Updated Itinerary-London Itinerary with Tweens

IMO, I think the Churchill War Rooms would be of no interest to anyone that was unfamiliar with Churchill, the Blitz, or World War II in general. It's a bunch of pretty cramped hallways connecting a warren of rooms restored to what they looked like during the battle. So unless your kids want to see the bed Winston slept on, and the typewriter his secretary used, I would pass. Unless you are really interested, then they can indulge you.

For kids that age for museum I would recommend V&A, Natural History Museum or the British Museum, depending on their interests.

From your itinerary you have it on the day of Harrods and V&A or Natural History Museum are very close. At V&A you might look into these "trails" they have based on different themes https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/va-trails. At NHM some ideas https://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/galleries-and-museum-map.html.

Or make a choice based on a special exhibit that might be going on. Those museums are all free admission but special exhibits have their own fees.

Enjoy the planning!

For shopping I would recommend Primark. They are fast fashion but very popular. My 20 year old niece came home from Europe with lots of items for the store. I always stop if I am near one. They often have much cheaper versions of popular items. I think Primark is mostly European, maybe one store in Boston but at least a few locations in London.

A few observations.

Agree with a previous poster that I don't see the Churchill War Rooms being of any interest to your tweens.

No Harry Potter?

For dresses try the children's department in Marks and Spencer, probably more for the 9 year old than the 12 year old.

The only thing I notice that might be tricky is a pretty tight turn around time finishing at Windsor to your flight out of Heathrow. The airlines will recommend you be at the airport at 2:30 for a 5:30 flight. Looks like a great trip!!!

Thanks for the feedback, we will skip the Churchill War Rooms this trip.

We’ll try primark and Marks and Spencer.

Harry Potter… my 12 year old would love to go, but nobody else in the family is in to it. We may cave and see the Harry Potter musical instead.

We are planning to stow our luggage near Windsor castle (any recommendations for this?) and go directly to the airport from there. Seems like a taxi/Uber would be our best option from Windsor to LHR, right?

I think the British Museum would be the most interesting museum for them.

SAT: On arrival day check into accommodation. Freshen up. Food should be eaten. Look for a Pret a Manger. Sandwiches and crisps.

Take your first London Underground tube ride. Get off at Westminster. You’ll be in the shadow of Elizabeth’s Tower with the Big Ben bell inside. After years of renovation and cleaning the Tower gleams and the bell tolls again.

SUN: explore Brick Lane

Unless a must for the adults drop the V & A and Churchill War Rooms.

FYI: The National Portrait Gallery is closed.

Add Carnaby Street.

If the 12 year old wants to see the entrance to Harry Potter’s Leaky Cauldron and Digon Alley then head to Leadenhall Market. In fact consider this London Walk. https://www.walks.com/our-walks/harry-potters-london/

Besides Primark add TK Max in your search for dresses.

Shopping for girls is something I know about!

If you want trendy styles then H&M or Zara kids.
More traditional pretty dresses can be found in Monsoon. Very pretty, embellished designs.
Next sells a huge range of styles from modern to more traditional.

These will all be in budget.

Oh and don’t forget John Lewis department store. Sells a range of brands erring towards more traditional styles.

Thank you! Looking forward to trying these shops.

I don't recommend doing Westminster Abbey on your arrival day. It will need your full attention if you're going to enjoy it. And you're going to be really tired after a transatlantic flight. You might not even remember much of it if you do it on your arrival day. Unless you're a family of lucky people who are able to sleep on the flight!

It would be Afternoon Tea, not high tea. High Tea is an evening meal which has tea, vegetables and meat.

Obviously I don't know your kids, but I would never take any children I know to all those museums - but I would probably add Science Museum.

And I would replace Covent Garden with Camden Lock Market, sailing there from Little Venice.

At the National Gallery, if we are going to get booged down in definitions it will be neither Afternoon Tea or High Tea. To be afternoon tea it should be a social event at low 'coffee' tables in easy chairs, with chintzy music.
If you want that go to one of the smart hotels, Harrods, Fortnum and Mason, that kind of place. In the north of England go to somewhere like Betty's.
There it'll just be sandwiches, scones and fancy cakes, served at ordinary dining tables in their cafe. But if they call it afternoon tea that justifies a high price tag.

I have never been anywhere that serves afternoon tea at low tables, even the Ritz use normal height tables. The rooms are used for other meals when they’re not doing teas.

Afternoon tea is a bit of a rip off really. They can charge a fortune for few sandwiches and cakes on a stand but it is fun to do occasionally. As it’s grown in popularity the price has rocketed!

I just returned from a trip to London with my 18-year old son. He is much older than your girls, but he had very decided opinions on what he wanted to see and do. You may want to involve your girls in the planning process.

If the weather is nice, do plan on some time at a park - St. James's Park was delightful and even the 18-year old was not too old to enjoy the birds and saunter about.

The Portrait gallery reopens in late June, so you should be good to go in July.

What are you planning to do in the Notting Hill neighborhood on Sunday evening? The Portobello market is closed on Sundays and many of the other shops close early (by 6pm) on Sundays.

If you want to have afternoon tea at a museum, I recommend the Wallace collection in Marlybone. The courtyard is currently being refurbished but should be reopening in a week or two.

My son also enjoyed looking for blue plaques that were meaningful to him.

If your daughter is a Harry Potter fan, you should at least visit Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station.

Have a wonderful trip!

If your tweens are into current fashion, fashion history or clothing design you might take a closer look at Victoria & Albert. They have an excellent permanent fashion collection and often host amazing special fashion exhibits (in 2019 I saw a Dior and a Mary Quant exhibit). You’d need to check to see what’s on during your visit. As a bonus, for a wonderful break, the V&A has the loveliest cafeteria with indoor and outdoor courtyard seating.

I agree with poster who commented on Westminster Abbey the first day. You will be tired. You can do it but it is pretty expensive for a jet lagged visit.

We did a London Walks tour of the area the day we arrived which worked well. Staying outdoors we have found is key to staying awake and adjusting to the time difference.

The V&A also has a very fine permanent jewelry collection. If you're interested in it, I really recommend being at the museum at opening time and heading right to the jewelry. In my experience (2017 and 2019, both times in September), you'll have the place nearly to yourself for at least 15 or 20 minutes. Beyond that point, more people will drift in and your movement through the exhibit will be slower. It's not a huge exhibit, but jewelry is small, so you need to be close to it to see it. That's the only part of the V&A where I've felt other visitors impeded my progress--but I expect the special exhibitions (for which there is normally a healthy charge) can also get crowded. The most popular ones can sell out.

I really appreciate all the comments. I was last in London over 20 years ago. My younger child is very into fashion and design so maybe the V&A is a good choice. We'll add a few Harry Potter landmarks to appease my older daughter. Sad to remove Tate Modern, West End Play and Westminster Abbey, but I guess it is an excuse to return. Here is the revised itinerary based on feedback. Does this seem better?

1 Sat
-Arrive LHR 11:30a
-Drop Bags at hotel central London
-Borough Market (3-5p)
-London Eye (6p)
-See Big Ben

2 Sun
-Shopping and Soho: Harrods, Primark, Next, Carnaby St, Hamleys etc (10a-2p)
-Kings Cross (Harry Potter: 9 3/4 Platform) (2:30p)
-Afternoon Tea: Fortnum & Mason (3:30p)
-Play at Globe Theatre (6:30p)

3 Mon
-Buckingham Palace (10a)
-Explore Parks (11-1p)
-National Gallery (2-4p)
-Portrait Gallery (5-6p)
-Covent Gardens (evening)

4 Tue
-Victoria and Albert Museum (10-12a)
-Notting Hill (1-4p)
-Hampstead (evening)

5 Wed
-Tower of London (9a-12p)
-Sky Garden (1-2p)
-Leadenhall Market (Harry Potter: Leaky Cauldron and Digon Alley) (2-3p)
-Shoreditch (evening)

6 Thu
-Windsor Castle (10a-1p)
-Depart LHR 5:30p

What are you doing with your bags on 7/6, while at Windsor?

Are you leaving them with left luggage at Heathrow, then taking the Greenline bus or a taxi from there to Windsor?

Day 1: I think you’ll be lucky to fit all that in. Maybe consider going directly to the London Eye and then taking a wander along the river if time and stamina allow. London Eye is a nice easy thing to do when you’re a bit tired.

Day 2: It would make more sense to go to Kings Cross first then to Regent Street/ Carnaby Street for Hamleys and shopping. F&M is literally around the corner.

Day 3: those galleries are next door to each other but 3 hours in art galleries is a lot for children. Tate Modern is much more child friendly with huge open spaces and kids activities running in the holidays, kids treasure hunt maps etc.
You could go to the theatre that evening as you plan to be in Covent Garden anyway and that’s where the majority of theatres are.

I’d highly recommend booking your meals for evenings as London is mega busy all the time!

Every child is different, and you know your children best. That said, I think you will find that you still have too much museum time.

A couple more suggestions based on your updated itinerary.

On the Saturday there are family friendly restaurants like Giraffe along the southbank near London Eye.

On the shopping day if you are doing Hamleys and Carnaby St right there is also Liberty of London department store. Even if you just walk through the building is fantastic. And the back door lets out on Carnaby St.

Why drop a show in the West End? I think that would be a real highlight of the tip for your girls…they would love the Lion King. We were in the UK last Mat for a month and saw three shows, going back this May for a month, have tickets for two shows. I would never go to London without going to at least one show.

If you need a place to store your luggage, try stasher.com. It will give you a list of hotels that allow you to store your bags for a small fee and you can search for one that is near to where you want to be.