Walking from Tower of London

[oufpat]

We have a full Saturday in London before a cruise. I would like to take a taxi from the Grosvenor Hotel (by Victoria Station) to the Tower of London for opening time. From there I'd like to walk over the Tower Bridge and make my way by walking to St Paul's. My husband and I are in our 60's, and  have no problems with walking long distances. I"ve been looking at maps and it looks doable, just wanted to check with the "experts" on Cruise Critic.

[MeHeartCruising]

It's definitely walkable if you wish to dedicate the time to do it.  I've walked from the Tower of London over the Tower Bridge and then along the Thames back to London Bridge.  All of that is along a waterfront walkway.  If you don't cross back over the Thames at London Bridge, I think you need to take street sidewalks away from the Thames for a bit as you continue to walk on the south bank side.  You could eventually find your way back to Millennium Bridge and cross there.  Easiest, is probably to cross back over at London Bridge though.  I'd also have a Tube map with me in case I wanted to cut the walking short somewhere.  I hopped on the tube at London Bridge and then went to my next destination from there.  I can't recall where I was actually headed at the time.

[kctwinmommy]

Looking at Google maps and it shows that it's about a mile. That's easy to do, and you said your comfortable walking. Honestly, we took the HOHO bus to go from the British Museum to St. Paul's and it would have been easier and quicker to walk it. LOL! Traffic in London can be very, very heavy! On our first day in London 2 years ago we ended up walking about 11 miles ourselves!

[Globaliser]

8 hours ago, oufpat said:

I would like to take a taxi from the Grosvenor Hotel (by Victoria Station) to the Tower of London for opening time. From there I'd like to walk over the Tower Bridge and make my way by walking to St Paul's. My husband and I are in our 60's, and  have no problems with walking long distances. I"ve been looking at maps and it looks doable ...

 

That walk is often part of my daily commute, although for the sake of speed I don't do the detour over Tower Bridge or the scenic riverside thing. If you are on the south side, I'd recommend staying on the south side until you get to the Millennium Bridge because it's more scenic.

 

On the south side, the only bit for which you need to be away from the river is between St Olaf Stairs and the Anchor (just west of the railway bridge): use St Olaf Stairs, Tooley Street, Montague Close, Cathedral Street, Pickfords Lane and Clink Street. (That sounds more complicated than it is, but the list will help you if look on a map.) Don't be put off by the fact that Montague Close takes you through an (open-air) office car park. Lots of people walk through it, and it is actually one of the ways in to Southwark Cathedral.

 

I'm not sure why you'd want to take a taxi from your hotel to the Tower, though. The easiest thing - and possibly faster than a taxi - is to jump on the Tube at Victoria and get off at Tower Hill (any eastbound Circle Line or District Line train will do the job).

[Bob++]

Globaliser is the local expert so I would just add my twopennyworth for staying on the South Bank. It is more scenic and you go past HMS Belfast, Southwark Cathedral and The Globe Theatre. The Millennium Bridge crossing gives you an excellent photo-opportunity for St Paul's.

Edited February 13, 2019 by Bob++

[UndcvrNana]

We would take the UnderGround from Victoria Station to the Tower Hill Station?  That would get us to the Tower of London?  I am traveling with my 78 year old Mother and I am looking for simple things.  Any help, thanks in advance.

[Globaliser]

6 hours ago, UndcvrNana said:

We would take the UnderGround from Victoria Station to the Tower Hill Station?  That would get us to the Tower of London?

 

It is as I said: any eastbound Circle Line or District Line train will take you from Victoria Tube to Tower Hill Tube, and that is just across the road from the Tower itself.

[Kevin's girl]

On 2/13/2019 at 10:27 PM, UndcvrNana said:

We would take the UnderGround from Victoria Station to the Tower Hill Station?  That would get us to the Tower of London?  I am traveling with my 78 year old Mother and I am looking for simple things.  Any help, thanks in advance.

In a heartbeat. Being from Northwest Indiana and seeing Chicago public transport I can understand your lack of confidence in the system. The Tube (UnderGround) in London is amazing. Not like things here in the US. You can even order your Oyster Card before you leave home. Then public transport is just Tap and Go.

Edited February 18, 2019 by Kevin's girl

[Kevin's girl]

We walked from Westminster Bridge to the Tower of London (rather long and not to be repeated). My DH will tell you it was 20 miles and that gets longer every time he tells the story. Walking between The Tower and St Paul's is a nice walk.

[SparklyPinkCruiser]

I would also take The Tube to Tower Hill and then walk from there. It's so easy to use, and also everyone is soooo helpful (and bonus, they speak english!). 

[Turtles06]

The London Underground (the Tube) is absolutely fantastic and the best way to get around London for non-walking distances.  It puts U.S. subways to shame imho.  (Just know that in many stations you may have to do a good deal of walking, especially when changing lines, and perhaps some stair climbing.)   There's no need to order an Oyster Card in advance, you can simply buy one from a machine at your first station.   You can find written and video instructions on line for buying the Oyster Card; here are a couple:

 

https://www.londontoolkit.com/briefing/oystercard.htm

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlZ_xDx2Zl0

 

I highly recommend this free app for using the London Tube; it works off line, has a system map, AND a route planner:

 

https://www.mapway.com/apps/tube-map-london-underground/

[gnome12]

On 2/21/2019 at 8:26 AM, Turtles06 said:

I highly recommend this free app for using the London Tube; it works off line, has a system map, AND a route planner:

 

https://www.mapway.com/apps/tube-map-london-underground/

The app itself is free, but there are features that can be  unlocked. I don't have a problem with ads, or first and last tube times, but might the Tube Exits option (for CAD$5.49) be worth it, or are signs helpful enough to choose your exit for where you want to go. (I haven't been in London in over 20 years, and I don't remember what signage was like then.)

[Turtles06]

On 2/21/2019 at 8:26 AM, Turtles06 said:

I highly recommend this free app for using the London Tube; it works off line, has a system map, AND a route planner:

 

https://www.mapway.com/apps/tube-map-london-underground/

 

14 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

The app itself is free, but there are features that can be  unlocked. I don't have a problem with ads, or first and last tube times, but might the Tube Exits option (for CAD$5.49) be worth it, or are signs helpful enough to choose your exit for where you want to go. (I haven't been in London in over 20 years, and I don't remember what signage was like then.)

 

We were in London most recently in November, for several days, and used the Tube, and the  (free) app, each day.  We had no problems with signage, nor in figuring out where to exit.   

 

(BTW, the same folks who make this app also make a free app for the Paris Metro and the NY Subway.  They really are excellent apps.)