amy_torres_sd

Happy Monday!

We are taking our two teens to Europe for their first visit. I'd appreciate help in planning out our time in London. Daughter is 15, son is 18. I booked flights before settling on an itinerary (foolish, I know, but it was a last-minute decision)... so we fly in and out of London.

Aside from seeing the typical landmarks, I think the kids will be interested in the British Music Experience. I'm collecting quirky ideas like visiting the Chin Chin Laboratorists, a liquid nitrogen ice cream parlour.

Sun June 9 ... arrive at LHR around noon. Take a car service to Twickenham whereupon we'll check into our "holiday chalet" on Eel Pie Island (the only inhabited island in the Thames.) Decompress from the flight and stock up on provisions.
Monday 10th ... Hampton Court Palace? perhaps another similar location out west?
Tuesday 11th
Wednesday 12th ...tour to Stonehenge/Salisbury
Thursday 13... drop off luggage near St. Pancras station; we depart the Eurostar at 4 pm. What to do in the morning?

Monday 1 July ... arriving back at LHR at 3:00 pm, car service to our apartment across the street from the Tower of London (!!!)
Wednesday 3 July ... depart for LHR.

Thanks in advance for recommendations!

Southam

Ask "the kids" to join the planning. Both are sure to be Internet-literate and able to search for ideas. The 18-year-old is an adult and able to hoist a pint in the pub. It will be a different, interesting vacation with them leading the way.
Maybe they will want to see London itself, which is given so little time in your tentative itinerary.

amy_torres_sd

I agree with you Southam, in theory. In practice though, son is graduating from high school two days before we leave (hubby's vacation schedule is driving this trip.) Candidly, son is in the autism spectrum (very high functioning but quirky) and isn't at all interested in the trip. He is going because it's a family trip and he's a part of the family. I doubt I'll be able to use that reasoning once he's in college. Having a pint in the pub holds no interest for him, nor meeting with other teens.

I'm not looking for a miracle that he will suddenly value the trip, but I am hoping for some suggestions that might engage him. The British Music Experience is a good fit for both my kids.

amy_torres_sd

I didn't mean for my reply to come across so negatively. He will value the trip (after we've arrived home) and I believe that he will enjoy it for the most part, even if it's taking him WAY out of his comfort zone. However, asking him to plan it is like talking to a brick wall.

On the other hand, he is an excellent navigator and I've told him he's responsible for that bit which he has accepted. I'd like for him to be looking at maps now (perhaps to spark an interest) but that hasn't happened in the 6 weeks since we've decided on the trip.

Thanks again, in advance, for any suggestions.

Lexma90

We most recently visited London last May, withour 17yoDS and 13yoDD. What they liked would probably fall into the typical tourist category, except that DS loves modern art, so we also visited Tate Modern (actually, he and I did, while DH and DD went to the Tower of London, which DS had visited on a previous trip).

British Museum has some amazing stuff. So does the National Gallery, if you like art (we do). Cabinet War Rooms pairs nicely in topic but not location with the Imperial War Museum. Both kids liked Westminster Abbey more than I thought they would. St. Paul's is great, especially up top.

On another trip, because DS was really into spies, real and fictional, we took a LondonWalks tour called "Spies and Spymasters." I don't know that they have that one any longer, but there might be other themed walking tours that your family enjoys.

We went to a show one night; went out for Afternoon tea (DS's birthday celebration, his choice). Richoux worked well for us for an informal tea that doubled as lunch, and has "regular" food for those who (like my DS) don't like afternoon tea-type food.

My kids, just like my husband, are old enough to plan trips. However, none of them like planning as much as I do. So I, based on knowing my family's interests, will come up with ideas, then make suggestions and have them look at websites. It works for us!

amy_torres_sd

Thank you Lexma! Our son is a picky eater so your description of the tea with "regular" food is greatly appreciated! I have looked into the London Walks and am considering their tour of the British Museum and of the Tower of London.

I enjoy planning too, but doing it in a vacuum gets exhausting when you only have 2 months from the germination of an idea to the departure date.

amy_torres_sd

LOL!!! Today our dear son was accepted to a University that he thought was a lost cause... he's required to attend an orientation that will cause us to miss London entirely on the front end... Hubby and daughter will be flying London solo. Life gets more interesting every day.

Grassshopper

Hampton Court Palace is a great idea. The audio and guided tours take you into the past. My daughters really enjoyed it.

amy_torres_sd

Did you know that you can stay in an apartment in Hampton Court Palace? There's one with the Landmark Trust (we considered it long and hard.)

Lexma90

Congratulations on the University! Our DS when through that process this year, as well. It's a stressful and exciting time. (And BTW, not that it matters, but I had a typo - it's our DS who loves afternoon tea food, and DH who does not.)

Toucan

Take them to Camden market. Its a counter culture sorta place that is fun and the kids will probably be interested.

amy_torres_sd

Happily, we've been able to postpone the University orientation until after we return, so YAY! we get our week in London!

surfmom

amy, my kids are younger, but we've just returned from spring break - I actually wrote a trip report (yeah, me!)

A few fun things we really liked - all active and appropriate for all ages
- climbing O2 (http://www.theo2.co.uk/upattheo2)
- Fat Tire Bike Tours (http://fattirebiketours.com/london)

If you have Harry Potter fans, the Muggles Walking tour was a big hit. I would also check out London Walks - there are some unique walks! (oops, just saw mentioned upthread).

We tried to do this, but it was booked:
http://hinthunt.co.uk/
- looks like a lot of fun.

nytraveler

Perhaps I'm confused - but it looks to me like you only have 2 full days in London - all the others are arriving, departing or doing day trips. IMHO you need 4 or 5 at least to see much.
As for the "kids" they re certainly old enough to do their own planning - since I'm not sure that their biggest must sees will be the same as ours.

But since they are old enough to head out alone you can easily divide and conquer - as we did when we took teen/tween daughters to London and Paris - although we had a week in each.

Much better not to be joined at the hip 24/7 - and you can always meet for dinner.

amy_torres_sd

@ surfmom: Thanks for the suggestions; I will look into them!

stevewith

amy,

If your son enjoys being the navigator, he will find the challenges of London really interesting and while guided walks can be great, he might have more satisfaction acing the bus and tube system plus leading the way with London's famed A to Z.

Does your 18 year old have a major study in mind when he gets to university? London has got everything, and historically has been an extraordinary city for learning and learning societies. There are still academies and professional clubs will small museums or open libraries devoted to every field of intellectual endeavor -- architecture, geography, medicine, chemistry, music, entymology, and other such royal academies. You might google up the likely suspects to get some sense if it would be worth offering to him as an option. If like other kids he is totally immersed in all of today's devices to the near'exclusion of everything else, there are hotspots in London that are open tech labs, hives of new media invention, and might be a cool exposure to a global culture of shared interests that can be maintained via social media, since all are English speakers. You might take a look at the website for London Campus. There is a cafe there and an open-door policy, plus one can log in from the US and get a feel for the focus via social media.

But London has always been a place where people went to pursue a very intense kind of study to a very high degree, so if your son has a special interest, it is likely he can engage with it in London.

amy_torres_sd

Stevewith, thank you for your thoughtful suggestion. Son has been accepted into a TV-Radio-Film program and YES is immersed in computers and other electronics (he is lugging his 12 pound gaming laptop along for this trip, NOT that he'll have a lot of time to use it.) LOVE the idea of the open tech labs and London Campus; we will have to check that out right away. Sounds like it could be a great alternative for him when he doesn't want to do what Mom & Dad want to do.
Thanks again!!

stevewith

Maybe a BBC broadcasting tour?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/t...h_london.shtml

Also, were you planning on going to Churchill's War Rooms? There is the original radio room down there, and if you get the audio tour, it mixes in original radio broadcasts as part of the tour.

http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/churchill-war-rooms-london

However, if film is focus, this could be useful website for you to share with your son:

http://filmlondon.org.uk/film_cultur...urs/brit_movie

and there are always events at the British Film Institute

https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/ev...0TYy%2B0ia8%3D

and there is Making of Harry Potter studio tour at Warner's

http://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/

http://www.wbsl.com/find-us

amy_torres_sd

Thank you again, Stevewith, for your suggestions. We may well do the Harry Potter studio tour (have been re-watching the films for a couple of weeks.) His primary interest is animation and he would be tickled pink if there were some way to tour Aardman Animations but I think that's only an online experience.

stevewith

I think you are right about Aardman.

Not very far from St Pancras, there is a centre that runs 1-day animation workshops from 10-4, but they also offer private sessions with the teacher (a professional animator). Maybe it would be a treat for your son on the day you leave on the Eurostar to arrange to join a session for part of the day (if it is sufficiently advanced for him) or have a few hours with the pro. The rest of you could do something in the neighborhood your daughter would enjoy.

http://www.filmworkshop.com/products...introduction-2