Street Art & Graffiti Tour then lunch at Brick Lane Beigel Bake.

strawberrytours.com/london/tours/free-street-art-graffiti-tour
bricklanebeigel.co.uk

Agapornis · 04/04/2022 00:50

[quote Dinoasaurme]@SE13Mummy mudlarking on the banks of the Thames is illegal without a license[/quote]
It's not - or rather, digging/scraping/using tools is illegal. Using only your eyes and picking up what's on the surface is not. I like the beach at Gabriel's Wharf.

The London Mithraeum is a free Roman temple, underground, there's dry ice and an Evocative Soundscape Grin, it's not far from the Bank of England museum. www.londonmithraeum.com/

AintNoPartyLikeANumber10Party · 04/04/2022 00:59

How about the Cartoon Museum? There are still places on some of the workshops too www.cartoonmuseum.org/events/cartoon-museum-easter-workshops-2022

The museum of brands has a family ticket and is a quirky fun place to go.

Museum of the home is fantastic and free.

If the weather is good, Holland Park is great and less busy than the more central parks. It’s walking distance from Westfield if you Grin can afford it with teens

Mediumred · 04/04/2022 01:16

This place is amazing, it is like a mini natural history museum full of really weird stuff in jars, they have like a quiz too where you have to go round and find various bits, it would not be a whole day or an afternoon but I would say it might be good for a couple of hours or near that

www.ucl.ac.uk/culture/node/7/about

It’s not too far from the wellcome collection if you wanted to combine it with that. I don’t think they would let the older kids go by themselves, though, unfortunately.

Also if the kids are adventurous with food a cheapish place to eat might be Drummond st which has lots of Indian restaurants offering buffets but not sure if they would have kid deals and I think might have been affected by HS2 (near Euston). Maybe someone could advise? I liked it as you Can BYOB but guess that is less relevant for the young uns!

Einsteinsong · 04/04/2022 01:27

I know you are trying to avoid the science museum and not free but the gaming exhibition?
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/power

bubblicious3 · 04/04/2022 07:07

There's a great little free pop up museum just near Forbidden Planet called the Museum of youth culture. It's tiny but my 12 & 15 yr old found it fascinating

yellowsuninthesky · 04/04/2022 08:12

A few years ago we had friends visiting from overseas and we made it into a transport day. We got the train to Waterloo, tube to Bank, then the DLR, got the cable car, walked through the Greenwich foot tunnel and then got the boat back to Westminster for Waterloo. With a cheapish lunch at Cafe Nero in Greenwich, it wasn't an expensive day out. There were three kids aged 14, 13 and 10.

BitOutOfPractice · 04/04/2022 08:14

The Old Operating Theatre

SE13Mummy · 04/04/2022 10:18

[quote Dinoasaurme]@SE13Mummy mudlarking on the banks of the Thames is illegal without a license[/quote]
Digging and scraping needs a permit, 'eyes only' mudlarking doesn't.