Best London areas to stay with teenagers during a summer visit

[PenandPip]

Looking for recommendations for places to stay in London this summer. Myself ,DH and three teens who are 18,16 and 14. The teens picked London, we have never visited.

Ideally thinking of an Air B&B. What areas should I be looking in?

Sounds like fun!
how long will you be in London?
What kind of vibe are you looking for?
Are you aiming to hit the big sights and/anything particular you’re aiming to do or see?
Will you be travelling to London by car?

Oh and the big question - what’s your budget per night?!

Thinking three days at the end of June. No car. Yes looking to do the traditional sight seeing and just feeling the London vibe. Not intetrsted in seeing any shows.

Haven't got a budget in mind. Ideally though would rather have more money to spend on our days out, tours eating and drinking etc. Teens will want to shop too. Open to a cheap and cheerful hotel too in the right location.

We stayed in Islington a few years ago for a concert, lots of bars/restaurants and a nice vibe. We stayed in the Hilton.

Thank you, total newbie with regards to London so any recommendations are great.

I’d book the Travelodge in Covent Garden - small family and small double for 3 nights across a weekend in June is about £1000. Don’t pay for WiFi (use your data) and don’t pay for breakfast (you are 3 mins walk from Tesco express)

You’ve got Seven Dials Market and Al the delights of Covent Garden. Loads of shopping. You can walk to China Town and Leicester Sq or Trafalgar Sq and the big galleries in minutes.

Then you don’t have to schlep out to one of the outer boroughs.

Easy to hop on buses but you can also walk within 30 mins to Big Ben, Oxford St, British Museum…20 mins walk to Hyde park or Tate Modern .

For a first trip to London I think the teens would appreciate being quite central. Yes it can feel touristy but if you’re hitting the big sights you are going to feel like tourists anyway.

Thank you so much. Sounds good. Will have a look now.

I also think Covent garden is good. The underground station there can get very busy though as it’s small and lifts operate.

Other areas worth looking at are Holborn, Notting Hill and Kings Cross or Euston area. There are budget hotels there next to good transport links. What station are you arriving at? It’s a good idea to look for budget hotels nearby to mainline stations. Plus think about what you want to see and work out transport links from the hotel. Airbnb for the size you want won’t be cheap if central.

All of these are great to stay in. If you could find a nice hotel in Bloomsbury that’s nice.

The premier inn London Southwark (Bankside) is a great location. You are in easy walking distance along the river path to lots of great places including the globe, borough market etc. Feels v safe too.

Agreed it’s a good idea to have hotel near where your train arrives. But lots of buses are easily accessible with pull along suitcases.

If budget is important consider Canary Wharf of Old St / City areas. Cheaper but good transport.

@TirednessOnToast for a first visit id hesitate to be out in Canary Wharf unless you really want to be that side of London or have loads of time to invest in travel. We live in a leafy town and my dd15 was put off by how sterile /overly planned Canary Wharf can feel. It was designed to have a corporate feel and I wouldn’t trade its big malls for poking around quirky shops and markets in other parts of town.

Which station are you coming in on? The Kings Cross, St Pancras, Euston area has lots of decent travel lodge/hub hotels and good underground links.

Lots of galleries 3 stops or so away - Ox St, Covent Garden etc.

Breakfast in the hotel is often very good and I'd not be skipping that, personally. I also don't get the 'advice' about wifi. Who uses all their data instead?

Recommended eateries - BFI cafe Southbank, Ciao Bella Bloomsbury, German Gymnasium KX, Route cafes

Covent Garden and south bank are both very good shouts. Easy to walk to loads of stuff and various tube stations on different lines.
just remember very comfy shoes

Old Street has a Premier Inn right opp the underground and overground station and bus hub. Northern Line. DS's uni room is right there in this happening N1/E1 location. Canal walks, coffee shops, trendy Hoxton and Haggerston. Not central but very well connected.

Covent Garden or Notting Hill. You can get Air BnB’s for around £1000-£1500 for 3 nights and I’d prefer that to a hotel for 5 of you as it means more space and you’re not tied to eating out for every meal.

Check out areas that are on the Elizabeth line. It's been a game changer regarding travelling east to west and vice versa. Peak trains are every few mins!

I like the areas behind holborn and chancery lane, quiet, on central line and several hotels located there.plus easy buses to other locations. covent garden station is very busy as is the area.

If you are staying in Covent Garden, definitely avoid the station. Use the surrounding ones. None are more than ten minutes walk from Covent Garden itself.

I second this. You can’t go wrong with Covent Garden. You can spend a lovely half hour watching the street entertainers.

We stayed at the hub by premier in at Marylebone and it was perfect - really well located for everything, so near to Baker Street tube station and there were loads of places nearby for exploring- food, drink, shops.

It was a bank holiday and I was shocked by how reasonably priced it was! Plus extremely comfy beds and it had a really nice bar/ lounge where you got your free hot drinks. This was nice because it meant we could hang out with the whole party rather than be in rooms!

If budget no object stay at The Landmark. No seriously, Marylebone High Street is heaven, Rococco chocolates is there and in the back streets VV Rouleaux (ribbons and trimmings) and The Button Queen are there.