Our Magical London Holiday

January 8, 2025 - By Nina Bradley Clarke

Our London Family Travel Guide: Highlights & Tips for Teens

Happy New Year! We are ready for 2025!

London was the perfect family vacation destination, offering a mix of history, culture, and fun activities that kept everyone happy—including our two teenagers! Visiting London during the holidays is magical, but honestly visiting London at any time is a great idea. The lights during the holiday season are next level, we have never seen anything like it. Just get ready to walk! We walked about 20K steps each day which was great, we also mastered the Tube and riding in the classic London cabs. On this trip, we stayed at The Langham London, which is a really beautiful hotel with adjoining rooms for the kids. Tip: The Langham London is part of the American Express Travel program so we were able to use our Platinum points to book our stay. Membership has its privileges!

Here are our top recommendations and tips for making the most of your next trip to London:

1.) Iconic Landmarks: The Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Hyde Park, and Big Ben are a must. If any of your kids are into history, we highly recommend visiting the Churchill War Rooms. That was a highlight for Charlie and Jeff on our trip.

2.) Museums To Visit: The Natural History Museum and the Science Museum were big hits with our kids. We also recommend the National Gallery, Tate Modern, and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Pro tip: we visited the National Gallery at night because it’s less crowded. Check the website for which nights they stay open late.

3.) Eat Like a King and Queen: We ate so much great food on our trip. Some of our favorites: Chiltern Firehouse, Berner’s Tavern, and Rules Restaurant. Rules is the oldest restaurant in all of London, there is so much history inside that restaurant. We also loved eating casual with fish and chips at local pubs, too.

4.) Make Time for Tea: Afternoon tea was one of our favorite things the Brits do, and we think we all should make time for tea in 2025. It is so civilized!

Here is our list of fancy places for high tea:

5.) So Much Shopping: London is known for fabulous shopping for everyone. Charlie even got in some fun British shopping with his first-ever Barbour jacket.

Here is where Blaine and I loved to shop on our trip.

6.) Tips for Traveling with Teens: Here is my best advice, take it or leave it. Let the kids help plan part of the itinerary and get them involved! They always have great ideas. Also, teens need sleep, so let them sleep.

Plan some downtime too. Balance busy sightseeing days with more relaxed ones. One afternoon in London, Blaine and I went to the spa together because we needed some downtime!

London has something for everyone, and with a little planning, it’s an incredible destination for families with teens. What’s your favorite London experience? Please email me.

Cheerio!

xoxo NBC