2 Days in London - Help Please

[DD's Prince]

We are doing Greece ABD in August and our flight had a 2 hour layover in London. I changed in to a 2 day layover so we could experience London on the way to Greece. I would appreciate any recommendations y'all could provide. What are the must see sights for a family with 2 teenagers (14,16). Also any hotel recommendations you might have? Thanks.

 

[canadakath]

We were in London for a week in 2015 with a 12 and 9 year old. Here are our highlights:
- If your teens are Harry Potter fans, I highly recommend the WB Studio Tour! You need to book tickets in advance, but travelling from London to the studio was no problem and it was AMAZING!
- Many of the museums are free, but we did a private tour of the British Museum through Context Travel. Our docent was amazing with the boys and really brought history to life. Best money we spent all trip
- We also did a Context walking tour of sites from the Blitz - this was a personal thing as we were there with my mom (born in London in 1946) and were exploring what my grandparents had lived through.
- Our first day in town was an easy boat ride up to Greenwich and some walking around - nothing too planned or hurried. As you only have two days you might want to skip it or plan better than we did so you can see the Meridian Line. 20+ years ago when I went you could just walk up to it, so I wasn't prepared for a 90 minute plus wait!
- Tower of London was a total must do for us - the Crown jewels and the armoury being the highlights. Bought tickets in advance
- We did not go to the Changing of the Guard ceremony - lots say this is a must do but the timing never worked for us
- We rode the Underground everywhere - very easy
- Stayed at the Citadines South Kensington. Had a loft room - king bed and bath in loft, pull out couch for the kids below with a small kitchenette. I doubt the pull out couch would be big enough for two teens. Absolutely LOVED the location though - went for quiet walks by myself most mornings, great pubs and restaurants around, and walking distance to Kensington Palace and Natural History Museum.

 

[Cousin Orville]

- If your teens are Harry Potter fans, I highly recommend the WB Studio Tour! You need to book tickets in advance, but travelling from London to the studio was no problem and it was AMAZING!

How did you get to the WB Studio? Did you use Golden Tours? How long did you spend there? We'll be in London for a few days with our kids this summer. We're weighing the options of spending a half day in Oxford (to see some of the locations used in the films) and the afternoon at the WB lot versus just going to the WB lot for the full day.

 

[RSM]

Hi Cousin Orville--We spent a week in London a couple of years ago with our 12 y/o son (at the time). We did Golden Tours for the WB studio. Very convenient but we wished we had more time at WB. There is more flexibility doing it on your own and it is very easy to get to. Highly recommend Oxford not only to see some of the HP filming locations, but to see the University and the city itself. If you can make it out to Lacock that is pretty cool also (some HP scenes shot there also). Try and hit the 9 3/4 platform either early or late. Mid-day you can wait 30-60 minutes to get the photo (it is now quite an operation). We also did a HP London movie site tour with Brit Movie Tours. They took us in a van to about a dozen sites where the movie was shot. It was good in that they showed a clip of the movie at that site, then you got out and saw the site.

One other thing not mentioned that we enjoyed was the Sherlock Holmes museum on Baker Street. We also did a British Invasion Tour which was really fun, but I'm not sure how many of the younger kids would be interested in seeing things like Mick Jagger's house, where the Beatles crossed, studios, etc. Anyways, whatever everyone does, hope you have fun.

 

[Aurora_Australis]

We were there for a week with a 7yo mad HP fan and our 2yo. The trip out to the studio and back would have been too much for us so we just went to Kings Cross station for photos at the HP shop. They have a fake little platform 9 3/4 entry. Might be an option with the short time there.

Tower of London is great, we spent most of a day there. Westminster Abbey for a couple of hours. British Museum would be better with kids your ages, ours wanted to leave after 30mins but we persisted! West End for a show (Curious Incident of the dog in the night time is fantastic and pitched at teens).

If you don't want to wait ar Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard ceremony, they walk down through the little park with Wellington arch and you can get a nice picture and continue on your way.

 

[RSM]

It may also make sense to get the LondonPass. You can save alot of money with free entry into many of the sites, but even more importantly you can skip the line at many of the attractions and sites. Also, if you plan on taking the metro I'd recommend getting an oyster card.

 

[sayhello]

How did you get to the WB Studio? Did you use Golden Tours? How long did you spend there? We'll be in London for a few days with our kids this summer. We're weighing the options of spending a half day in Oxford (to see some of the locations used in the films) and the afternoon at the WB lot versus just going to the WB lot for the full day.

It's seriously easy to get to the WB Studios tour. As was said above, if you go with the tour, you have a limited amount of time there, and have to leave when they say.

Take the Tube to Euston station (it's a short walk from Euston Tube station to Euston Train Station). 2 stops on the train to Watford Junction (less than 15 minutes). Right outside the station, you can catch the double-decker bus, Harry Potter-themed shuttle that will take you back and forth to the Studios. I think that was like a 20 minute drive. It's like two pounds roundtrip. Really cheap. Just reverse to go back. (The shuttle drops off & picks up right outside the front door to the tour.)

Definitely buy your tickets ahead of time. They can sell out months in advance depending on when you want to go.

Let me know if you have any other questions about the WB Studio tour. It's FABULOUS if you're any sort of a Harry Potter fan!

Sayhello

 

[Cousin Orville]

It's seriously easy to get to the WB Studios tour. As was said above, if you go with the tour, you have a limited amount of time there, and have to leave when they say.

Take the Tube to Euston station (it's a short walk from Euston Tube station to Euston Train Station). 2 stops on the train to Watford Junction (less than 15 minutes). Right outside the station, you can catch the double-decker bus, Harry Potter-themed shuttle that will take you back and forth to the Studios. I think that was like a 20 minute drive. It's like two pounds roundtrip. Really cheap. Just reverse to go back. (The shuttle drops off & picks up right outside the front door to the tour.)

Definitely buy your tickets ahead of time. They can sell out months in advance depending on when you want to go.

Let me know if you have any other questions about the WB Studio tour. It's FABULOUS if you're any sort of a Harry Potter fan!

Sayhello

Thanks. As you know, I've been wanting to do this for a while. I tried to do it this past summer before Germany, but it was too complicated. We should be able to do it this year. How much time did you spend there? More than 2.5-3hrs? Trying to figure out whether to combine it with a trip to Oxford on the same day.

 

[Rapunzellover]

I too recommend the train over tour company. But you must by tixs in advance. They are timed and not available on site.

I say plan approx 3-5 hrs.

 

[sayhello]

Thanks. As you know, I've been wanting to do this for a while. I tried to do it this past summer before Germany, but it was too complicated. We should be able to do it this year. How much time did you spend there? More than 2.5-3hrs? Trying to figure out whether to combine it with a trip to Oxford on the same day.

I spent about 5 hours there. Twice. (A year apart. Hey, they'd added the Hogwarts Express! ) But I'm a huge HP fan, and a huge geek, and just *LOVED* everything about it.

(Oh, by the way, the *shuttle* is like 2 pounds. The train will be more, but still not very expensive at all, since it's such a short hop. The train runs very frequently between Euston & Watford Junction.)

Sayhello

 

[Cousin Orville]

I too recommend the train over tour company. But you must by tixs in advance. They are timed and not available on site.

I say plan approx 3-5 hrs.

I spent about 5 hours there. Twice. (A year apart. Hey, they'd added the Hogwarts Express! ) But I'm a huge HP fan, and a huge geek, and just *LOVED* everything about it.

(Oh, by the way, the *shuttle* is like 2 pounds. The train will be more, but still not very expensive at all, since it's such a short hop. The train runs very frequently between Euston & Watford Junction.)

Sayhello

Thanks! That's exactly what I needed to know. We'll plan on doing it on our own.

 

[Rapunzellover]

Cousin O- check train times in advance. They are mostly high speed, but iirc some weren't.

And drink some butterbeer for me.

 

[sayhello]

Cousin O- check train times in advance. They are mostly high speed, but iirc some weren't.

And drink some butterbeer for me.

Oh, yes! That's true. You always have to be careful with the trains in England, to be sure you get the more direct, high-speed train. It's easy to check this out online.

And the butterbeer ice cream is way better than the actual butterbeer.

Sayhello

 

[canadakath]

How did you get to the WB Studio? Did you use Golden Tours? How long did you spend there? We'll be in London for a few days with our kids this summer. We're weighing the options of spending a half day in Oxford (to see some of the locations used in the films) and the afternoon at the WB lot versus just going to the WB lot for the full day.

We got there on our own - Underground to Euston Station, train to Watford, WBStudio Junction shuttle bus (which is a full size double decker coach) to the studio. I looked at Golden Tours but wanted to do things on our own schedule and it really wasn't hard.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

I'd recommend staying in London and seeing the quintessential London things - the tower, Westminster, St. Paul's. I definitely would not recommend the British Museum; if you must go to a museum, then visit the museum of London. Taking a bus tour around would be good to see a lot of the landmarks. We really enjoyed the WB tour, but it takes most of a day. We did that and Westminster in one of our days there. You should try to see a play one night - Shakespeare or something like wicked, and Harrods is a good place to spend a few hours in the evening. Greenwich was nice but took a while to get there and wasn't that great. I'd save things like it and Oxford for a longer trip.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

The British Museum is fantastic; not sure why anyone would not recommend it.

As others have noted, it's very easy to get to the WB Studio on your own; no need for a tour. Personally, if I had never been to London and had only 2 days, I wouldn't spend a day visiting there when there are so many must sees in London itself.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

The British Museum is fantastic; not sure why anyone would not recommend it.

As others have noted, it's very easy to get to the WB Studio on your own; no need for a tour. Personally, if I had never been to London and had only 2 days, I wouldn't spend a day visiting there when there are so many must sees in London itself.

Totally agree. We go to London as a family all the time--average one long trip a year--kids have been going since they were 4 and 6 (17 and 19 now), and have gone to British Museum almost every time. Just did the underwater archaeology exhibit in November. We never try to do it all--just one or two sections or an exhibit.

We did Harry Potter the first year it opened so don't remember details but definitely did it on our own so we weren't locked in time-wise. Very easy. It's fantastic, but there are so many amazing things to do in London I'm not sure I'd do that with only two days. Tower of London is my #1. Westminster Abbey #2, and then British Museum. Museum of London is great, too, and very kid friendly. Harrods is also fun to walk through and with the pound devaluation I actually shopped on our last trip--something I haven't done in London in years. Kensington palace is also cool, and a fun place to have tea (orangerie). If you like walking, I highly recommend London walks. We've done tons of them, and gave never been disappointed. They do have a Harry Potter sights walk, too

 

[Douglas Dubh]

I recommend the Museum of London over the British Museum because the way I remember it (and admittedly it's been a while) the former teaches you the history of the area, while the later has historical pieces from everywhere. So sure if you'd like to see an exhibit with dozens of Egyptian sarcophagus next to another with dozens of Swiss watches, the British Museum is fabulous. But I'd recommend doing things that are distinctly British.

 

[sayhello]

Totally agree. We go to London as a family all the time--average one long trip a year--kids have been going since they were 4 and 6 (17 and 19 now), and have gone to British Museum almost every time. Just did the underwater archaeology exhibit in November. We never try to do it all--just one or two sections or an exhibit.

We did Harry Potter the first year it opened so don't remember details but definitely did it on our own so we weren't locked in time-wise. Very easy. It's fantastic, but there are so many amazing things to do in London I'm not sure I'd do that with only two days. Tower of London is my #1. Westminster Abbey #2, and then British Museum. Museum of London is great, too, and very kid friendly. Harrods is also fun to walk through and with the pound devaluation I actually shopped on our last trip--something I haven't done in London in years. Kensington palace is also cool, and a fun place to have tea (orangerie). If you like walking, I highly recommend London walks. We've done tons of them, and gave never been disappointed. They do have a Harry Potter sights walk, too

I agree. The British Museum is fabulous. You just have to go in with the expectation of only seeing a few parts of it, because it's so huge and can be overwhelming. The Elgin marbles (original reliefs from the Parthenon in Athens) are my favorite.

And I also *HIGHLY* recommend London Walks!! http://www.walks.com/ I've done multiple walks with them (including one of the Harry Potter walks) and they have all consistently been fascinating and fun. They're also pretty inexpensive.

Sayhello

 

[mapsd]

We did a layover in London after our ABD Italy tour with our teens and loved it.

Had spent enough on our ABD, so we didn't want to break the bank (London is EXPENSIVE).
We stayed at the Premier Inn right next to the London Eye. Great location. Can see Big Ben and the Eye from the hotel & lots of big attractions are walking distance.
Best is that they have a family room that sleeps 4, and get the included breakfast. Rooms are SMALL, but all you do is sleep there.

Best deals for the attractions is to print a bunch of 2FOR1 coupons from this site:
https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-London
You have to have NATIONAL rail pass (NOT an oyster card) to use them, so buy 2 day passes for your family (can ride trains, the tube, and double decker buses with it).
Print passes for every attraction you might visit and see how many you can knock off in 2 days!

Our favorites:
Tower of London (go right when it opens to beat the crowds).
Westminster Abbey
Ride the London Eye (at dusk is best). Don't pay extra to reserve, just look out the window of the hotel to see when the line is short.
Climb the dome at St Paul's cathedral (great view and kids will love the narrow curved stairs)
Short visit to British Museum (see the Rosetta Stone and some of the famous stuff)
British Library (Magna Carta, really old Bibles, and Beatles lyrics composed on napkins, menus. (this one is further out of the way though)
I loved the Churchill War Rooms (self guided tour for WW2 buffs). Family did formal tea service while I went.
Harrod's Dept Store: (overrated IMO)
Fish & Chips at a real English pub.

You'll see lots of Harry Potter sites just travelling between these places.
You'll waste of lot of time waiting if you want a perfect view for the changing of guard. Show up at last minute & watch from a distance.

BONUS: Walk through the London theatre district & score last second cheap tickets to a show (London theatre is less formal than Broadway). We scored front row to Wicked for 1/3 the face value!

2 days is going to have you wishing it was 4 or 6 or 8!