London with teenagers

[DangerFrog]

Looking for recommendations for a week in London please! Staying in Camden, near the tube station. DH, me & 3 teens: 17 year old son and 15 & 13 year old girls.

I absolutely want to visit the Natural History Museum, DH wants to visit the Science Museum & Greenwich Observatory, and we want to see various shows in the West End (have already booked the absolute must-sees, happy to buy tickets on the day for other evenings).

Kids happy with those suggestions but struggling to decide what they want to do. We're coming from rural Scotland so I think they're just a bit overwhelmed with the options! What do you think are the best things to do with teens in London? Monopoly Live has been suggested, and they seem keen on that - is it worth it?

Also, I'm celebrating my 50th this year and our oldest will be 18 this summer (after our London trip). I'm thinking it might be nice to celebrate in London - we'll be able to do things that we can't do at home but, again, the options are overwhelming!

Thank you for your suggestions!

Also if you are going to the museums in kensington and you are there at the right time you could look at going to the Proms - the standing tickets are v cheap. Sell it to them as a classical mosh pit

We live in London, but the thing DS3 ( now in his 20s) recalls the best from his early teen years was a concert at St Pauls. We came across it by chance but it was glorious, and a haven in a hot busy day.
A wander round Coal Drops Yard at Kings Cross and a visit to the Lightroom there is fun, and the new V&A Storehouse in East London is unusual. It's near the canal with some cool outside bars and food shacks on the waterfront - lovely on a warm day. If you can stretch to it, I'd try for a speedboat down the Thames, I've never done it but it looks superfun. If you or the DC are into fashion, the V&A is great, the tea room there is gorgeous, often with live music, also the Fashion &b Textile Museum.
Denis Severs House is fascinating, as is John Soames Museum - they are both small, not like the big National Museums which can feel a bit overwhelming.
The Churchill War Rooms are interesting, if you like WW2 history. Or you can get tours round the stadiums of the big football clubs if that's up your street.
What are your kids into?

There's a great fb group called 'London with kids' or v similar.

Loads of good tips and advice on there.

If you have time it may be worth looking at buying the young Oyster cards as then you can get the half price for the younger ones out on on arrival. You can order a 16-17 one for your biggest too bit this has to be online with verifiable ID.

We have done a few trips with our teens now. They have really enjoyed several of the museums we have done including IWM, V&A, The Old Operating Theatre, The Maritome Museum in Greenwich. They loved the Horrible Histories boat ride but I don't know if that runs any more. They also enjoyed the Globe tour and workshops and seeing a play there (I found the standing hard and would pay more for seats next time).

They all loved The Play That Goes Wrong and still talk about it a lot.

They enjoyed China Town and buying the little Japanese fish bakery things.

Walking along The Embankment and seeing the Tower all lit up at night is good.

I have lived in London for most of my adult life, and my 2 kids (aged 11 and 13) are Londoners, but I’m not from London, so these are some tips from a local but with some non Londoner perspective.

totally agree with suggestion to not over schedule. Getting around London though it’s easy to do can be exhausting at times especially when busy. Based on experience hosting family from more rural parts of England, I think non locals are more likely to find this, so leave some time for rest, generally wandering etc. and I’d also not do a show every night - you may want a more chill evening away from the west end!

from Camden, a really nice and slightly more chill activity would be to walk along the regents canal, could go west towards Maida Vale which goes through Regent’s Park and you can see some of the zoo animals from the canal path, or east towards kings x and angel. The area around kings x as got really nice over the last few years, and I’d recommend it for a far calmer shopping experience than the west end

consider what sort of food you want to seek out and search for some recommendations for the best x or y cuisine. You can get great food from all over the world in London, that’s one of the best things about the city. Some of my top recommendations are:
lahore kebab house and Tayyabs, both in Whitechapel area (Pakistani)
song Que (kingsland rd, near old street, Vietnamese)
four seasons (Cantonese, they have a branch in china town and one off Queensway between Hyde park and Paddington)
koya (Japanese udon noodle specialist, they have a branch in the city near mansion house and one in soho)

for theatre/shows, look into off west end venues including national theatre, south bank centre, old vic, plus smaller venues like kings head theatre in Islington

I’d def check out an art gallery - the permanent collection at Tate (Modern and Britain), the national gallery and portrait gallery are all free. They do get busy so go early and I think Tate Britain is probably my favourite plus it’s less busy

some of the smaller museums are great, and also less busy. My kids recently enjoyed the Handel/hendrix house, round the corner from Oxford Circus (it’s where Handel and jimi Hendrix both lived, centuries apart)

in terms of getting around, also agree to not use the tube map to judge distances - it’s a diagram rather than a map. I’d recommend downloading the city mapper app to navigate - it will also show the walking route and for shorter distances in the city centre walking can be quicker. I’d combine your trip to Greenwich with a Thames boat trip - you could get the boat there or back. Very nice way to travel

Tate Modern has Frida Kahlo exhibition soon and combines well with St Paul’s. Tower of London is pretty iconic then you can walk across tower bridge and have a meal at the ivy cafe (book), a show at the Bridge, or just stroll along the south bank. War Horse is on at the National theatre right now and is a fabulous show. Borough market is also worth a visit for some food and gelato. You can book one of the restaurants or just pitch up at a food stall.

Personally I found the London dungeon absolutely dreadful (glamorising the ripper for example) and would never go to madam tussauds so it really depends what you like and enjoy. Has to be said the big museums can be a bit disappointing as well unless you hit a big exhibition. Entry has to be free so they all have no money and are a bit tired to say the least.

My teen daughters love going to China town for the viral bao and cake. If you are near sky garden you might want to consider a little side quest to monument https://www.themonument.org.uk/plan-your-visit. The Tate modern is amazing and well worth a stop even if you just look at the regular collections.

These tips are fab as I’m taking my nearly 15yr in a couple of weeks. She’s currently obsessed with Korean culture any ideas for Korean things or places to visit?

My teens and I enjoyed doing a Treasure Trail walk around Canary Wharf. As we are from a small, rural town, it was amazing to see all the big, shiny buildings and great Thames views too! You can get the DLR or tube to there easily .
https://www.treasuretrails.co.uk/products/things-to-do-canary-wharf-london

Ah, thank you everyone! So many ideas that I hadn't even begun to think about.

I do know about the underground map being a diagram, rather than to scale- I actually remember studying it's design at uni, it's really fascinating (who me, a geek? 😂).

Off to explore virtually and plan some ideas. Thank you all💐

A show 💯

I am really pleased to see the crystal maze suggested already - we went with our then 13 year old and he says it was one of the best days out he’s ever had (bless him!) definitely go see a show as well - there’s the come alive show on at the moment that was amazing.

Second sky garden.
also uber boat is great it can take you to Greenwich and Battersea power station is worth checking out you can get a lift up one of the chimneys for an alternative to London eye.

Battersea Power Station is nice and quite good to eat at. Southbank has fountain ‘rooms’ in the summer that are good if it’s hot. Don’t forget to check out the parks.

Does it matter which hop-on, hop-off bus company you use? Or are they all much and such the same?

Just use the ordinary red buses. Fares are capped, so you can make as many journeys in a day as you like and not pay more than the fixed amount.
Keeping London moving - Transport for London the official transport for London website has all the information about planning a bus or Tube journey, fares, how to pay etc.

I always recommend getting a good paper street map to study in advance - it will show you the whole street layout and where places are in relation to each other. Get the kids studying it.

If anyone is into comics, gaming etc, London Megastore @ ForbiddenPlanet.com - UK and Worldwide Cult Entertainment Megastore

Agree about not trying to do too much, and about walking. On foot, or on the top of a bus, is the best way to see London. Don't neglect the City, St Paul's and all the Wren churches. So many people come to London, but spend so much time dashing between attractions, they don't actually see London itself.

Don't know if anyone has mentioned the Museum of London, now the London Museum, at Docklands. London Museum Docklands | London Museum Free and well worth a visit. If you feel energetic enough, you can walk there from the Tower, through Wapping. Much of the walk goes along the riverside, or past the warehouses remaining from when London was a port. Pop into the Prospect of Whitby for fish and chips on the way.

Have a look at Leake St Tunnels

My teenagers hate musicals, but like going to National Theatre (they have cheap tickets released on Fridays), and will just about tolerate standing to watch Shakespeare at the globe (£5 tickets) as long as i fuel them with food from borough market beforehand. A midsummer nights dream should still be on when you go and has lots of audience interaction.

Could you let each dc plan their ideal day/afternoon? Put them in charge of researching what they would love to do. So if they are into art then they could pick a gallery like the tate modern, or a graffiti tour in Shoreditch. Or if they love history then there are loads of options based on that like bristish museum, etc. Last year my dd randomly picked Weird icecream tasting whereas my ds tends to pick football related days out.

Depends if you have girls or boys.

Mine wouldn’t thank me for a museum 😬

Although a rib boat (going fast up the Thames), London Bridge walking across the glass, China town, walking from Canary Wharf by the river, cable cars.

Plus defo walk over the O2 as it’s cool (well I think so 🤣)

Bough market my kids love for the fruit plus a good steak restaurant there.

Convent garden is nice to wander around.

Plays - play that goes wrong was one of my boys favourite girls are easier to please 🤣 however I think we have nearly seen them all of the plays so mine harder to please.

Liberty, Harrods, f&m if girls

Seven dials food or up the shard for food and a Chinese.

Depends on the weather too easily hang out in some nice parks.

Oh and the art tunnels by Waterloo are pretty cool and walk along south bank

I used to love the Chamber of Horrors at Madame Tussauds, it closed for a while but is now back open.

New Malden?!

@PunRunTea https://barefootinjandals.com/korea-in-london/ has some more central good ideas as well but I’d check it is up to date

Hop on hop off bus is an inspired idea. As you are in Camden locally you have Regent’s Park (open air theatre and London zoo) plus in Bloomsbury you have the British museum. You’ll have a great time 😊

Check out a trip to Richmond or maybe Hampton Court? Not central at all but since you're staying for a week you might need a little escape into leafy areas🙂

I loooove Dishoom breakfast, if that is your thing, you won't regret it!!

Leake st graffiti tunnel is great and is only 3 minutes walk from the London Eye.
I would definitely go there.

I love the monument - very simple, spiral case to climb to the top. I think you can get a combined ticket with Tower Bridge (which has a partial glass floor so you can see the traffic on the bridge underneath)

Also right by Tottenham Ct Station is the Outernet which has massive screens, and feels very immersive - you literally can just spend 2 minutes there or half an hour. It’s free, feels a bit like an open air art space

I also love Brixton indoor market. Lots of relatively cheap food places, but also some gift shops, clothes, records etc. I prefer Brixton vastly to Borough Market. Borough is ALWAYS crowded - and bloody expensive

in terms of hop on hop off buses, they are expensive, but at the same time, it’s an easy way to tick off the big sights. I always feel that many sights i just want to “have seen” rather than spending lots of time there. It also gives you a good idea of actual distances.
Alternatively, yes, just get on a standard red bus. I think the 11 and 24 are good routes (or the 159 to Brixton)

Also have a look on Groupon, they often have good deals (like for the cable car across the Thames)