Weekend to London

[zazzabeans]

Looking for some inspiration!
My 2 dds (14&15) want to got to London maybe end of June or beginning of July.
we are travelling by train.
looking for cheapish accommodation preferably premier inn/travel lodge and the likes.
I need to know a few things though

if we want to do some sightseeing- where is recommended? Where do we stay that’s central to everywhere? Where’s the best shopping places?

Thanks

Gosh there’s just so much to choose from… it depends what you want to see!

Regents Street / Oxford Street / Leicester Square area have the big flagship shops. Covent Garden is nice to get lunch and browse smaller interesting shops/craft market stalls.

If you want posh shops Harrods, Liberty, Fortnum & Mason are an experience.

Sightseeing - you could do a walk that takes in Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey with St James’s Park in the middle of them all. Watch the changing the guard - www.changing-the-guard.com

The London Eye is a good way to see the skyline. Often see half price tickets around eg cereal boxes.

The Transport Museum in Covent Garden and the Tower of London are both good for a flavour of history.

The Tate and Shakespeare’s Globe are next door to each other if you want some culture, both impressive buildings.

Uber boats are fun to hop on and off and see some sights from the river.

Or hang around the museums - the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum are round the corner from each other so easy to group together. The V&A is fab for fashion, jewellery etc. All free!

I would work out what you want to see first then book a hotel nearby. Try to group a few things near to each other for each morning/afternoon so you don’t spend loads of time walking or on the tube.

Central London is actually very small so if you're reasonably fit you can walk about all the touristy spots in a day.

If you start at Southbank (near Waterloo, just south of the river), for example you can walk down to London Bridge, cross over Tower Bridge to the Tower of London, then walk up through the city, past St Paul's, towards the major shopping streets. Have some lunch in Soho then walk through St James Park to Buckingham Palace, then down through Victoria to Westminster to see the Houses of Parliament, which is just a bridge and short trot back to where you started.

You also need to know the mainline station where you will arrive - you might want to stay nearby. Then you can hop on the Tube pretty much anywhere.
Teens like the shopping at Westfield, by the Olympic Park in Stratford - handy if you are coming in from East Anglia but a bit of a trek from (say) Euston or St Pancras.
Also, if you want to go to a show in the evening, you might want to stay near the theatre.
So I would work out roughly what you want to do, and then base your accommodation location on that.

There are loads of Premier Inns, & they are fine, but be aware that you won't get away with much less than £150 per night for a double room. London hotel prices have shot up since the pandemic. Going midweek might be cheaper than the weekend?

Sorry, I see that you are thinking June/July, so midweek wouldn't work with school.
At that time of the year, perhaps stay away from Earl's Court & SW London, as hotels in those areas book up for Wimbledon (& prices rise!).

I took DD up to see the Harry Potter play last years we got an amazing deal at a hotel in the City - so slightly to the east of the more tourist areas but not far at all from a tube station. City hotels often do good weekend deals as they’re mainly used for business during the week (all the local Prets, Costas etc were shut).

It had a pool too - but annoyingly DD9 was too young to go in!!

Free/cheap things to do

I highly recommend the no. 11 bus route - goes from Liverpool St Station to Sloane Square past most of the big sights including St Paul's, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben & House of Parliament.

Also walking along the South Bank from Waterloo to London Bridge is great for views and atmosphere.

A journey on the DLR is fun, especially if you can get a seat at the front - it's like driving a rollercoaster! Get off at Island Gardens and use the Greenwich Foot Tunnel to go under the Thames to Greenwich.

At their age vintage clothes (window) shopping may go down well? Loads to choose from.

I also recommend paying for a river trip with commentary, well worth it for all the extra stuff you learn.

Actually the City is quite the tourist area these days (which is rather irritating to those of us who live and work there are now it's permanently busy despite lots of people wfh). Primarily due to Harry Potter (Leadenhall Market tourists), Sky Garden, The Shard, Duck & Waffle, Eataly. Borough Market, The Ned, Spitalfields & Brick Lane and of course the Tower of London.

Stay away from Oxford Street. It's a pickpockets paradise and a dump.

Far more shopping choices at Westfields in Shepherds Bush. And safer.

My DD is 16, London-born. She likes rummaging in Camden Lock, the beigel shops in Brick Lane, and taking in the weirdness of the Tate Modern. There are some very cool shops in Greenwich Market too, though it can get really busy. The original Foyles in Charing Cross Road, and the veggie cafes of Neal's Yard.

For a view go to the cafe at the top of the Tate Modern, or go to the Sky Garden for afternoon tea.

Maybe youth hostel or student uni accommodation might be cheaper depending on where you want to be. Look at YHA London.

The Kings Cross area is a good place to stay - loads of restaurants and good transport links. You can sometimes get a good deal on a Premier Inn if you book well in advance.

I'd recommend -
book for Sky Garden for good views - you could then also see the tower and have a walk around St Katherine's Docks

South Bank for river views and plenty of (chain) restaurants

Choose one or two museums or art galleries - the V&A and Tate Modern would probably by my top choices for teens. Tate Modern can be linked to a nice river walk/South Bank and you can nip over and see St Paul's too (worth seeing just from the outside if you're not interested in paying to go in)

If you go to Liberty, you're then at Carnaby Street and near Kingly Court - definitely worth a look

Definitely go and see some of the parks/Buckingham Palace/Number 10 if they've not seen them before

Premier Inn County Hall is a great location. Great for walking and Southbank feels safe at night.

Uberboat to Greenwich and back, especially returning at dusk for a cheap boat tour of the Thames. Seven Dials Market for great food followed by a walk around Covent Garden.

Oh and The Garden at 120 Fenchurch Street for amazing views if you can’t get Sky Garden tickets.