Help - London hotel for limited walker - best for subway/tourist bus?

Selket

Been there - done that
Joined
Feb 28, 2000
Sorry to post another thread looking for London advice - we're planning an April 2020 trip and my walking can be very limited (painful) due to very arthritic knees that need to be replaced. I usually rent an ECV at WDW to give you some idea...I'm able to park the ECV and walk around some but I couldn't do a whole day at WDW without it and be able to do/see much.

It's myself, husband and 18 year old son. I've been to London when I was 21 - like uh...a million years ago haha! I'm looking for a place to stay that fits the 3 of us in one room and would be most convenient to attractions and the Underground (subway) stations in a safe neighborhood. I'd also like to keep the cost down as much as possible so not the high end hotels. All I know for sure I want to see is the British Museum BUT I feel like I can spend one day there so I don't need to stay next to it.

Any suggestions for a limited walker? Bus tours? Hop on hop off tourist bus? Or is the subway better? For example in NYC we stayed in Times Square so I could walk most places I wanted to see - and we did a night tour of the sites on one of the double decker tourist busses that leave out of Times Square. I stayed near Victoria Station (30+ years ago) and remember walking all over but I can't do that this time. I'm thinking of not even going because it's kinda depressing thinking I might get there and can't do much - I don't want to waste the money on airfare for me in that case.

Apologies again but I feel quite lost on the mobility thing and where to stay to get the most for my money and not be stuck in the hotel cause I can't walk very far. I'm happy to return the favor (DM me) for anyone visiting Washington, DC (I live near there) or WDW (or more info how I handled NYC) for anyone planning trips!
 
Stop worrying ... Think Positive

Buy a fold up wheelchair ......... Travels Free on plane .

Will your son be willing to push it around . ASK him . ?

......... No idea of good low cost hotels. .... but they are out there ...

Have you thought of doing the Water Bus Tours ( Boat tours ) on the River Thames (?)

The Hop on Hop off bus ( NO NEED to get Off ...,. Stay on & Do the Full Circuit ) is a good idea
 
Don't worry about it. You will be fine. The tube and bus network criss crosses London, so you just walk to the nearest bus stop and decide whether to take a bus to the nearest tube, or further.

You can rent a wheelchair fairly easily in London. These can go on all buses, but can be difficult at rush hour and for the tube I would recommend staying near a jubilee line station as they have the most consistent wheelchair access. At attractions such as the British museum you can borrow a wheelchair easily.

Tfl journey planner is your friend. When you find a hotel you like then you can check the route to places of interest using the least walking option.

Another good thing to do is to look along a useful bus route and look for hotels at points along there that have good transport links i.e. where bus a tube intersect they show that on the routes with coloured lines. The routes 38, 19 and 55 go past the British museum so you might go to https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/38/ for example and choose a stop along there to search around.
There are just so many examples of great areas to stay, great for different reasons. Depends on budget and how you like to spend your days.
 
Low cost hotel chains in London are hotels with inside corridors, not motels with outside corridors like their American counterparts. For 3 people you are looking for either a family room or a room with a double and single bed. Most hotels will have 1 double bed and can add a roll away / pull out bed on request. Just an FYI a cot is a babys crib in UK, not an adult single bed.

I travel regularly to London and stay in hotels. These are the chains I would recommend
  1. Travelodge
  2. Comfort Inn
  3. Premier Inn
I have booked Travelodge Marylebone https://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/312/London-Central-Marylebone-hotel for a few days at Christmas. I paid £267 for a double room for 3 nights, no breakfast, online paid in advance no refundable rate.

I have also on previous visits stayed at
Travelodge Southwark https://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/342/London-Central-Southwark-hotel
Travelodge Covent Garden https://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/318/London-Central-Covent-Garden-hotel
Comfort Inn at Victoria http://www.comfortinnbuckinghampalacerd.co.uk/
 


The Hop on Hop off bus ( NO NEED to get Off ...,. Stay on & Do the Full Circuit ) is a good idea

I like the idea of the hop on/off bus which I can just ride unless I really want to get off. Sometimes my knees are better than others so I'll just have to wait and see. I live near Washington, DC and I'm good at being able to handle touring there without needing a wheelchair or scooter because I know where I'm going and take the best way to get there so my walking time is mostly spent at the place I'm visiting. I also sit down a lot.

Don't worry about it. You will be fine. The tube and bus network criss crosses London, so you just walk to the nearest bus stop and decide whether to take a bus to the nearest tube, or further.

I've read that Uber works ok in London - it's great for DC - so that could be an option as well I'm thinking?

Just an FYI a cot is a babys crib in UK, not an adult single bed.
Haha! I had wondered that and actually googled it! Your hotel recommendations are stellar and it was a hard choice for me to finally decide what to do.

I just want to thank you all for your suggestions! I finally settled on an AirBnB rental with stellar reviews in a good location right next to a tube station and other travel options. It has elevator access - although I can do some stairs I just don't want to do flights of them lol! I don't really want to rent a wheelchair but I will if I need to - my husband is coming along so that's a back up plan.
 
Honestly, London is great for buses and tube etc. Get an oyster card. There's always a bus stop or a tube station in easy reach in central London.
Have a great time!
 

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