Teenagers can be a difficult crowd to please, even in London.
If they have a slight inlinking that an activity is designed to be ‘family-friendly’ or aimed at children in any way, they’ll run in the opposite direction. Equally, they’re unlikely to be interested in the more cultured places of interest (unless it’s a particular passion of theirs) like art galleries or traditional museums.
We’ve gathered a list of things to do in London that teens won’t scoff at to make your life easier!
Watch a movie on the biggest screen in London
Take your teenager to watch a movie in style. At 19.8m high and 25.9m wide, London’s BFI IMAX screen is enormous, and the largest screen in the UK. It’s one of the few theatres capable of showing films in 70mm, instead of digital, meaning you get the best possible picture quality available.
BFI IMAX offers arguably the best cinema experience in the UK, but you’ll need to factor in costs, as tickets are expensive at £27.
Go to a Football Game
London is home to seventeen football teams, and several of them are world-famous. If your teenager has an interest in football at all, they’re sure to love going to watch their favourite players in person.
From Arsenal to Chelsea to West Ham, there are teams all over London with world-class stadiums and elite-level players. It’s one of the best cities in the world to watch a game!
If attending a game in person is a bit over budget (the Premier League teams are notoriously expensive), watching the game with other fans in a local family-friendly pub – sans alcohol of course – is the next best thing.
Shopping in Battersea Power Station
Few teenagers are going to say no to a shopping spree. The shiny new shops of Battersea Power Station on the South Bank of the Thames will soon win them over, and will save you from entering the chaos of Oxford Street.
From Levi’s to Lego, this shopping centre has over 100 shops; though there are some designer outlets sprinkled in, the majority are mid-range, and will appeal to teens. Follow up browsing the shops with a bite to eat in the food hall – whichever cuisine you fancy, you’ll find it here!
Rollerdisco
Roller skating is cool again. A roller disco, like at Roller Nation or Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace, is a fun throwback to the 80s that the whole family can get behind.
Embrace the campy fun of roller disco in all its neon glory, and get your teen active and involved with this unique day out. Each establishment will have their own pricing, but you can generally expect to pay around £10-15.
Explore Camden Market
Forever popular with teenagers, the vibrant neighbourhood of Camden is the perfect place to grab some food and mill around the shops. The bright colours of Camden are just the right amount of sensory overload; with food markets, spontaneous dance performances and dozens of quirky shops and stalls, they’re sure to be happily occupied for at least a few hours.
Immersive Gamebox
Prying teenagers away from gaming is a near-impossible task, so why not at least get them out for the day to do it? This interactive gaming experience gets players up and moving, as touch screens, motion tracking and projection mapping combine to create an immersive environment.
With Tetris, Angry Birds and a Ghostbusters themed game only a few of the options on offer, it’s sure to get your gaming-loving teen excited for a family day out. There are locations in both Shoreditch and South Bank, and prices start at £13.
World of Harry Potter at Warner Bros. Studio Tour
Any Harry Potter fan will jump at the chance to walk down Diagon Alley, explore the Forbidden Forest and pull a mandrake screaming from its pot in Professor Sprout’s Greenhouse.
The studios give them the chance to do all this and more, while seeing the intricate props, sets and behind-the-scenes secrets of the films. It is, most would agree, a magical experience, though at £47 a ticket, isn’t the cheapest one! For the most ardent Harry Potter fans, however, a visit to the studios is unforgettable – especially if they’ve got a cheesy photo flying on a broom to remember it by.
Visit a Quirky Museum
If you’re thinking there’s no chance your teenager would willingly step foot in a museum, you might be right. You know your teen best, after all…
But there are many less traditional museums in London that are more likely to appeal than the classical history of the British Museum. With teens, generally the quirkier the better – and London has plenty of choice in that regard.
The Twist Museum is dedicated to creating an immersive experience of illusions, The Magic Circle is all about, you guessed it, magic, while cinema buffs will love The Cinema Museum. Unlike the largest museums in London, these smaller museums aren’t typically free; check online before you visit for prices and booking information.
London Dungeons
Where the dungeons might be a bit frightening for young children, early teens is the perfect age.
A mixture of a history lesson and comedic scares, the London Dungeons takes you on a journey through the history of the capital. From the Gunpowder Plot to Jack the Ripper, this classic tourist attraction uses actors and gloomy sets to explore the darker side of the capital, and sprinkles in a few rides just in case you weren’t entertained enough already.
Tickets start at £29.50 per adult if you book online, but you should keep an eye out for 2 for 1 vouchers, which regularly appear in newspapers and on cereal boxes.
Speedboat on the Thames
Race down the Thames and watch the iconic sights of London flash past as you travel via speedboat down the river. Teenagers will enjoy the adrenaline rush more than a genteel ride on a typical river cruise. Just hold on to your hats!
There are a handful of different operators, but prices start at around £40-£50.
See a West End Show
While a West End musical might not appeal to every teenager, it’s sure to delight the majority. Whether it’s Wicked or Les Mis, or even a more modern upbeat musical, like Six, few teens are going to be disappointed when presented with tickets for the West End.
Go Ape
Give your teen the chance to let their inner kid out and swing through the trees at Go Ape Battersea. The high ropes course includes zip wires, wobbly bridges and tarzan swings – it’s designed for adults, so should be just about adventurous enough for teens to admit it’s fun.
It’s also another more active day out, so gets them moving and away from screens for a few precious hours. For the longest treetop challenge course, tickets start at £38.
Visit God’s Own Junkyard
For something a bit outside the box, take them to the neon lights of God’s own junkyard, an eclectic art gallery displaying funky retro signs and electric art. It’s an introduction to a more teenager-friendly medium of art, and perfect for Instagrammable shots – what more could they want?
It’s free to enter and doesn’t require pre-booking, but is occasionally closed for events so it’s worth checking the website beforehand.
Go Thrifting in the East End
Thrifting is the cooler version of regular shopping, and teenagers know that better than anyone. The East End is the absolute hub of vintage stores and second-hand clothing in London – head to Shoreditch and Brick Lane for some good old fashioned thrifting.
You can combine it with a street art tour and grab some food – we recommend the Beigel Shop on Brick Lane – to make a day of it.
Get Spooked on a Ghost Tour
A spooky ghost tour through London is just scary enough to entertain indifferent teenagers. Over two thousand years of history is plenty of time to gather a few ghouls, and London doesn’t disappoint. Roman soldiers, murder victims, medieval plague-ridden peasants; you name it, London probably has a ghost story for it.
The stories can be quite gruesome, so double check the kind of tour you’re dealing with if your teen doesn’t like frights. Walking tours are usually cheaper, with some tours involving bus or boat trips, but ghost tours typically range from £10 to £25.
Go to Jail at Monopoly Lifesized
While regular Monopoly with the family might end in tears, the lifesized version is more likely to cause laughter.
You’ll face a series of challenges to buy property as you play the classic game on a gigantic Monopoly board. It’s good fun, and just about the only time you’d be happy to send your child to jail! The game, which is half classic Monopoly, half escape room, takes around 80 minutes on average. Tickets start at £49 per person.
Freefall at iFLY
Experience the sensation of skydiving without facing the fear of jumping out of a plane at iFLY.
Tucked away in the O2, this indoor skydiving facility is perfect for young thrillseekers that want to experience the feeling of flying. A wind tunnel-induced freefall isn’t too far away from the real thing! It’s an unforgettable experience that even teenagers will get excited for, but keep in mind it is expensive – prices start at £99.