London 2 full days and one morning

You can help us out in terms of accommodation by sharing your budget is £ (where you stay will be dictated by what you can afford), and in terms of what to do by what your interests are. There really isn't any single list of 'must-dos'.

Accommodation- London and its attractions are spread out, so wherever you stay you will end up taking the tube. Covent Garden is one central neighbourhood that's popular with visitors. The market is fun, plenty of places to eat, and its convenient for the theatre. Personally I stay in St James', which is walking distance to Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Downing St etc. But there are so many other neighbourhoods that are also good.

If you're wanting.more budget accommodation, around King's Cross Station is a good option.

In terms of food, there are thousands of restauants to choose from. Unless you want to visit a particular fine dining place, I'd advise just walking in. And pubs are all over the place, and are another good dining option.

I travelled with my 18yo last year to London for a week. He definitely had strong opinions on what he wanted to see and do, so I would recommend you involve your teens in your travel planning too. We rented an apartment in the Bayswater area (to give us some space and kitchen access - both very important with teens), which was very close to two different underground lines. But finally I think the area you choose will depend on your budget. Anywhere in Zone 1 is fine; the public transport is great.

Must-do's - I think this really depends on you and what your interests are - but some of the popular sites are Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, British Museum, Houses of Parliament/Elizabeth Tower/Big Ben. London has so many great museums & most of them are free.

Food - London is amazing in terms of the variety you will find - in terms of cuisine as well as price. Afternoon tea, Sunday roast (if you are there Sunday AM), fish-n-chips, pub food (kids are allowed in pubs; they just cannot drink alcohol), Indian, full English breakfast are the popular ones. Pret-a-manger is a fairly ubiquitous chain for sandwiches & salads on the go. But there are soo many...again give us your budget & likes for more specific recommendations.

There is so much to do in London though, so maybe each of you can do some research and come up with 1-2 things on the top of your list? This website has a great list of things to do in London and take a look at the RS London book too. And keep asking questions here.

Have a wonderful trip to a great city!

Thank you.
Not sure what price. We want something clean next to the tube. Maybe 198 British pounds?

At that price point in the summer you will probably have to look at Zone 2, which is still fine. As long as you are close to a tube station or bus stop, you will be okay. London transportation is fabulous. I recommend that you figure out your accommodations sooner rather than later. Look around on booking.com and airbnb.com for starters and see what is available and at what price point. If you end up getting a hotel room (or maybe 2), book directly with the hotel instead of through booking.com (much easier to change or cancel).

Thank you so much for the tips! . I think I found one minutes from south Kensington tube station in booking.com. For a little more than original my price range. I think in zone one.
Thanks again!

Hi guys. I have another London question.
I noticed we arrive around 11 am and can’t check in till 3 pm at the Airbnb. The airbnb is minimutes from south Kensington tube station. Any suggestions on what to do for those hours and what to do with our baggage. On the day we leave, check out is at 10 am and flight doesn’t leave till 4:30pm.
So any suggestions for what to do that day and what to do with our luggage, I’d appreciate it!
We are arriving from the US So we will be very tired and jet lagged on the arrival to London.
Thanks in advance!

S. Kensington is a fabulous area to be located in, well done!

Did you ask the Airbnb host if they will store your luggage for you for a few hours? That would be the easiest & cheapest option. Otherwise, the Victoria & Albert and the Natural History Museum both appear to offer paid luggage storage.

Edit to address things to do and jetlag: If you end up storing your luggage at one of the museums, then your activity is decided. On the first day, I try to spend as much time outdoors as possible to deal with jetlag. Possibly a walk in Kensington Gardens after you drop your bags off at the Airbnb?

Yay! Thank you. I’m so excited.
Yes. I asked if the could keep the kuggage and they said no. They just told me I could use something called luggage hero?
Apparently, is all over London and they store your luggage fkr a minimal fee.
Thanks!
I’m looking for recomendations on:
- a river tour. Nothing fancy but maybe one the narrate?
-Where is the best place to get tickets to phantom of the opera. a legit site.

- and a place to go have on Afternoon tea?

kids are allowed in pubs; they just cannot drink alcohol

A bit of a moot point however potentially of interest to others but someone aged 16 or 17 and accompanied by an adult, can drink (but not buy) beer, wine or cider with a meal at a licensed premises.

"and a place to go have on high tea?" I think that you probably mean afternoon tea: https://www.thespruceeats.com/afternoon-vs-high-tea-difference-435327

https://teatimemagazine.com/high-tea-vs-afternoon-tea/

We looked into another luggage hold business called stasher. I liked it because I was able to look at the map of all of the businesses that they used and see which was the most convenient. Luggage hero May do the same, but I hadn’t heard of them when we went. I think the website is www.stasher.com. Enjoy your trip!

someone aged 16 or 17 and accompanied by an adult, can drink (but not buy) beer, wine or cider with a meal at a licensed premises.

Good to know, thanks!!

Lots of options for tea in London, depending on your budget and desire to "dress up"!

Here is a list from TimeOut. Also Harrod's and Brown's hotel (the latter for the Agatha Christie connection). Make sure you check the dress codes!

There are also cheaper options at the Wolseley and at the Wallace Collection. And activity based ones , for example Brigits afternoon tea bus. If your teens are interested in anything in particular, you may want to google that theme + afternoon tea. It just may be more fun for them. Eg "Alice in wonderland + afternoon tea".

Since you are going to be in London for just a couple of days, I think the most important thing will be to find a place to have tea close to where you are going to be at that time, so you don't waste too much time getting to tea.

Great tips on the afternoon tea. I’ll check out the link.

Thank you for letting us know about pubs and teens!
Any leads on river tour or phantom of the opera tickets?
We will be there three nights.
Thanks so much to everyone!!!

Phantom of the Opera is playing at His Majesty’s Theatre. You can find out about tickets here: https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/the-phantom-of-the-opera/

Thank you. I’ll checkout the link for phantom of the opera!

OP, check out the new post today about afternoon tea. Lot of good suggestions there, and Mardee also linked to a few past conversations on the same topic.

https://terriblethames.com/ This is geared to kids and probably appeal to the 13 year old but we enjoyed it, too I thought it was a lot of fun and well done. There’s also rib boat rides on the Thames.

The Globe Theater has a family tour which is well done, too.

https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/family-activities/things-to-do-in-london-for-teenagers

Amazing thing Google!