With one week I'd suggest one day trip or overnight and for me it would have to be an overnight to Paris. I think this would be easier to achieve and more enjoyable than a bus tour to Stonehenge. If you're prepared to drive yourselves then a trip to Stonehenge is OK if it's something you've always wanted to see but IMO it doesn't compare with a taste of Paris.

While in London I think you'll enjoy strolling through some of the wonderful parks in June and if you get some showery weather I'd plan to visit one or two museums or art galleries (nearly all free in London)... how about the British Museum or the V&A (my favourites). See links

http://www.britishmuseum.org/

http://www.vam.ac.uk/

enjoy!

Is it fairly easy to do the train to Paris?

Sassy_cat,

It's been twenty years since my husband and I have been to London, but we are taking our two teenage girls (19 and 16) there this coming May on our way to Paris. One of the things on my list is to take them to the Tower of London where they house the crown jewels.

Beth

"I know the Paddington would be better"

Not really. The location of this hotel is just about as convenient as Paddington. You'll be on 4 different tube lines. So if it is points - you will be fine there.

A trip to Paris is great --- BUT you only have a week altogether. Does that include your travel to/from London? If so you will barely have 5 days in London so not really long enough to spend the time/money to go to Paris for the day.

So for one day trip (which might be 1 too many but it is what your daughter mentioned) take the train from Paddington to Oxford. Or cheaper yet, take an express bus that leaves from Marble Arch.

You really will not have time for both Stonehenge and Oxford. So you may have to flip a coin (or skip both)

Don't worry about getting sick on the Eye - you will have no sensation of moving. Even my friends w/ extreme fear of heights have loved it.

W/ all the great shopping/markets like Portobello Rd and Camden, theatre, the Eye, V&A, Hampton Court Palace (a better use of time then Kensington Palace IMO (unless the girls are major Diana fans. But they are pretty young to even know that much about her), Tower and other museums/galleries --- you will have much more to see/do w/o taking multiple trips out of the city.

When we took my step-daughters, then 11 and 14, to London for the first time they loved it (but preferred Paris, I think since they got to use their French and it made them feel more grown-up).

Must do that you haven;t listed are Tower of LOndon, British Museum, Museum of London and the V&A. I think they would enjoy Covent Garden more than Harrods (an area with tons of small boutiques and stalls, some things definitely of interest to teens and in their price range - versus Harrods - which is VERY upscale and tends to things for the more mature. Ours loved coven Garden so much they went back alone one afternoon when we were seeing the exhibit at the Royal Academy (London subway is a cinch one you've looked at it for about 5 minutes). They actually met some local kids and had lunch with them there.

lia, yes it's easy to take Eurostar to Paris directly from London. It takes about 2.5 hrs. If you book a non flex ticket in advance it will probably cost about $100 return (29GBP each way in June).

Trains are frequent and comfortable...arrive at the station about an hour before departure (I think the minimum time is 45mins to clear customs).

not sure if this posted... retry

In my opinion you could easily spend a week in London itself but for an overnight in Paris it's worth leaving London. It just depends on what you and your daughters would prefer to do with your time.

FWIW, my kids love both Covent Garden AND Harrod's! They also love the markets (any, although they weren't too impressed with Petticoat Lane, but loved Camden, Spitalfield's, Portobello).

Wow, thank you so much for all your replies. I think Convent Garden sounds great. We might be able to stretch the trip to 10 days, so maybe Paris is doable. I have heard before that Stonehenge is not that exciting. So.. we are still thinking about whether we want to give a day away to that. Now I am getting really excited about this.

Stonehenge is what it is - stones. I'm always amazed by people who are "disappointed" by it. What were they expecting?

I would get hold of either the Time out city guide or the rough guide to London and get your kids to read it (I know that teenagers don't really "do" books, but hey ho). They are aimed at a younger audience and will fire their imagination.

Alternatively, get them to look at the Thorn Tree site on the lonely planet site. It's like this but for yoofs.

ps Kensington Palace is pants.

Lia_b,

I'm reading the answers to your posts with interest because two of my daughters are the same ages as yours and we're visiting London at the end of March, beginning of April.

We are planning to visit Stonehenge and Salisbury as a day trip because my son (18) and other daughter (9) really want to visit. I'll be sure and let you know what all my kids think of it after we return-- especially the two middle girls. Maybe that will help your plans!

Are you planning on any shows? All three of my daughters love musicals, so that might be something to think of in the evenings for yours. I've already booked tickets to We Will Rock You and we're thinking of trying to get half price tickets to Joseph when we're there. (My son and my husband groan about the prospect, so its definitely not for everybody though!).

LauraG

I just wanted to mention that London hotels usually have beds for 2 people, so I hope you checked out how many rooms you'd need with points. Or maybe you've found rooms for 3 people.

We stayed at the Paddington Hilton and got 2 rooms for 4 people. The location was central, but the area around the station was not as nice as other areas we've stayed.

Have fun!

Took my youngest daughter & friend to London for a week a few years ago after high school graduation. You may get some ides from our phototravelogue at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=f363d0s.2zics7yw&x=0&y=-pfqcfg

"ps Kensington Palace is pants"

Translation for the North American contingent . . . to varying degrees, pants = lame / rubbish / s**t /

If you have 10 days you would definitely have time for Paris. If you can, fly open jaw into one city and home from the other. Saves having to backtrack to London to fly home.

Something like:
1 night flying to Paris
2 nights/3 days in Paris
late train to London
6 nights in London w/ a day trip to Oxford or Salisbury/Stonehenge
Day 10 spent flying home from London

Thanks for the translation -- I had never heard the term "pants" befor and I thought it was a typo (although for what, I wouldn't know)!

i'm 17 and live in london
i'd recommend the markets, in particular camden market, it's an interesting place to be (check out a shop called cyberdog) but may be a little overwhelming cos' it's very crowded and easy to get lost, not as edgy as it used to be but still a good vibe.
also the london dungeons, good for a bit of a scare and not all dull and educational, they talk about history but they've got actors that jump out at you and special effects. because you have teenagers i'd say do that rather than a museum.
south bank is a nice place to visit, a pretty area next to the river with some nice restaurants at gabriel's wharf in particular.
oxford street does have a lot of shops but probably most of them are in america as well, eg. topshop etc. covent garden has a nicer atmosphere and some more kitschy shops - they also have street performers on weekends.
DO NOT GO TO STONEHENGE, it really is just a load of rocks and i don't think your kids will be impressed.
check out buckingham palace too, you can see the soldiers in their little outfits outside.
if i think of anything else i'll post again
hope this helps

oh yeah and i've never been to kensington palace but i vaguely remember a school trip to hampton court palace when i was little
there was a maze and it was fun

hollam...I got a kick out of your description of Stonehenge!

Stonehenge is fantastic and overwhelming - IF you're interested in prehistory. If you're not - definitely don't waste the time. Instead, for a day trip do Windsor Castle or Hampton Court Palace (esp if they've been watching The Tudors series on TV). If they haven;t get them to watch it before you go - and get some fun aspects of English history.

Get yourself a good guidebook - one that has suggestions for self-guided tours. Let the girls study it come up with the thing THEY want to do. I would suggest leaving the first day for one of the hop-on-hop-off bus tours.

I do think Stonehenge is fantastic primarily because noone really knows how the stones got there. I do NOT find it overwhelming, or really even particularly awe-inspiring, just sort of incredible.

ok I think Stonehenge is out. I get the feeling, the kids will be bored if they are not impressed. How did I forget Buckingham Palace, LOL! I want to see that!

1. Go on the frog, it's an amphibious vehicle that cruises along the Thames and on the road. It is small, fun and lively. Gives you a good overview of sights along the river, then you can decide what you would like to see.
2. Start at the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, walk down to Downing Street, see the monument. Keep going straight you arrive at Trafalgar Square (Nelson). Loads of art galleries, people and pigeons. Then go to Leicester Square/Piccadilly eat in China Town. Catch a Show in the evenig. Covent Garden is also nearby, lively, with lots of street performers and lovely boutiques.
3. Southbank, nice riverside walk. Restaurants, the Tate modern, and Shakespeare's globe a must see.
4. London Bridge (not the pretty one) a great lively market (can't remember what its called, closed on a monday though. And the London Dungeons (re-enactment of London in Victorian times - bloody, lovely for kids this age). And they have fairground rides.
5. Tower of London
6. Buckingham Palace
7. Madame Tousauds (hate it myself, but the kids love it) picture yourself with the queen
8. Brick Lane/Shoreditch - if they like galleries it's excellent. If they like a trendy happening place this is the place to go. Lots of food, amazing Indian restaurants. Street theatre, markets. Great bagels. Just a melee of London's trendy young arty people. Go on a Sunday.
9. Hampton Court or Windsor Palace. Hampton Court is beautiful and cultural. Windsor is too, but I think has the edge, it's more outdoors with reenactments going on, so I think they'd like this better. But if you only want one historical day, stick with the Tower of London.
10. Harrods. Harvey Nichols (Kensington) walk up through the army barracks to Green park, which becomes Hyde Park (I think). Lovely park with live music and band stands. Row a boat on the Serpentine. Keep walking to the other, through Hyde Park, lots of roller skaters, horse riders. And come out at the top end of Oxford Street. Worth a walk down for Selfridges. Hold onto your hand bag though. Then go down South Moulton Street and Bond Street for designer shops and cafes. If you still have enough energy here go to Carnaby Street, the Street where all the 60s fashions emerged from.
11. Natural History Museum/Science Museum (yawn I know) but it is in South Kensington, where you have the Albert Hall and all the posh universities in London: Imperial College, Royal Academy of Art, etc.

I am a Londoner and am saddened that you all advised to go straight to Paris. Paris is beautiful, but needs more than a day. Just as London is packed with things to do. Sometimes it's great to just walk and see what happens. There are all sorts of tours trawling through Jack the Ripper lanes. I could go on; and I have so I'll stop now. If you want any more info, just ask....

We've just returned from a family trip to Europe & spent 10 days in London. The things that the kids ( 15yo boy & 13yo girl) enjoyed the most were
The Tower with a beefeater guide- they're very entertaining.
The Globe Theatre- again our tour guide was very interesting & humorous.
The Eye (of course)
The theatre- their choice was to see the Mousetrap & they enjoyed it but there are loads of shows on
Windsor Castle- again we hooked onto a guide who was much more interesting than the audio guide
Primark in Oxford St- I went with my daughter & she bought HEAPS of cheap clothes. Next day the whole family went back & my son bought as much as we could carry. It reminded me of the Boxing Day sales but this shop is obviously like this all day every day
The Churchill Museum & Cabinet War Rooms. My daughter loved this because EVERYTHING worked in the museum.
WE also enjoyed just walking through the parks, & feeding the squirrels with nuts ( we don't have squirrels here so that was a real novelty
Hampton Court was also good.
We also went to the Royal Albert Hall on a tour - I think they also quite enjoyed that too
The kids were a bit over State Apartments by the time we got to Kensington Palace but there's a display of some of Diana's clothes.
Wimbledon- although the last week in June will probably clash with the tournament
The Apple Shop in Regent St
Covent Garden

We had 10 days in London & were so busy we didn't get a chance to get to some of the other areas we were hoping to visit- Bath, Brighton, Oxford etc.
I'm sure in a week you'll have no trouble filling in your time
Have fun
I'm sue

I see that Fat Tire Bike Tours started a tour in London a couple of years ago. I have taken my kids (now ages 16 and 20) on the tours in both Paris and Berlin when they were younger. It is a fun, different way to see the sights in the cities. They do not require athleticism so don't worry about that. They are informative and fun. Also, we have enjoyed seeing plays while in London and liked taking some relaxing time in Hyde Park walking, seeing the ducks, and taking a paddle boat ride. It was a nice, down time from the sightseeing. We did not enjoy the long line to get on the London Eye and I would only recommend doing it on a clear day (I wouldn't do it again because it was so crowded...not a good experience for us). My kids did not like the wax museum but we have them here too so it was not special- also too crowded. Enjoy your trip!

ttt

cferrb: Do you know about the yellow/gold star up at the top of the thread? That's how you can save a thread to your favorites w/o having to mark/top old threads.

Thanks Janis. I didn't know about that.

Theater, theater, theater!!

I am going to London with my husbund and two boys (12 and 16) in February. Where to stay? I was planning to rent an apartment.

Fabiiola, you might want to start a fresh thread, instead if resurecting one. People who are experts in apts, but not with teens might never see your question.

lia_b, if you're not totally inundated, here's what my 14yo boy liked the most when we went to London in Feb:
Tower of London
London Eye (also enjoyed thames clipper ride from Eye to Tower)
British Museum (went back for a second round!)
He enjoyed all the major sites and sights, but the verger's tour at Westminster Abbey was too long and boring for him. Buckingham Palace Changing of the Guard also went on a bit long for him.

He also enjoyed seeing the Magna Carta in Salisbury (his choice to go specifically to see that) and I really enjoyed the town and the cathedral tower tour- fascinating. We liked Stonehenge just because it is the oldest standing human monument; we went with English Heritage so that we could go in the inner circle. Salisbury is a very easy day trip from London and easy to do on your own; I suggest taking the train from London and avoiding annoyance of a motor coach tour or navigating traffic on your own.

PS - theatre! We saw a terrific production of Billy Elliot (couldn't get tickets to One Man, Two Guvnors, you may want to try to get tickets for it at its new location) and two comedy shows. Check out the Soho Theatre for reasonably priced up and coming comedy acts and a young crowd. It is not restricted to over 18 and the show we saw was not at all raunchy or full of bad language.

Our teenaged grandkids loved The British Museum, Westmiinster Abbey, Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Abbey Road( Bealtles) and Harrod's Food Hall, especially the ice cream bar which their friends had told them about. They returned to Harrod's several times. The boy also liked The Tower of London a lot.

Folks - the OP's trip was back in June 2009...

Glad to see the thread is resurrected (timely for me) even if the Op returned home long ago.

Any suggestions what five teenagers ranging from 16 - 19 (4 boys 1 girl) - can do for free in London for a day next week? The weather doesn't look like it's going to be any good which is a shame so all ideas gratefully received. Thanks.

Amanda_Edward: You'll do MUCH better if you start a new thread of your own w/ your specific questions.

This thread is 3 years old and many won't even see your post and will jump straight to answering the OP.

Thanks Janisj - I'll do that.