London

[Tashalburrows]

Travelling to Hyde park in July for a festival / concert with my 16 year old daughter, we are staying in the area and are looking for cheap but teenage approved things to do on the day before the festival ?

Also any tips on getting to London from
the north ? am trying to decide between train or bus - big price difference and how easy it is to get to hyde park from the bus station.

Never been to London before - help

When my dd was a teen, she loved going to Primark on Oxford Street because it was way bigger than the local ones.
My idea of hell but she thought it was great.

We did an escape room once but that was pricey Crazy golf in one of the parks also met her approval. She wasn't a geeky girl (unlike me) but the science museum, which she'd loved as a child, still worked when she was a teen.

At that age I loved just wandering around Notting Hill and popping into all the shops, market stalls, cafes, etc.

What is she interested in?

If you're getting the bus, I'm assuming you would arrive at Victoria coach station.

It's about a 20 minute walk to Hyde Park or you could walk to Victoria underground and get the Tube which is very straightforward.

My teen girl loved brandy melville in Covent Garden. I have tried to get her to Tate modern but have been so far unsuccessful! She prefers the shopping options.

she's a kpop fan we are coming to watch stray kids.

Honestly don’t do the bus.
Get a train they do cheap single tickets at a particular time and you can buy a rail card too to reduce the costs.

Id go to convent garden ….
Tubes are so easy to get around

Don't do the bus. Yes, it's cheaper but takes so, so long. I'd say book the train 12 weeks in advance for the best fare, but I see you're going in July, so basically book NOW! Unfortunately, for London you do need to plan ahead to keep costs down, but you'll know for next time.

Camden market seems to be paradise on earth for teenagers .
www.camdenmarket.com/

I think my DD is going to that, but she is older.
What about lunch at korean BBQ restaurant, There are also quite a lot of korean shops around such as https://www.artbox.co.uk in Covent garden, Oseyi in Charing Cross road is a korean supermarket , there is also another one next door and there is a Korean makeup shop over the road.

Frameless ( frameless.com ) is near Hyde Park and is good for any age range! It's an immersive art exhibition, with the art works projected onto large screens all around you.

Agree Frameless is really good for all ages.

I think there is a Korean noodle shop in Kensington called Saba it's meant to be quite cheap but probably worth looking it up

Buses are slow. Use your contactless in central London to get on the Tube.

Download CityMapper onto your phone for easy directions.

Look at a Two Together railcard to bring the fare down and search on the Trainline app to see if there are any split fares available which can save money (then book equivalent on train operators site to avoid the booking fee). Advance fares can be much cheaper.

Charing Cross Road, there’s about 5 Korean shops very close to each other, pureseoul beauty, a clothes shop, 2 Supermarkets plus Korean fried chicken, noodles etc. Definitely worth a visit

If you want to do some sightseeing, you could get the boat from London Eye down river to Greenwich and back. That way you see House of Parliament, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, the Eye etc all from the boat.

For shopping as pp have said, all those Korean stores would be fun or Covent Garden, or maybe Camden Lock. Or Oxford Street - the big Primark but also places like Selfridges and Bond Street for the cool extortionate fashion!

She might enjoy sokkolab near Oxford Street then a walk to Covent Garden, where are you leaving from. Are you staying near Hyde park, there are several entrances to BST.

Get the boat from Little Venice to Camden Lock and then wander around Camden Market.