DrF

hi all- I am going to London in June on business and want to surprise my son (16) by taking him along. Anything interesting come to mind on what he should see? I understand all the usual spots, and we will have some time (3 days) to cover those, but I'll have meetings and want him to be able to see a couple of places on his own. Would love your suggestions on this as well as food choices. Thanks!

MFNYC

London is huge and there is lots to do. What is he interested in? Museums, theater, history? We recently tookj our kids (13 & 15) for all of 3.5 days. The frist full day we did one of theose hop on/off tours just to get the lay of the land. We 'hopped off' for some of the sights and also took the river cruise that is included. I let my kids pick out a show from the discount ticket boothe. They picked the COmplete Shakespeare abridged and thought it was hysterical (more of a comedy sketch than true theater). We also had a great tour of the globe theater. My kids are not big on museums but liked the Tate Modern. We also visited the Victoria and Albert and the British museum.

We ate at a few very nice pubs (with non-smoking sections and good food) in our hotel neighborhood (so. kens) and also some Italian places (my son is pickey but loves Italian).

Once you let the cat out of the bag, you can have your son look through a london tour book, and let himmake some suggestions.

rex

Shall we assume that you already have his passport?

I would "break" this surprise to him as soon as possible.

As for answering your question, I would let him go out to Windsor on his own. Easily enough done, interesting enough, and not a likely place for him to encounter trouble, even if he goes looking for it.

Best wishes,

Rex

MFNYC

Let me add that the tubes are great. If your son is ocmfortable with mass transit, the tube is a great way to get around town. My kids also liked wandering around the stores & markets in the Covent Garden area.

DrF

MFNYC- Thanks for your ideas- He is comfortable roaming around NYC on his own, so don't think he'll have any issues in London. I always use the tube myself, and find it adds to the feel of true London. I'm going to let him go to the Tower on his own as well as Buckingham for the changing of the guard. We're staying in Nottinghill as I thought there might be more for him to find in way of food.

DrF

Rex- What are your thoughts about Hampton Court? Do you need to devote the entire day?
Thanks for your comments, and yes he has a passport.

rex

I don't actually know anything about Hampton Court - - you're mxing that up with Windsor Castle. Windsor is an entire town (includes Eton college where the princes Harry and william are recent graduates). You can read about Windsor Castle (and all the other "Royal Residences&quot athttp://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page553.asp

By contrast - - and I don't entirely understand this (I guess it's because the Queen never <i>resides</i> at Hampton court) - - there are five &quot;Historic Royal Palaces&quot; which you can learn about at http://www.historicroyalpalaces.org

BigRuss

Imperial War Museum. Can't miss for a 16-year old boy.

obxgirl

Both Hampton Court and Windsor can be done in half a day (or longer if he's interested in the history). If he can handle NYC he can handle travel to either of those places.

Can you be more specific about his interests? If one of the days you'll be there is a Saturday or Sunday, he'd probably enjoy the Camden markets. Lots of funky stuff, retro clothes and the like. Popular with teens.

WillTravel

He'll probably want to strike off on his own and enjoy that more than anything. So just give him a Lonely Planet and encourage him to Google.

dln

DrF, speaking as a mother of a 17 year old son and a 15 year old daughter, I don't know if it's such a good idea to spring a surprise like that on a kid. My own children always have plans, most of which we don't even find out about until the eleventh hour. Your son might not be as enthralled as you envision him to be!

However, you know your own son better than a bunch of strangers. One place in London that many teenagers like, and most adults would not be caught dead in, is the London Dungeon. Very tacky and gruesome tourist attraction.

suze

I'd give the kid some notice and let him have time to plan activities for himself! Plenty of people not all that much older go backpacking around Europe on their own. Lonely Planet website has a great BB called The Thorn Tree, similar format to this one but a bit younger crowd. Also guidebook serires such as Let's Go, Rough Guides, and Lonely Planet might be of interest to him.

DrF

Thanks guys for all the ideas- love the Dungeon one especially.
He will be thrilled with the surprise, my husband and I suprised both of our boys (older one is 18) last year with a surfing trip to Hawaii. It was the best with them thinking they were going diving for Abalone in cold frigid pacific waters only to be wisked away to sunsets they'll remember forever.

Morgana

Hi
There was a thread a few months ago called 'Seen the Hampton Court Ghost'. It had links to a very short video of the 'ghost'. Maybe your lad would like to view the video and then visit the place itself? There's lots to see at Hampton.
Food at tourist places like this tends to be pricey. If you are near a Marks and Spencers get him set up before his visit with sandwiches, and/or a salad (their chicken, basil and tomato pasta salad is delicious and comes with a little plastic fork). Marks gets loads of lunchtime trade and has a huge range of takeaway food. He could choose his own picnic!
M

KidsToLondon

If your son likes technology and hands-on science, then the Science Museum would make a good &quot;on his own&quot; venue. My son spent most of a day there at age 15.

Here's one vote against the London Dungeon...IMHO it is a tacky tourist trap, devoted to exploiting violence, and filled with &quot;plastic gore.&quot; Stick to the Tower of London and get a history lesson at the same time as you explore a real dungeon.

A boat tour on the Thames can be fun, maybe the amphibious &quot;Duck Tours&quot;. Or a canal boat trip along Regents Canal to funky (some would say &quot;junky&quot Camden.

Greenwich is interesting and many kids enjoy the revitalized nautical museum there, along with the Old Royal Observatory. Wandering around Covent Garden is often a hit for teens...shops, street performers, and the like.

Food? Any parent of a teen knows that can be a challenge, between sometimes picky tastes and the needs that many teens have to consume mass quantities. You'll find take-aways (carry outs) like Pret a Manger on almost every corner...good for sandwiches, cookies and drinks while on the run. Lots of Chinese food in certain areas. And filling up on full English breakfasts is another good strategy.

Hope this helps.

Dave White
[email protected]

Talula

DrF,
I too will be travelling to London in June with my 15 year old brother. Our trip ranges from the war museum to London Dungeons. The latter is just up his alley. He is also into his skateboarding, so I have found the Playstation Skaters Park.Its apparently about 150m from Portebello Road.
Our &quot;local&quot; Friends are also taking us to Thorpe Park, which is a theme park with lots of crazy rides. Brother over the moon, sister already turning green at the thought. Try www.thorpepark.co.uk
Hope this helps.