Day trip to London with 25 fifteen-year-olds

Maybe someone on TT can help me with this one:
We will be staying in Brighton and going to London by bus for a day trip.
I am organizing this and have got a group ticket for the Tower after 3 pm (shuts at half five).
The German bus driver is relying on me and his navi to get through the traffic and tell him where and when to drop us off.
I want to avoid using the tube, since I have lost kids before. (Last year the walk from Covent Garden to the Tower was hindered by building sites along the river path, so it took much longer and every one of the 45 kids had to go to the loo at the same time. Needless to say the door bouncers didn't let anyone in and weren't very helpful).

So this time I was wondering where we can walk from in about an hour to get to the Tower at 3pm. The bus will drop us off at this point. Maps don't reveal how long it takes to walk (eg. hills, one-way streets)

Buckingham Palace perhaps? Or Harrods (most of the kids are girls)? Or Madame Tussauds? Or anything else?

Do ask if anything is unclear.

I hope someone can help me. Thanks a million.

The London Dungeon – you can walk from there across Tower Bridge.
http://www.thedungeons.com/en/london-dunge...CFQXIXgod1G67Zg.

or

The National Gallery (and the portrait gallery) at Trafalgar Square – you can walk from there down the Strand (or through Covent Garden) and Fleet Street – maybe stop off at St Paul's Cathedral.

Another option would be to take them to the Natural History Museum and/or the Science Museum at South Kensington and then give yourself forty minutes to get them to the Tower - but you would have to take the Tube. Or an upstairs bus ride to the tower is fun or Black Cab ride - you would need at least five Cabs but perfectly doable.

Borough Market is always nice

@BB ...that sounds good, I mean the dungeons: how long does it take to walk from there to the tower?

Where's that market?

Thanks for the ideas! I also like the sound of the Science museum. How far to walk? (I need to know cos I have to warn them and get them to put on their hiking shoes etc)

Also got to tell the parents!!

Oops, just re-read, you said about the tube. I'm trying to avoid that, also the bus ride. So I like the sound of the National Portrait Gallery - how far to walk?

Assuming the kids are different from those that went last year, I would stick with the river plan. The path is generally broad, there aren't any roads to cross and it's difficult for either you or any of the kids to get lost. The South Bank has lots of interest all the way along, as well as views of St Paul's and other famous landmarks.

A good starting point would be the London Eye, from where you can see the Houses of Parliament. There'll be a coach drop-off point there. From here to the Tower is around 3.5 km, which will take a more than an hour if you include photo stops. If you can't spare the extra time, start at Tate Modern, from where it should take about an hour (including photo stops) to walk to the Tower. Obviously it depends on the pace of the group. I would aim to turn up at the Tower early, so as to maximise your time there. The kids will be happy taking photos, buying souvenirs and using the toilet while they wait for the 3pm entry time.

Edit: London Dungeons to the Tower will take around 20 minutes, but it's only worth doing if you actually go in (and you'll need to allow 2-3 hours for that). Borough Market will be of no interest to 15-year old children whatsoever.

HMS Belfast - do the boat, cross Tower Bridge, straight into the tower.

Alternatively head over to the pubs in Leadenhall market and get them drunk as lords, and then stumble down to the Tower. HMS Belfast probably more appropriate for 15 year olds though. Not very girly I suppose, what with it being a battleship and all.

edit: STB - 2 hours for London Dungeon? Not last time I went - 1hr should be plenty IMHO.

The London Dungeons is about 30 minute walk from the Tower - I think. But allow extra for sight seeing from the Bridge etc..
I recommend the Science Museum - can spend many days there and still not take it all in. (too far to walk to the Tower from there) However then get Black Cab rides right to the door at the Tower.
The Cabs I think are licensed to carry four but most will let you sqeeze more in. Sharing the cost makes the Cabs a really good deal. Send them off in batches and you take the last Cab and meet them at the Tower. Maybe the Science museum can arrange to have the Cabs at the entrance for you.

The National Gallery and the Portrait are fanstastic and are located at Trafalgar Square it is a five Kilometer walk from there to the Tower so easily one to one and a half hour's walk.

Cabs are licensed for 5 people btw.

Do you mean horse-drawn or regular taxis...you prob mean taxis. I can't trust a taxi driver with these kids - sorry!!! The parents would kill me!!!

Horses would be different...

Hey, the HMS sounds fantastic and by far not too girlie!!! No way, I'll coach them! Lots of brill ideas here, need to sort them out. I like the dungeons and the ship. Would that work? Can the bus drop us off near the dungeons? I must re-read.

Hey, thanks, you're really great!

The Black Cabs are the licensed london taxis (not horse drawn, I think you have been watching too much Sherlock Holmes). They are much safer in them than walking the streets.

Now I'm confused as to whether you are looking for a place to visit or somewhere to start walking so that you arrive at the Tower at 3pm. If you assume an average walking pace of 2 km/h then you can roughly calculate how long it will take to walk from anywhere. There are no significant hills in central London and your "one-way streets" comment made me smile because that only applies to vehicles, not pedestrians. As a group, the thing that will slow you down the most are traffic junctions. That's the advantage of the river.

Where the bus can drop you off depends on the driver. There aren't so many official coach drop-off points, but most drivers will be prepared to stop at a public bus stop or at the side of the road if the kids are ready to jump off quickly. The London Dungeon wouldn't be a problem because London Bridge station is just next door.

STB Yes, the group is different - more sensible etc. So could we perhaps walk from the Tate to the Tower, go to dungeons and ship, then to tower at 3 pm. How much time do you think we'd need for that? I could make some of it optional and allow them to choose. That might work better, i.e one group the ship, the other the dungeons. I will have an assistant with me. Where would the bus be? It has to end up at the tower. (Last year the bus had to pick us up at the Tower and it was on the other side of the road from where we were standing and the whole crowd ran over but the driver didn't see us (the sun apparently was blinding him and had a German bus), then the bus did a U-turn and we all rushed over the road again. I nearly died!) So we need to plan a little more carefully...

Maybe I should add that we will be leaving Brighton at about 8 am and hope to get to London by 10.30 pm, so we are looking for somewhere to go to and visit (museum, etc), and a distance we can walk and yes, take pictures. That was why I chose the river last year. The sites were a pain though and it all took too long. I know there are no hills! And I know we can walk down one-way streets, but we do need a wide pavement and the walk should be pretty obviously. So it must be the river. I will check the maps etc. Must go now, but please keep it rolling!

Dungeon, ship, tower works nicely - take a look at a map. Dungeon is on Tooley St. HMS Belfast just the other end of Tooley St (not THAT long a street), cross Tower Bridge from HMS Belfast and you're at the Tower. Easy peasy. Coach can drop you off somewhere on Tooley St - beware though, it is one way at Tower Bridge end (if not all they way - I think just that end) and some navi's (including my driver's) don't have that tiny detail, so it's easy to get caught out...

London dungeons are alot of fun, they take the group through and have actors along the way. It was quite expensive though and you might want to tell them you are coming.

I walked with my elderly mom and my toddler around that part of the city--that's about the same time delay/logistics problem as a mass of teenagers, I think! I love the Museum of London and St Bartholomew- the- Great--both are within easy walking distance from the Tower. The church is fascinating to an adult, but maybe not to teens! The Museum of London is great fun. It's a bit of a hike, but you could also do the London Dungeons--it's across the river, but you could do it. It would greatly appeal to the bloodthirsty in your group--which means all. It is pricey, though.

I did that walk recently, from the Clink (which was a very small museum) past the pirate ship (very impressive!) to the Tower of London. Why? Well the bus which goes from my house goes to London Bridge. I didn't realise that London Bridge is not Tower Bridge Was a great day though, am glad it turned out that way. Toiletwise, you pass at least 2 Starbucks and there's a Nandos near the pirate ship.

Yeah, the Clink is on the site of the oldest prison in London. It's smaller and cheaper than the London Dungeon but still very good and perhaps a bit more authentic. You'll pass by it if you're walking along the Thames Path, as the path deviates from the riverside at that point. Barely ten years ago those streets still looked like Victorian London, but with the regeneration of the South Bank since the Millennium celebrations they've been massively gentrified and now boast Starbucks and poncy wine exhibitions. Shame really.

Open sewers, prostitution and street crime versus Stabucks, Wine shops and BMW dealerships...hmmm...nope, I'd definitely rather live with the whores and the urchins.

Thanks a mill for all the very useful and interesting info!!! I will study our itinerary asap. So far I think something like bus to Tower, then walk to Dungeons and ship, I love the sound of the Museum of London. How far is that to walk to? Maybe we can split them up into different interest groups. I will check the prices of course...Do you know whether we need to book the HMS Belfast in advance? someone said it's about an hour to walk down the river to the Eye. Was that right? Maybe we can get that longer walk in - I think it's brilliant to see all the old buildings from the embankment. I really want them to experience old real London, not just MC Donalds and shops galore. Something that's going to impress them because it's irreplaceable. Thanks again.

The Globe theatre?

Or

The London Museum.

If these kids are spending their first and only day in London, I'm not sure that the Museum of London is really the single unmissable highlight. Your current plan sounds good, although it would make more sense to get dropped off at London Bridge station, walk the few yards to the London Dungeons, and then from there walk to HMS Belfast and then across Tower Bridge to the Tower.

Yes, the London Eye to Tower is one hour excluding stops – so it could easily take twice as long in reality, with no options for shortcuts. Bear that in mind with the timing. You may also want to have two plans, depending on the weather. London Dungeons and HMS Belfast if it's raining, or the Thames Path if it's sunny. The Thames Path offers the bonus of seeing Big Ben, St. Paul's and the London Eye, which I believe still excite first-time visitors to London.

STB isnt the trip meant to be educational? The london Museum is great. London is a has awonderful history. And what is the point of doing the South Bank if you don't understand it's historical context? Winchester Geese and all that...

_{Although HMS Belfast is awesome, as is the imperial war museum which I've promised to take mine too - his eyes lit up!}

Trips like this are also meant to be fun or the kids fall asleep Plus too many educational things in one day just make your brain overload and you forget most of it. The dungeons and the tower are full of history. The dungeons covered the plague, jack the ripper, the great fire, something about a barber shop guy, ummm and other things I can't remember. There were heaps of school groups going through and it includes a log flume type ride, and a drop type of thing at the end that makes it a lot of fun. If they can afford it defiantly head there!

Oh good fluffy educationalists... ;-)

Or of course do the wheel, then jump on one of the regular boats by the wheel, which then deposit you at tower pier after a 20min 'cruise' (at speed) down the Thames - great way to see London. I did a cruise on New Year's Eve - best NYE for a very long time.

I agree that the Museum of London isn't the single unmissable highlight in London. But the question is where can 25 kids walk from in an hour, and most of the museums are in Knightsbridge, etc. Since I had tiny kids when I lived outside of London (and God is the Tube hard to deal with when you've got kids) and my mom HATED the Tube, I had to deal with the let's avoid-the-Tube logistics. You could do Trafalger Square, but that would be a push. I think the London Eye is a great idea. And keep as much as you can by the riverside--the sidewalks are generally wide and quiet, and a big group can go more easily.

The Museum of London isn't dry at all. It's a modern building and the rooms are very big and grouped by centuries--you can just stroll through. The Lord Mayor's coach is there. But the Clink and the London Dungeon is the place the kids'll want to go. But you say they're mostly girls? Hmmn...

It´s a great place for girls to go to.. lots of torture devices for them to see and learn about. You are even encouraged to examine about 4-5 of them, such as ankle locks and other restraints.

Does anyone know off the top of their head how expensive the entry fee to the dungeons is? And also the ship?

Of course we learn by doing things and working them out. That's the fun element, as long as the learner isn't passive. so yes, it will be educational and the kids should find out about lots of things. I will hopefully prepare quizzes with prizes.

I don't want them to be entertained, I want them to get involved.

Good suggestions up above.

Google does: The London Dungeon.

Seriously, you sap people's good will when you ask daft questions like that. If it didn't occur to you to type "London Dungeons" into Google and look at their website, then you should be banned from using the Internet.

It wasn't a daft question, it was a very lazy one...

So you're lazy, but you want us to devote our time to helping you out...

It was a daft question because no-one is going to know the answer off the top of their heads. Even if they went there recently, they are not going to know about the prices for groups of children. The website is the only place you will get accurate information concerning this, and as you want that information, you go look.

Ah, come on...I checked the site and there doesn't seem to be a way of finding out how much a group ticket costs. It's just 15 pounds 95 for children. So that's why I asked. Of course I don't expect anyone to do anything for me. Don't take it that way! Sometimes people only proffer information if you ask directly.

Coming from Brighton, my first advice would be not to stay there.
Its a shit hole and I would bet money on at least one of your party being beaten up during your stay.
Sorry to have to tell you this.

Apart from that its an easy walk from Victoria station up to the Palace to watch the Changing of the Guard, then another short walk to the London Eye. Both are worth seeing.

Have fun.

Well I wasn't going to contribute any further to this thread, but I could not disagree more with the above comments about Brighton. Apart from being one of the wealthiest towns in the UK (it's known as London-by-the-Sea), it's also an extremely popular destination for young travellers, with countless language schools and several large backpacker hostels.

It is no more dangerous than any other town in Britain and exponentially more attractive. I'm not sure which council estate Lazybum grew up in, but his experiences of that town do not match mine or anyone else's that I know of.

@belgianpraline: You didn't ask because you couldn't find the information; you checked the website afterwards. In any event, you didn't do a very good job. The advance price for students (15-year olds don't count as children anymore) is £13.95, not £15.95. I also ascertained that group discounts start with groups of 20 or more and you need to email or call them for bookings and prices. That all took around 90 seconds.

Ah, thanks, you really are a whizz-kid...You make me feel very useless...Honestly thanks. I will phone them.

We are actually staying in Southwick which is a real hole believe you me. Stayed there last year, not my choice. Any town can be rough depending on who, when and where obviously. If you go down the street drunk and looking for a fight you're bound to meet fellow-wanderers.

We loved Brighton but weren't there at night really. The beach is just brilliant everywhere, so that beats everything. Some of the German kids had never been to the sea!!! As with everything, it depends what you focus on...

I was in London in August last year and as it was a Shakespeare excursion (though with university students) so we focused on Old London.
I loved the Globe, but I think just visiting it might not be interesting enough (if you aren't going to see a play), we did a tour, and an acting workshop there and we saw three plays and I really did love it, but I am not sure if I would have enjoyed just a tour as much.
The Golden Hinde (which I think is the pirates' ship someone mentioned) is really cool to look at. I remember walking past it a few times. I also walked past the Clink Prison Museum, but didn't visit either. There is a Starbucks right by the museum (toilets) as well as right by the Globe.

Try this site VisitLondon it is the official site & you can check all the attractions & book advance tickets, you make want to check out the London pass, it may work out cheaper than paying individually & you also won't have to queue.