Neighborhood walks in London

For guided walks, look up London Walks (walks.com).

thanks for this suggestion! We will indeed do one of those, but I was also looking for options for self-guided and self-paced tours. I'll be with teens who need to go at their own pace. :)

On this website, you might check out what audio tours they have for London.

If you Google Highgate Village and Highgate Cemetery, that is an interesting "neighbourhood" day out from central London that springs to mind. Similarly Hampstead and Hampstead Heath.

You might try the Queen's Walk along the south bank of the Thames from roughly the London Eye to Tower Bridge. The views of Parliament across the river really give you the feeling that you're in London. Along the way are the Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe, and numerous outdoor cafes and restaurants. If you go later in the day, you could time it with a performance at the Globe or the National Theatre, or a screening at BFI. Should be a very lively scene in the evening.

We used the walks that were in the RS London guidebooks quite a bit. I actually gently took the ones/section we wanted to use from the book and created separate guides. The East End walks (near Hackney, Columbia Road - if you go on a Sunday the Flower Market there is amazing!) Brick Lane, Spitalfields are off the beaten path, as well as up near Camden Market. College aged kids would love either area.

We liked reading the info written in the guidebook at the various stops. There are other walks online you can follow for the different neighborhoods, too, if you search for wherever you want to go, but it was nice to not have our phone out all the time and having a hard copy. London is amazing! Hope you have a wonderful time!

Hampstead Heath and its village fits the bill. Easy journey by tube. Highgate cemetery, atmospherically spooky Victorian Cemetery. Karl Marx buried there as is Douglas Adam’s, author of Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy. Any of London’s great parks, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St James Park and Greenwich are good for a refreshing break from museums etc. but it’s hard to get away from historic sites in a city like London, it’s everywhere!

Further afield,Hampton Court, pretty town on the Thames, easily reached by train from Waterloo. Aside from the Palace visit the wild red deer in nearby Bushy Park. Richmond Park is another large park and Richmond offers nice riverside walks, pubs and restaurants. Nearby is Kew Gardens with its collection of plants from all over the world. Richmond, Kew and Hampton would be more like a halfday trip at least.

I second the Queen's Walk along the South Bank of the Thames. On a beautiful day in March, I started at Westminster Underground Station and crossed over the bridge to the South Bank. Along with the places markcw mentions, you'll see Southwark Cathedral, the ruins of Winchester Palace and several pubs some with views looking across the river, some with history going back centuries and some with both. Makes for a great afternoon.

Take them to Spitalfields then Walk around the Shoreditch neighborhood admiring the street art.

https://anywhereweroam.com/shoreditch-street-art/

Take a look at the blog A Lady in London. She has a bunch of DIY walks. I’ve done several along with pieces of others. The first one I did was #7 Kensington, which I did from the opposite direction, starting at Cromwell Rd and Atherston Mews and backtracking.

https://www.aladyinlondon.com/2018/08/london-walking-tours.html

It’s very easy to just do pieces then stop for a pub bite or afternoon tea!

Another YouTube option for inspiration is Joolz Guides. He does walks by neighborhood, and always has funky/unique/cool stuff to point out. His beard is graying now, but his spirit is young, and he covers stuff that would appeal to teens. Check him out!

Another youtube to look at us Tours by Foot. She has some great places. I followed her Hampstead one earlier this month.

I've also done the Lady in London's Kensington walk that Pam mentioned.

It's not exactly a walk, but last year when I was in London with my daughter, we went to a cat cafe called Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium on Bethnel Green Rd. You get Cream Tea and get to play with the cats. You'd want to book ahead. And then afterwards we explored the nearby Brick Lane Market. We really enjoyed it. I think the neighborhood could be described as funky or cool.

I have the perfect idea for you: The Perfect London Walk.

In 1986, the late film critic, journalist and author Roger Ebert published a book called The Perfect London Walk. Go here for more information on the walk through the Hampstead and Parliament Hill areas of London: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/books-movies/the-perfect-london-walk

Thanks so much to everyone for these excellent suggestions! I appreciate all of you who took time to share your ideas with me and I am sure I will use many of them!