Feedback on London itinerary - Family with teen/young adult

We had our grand kids, 9 and 6 and did the family globe tour. The nine year old thought it was great learning all about the “penny-stinkers.” We all thought hearing about life during that period was very interesting but I guess it depends on your teens’ interests.

It's amazing how fast the time passes when you write it all down!

Borough Market back to Tate Modern isn't that far. Maybe 10 minutes or so to walk. It only takes 10 minutes or so to walk from Tate Modern to St Paul's. It's perfectly feasible to nip across the river and take a look and snap a few pictures at St Pauls and go back across the Millenium Bridge, continuing along the Southbank.

I like Tate Modern. Almost everyone who voices an opinion says they don't like modern art much, but Tate Modern got almost 4 million visitors last year. Go figure. The Kusama mirrors exhibition is something to see definitely. The ultimate in Instagrammable art. Remember it's paid entry, to that exhibition, where the collection galleries are free. The huge "Turbine Hall" in the centre is quite spectacular, the viewing gallery on the top of the newer building is worth a visit and food and drink offerings are good quality. Good gift shop too.

Your young folks may be more into Camden than Hampton Court Palace. If they've still got some money to burn at the end of their trip they might like to pick up a few bits at the market. Camden Lock is the best for street food from all over the world. A better "on the go" eating experience than Borough Market.

Oxford Street is the other main shopping street known for its Christmas lights. I was in town the other day and Carnaby Street has put on a good show too.

Leadenhall Market after Tower Bridge and then back to the river again to catch a boat is a bit of a schlep. You might consider catching the tube at Liverpool Street or Bank or somewhere back to Westminster rather than going for the very short boat ride. Boat rides are fun though.

Personally I don't think I would go to the Tower of London twice in a week, but people on here that have seen the Ceremony of the Keys seem to like it.

Weather has been fine for being out in town and I don't think there's anything too bad forecast.

It's obvious that you've really studied London carefully. And your itinerary is action packed.

But every trip ends up having a personality of its own. You may plan on seeing so much, but don't be disappointed when your schedule changes day by day. There are just so many places that your body can hold up to seeing in a day--and so many foot steps.

It is very busy. Don't feel bad about knocking a couple of things off as you go. It's dark by 4pm just now and that might limit how much you feel like doing stuff at the end of the day.

Day six. Nothing wrong with lunch at Sally Lunds. Have eaten there and enjoyed it. You might want to consider tea at The Pump Room, however, since the only tea you have listed is on day eight and it's "maybe". Just food for thought -- no pun intended.

Unless you plan a very long visit to the Harry Potter Studio there is probably space to fit in Abbey Road between that and dinner.

I would recommend making time to see Bath Abbey, it’s lovely and as time allows try to attend an Evensong program. The English cathedrals are well worth the time.

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful feedback!

@margie - That's great to hear! My daughter is an English major, so I think we will keep it. (Although if she had her way, we would just be shopping at charity shops and book stores in cool neighborhoods the entire time)

@GerryM - Thanks for the tip about the Turbine hall, and the reminder that it might not be worth it to go from Leadenhall back down to the river for the boat ride. I would definitely say we need to check our energy level on that one.

@David - Yes, I agree it is an ambitious plan. Good reminder to be flexible and just do our best.

@TC - I would love to have afternoon tea at the Pump Room! My only hesitation is getting to the Mayor's tour on time. If we do that, what do you think about dinner at Sally Lunds, or should we stick with Bill's?

@Johnew52 - Wonderful! I didn't consider that timing for Abbey Road. If we still have daylight, we will remember that option.

@par.pas.75 - I hope we can go! I am very interested in seeing it. :)

Only setting aside some time on day one to see things around Westminster is short changing it a bit. You'll be very tired if you're coming in from the west coast too I'd assume. When you're staying in Westminster it would make more sense to me to set aside some time for it. There's Buckingham Palace, The Royal Parks, Horseguards Parade, The Houses of Parliament / Big Ben, Whitehall and more within a walk of where you'll be staying. You'll be over in The City quite a bit for your London Walks tour, the Tower of London, St Pauls etc. There's quite a bit to see in Westminster without even catching a tube train or bus or going into Soho.

Going out on limb with my personal view, I'd forget Bath on this trip. There's enough to keep you busy in London without spending your time on a train going out of town. I'd maybe replace Bath with Westminster and have a relaxing day strolling around near where you're staying.

You'll see Brick Lane on your London Walks tour presumably but its worth checking out. The youngsters might like Brick Lane Vintage Market for clothes. Trumans Brewery is a complex with hip shopping and food, including designer pop up shops and sample sales. Rough Trade is a great record store with a great stock if anyone likes vinyl or band t-shirts. A beigel from Beigel Bake on Brick Lane might make a tasty lunch before the London Walks tour. Boxpark at Shoreditch High Street is somewhere else for shopping and eats in that area worth checking out also.

I absolutely loved Hampton Court Palace, and definitely plan to visit there with my two grandkids in early 2025 (age 11 and 15). Quite frankly, I would choose that over the Globe Theatre tour (and I used to work in theatre), but that's me and I know my grandkids, so yours might be different. But HCP has so much to offer with its history and the immense grandeur. It's a very fun day out. I've been there before, will be visiting again in early 2024 and then again in 2025. 😊

Could the other parent do something with the kids and you go to Tate Modern alone? Maybe Abbey Road?

@GerryM - A possibly silly follow up question about spending more meaningful time in Westminster: Seeing that the Horse Guards parade is not happening during our stay, other than walking past those buildings you mentioned (and of course, going inside for Westminster Abbey), is there something else you would suggest? Or are you saying that just taking a more relaxing stroll during a time where we are well-rested is something to consider.

@Mardee - Thanks! I am hoping we go on that last day, since we don't have anything else that is directly monarchy related in our schedule.

@cala - We could split up, but my husband will want to see the museum too and I think the kids will love the Infinity Mirror Room. I also believe in having the kids do activities that they might not choose for themselves, lol. The world can't cater to us all of the time. But, I do appreciate your suggestion.

Becky,

Just I thought it was a short time to cover an area that's got quite a lot to see. Essentially, yes, just even to take a look at the places mentioned. If you're all in fine fettle after your long flight then maybe you can tick it off on your first day. I'd be concentrating on getting settled in, dinner and an early bed the first day without rushing to see some of the "big hits" of London sightseeing before it's dark.

When I say Horseguards Parade, I am referring to the place of that name, not a particular "parade" with horses. I see from the website access is restricted 4th - 27th December compared to what it would usually be. There will still be guards on horses at the gates on Whitehall that you can have your picture taken with. As far as I know, the "Punishment Parade" will still take place at 4pm but that's quite a small affair.

As far as what to see, there's Buck House, St James' Palace, 10 Downing Street, hanging out with the fancy bird life in St James' Park, a walk in Hyde Park (maybe including Winter Wonderland?). It's easy to spend a whole or half day without going too far from "home".

Go at your own pace of course! Whatever you and your party are comfortable with going at. Probably moving faster and fitting more in than me!

Thank you Gerry! I might reconfigure Day 3 and see Westminster Abbey and take in those sites you listed at a more leisurely pace. It will probably depend on what happens Day 1, but I'm glad we have some options to consider. I appreciate the detailed response!

My experience, you really need to book in advance for the Infinity Mirror Room. Just turning up, you could easily find it completely sold out for the day.

The Infinity Mirrors sell out soon after tickets are released so I don’t think you’ll be able to see it if you haven’t already booked.

Nevertheless, I would highly recommend that you go to Tate Modern. It’s a quintessential London experience for me. Londoners love it as much as visitors.

Ugh, tickets are sold out (well, except for a time when we are taking our London Walks tour). They have lunch + ticket spots available, but that is so expensive I'm not sure if I'm willing to make that investment.

Becky, we haven't eaten at Bill's, so can't offer an opinion. I do know it is part of a chain, if that makes any difference to you. We ate at Sally Lunn's and enjoyed the meal. The historic aspect of the place just adds to the atmosphere.

Thanks TC! I do like the historical aspect of Sally Lunn's, so I am thinking we might have afternoon tea at the Pump Room and dinner at Sally Lunn's. The only scheduling issue I see is that our train arrives at 10:20 am, if we see the Bath right away then we will have just under 90 min to see the Baths before a noon reservation at the Pump Room.

I did find Infinity Room tickets on our Harry Potter day, but I don't think we can get back on time (16:15).

Becky, thank you for this post and for bringing the Infinity Mirrors exhibit to my attention! I'm visiting England in 2024 for 5 weeks (from mid-March through the end of April). I had planned on going to the Tate Modern but was not aware of the Infinite Mirrors exhibit. It turns out it will be running still while I am there, so I just booked a ticket for March while I'm in London.

I hope you will find a way to see it!

I'm so happy that helped Mardee!! It looks amazing, and I am very happy for you!

We were able to see the Infinity Mirror rooms (very cool!!). They allow cancelations and refunds of tickets with enough notice. So, if you check online very close to your desired day, there is a good chance to find a ticket. When we were at Tate, there also seemed to be more availability at the ticket counter than through the website (no real evidence, but my perception). Of course an advance ticket is the best bet!

Just got back from our amazing trip. Will post a trip report soon!

I'm looking forward to it

Becky, can't wait to read it!

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/trip-report-december-2023-family-with-teens

There you go Mardee!