21 Things To Do In London With Teenagers
London is full of amazing things to do whatever your age, but in this blog post we’re going to shine a light on things to do in London with teenagers!
Notoriously hard to please and generally reluctant to participate in any activity, deemed ‘childish’, we all understand the challenge of keeping young adults entertained. Hopefully this post will give London parents some inspiration and maybe even earn you the title of a cool parent.
1) The Arcelormittal Slide in the Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park
Top of our list, and with very good reason, is the Olympic Park. Not only is it FREE to visit – but it is also home to the London Aquatic Centre, The London Stadium, The Copper Box Arena, the Lee Valley Valley Centre and the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre and of course the infamous Orbit and Slide.
The Arcelormittal Orbit is Europe’s highest sculpture; it also has the World’s longest tunnel slide inside it. We defy any teenager (or adult) to not find this insanely good fun! (assuming they aren’t afraid of heights!)
To top off a day at the Olympic Park, make sure you pop over to the huge Westfield shopping centre next door to the stadium, as it’s packed with great restaurants, cinemas and all the shops that teenagers love.
2) Borough Market
Borough Market is perfect for food, photographs and London movie location spotting.There are quite a few places here that teens will have seen in the Harry Potter films including The Leaky Cauldron and the Night Bus route.
You could try to inspire them with a private tour which will takes you behind the scenes of Borough Market, exploring the people, the place, the food, the history, or, if you are feeling extra generous, Borough Market also sells personal shopping vouchers, which can be redeemed as part of a Personal Shopping Experience. An in-house personal shopping assistant will guide your teen around, introduce them to the traders, and assist and advise on their purchases.
3) Camden Market
The famous Camden Market boasts over 1000 stores selling everything from food to cool vintage clothes with art, music and quirky knick knacks thrown in for good measure. It’s popular with teenagers so there will be plenty of other teens for yours’ to hang out with which always helps! The walk from the tube station to Camden Lock takes about 45 minutes and there’s plenty of shops and stalls to explore along the way. This market is full of colour, music, sights and smells which we are sure will keep heads out of the phones and tablets for at least one afternoon.
4) Portobello Road
Similarly to Camden is the world famous Portobello Road market which runs parallel to Ladbroke Grove all the way up to Notting Hill. It’s full of antiques, vintage clothes, great food, books, furniture, fashion, cheap but fun gifts and much, much more. We think teenagers will appreciate the cool and quirky vibe of the area. In addition to the market, you could also treat them to a movie at one of the coolest cinemas in London called The Electric which has luxurious armchairs, footstools, blankets and waiter service.
5) Explore Hyde Park
Hyde Park, which also includes Kensington Gardens and Green Park, covers 350 acres of land. Teen activities you can find here include tennis, horse-riding, football, rollerblading, cycling and boating on the Serpentine. The Serpentine Gallery could also be of interest. You never know! Other attractions in the park include The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain; The Albert Memorial; and Apsley House (The Wellington Museum). Kensington Palace and Gardens and Speakers’ Corner where you can watch or listen to people debating and yelling to the crowd. The British Summertime Festival also takes place showcasing the likes of The Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand and Robbie Wiliams, Taylor Swift, Adele, Sam Fender and Laura Mvula. Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park is also an amazing event. With hundreds of rides, food and drink stalls on offer, you literally can’t go wrong.
6) Visit The Clink Prison Museum
The Clink is situated on Clink Street, just next to the ruins of the Palace of Winchester in Southwark between The Globe and The Golden Hinde, just a short walk from Borough Market. Upon arrival you descend into a crypt and then walk through a series of rooms featuring instruments of torture, disembodied mannequins and lots of heads on spikes amongst recorded moans, screams and smells. There are lots of interactive exhibits as well and an opportunity to get some great photographs. Teenagers studying history will hopefully find this fun.
7) London Bridge Experience
This is definitely not one for the fainthearted! Your teens will be taken on a trip through London’s gruesome history, uncovering the dark secrets that lie beneath the world’s most famous haunted bridge. The London Bridge experience is an interactive walk through experience with live actors that play characters from the past 2000 years of London bridge History. It is funny, historical and educational. If your children like horror and love being scared witless this is just perfect.
8) Shakespeare’s Globe
We know it may be a challenge to get most teenagers enthusiastic about Shakespeare But we think that a trip to The Globe might change their minds about the historic playwright. There are tours of the replica theatre which are interactive, funny as well as educational and for a really immersive experience you could also purchase standing tickets for ‘The Pit’ where they will experience what it was like to be ‘Groundling’ during a performance. The Globe also offers a range of workshops for teenagers aimed at children of different ages.
9) Prince Charles Cinema
Located just off Leicester Square this cinema is a cultural and iconic landmark. It screens everything from cult titles, to classics and musicals. Membership costs £15 for a year or £60 for a Lifetime. It’s open all year round and perfect for a birthday, rainy day or afternoon screening.
10) South Bank Skateboarding
For the skater kids a day out at Southbank is a must. The undercroft of the Southbank Centre is said to be the birthplace of British skateboarding and has been home to boarders, riders and graffiti artists for the past 40 years. The skateable plaza style area is all concrete and features a variety of blocks, a 7 stair set and the notorious banks. There are two blocks in the lead up to the stair set, one long and flat with the other being shorter and slanted upwards. Adjacent to the stair set is an infamous gap in the form of another block leading into a massive drop for those who are brave enough. On the other side is another upwards slanted block leading into a bank. The lower section of the plaza is surrounded by the banks with a set of railings around the edge as well.
If your teen is a novice skater then we suggest booking them in at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park which also has a great track and offers lessons for newbies through to experienced riders
11) Go Ape
There are 4 Go Ape venues in and around London – Cockfosters; Battersea Park; Alexander palaces (Ally Pally) and Chessington World of Adventures. Each location offers something a little bit different, but in each of them we can guarantee you will be high up, tethered with a rope, faced with challenges and obstacles and a zip wire. We’ve tried it and can confirm that it’s a great test of strength, nerves and balance! Most of the venues have junior courses for younger children to try, but it is definitely most suited to dare devil teenagers and young adults.
12) Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
This activity is not your run of the mill Saturday afternoon entertainment. It requires some serious advance planning as it's just so incredibly popular that tickets are often sold out for up to 6-12 months prior. Set adjacent to the working film studios where all eight Harry Potter films were made, the Studio Tour offers visitors the unique opportunity to explore two soundstages and a backlot filled with original sets, animatronic creatures and breathtaking special effects. This is a totally unique chance for Harry Potter fans to experience the magic of filmmaking first-hand and discover thousands of intricate and beautifully-made artefacts, many of which wouldn’t have been saved on a typical production.
13) Imperial War Museum
The Imperial War Museum is in beautiful grounds just a short five minute walk from the underground station at Elephant and Castle. There’s plenty to do and see which is suitable for young adults. For example, this September the museum presents War Games, which will delve into one of today’s most popular storytelling mediums and seeks to challenge perceptions of how video games interpret stories about war and conflict through a series of titles which, over the last forty years, have reflected events from the First World War to the present. War Games will also include a playable retro gaming zone and a programme of supporting events and features blockbusters like Sniper Elite 5, recently released by lead exhibition sponsor Rebellion, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
14) Mercato Metropolitano
Mercato Metropolitano has become one of the hot spots to visit in south London and your teenagers eyes will be in stalks when you take them here. It really is one of the best things to do in Elephant & Castle. Offering everything from Italian pizza and pasta to Mexican tacos and burritos to Turkish kebabs and meze, there’s also a Backyard Cinema showing the latest films, a Germany brewery where sometimes they have their own disco and even a hydroponics greenhouse in a disused double decker bus. It’s very cool.
15) Go Karting at Gravity
On a rainy day in London head why not treat your teenagers to a trip to indoor activity centre, Gravity in Wandsworth. It has everything and more for gamers, through to adrenaline junkies and it’s an absolute haven for teenagers meaning yours will not be short of social interactions when they are there. We love the all-electric go-karts which you can race through busy Japanese streets, testing your skill, reflexes and nerve on the high-powered e-Karts on the market. Other activities at Gravity include E-KARTING HOLOGATE BOWLING STREET GOLFAR DIGITAL DARTS IMMERSIVE GAMEBOX ESPORTS and SHUFFLEBOARD
16) Escape Entertainment London
Another indoor/rainy day destination for teenagers is Escape Entertainment London. Your young adults will get locked in a room and given an hour to work as a team and decipher the clues in the room that will allow them to break out. The rooms have been built by psychologists, puzzle solvers and organisational behaviourists and then designed by movie and theatre set designers. The result is an exciting, surreal but highly enjoyable experience. We really love this as something which encourages teamwork and tests their problem solving skills.
17) Abbey Road Studios
Just a few minutes’ walk from St John’s Wood Underground station on the Jubilee line, you can find the very studios where the Beatles recorded their albums, right next to the iconic zebra crossing which made the album cover. Your teens can pose on the Zebra Crossing to recreate the album cover themselves - there’s even a webcam which they can wave to from the crossing and then check the footage later! They can also check out the World Famous Graffiti Wall and write their own message on it, and take selfies in front of the iconic house.
If the weather is nice we recommend you take a stroll along the Regent’s Park ring road to Baker Street, where you can find The Beatles Store. This little shop is crammed with gifts, records and souvenirs so they can spend the money you saved by not paying for the Abbey Road experience!
18) Swingers
Swingers is one of the top golf courses in the city and worth checking out. They are in a WW2 bunker located underneath the Gherkin. The bunker resembles a 1920s English country golf course, a fancier event than usual golf. London is full of cool mini-golf courses everywhere, even in places you wouldn’t imagine. They’re on rooftops, WWII bunkers, beer gardens, and parks. Some have made a name for themselves in the last few years and are worth checking out to sink a putt. Another crazy golf option, Junkyard Golf, is the opposite of Swingers. Expect loud music, neon lights, and graffitis on the walls.
19) Ride the Ghost (Tour) Bus
London might be all about glitz and glamour, but it wasn’t always like this. The gorgeous city has been the background of atrocious events which have left some wandering spirits in the material realm. The Ghost Tour Bus invites stout-hearted people to join their adventure through the city as they hear the scariest stories about murders, tortures, and crimes. Best of all, you get to explore the spooky side of London aboard a vintage 1960s Routemaster double-decker bus named The Necrobus. The guides are actors who throw themselves into the spirit of the event and incorporate history, horror, and pop culture. They also have witty names like Eddie Krueger. Best of all, you get to explore the spooky side of London aboard a vintage 1960s Routemaster double-decker bus named The Necrobus. The guides are actors who throw themselves into the spirit of the event and incorporate history, horror, and pop culture. They also have witty names like Eddie Krueger.
20) Selfie with the stars at Madame Tussaud’s
There are over 20 Madame Tussauds worldwide, but the original is here in London. First opened in 1835 on Baker Street, it’s grown over time to showcase over 400 wax figures of the world’s most recognizable people. Everyone from Prince Harry to Donald Trump, Miley Cyrus, and One Direction can be found here, so you can strike whatever pose you fancy with them. There are also some spectacular multisensory attractions that will immerse you in the realms of Star Wars, Marvel, or Alien with state-of-the-art 4D cinematics and meticulously designed sets.
21) Go down to the London Dungeon
The London Dungeon is the perfect way to get your teenager to learn about the British capital’s incredible, albeit gruesome history in a fun way.They’ll step back into 1,000 years of London’s past on an immersive journey through 19 unique areas brought to life by fantastic actors, authentic sets, and special effects that chronicle the murky murderous events and characters of London’s bloody history.For the thrill-seekers, the dungeon is also home to two very dark, very scary rides - but they’re not obligatory.
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