Highlights of a Quick Stopover in London with Teens

The capital of the United Kingdom, London has persevered through nearly two millennia and an onslot of tumultuous invasions, be it the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings or the Normans. This colorful history has left its mark on the architecture and culture of the metropolis, and cultivated fascinating tales to match.

In a world dotted with historic cities, London has always been high on my list of must-see places. Therefore it was a no-brainer to schedule a quick stopover in the UK on our way to our main destination of the Algarve in Portugal. A couple days was just enough time to introduce us to this fantastic city and left us wanting more. Here’s what we did on our short trip to London with teens.

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Tips & Advice

• Download a map of London on Google Maps before you arrive on the off chance you wind up without WiFi while out and about, and also because Google Maps uses a lot of data.
• If your flight lands early afternoon, you’ll have some bonus time in the city. We landed at LHR at 1pm on Day Zero and had checked in to our hotel in the city centre by 3pm. Plan ahead, and, if you’re not too jet lagged, cross off another attraction this evening. We walked to the much hyped Borough Market. Unfortunately we found all the negative reviews about crowds to be true, and recommend not wasting precious time here.
• Pre-book your Tower of London tickets for after 1pm. This allows you time to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace in the morning. 
• Tipping in London: Tipping isn’t normally expected in a pub or at a fast food place, but 10-15% is customary in a restaurant. Keep in mind some restaurants add a service charge automatically, so doublecheck your bill.
• Cash is not king in London. Erring on the side of caution, we brought a modest £100 in bills just in case. In the end we didn’t need it, so we used the cash to pay for duty free souvenirs in the airport. In London we used a combination of Apple Pay with our Wise and EQ cards.
• Check out the Go City London Explorer Pass and compare prices. It didn’t make sense for us, but it might for you! If you live in Canada, Costco offers a 4 attractions pass although you will find more combinations on the official Go City site.
• Check whether or not you need an ETA (electronic travel authorization) before travel. If you do, apply online before arrival.  
• If you’re like us and will be traveling on three different airlines on a bigger adventure, check the carry-on size and weight limits for each company. Compare and ensure your luggage meets the requirements for all airlines for seamless onward travel without any last minute fees.

DAY ONE

On our Day One we did A LOT of walking – so be prepared with comfortable walking shoes if you follow in our footsteps. It’s worth warning your family, especially if you’re in London with teens. At the end of March the overcast weather was warm enough, but we each carried a light jacket nevertheless.

Self-Guided Walking Tour of City of Westminster in Central London Part 1

After a good night’s rest in Southwark, we took the Jubilee Stanmore Tube line from Waterloo Station to Westminster Station. From here, we started our walking tour, starting with the famous clock nicknamed Big Ben, housed in the Elizabeth Tower. Our kids had both heard of Big Ben before our trip, so make sure to stop by for an iconic photo if you’re in London with teens.

From Big Ben it’s easy to move along the street to the Houses of Parliament, and subsequently the storied Westminster Abbey, the Anglican church that has seen many coronations of various monarchs and a few royal weddings, too.

After a quick admire of Westminster Abbey from the outside we continued on to Buckingham Palace. This route of Big Ben – Houses of Parliament – Westminster Abbey – Buckingham Palace is about one mile of walking and takes approximately 20 minutes, not including photo breaks.

If you want to see more of Westminster Abbey, consider pre-booking a guided tour led by a verger.

Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace

The Changing of the Guards takes place at Buckingham Palace. Note your arrival time, and that it can be rained out last minute, so keep an eye on the weather. The crowds are real – even in late March they bloomed quickly. There’s a lot of security set about, but you should be wary of pickpockets, especially if you queue near the palace gates.

We arrived at about 10:15am and secured a spot at the Queen Victoria Memorial facing The Mall. We had decided to simply watch the Old Guard coming down The Mall, instead of standing in the most crowded area near the gates directly in front of the palace to watch the entire ceremony. This – we hoped – would allow us a speedy exit as we had tickets for the 1-1:30pm time slot at the Tower of London.

I had noted the schedule of which guards we would see and which band would be playing. We saw the 22 Signal Regiment unit march past, proceeded by the Band of the Irish Guards. My kids thought this was neat, so be sure not to miss this if you’re in London with teens.

Once the Old Guard had moved within the palace gates, security allowed some crowd movement. We realized standing at the memorial had boxed us in – the only way back to the sidewalks lining The Mall was to first cross back to the area in front of the palace gates – the area MOST jam-packed with viewers – and cross Spur Road. Pushing through the body-to-body crowd near the palace gates wasn’t fun, so plan where you choose to watch the ceremony carefully.

Originally we had planned to watch from the sidelines of The Mall itself, but when we arrived the memorial was nearly empty so we thought we had lucked out. Despite a great view, I wouldn’t stand there again.

Self-Guided Walking Tour of City of Westminster in Central London Part 2

Once we reached The Mall we meandered past the spring flowers of St James’s Park towards the King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and The Queen Mother Memorials. From here we continued on to the Admiralty Arch, and then to take in Trafalgar Square, despite the gloomy sky.

This route of The Mall – King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and The Queen Mother Memorials – Admiralty Arch – Trafalgar Square is about one mile of walking and takes approximately 20 minutes, not including photo breaks.

After Trafalgar Square, we paused at Pret A Manger for a quick lunch of sandwiches before heading to Embankment Tube Station. Here we caught the District Tube line to Tower Hill Station.

If you have more time, or prefer a different sort of walk, take the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk. Over seven miles you’ll cross four of the eight Royal Parks as well as other important locations that were apart of Princess Diana’s life.

Tower of London

Upon exiting Tower Hill Station, I immediately began to look for the old Roman Wall at Tower Hill. I love all things Roman and was excited to see a piece of history from when London was known as Londinium.

And that, it was on to see the legendary Tower of London. The Tower of London is in the Tower Hamlets borough, sprawling over a section on the north bank of the River Thames.

As mentioned before, we had bought our tickets online prior to arriving, and were able to walk right in.

The first thing we did was join a Yeoman Warder tour that had just begun. It was highly entertaining and educational hearing the stories as we moved from place to place on the grounds. The tours are included in your ticket and take place every 45 minutes, but do not enter any buildings.

The (macabre) highlight of the tour for me was to see the Anne Boleyn memorial at the Tower Green and Scaffold site. We took a moment at her memorial to take in the gravity of the situation she faced and tragedy she subsequently suffered at the hands of her husband, King Henry VIII.

Following the memorial we entered the Jewel House to glimpse the Crown Jewels. Photography is not allowed within. This area wasn’t as interesting as we had expected.

From here we began to tour the rest of the buildings and towers. We particularly enjoyed the White Tower and St James Chapel, the Bloody Tower, and walking the Battlements. Allow at least 3 hours to see everything. If you’re in London with teens that appreciate history, be sure to include the Tower of London on your itinerary.

If you’re a real history buff, take it a step further and buy tickets to the Ceremony of the Keys. This cool experience allows you to witness the ancient tradition of locking up the Tower of London after hours at 21.30. You’ll need to book your tickets online early as they sell out quickly.

Tower Bridge

Kitty-corner to the Tower of London is the equally iconic Tower Bridge. Straddling the River Thames, Tower Bridge opened in 1894. We simply walked across it, admiring the glass floor Walkways from below. You can purchase tickets to access the East and West Walkways, engine room, and towers, or book a guided tour online. You’ll have a great view of the city if you make it up to the Walkways.

TIP: Tower Bridge, whether from atop the walkway or at bridge level, offers a great view of the Tower of London as a whole and of the River Thames and surrounding areas.

Depending on how tired you are after a long day pounding the London streets, consider seeing a West End Show in the evening. For discounted tickets check out TKTS beforehand.

DAY TWO

On Day Two we slept in. We were all a bit exhausted after traveling from Canada to the UK and trying to cover as much ground as we could on Day One. Sleeping late might be essential to revitalize everyone, especially if you’re like us and visiting London with teens! Once ready, we headed to Cafe at Le Cordon Bleu for brunch. It’s located close to the British Museum, which was our next destination, but unfortunately we found the food to be good but not worth the hefty cost.

British Museum

Although the British Museum is free they do limit how many people can enter per 30 minute block. Therefore, you should book your tickets online for the date and time you desire before you arrive. It still takes a minute to get through the security line, which was quite long but moved relatively quickly when we were there.

It’s worth taking a moment to look at their website to plan your visit. You can narrow down which gallery or exhibition you want to see, and if there are any tours or talks you’d like to join. Having a rough plan will save you time. I knew that I wanted to see everything Egyptian, for example, all of which did not disappoint. The sculptures, hieroglyphs and mummies were outstanding and fascinating!

We also toured the captivating Assyrian collection. The stone sculptures and panels are as thoroughly detailed and intricate as any Egyptian carving. Both the Assyrian and Egyptian collections are exceptional.

Another monumental moment for myself – a self-proclaimed history buff – was taking in the renown Rosetta Stone. To see this on display and explain its significance to my children was something special.

We spent about 3 hours exploring, but you could easily spend all day at the museum and still not see everything. In fact, if we’re lucky enough to return to the city, we hope to revisit the British Museum to cover what we missed.

If you come to London with teens, take advantage of the opportunity to show them a few of the ancient collections found in the British Museum. Remember: in an expensive city, this is one of the free attractions that can help cut costs on a family trip.

Oxford Street, Regent Street & Carnaby Street

We mainly window-shopped as we walked these three famous thoroughfares, but they were cool to see nevertheless. After the British Museum, no one was really in the shopping frame of mind, but on Oxford Street we did go into Marks and Spencer.

We also ducked into Hamleys Toy Shop on Regent Street. But my favorite street of the three was the famous Carnaby Street in Soho. We paused here for gelato at Venchi Chocolate & Gelato Carnaby and to take it all in.

You can easily spend a few hours exploring these popular areas, and find a good restaurant nearby for supper to close out Day Two. If you’re in London with teens that love shopping, there’s a plethora of shops to suit all tastes.

If you have any energy left, tonight consider strolling along The Queen’s Walk next to the River Thames. See spots like the National Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe.

Where to Stay

Where we stayed: Premier Inn Southwark (Southwark Station)

The Premier Inn Southwark (Southwark Station) wasn’t our first choice but I put together this entire trip very last minute at three weeks out, and it was challenging to find anything affordable for four people close to central London at that point. In the end, the location was absolutely fine, but book your accommodations as early as possible. This hotel was conveniently located a block from Southwark Station and a five minute walk from Waterloo Station.

Premier Inns are a no-frills, affordable hotel. The family room worked out fine for the four of us and with such busy days, we really only used our room to sleep and shower. It was clean enough, and quiet, which is always important to us.

Other popular spots to stay:

• City of London
• Southwark (especially Bankside)
• South Bank & Waterloo
• Covent Garden
• Marylebone & Mayfair
• Westminster
• South Kensington
• Notting Hill

Looking for somewhere hotter? Read 8 Days in Beautiful St. Maarten With Kids.

Where to Eat

On such a short trip our primary focus in London was not to hunt down good food but rather to see the sights. We tried to balance our food budget by eating at a few low-cost options with a splurge here and there. You’ll find many local grocery stores around where you can purchase ready-made food for breakfast or lunch. We also liked the Pret a Manger chain because prices were reasonable for a quick lunch and locations are everywhere.

We had dinner at Honest Burgers Borough not far from Borough Market on our first evening. The food was delicious but service slow, and four burgers (which included fries, or chips), three waters, and one beer totalled £65.67 – nearly $120 CAD! Our second supper was more reasonable at McDonald’s, and our third one was at Crust Bros Waterloo. Here the server forgot our drinks, never apologized, and the pizza was relatively tasteless. For £38.82 (about $73 CAD) we weren’t impressed.

This was a last minute trip, as mentioned, and food was not our focus. I will definitely make it a point to spend more time beforehand picking out restaurants on our next visit. In hindsight, finding establishments for dinner on the fly wasn’t the best idea.

On Day Two we enjoyed an especially delicious treat at Venchi Chocolate & Gelato Carnaby. We opted for servings of milk chi, hazelnut and tiramisu for £11, and we were gifted two scrumptious free chocolates.

Food you might want to try in London: Fish and chips, bangers and mash, Sunday Roast, Yorkshire Puddings, Afternoon tea, sticky toffee pudding, traditional pies, and a Full English Breakfast.

Getting Around

When I first began to look at London, I felt overwhelmed by what appeared to be an intricate spiderweb of transit options. But in reality we found London very easy to traverse with walking, taking the tube, train or bus.

In order to save time we mainly avoided the bus to skip being stuck in traffic, but we did hop on once for a short trip to have the experience of riding a double-decker bus. Everywhere else we went we either walked or took the tube – also known as the London Underground.

I found a fabulous YouTube video called “Citymapper App and Using the London Underground – Easy Tips for Tourists” that did a great job of explaining the system. We took the Tube on multiple occasions and always found it to be safe – and busy. Be prepared to move, as locals hustle through! Unfortunately, I didn’t snap many photos of the Underground.

We only took the aboveground train twice – when we traveled from Heathrow to London and then again leaving the city and heading to Gatwick as we arrived and departed from different airports. It was nice to see a snapshot of the English countryside along the way, albeit comparatively I’m sure there’s certainly more stunning scenery elsewhere in the country!

Shopping

In London you won’t want for shopping choices. Some areas to consider are:

• Covent Garden
• Oxford Street
• Regent Street
• Carnaby Street
• Leadenhall Market
• Camden Market

Specific shops you may want to check out include:

• Fortnum & Mason
• Harrods
• Harvey Nichols
• Selfridges
• Marks and Spencer

As mentioned, we weren’t in London to shop but rather to see the highlights of the city. We did do a meagre amount of souvenir shopping which mainly included browsing the museum shops. And of course we did wander along Oxford Street, Regent Street, and Carnaby Street. If you’re in London with teens that want to shop, you might want to do the same.

For groceries, try looking in:

• Waitrose & Partners
• M & S Simply Food
• Tesco Express
• Sainsbury’s or Sainsbury’s Local

Safety

We felt absolutely safe in Central London, whether walking on the street or taking the tube. Either way, use caution and common sense when in any large city, and always be mindful of pickpockets. If you need help call 101 for non-emergency or 999 for emergency services.

Other Things to Do

• Victoria and Albert Museum
• National History Museum
• Westminster Abbey
• London Eye
• The London Dungeon 
• Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
• Harry Potter’s Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross station
• Afternoon or High tea
• Thames River cruise

Traveling to London With Teens

All things considered, London was a hit with each and every one of us! The modern mixed with the old and the history wound throughout the streets is spectacular to experience. We will definitely be back to cover more of this brilliant, stylish city.

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