London

[travelteam]

what neighborhoods are best for wheelchair users. Trying to sort out a hotel, but not sure of which area is best. I haven't been to London in over 15 years, so the memory is shot. Also, I'm guessing the underground subway is not the way to go, but rather private taxi's. Any suggestions?

[katisdale]

Where are you wanting to go while in London? I had good luck at the Thistle Tower when we wanted to go to the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and take a Thames cruise which are easily reachable from it. It would have been less wonderful if I had wanted to shop at Harrad's every day and go to the theater each PM. When I first went to London I only needed a cane and used the subway extensively. When there in 2005 I needed a rollator and the steps down to the trains were a problem so we used cabs.

[travelteam]

thanks for your response. I'm looking to handicapped tour information. I know I had a website saved for the underground..........can't seem to find it right now.

[peterv]

Here is a link for Transport for London.

 

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/

 

Cheers,

Peter

[travelteam]

Thanks for the information. I can see we need to find an accessible hotel near the hop/on/hop/off bus route. Seems best to use buses/cabs for sightseeing. Anyone have hotel recommendations for London that are moderate (less than 300$ USA) that fit the needs for folks in chairs?

[Hebe]

Rick Steves Book -- Easy Access Europe has about 50 pages dedicated to London. It give places to visit, stay and eat.

[Hebe]

I just checked out the hop on hop off bus (Original Hop On / Hop Off Line). It states that by summer of 2007, 30% of all buses will have wheelchair transport. It seems the upcoming 2012 Olympics and para-Olympics are requiring changes to access in London.

 

Deb

[GillCC]

forget the underground lol!

 

I stayed in the Novotel (Euston Rd) near St Pancras - last week. The access was brilliant - I couldn't fault it - and I usually can lol

 

They have accessible rooms with separate roll in shower and loads of space - all public areas are accessible and the food was good.

 

If you do go there - don't miss travelling up to the 16th floor - amazing view!

[travelteam]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences. We see we need to avoid the subway (tubes)...........so it will be the hop/on/hop/off bus and taxi's. We did find a moderately priced handicapped hotel called Base2Stay.....it's in Earls Court............has another stayed in Earls Court and can share their experiences?

 

Dee

[pvmkmyer]

Forget the Rick Steves book. Search on-line for "Access London." This is an invaluable guide to all things accessible in London. Everything from transportation to hotels to restaurants and bars to sites to theatres. Even tells you where all the handicapped entrances are to attractions, what discounts are available, etc.

[travelteam]

Forget the Rick Steves book. Search on-line for "Access London." This is an invaluable guide to all things accessible in London. Everything from transportation to hotels to restaurants and bars to sites to theatres. Even tells you where all the handicapped entrances are to attractions, what discounts are available, etc.

 

thanks....it's a wonderful site. I've already copied the pages for the top attractions I want to see. Now all I have to do is wait.:D

[travelteam]

forget the underground lol!

 

I stayed in the Novotel (Euston Rd) near St Pancras - last week. The access was brilliant - I couldn't fault it - and I usually can lol

 

They have accessible rooms with separate roll in shower and loads of space - all public areas are accessible and the food was good.

 

If you do go there - don't miss travelling up to the 16th floor - amazing view!

 

Since you were just in London can you suggest attractions that you enjoyed and were easy to manage?

[travelteam]

I just checked out the hop on hop off bus (Original Hop On / Hop Off Line). It states that by summer of 2007, 30% of all buses will have wheelchair transport. It seems the upcoming 2012 Olympics and para-Olympics are requiring changes to access in London.

 

Deb

 

Wonderful Deb...........about time travel got somewhat easier. I'm looking for a hotel near the Hop on/hop off line.........would cut down on taxi fares if possible.

[Hebe]

Just got back from London where we spent 4 days prior to our cruise.

 

Some comments -

 

The Original Hop On/Hop Bus, did have some buses that are wheelchair assessable. We did not get off so can not give any feedback on how long you need to wait to find the next bus. Cabs are very easy to get around since all the new ones have ramps but can be expensive. The other Hop On / Hop Off bus company told me they had no wheelchair buses.

 

We toured Westminster Abby, Tower of London, London Eye. Parts of both Westminster Abby and Tower of London's will have areas that you cannot visit but still have enough to see. London Eye completely wheelchair friendly. Remember parts of London are not flat.

 

Be prepared to spend money -- the US Dollar is not very good right now. We were getting a 2.07 US Dollars to 1.0 GBP. It is nothing to spend $100 for two for dinner at most routine places. If your hotel, does not include breakfast - two coffees and two buns were running about $12.00USD.

 

Be prepared for rain -- showers can happen at any time. Normally they are hard but over soon. We packed waterproof pants which helps if you are sitting down.

 

Don't forget about going the West End to see a show. Wheelchair seats are half price. We saw Lord of the Rings and we had people bending over back wards to help us.

 

Hope this helps

Deb

 

Hope this helps

Deb