London trip with teenagers (14 & 18)

[walkingonthemoon]

Hello

We are going to London in April for the weekend show booked but need new daytime stuff. It's a double birthday celebration so money no object (ish!!!). We've done sky garden, eye, Camden before. Looking for new ideas. Thanks so much!!! X

The museums, depending on what yours are into. China Town is brilliant to walk through and Soho has a great "vibe" according to my teens.

Selfridges!

You don't say whether they're girls or boys

Brick Lane - markets, vintage clothes, street food, indoor min golf. Go up the Shard? you can then take a wander round east London, Box park etc which is the coolest part of London.

Tate Modern and then take the uber boat upriver - its really modern and you can pass major sites and go anywhere really. Way cheaper than a tourist river trip. My two (now a bit older) also love Kew Gardens - but we have been going for years.

sorry - know you're looking for suggestions but we're going with 14yo in April and I was looking at the sky garden, is it good for that age?

we were contemplating the globe for either a show or the tour. my friend recommended the tate and taking the boat to get to it as above, and we always like covent garden for a wander.

We went with teenagers and the highlight was Thames Rockets, it was really fun, and interesting too!

@Sturmundcalm

sorry - know you're looking for suggestions but we're going with 14yo in April and I was looking at the sky garden, is it good for that age?

we were contemplating the globe for either a show or the tour. my friend recommended the tate and taking the boat to get to it as above, and we always like covent garden for a wander.

Yes sky garden great for that age!

@Bouledeneige

You don't say whether they're girls or boys

Brick Lane - markets, vintage clothes, street food, indoor min golf. Go up the Shard? you can then take a wander round east London, Box park etc which is the coolest part of London.

Tate Modern and then take the uber boat upriver - its really modern and you can pass major sites and go anywhere really. Way cheaper than a tourist river trip. My two (now a bit older) also love Kew Gardens - but we have been going for years.

A boy 14 and girl 18

Have you done the Emirates line cable cars at Greenwich?

I agree with another poster about East end on a sunday. You can walk from Shoreditch high st overground (or a little farther from Liverpool st tube) and explore Bricklane Sunday markets, the up markets and retro clothing stores in the area. Get a salt beef beigal on Bricklane, then carry on to Columbia flower market.

Aqua shard is a restaurant/bar within the Shard. Its lower than the viewing platform, but free to go and have a drink- which doesnt need to be alcoholic. Or go for a meal and enjoy the view.

Hop on-hop on bus goes all around and last time I went, included a thames boat trip also

Does it have to be 'london' stuff? DD loves the escape room on Holloway road, only an hour, but a great time.
There's a crazy golf place in Camden, name if which escapes me, need to book.
Market wise, DD (16) is not overly thrilled by but spends a lot of money in Spitalfields market
She likes wandering round Greenwich. Loves borough market, mainly to get a doughnut at Bread Ahead.
She's doing photography, so we've spent a lot of time on the South Bank and in the graffiti tunnel.

My teenagers (boys) enjoyed Madame Tussaud’s. They liked standing next to all the male celebrities to work out who they were taller than!

Sorry I messed up my response - up the shard should not be part of the brick lane, east london suggestions.

If you're looking for nice areas to eat (maybe after visiting the Harry Potter platform 9 3/4) the area around the back of Kings Cross, next to Central St Martin's, Coal Drop Yard etc is very cool and if the weather is nice people sit out by the canal. But you have to book restaurants well in advance - it gets very booked up.

The other fun thing to do is just to get one of those open top bus tours - it gives a good picture of the main sites of London. You could combine that with a walk along the south bank - it's rather nice to walk between London Bridge up to Westminster bridge ( or a smaller section within that - Charing Cross to the Tate). Always nice on good weather - a lot of food and drink stalls, restaurants, cafes and stuff going on.

(If they are fans of Harry Potter - not sure about an 18 yr old in this - but Warner Bros Pinewood Studios tour is good. Obviously it's out of town but I'm sure you can get a coach trip out there). But that might all be too juvenile for them.

Warner Bros Studios. I've done 3 visits, including with a teen, and I'm not even a HP fan! It's brilliant.

Thames Rockets, good for all ages. Combine with visit to Leake Street graffiti tunnel. My teen likes the board game cafe there.

Hidden London tour of abandoned tube stations via London Transport Museum or hard hat tunnel tour of Postal Museum.

Off the beaten track, God's Own Junkyard in Walthamstow.

Nearer the time I'll have an Easter what's on guide which will include a section for teens on museummum.com.