London is a wonderful city to visit with teenagers. You get to experience a foreign country while still being able to speak the language, and there are tons of things to do that appeal to that age group. We traveled there last summer as a family of 4, kids ages 15 and 12 (okay, our daughter wasn’t technically a teenager yet, but she sure seems like one!). When I was planning our trip I found a lot of information on traveling with young children, but not as much on teens. So I did a lot of research and found activities that I thought would appeal to our whole family. We had such a great time! I hope this information is helpful to other people planning a trip there (you don’t have to be a teen to enjoy it!).
LODGING: We rented a flat for a week through A Place Like Home. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous going through a rental agency in another country. But this was an excellent experience – they were responsive, helped us find an appropriate flat (good sleeping arrangements, in a convenient neighborhood, and close to a tube stop), arranged transportation, etc. Many European hotels limit you to 3 people, so as a family of four we would have had to stay in two hotel rooms. We found renting a flat to be a better option – more space, laundry and kitchen, and also less expensive – plus you feel like a local.
ITINERARY:
Day 1:
We arrived in the afternoon from a long overnight flight from Seattle. After checking into our rental flat, our first stop was Victoria Station to buy 7 day Travelcards, which allowed us unlimited bus and tube travel in the city center. For tips on using London’s public transportation check out https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/getting-around-london/visitor-information/top-travel-tips.
Then we took a cruise along the River Thames which was a nice introduction to the city – – and all we could handle after our long flight and lack of sleep, so headed back to the flat to catch some Z’s.
Day 2:
We started our day at St. Paul’s Cathedral, where we climbed up to the top of the dome to get a great view of the city. We all enjoyed the Whispering Gallery with acoustics that carry a whisper from one side of the dome to the other.
Then we moved on to the British Museum, which is of course an amazing museum with lots of things interesting to kids and adults alike (e.g. the Rosetta Stone and mummy shown below) but was also hot and crowded.
We checked out Forbidden Planet which is a megastore for Dr. Who, Star Wars, and comic book fans and then did some shopping along Oxford Street. Last activity for the day was riding the London Eye for great views of the city.
Day 3:
This morning we went on Fat Tire’s Royal Bike Tour which gave a great overview of royal London. The ride included a stop where we could pop into a traditional English pub.
In the afternoon we headed out to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour where we spent the evening. This was enjoyed by all, even those of us not very knowledgeable about Harry Potter. The description of the movie making process and getting to walk through the original movie sets was fascinating. [NOTE: Tickets must be booked in advance and tour times will fill up during peak travel times.]
Day 4:
On our fourth day we visited the Tower of London, where we took a Beefeater Tour and saw the Crown Jewels.
After a few busy days, the kids were ready for some down time, so they stayed in for the evening while my husband and I went to dinner and a West End show (Bradley Cooper in The Elephant Man – excellent!).
Day 5:
Today we went on a full day trip to Bath and Stonehenge on a small group tour with The English Bus. Our guide for the day was great, and I much prefer a small group tour to going with a big bus full of people. The tour also made a stop in a “secret place” – I’m not supposed to give it away but we loved it! While it is true that you don’t get a lot of time in Bath doing a daytrip like this (versus staying the night), we still felt like we had plenty of time to wander around, grab some lunch, and enjoy the town.
Stonehenge is fascinating, and awesome to see in person something that we’d all seen pictures of.
Day 6:
We started our day with a visit to Westminster Abbey.
We watched a bit of the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, but it was so crowded you couldn’t see much. We did get a close up view of the Guard marching to the Palace.
Next we moved on to visit the Churchill War Rooms. It was intriguing to see the rooms where Winston Churchill ran Britain’s campaign in World War II which have been pretty much frozen in time.
We had a traditional afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason. I was surprised by how much the 15 year old son enjoyed this!
In the afternoon we checked out Harrods, the famous department store. Wow, it’s HUGE, and for the most part very expensive, but fun to wander around and check it out. It’s easy to get lost there!
That evening we went to see Matilda at a West End theatre. All four of us loved the show!
Day 7:
Our final day in London started with a horseback ride in Hyde Park. This was definitely one of my favorite experiences in London! We got to ride along Rotten Row, the same path kings used to travel between palaces.
We spent our afternoon at Hampton Court Palace, a short train ride outside of London. We wandered the palace and grounds, and tried to find our way out of the maze. This is a fun palace to visit because it has an interactive feel to it, where you can sit at a banquet table, play a traditional board game, and they even provide free cloaks you can wear while visiting.
Then it was back to London for a relaxing dinner near our flat before we had to pack up and get ready to leave London for the next leg of our trip. We loved visiting London – there was so much to do and see that appealed to each of us!
PLAN AHEAD:
2FOR1 – There is much debate online over whether the London Pass (which covers 60+ London attractions) is worth it or not. For our family we were better off using the Days Out 2FOR1 vouchers. Before our trip I printed vouchers for attractions I thought we might visit. You then show the voucher and your train ticket (or Travelcard) when purchasing tickets. This was a huge money saver for us.
ADVANCE BOOKINGS – Many of the attractions we visited can be booked ahead. In some instances this allows you to skip lines, which can be incredibly long during peak travel times. I did not buy tickets in advance if I wasn’t sure when or if we would visit a specific attraction, or if I planned to use a 2FOR1 voucher (in which case you have to buy the tickets at the attraction and show your train ticket). For the attractions we chose, I booked the following in advance:
- Bike tour (Fat Tire’s website says you don’t need reservations, but we were traveling during a busy time and some people who showed up were not able to be accommodated)
- Warner Bros. Studio Tour (this must be purchased in advance)
- Show tickets
- Bath and Stonehenge day tour
- Horseback ride in Hyde Park
I hope you’ve enjoyed my trip report and found some useful pieces of information!
Trips and Tips 