cvilleva

DH & I will be taking our 2 teenage sons on their first visit to England for 2 weeks this summer. We're considering making a short (2-night) visit by train to Stratford-upon-Avon at the beginning of our trip, as our rental flat may not be available yet anyway and we'd like to see Hamlet at the RST. Then we'd have about 12 days in London. While I know we could fill the entire time in the city alone, what day trips should we fit in?

anyegr

There is no "must-do" list that suits everyone.

How old are the teenagers? People will have different recommendations for 13-year-olds and 19-year-olds. And if they are anywhere over 15 or so they should be able to do some research of their own. It will be much more fun for them if they are involved in the planning.

What are their interests? Castles? Old ruins? Really old stones, like Stonehenge? If they like Hamlet, does that mean they like history?

Are you going to have a car? Or use public transport? Some places are difficult to reach without a car.

BigRuss

Ask the boys, they should have some interest on where they're being dragged around to.

Do you have any interests? If so, tailor the trips to those. You haven't mentioned any, therefore telling you where to go seems futile.

surfmom

One fun thing we did - if you have Harry Potter fans is the Warner Brothers studio. Lots of teens grew up with Harry and friends...

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

We also did this tour while in central London:

http://www.muggletours.co.uk/


Finally, another fun thing is to spend a day in Greenwich - see the Prime Meridian, and climb O2:

http://www.theo2.co.uk/upattheo2

Aleta

Greenwich is ideal for 2 teen-age boys. London friends took us there last year and my husband and I found it marvelous. It's where Greenwich time is recorded and there's a line marking the spot. The museum is very interesting, how people brought their clocks to be set there, the tools that were invented, the importance of time in sailing, etc. You take a train, then have a bit of a walk through a park that had an Olympics venue. There's a great view towards London. Plus the train ride takes you through very modern office complexes, something you'd rarely see there otherwise. There's lots of other things to see as well. This site will give you all that, plus the transportation options:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich#Transport

cvilleva

They're 15 and 18, and yes, I'm hoping they will do their own research but I would like to be able to offer some feasible suggestions. We will be using public transport.

Thanks for these suggestions; I would never have thought of them. We do have a Harry Potter fan, and several Monty Python fans. They're interested in history, with one particularly interested in the Roman connections, and they have said we must see at least 1 castle. I'm guessing they want one that looks as medieval as possible. I also thought the one who is entering university in the fall would be interested in seeing either Oxford or Cambridge, as a comparison to all the college visits we've made here in the states.

My own tastes lean to the literary, and I spent time in England years ago as a student, but I had the luxury of a longer timeframe and didn't have to limit myself to daytrips. (Not to mention, I could indulge my own whims because there weren't other family members to consider.)

europeannovice

Be sure to go to Hampton Court Palace. A great day out and check their schedule because sometimes they do live kitchen demonstrations with real meat and spices roasting on the spigot. My son really enjoyed that.

Oxford is great too.

texasbookworm

Yes, you could fill up the 12 days in London, but yes there are lots to choose from for day trips. Here's t trip report with the ones we took--5 during 2 whole weeks on London.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-day-trips.cfm

Faves? Oxford. Dover. Salisbury/Stonehenge.

Went to Hampton Court a different time, and to Greenwich, also nice shorter day trips.

Happy planning!

kmowatt

Bath would be a great day trip for you then...the original Roman baths are there to view...good literary connection and great Georgian architecture...it is also easy to access by train from London, and I liked that the station was within walking distance of the town centre...

Lexma90

Sounds like you already have some very good ideas.

My 18yo DS is very interested in film, so we've visited film locations in various cities, such as the location of Serpico's (fictional) apartment in New York City; there are several good websites that plot all of those locations. When he was 10, he was very into spies, mostly the real thing (Kim Philby), but also James Bond. There are several walking tours in London that focus on that.

Both of our kids, DS and 14yoDD, prefer the older castles; I'd love to find some within a day trip of London as well, but they might be further afield.

Snowflake25

We really enjoyed a day trip to Windsor. We took the train, toured the castle and walked around. It was a very relaxing day and so nice to get away from the crowds of London for a bit.

nytraveler

At that age they should be able to do a ot of the planning. We had our DDs involved form the first trip when they were 11 and 14 and by the time they were 14 and 17 they did a good part of it - including picking out some restaurants and having opinions on hotels.

Esp the elder - assume he's in college - should be good as doing research and have opinions as to what they want to see.

I would definitely do one boat trip in London - either to Greenwich or Hampton Court Palace. Windsor Castle is also fascinating, as are Oxford and Stonehenge.

I must admit I'm not on the Potter list - I just don;t get it. For fantasy I'll go for Tolkein any time.

Rich

I used to take short trips to Portsmouth . . it's easy to get to via train from Victoria Station. HMS Victory is nice to go thru as is the D Day museum . .

jamikins

Check out www.walks.com for ideas...

Havana128

<Both of our kids, DS and 14yoDD, prefer the older castles; I'd love to find some within a day trip of London as well, but they might be further afield.>

There is an 11th century castle right in the middle of London. How old or near do you need?

Havana128

<I used to take short trips to Portsmouth . . it's easy to get to via train from Victoria Station. HMS Victory is nice to go thru as is the D Day museum . >

Far more trains to Portsmouth from Waterloo and quicker..

Rich

I lived closer to Gatwick . .

spaarne

I have gone out to Stonehenge and to Cambridge for day trips, and recommend them.

crckwc1

what jamikins said - www.walks.com - We have taken many of these walks over the years and they were all enjoyable and informative - Greenwich, Stonehenge/Salisbury, Bath, Canterbury, as well as the in-London 2-3 hour walks. (But skip the Jack the Ripper walk - not nearly as good as it was some years ago)

cvilleva

Thanks for all the great suggestions!