Days out American Visitors

[Jaffacake76]

Hi,
I have family visiting from USA. Their children 14 yrs old girl & 13 yr old boy..any suggestions they’re here for 5 days. We’re based near Guildford but happy to drive.

I'm also planning on doing gift bags for them but have no idea what to buy!

id be so grateful for any suggestions?

Ask them their interests? ?
Offer them a list
Active go ape or sit on a bus or boat?
Do they want to visit London or Canterbury? Coast or countryside?
www.visitsurrey.com/guildford/things-to-do-in-guildford/family-fun/

They do love Stratford and all things Shakespeare... but you're nearer London so I'm sure you won't be short on things more locally.
Gift bags - tea and custard creams! Oddly Americans are also intrigued by squash (juice) as they don't have it the same way we do.

Stratford On Avon is a bit of a trek. Personally I'd take them to the central London - the Tower, Westminster Abbey a river boat tour etc.

What about the rib boats down the Thames. Go for one of the blast ones that spend most of the time outside the speed controlled zone.

then brick lane / camden

With the kids wait to see their interests.
A teen might not be impressed with a tea bag!

Depends on their interests really.

I'd take them to see the kind of stuff they don't have in the US.

Stonehenge, a decent castle, trip to somewhere like Oxford.

Definitely at least one day up in London.

I think london as above PP said. Also Oxford isn't too far and is very beautiful. Kent is pretty too.Canterbury Cathedral.,Dover Castle. Dungeoness is cool too .have a great time!

Portsmouth Royal Historic Dockyard.

A visit to Hampton Court Palace is a fairly obvious suggestion? Or Windsor Castle?

Cotswolds - Bourton on the Water is lovely, the miniature village is quite a novelty. plus Cotswold Wildlife Park.

Borough Market. If you ever watch American YouTubers vlogging about their trips to London, that always seems to be a highlight.

Whereabouts in America do they live? Is it a city or rural area?

From Guildford I’d go to London - Tower (Crown Jewels), trip down the Thames and open top bus tour, Camden and Covent Garden. Then Portsmouth and the dockyards. Chessington or Thorpe Park? Windsor? None of these are too far away.

…and lunch at the Sky Garden which is really cool.

Bristol and Bath. They're only about 20 minutes between the two by train.

Proper fish and chips

If they haven’t been then London and the sights - seeing old buildings and the sights- they just don’t have it apart from a very few indigenous peoples’ sites.

Otherwise talk to them about what their interests are.

Too many to name - depends partly on whether you want iconic UK trips or just to keep them entertained (or a mixture). Also what they're interested in.

There's lots of good trampoline parks around (AirHop in Guildford), also ice-skating. Wisley Gardens nearby, but might be too tame. A London hop-on, hop-off boat or bus tour would probably be good, along with a posh afternoon tea.

Oh, and the Harry Potter experience.

Does depend a bit if this is a 'once in a lifetime = want to see as much as I can' trip, or if they come over every couple of years.

Working on basis of 'once in a lifetime' then London has to be at least one, but probably 2 days.
Then a historic town or City such as Bath, Bristol, Oxford, etc.
A castle (if not doing the Tower of London)
From where you are, I'd have thought Portsmouth wasn't too fa, and lots of history.

Most visitors from abroad genuinely seem to enjoy a bit of time finding out about daily life - including a trip to the supermarket. But I'd also through in a pint at a nice country pub.

You need at least one day doing the sights - Buckingham palace, Big Ben, Trafalger square, , etc,

Cambridge or Oxford is a good shout.

Leeds castle (in Kent) is a lovely castle to visit and not too far.

What about Greenwich - naval museum, Cutty Sark, market etc?

Also, modern stuff? Harry Potter world at Leavesden(Watford) - although expensive and maybe too late to book?

A taste of British life is a good shout also - supermarket, large shopping centre (Bluewater etc), bus ride, taxi ride, train ride, fish and chips, icecream at the beach etc.

On one of the days, get a train into London.

Walk along the Thames. London Eye, walk past festival hall. Visit The Globe... Tate Modern... Go to the top for a drink. Good view. Borough. Get on a boat from there and go to Greenwich (can chill, photo etc) You'll go under Tower Bridge, past Tower of London etc. See Cutty Sark or observatory (won't have time for both...) get boat back to Westminster - can walk past Westminster Cathedral, see Buck Palace. Get a cab back to Waterloo (black cab !) Home.

Or shopping .. All the regular haunts. That could be a second day. Harrods, Covent Garden, Kings Rd... Or they may be more east London.. Truman, Brick Lane etc.

Defo do The Globe

When are they coming?
Interests?

London: Fortnums, Buck House, South Ken Museums, boat trip along the Thames is always good. London Eye? Fringe theatre - you've the Yvonne Araud in Guildford, or somewhere like the White Bear in South London.

Will they be here for any of the big events: Ascot, the Derby, Henley?

Leeds Castle.

A day in Brighton - fish and chips on the beach, the Lanes, the Pavillion.

Trip to Bath and visit to a beautiful English village like Bradford on Avon?