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9 Keys to Success for London Handicapped Travel

By John Sage

Handicapped Accessible Travel to London – With so many options fordisabled travelers to choose from, planning the trip can start to get overwhelming. Should you spend your time in museums? Are the walking tours wheelchair friendly? Are the Buckingham Palace, Parliament, and the Tower of London handicapped accessible? Which areas are best areas for London accessible hotels? The 9 Keys to Success below tell you what you should focus on to have a great trip.

1. Get tickets in advance to visit Parliament – Parliament is one of the top tourist attractions to visit in London, but you can’t just show up at the front door and get in. It’s only open to the public certain times of year, and you have to buy a ticket in advance. UK citizens have more opportunities to visit, but visitors from other countries will have fewer options for visiting times.

2. Take a walking tour in the Westminster Neighborhood – The Westminster area has several of the top London attractions including Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and the Cabinet War Rooms. A guided walking tour is a great way to see these attractions and get an overview of the history of the city. The accessible group walking tours are fairly wheelchair-friendly and only have a couple of curbs to tackle. If you are unable to get up and down a curb, you can hire a private guide to see the area. The tour route is 1.3 km (0.8 miles) long (route shown in the map on the right).

3. Spend at least a week in London – London has more handicapped accessible attractions to visit than any other city in Europe. Paris and Rome have numerous attractions, but accessibility is not as good in the 18th century buildings that house museums and the 2000 year old Roman ruins. Spend at least a week in London to experience all of the top tourist attractions.

4. Take a boat tour on the Thames River – Seeing London from the water is an outstanding and unique way to get an overview of the city. Handicapped accessible London boat travel is available between the Westminster area and Greenwich area on boats that have wheelchair ramps to get on them (shown in the image on the right). You can also get on and get off near the Tower Bridge.

5. Plan the timing of you trip carefully – If visiting Parliament and Buckingham Palace are important items on your to-do list, be sure to visit during the times of year when they are open the public.

6. Be sure to allocate enough time at the British Museum – It is one of the top museums in the world and is easily worth a full day! There are short guided tours throughout the day and you’ll want to take more than one. It has an accessible interior (shown on the right) including elevators to get between the floors. It’s a little further away from the other tourist attractions so you’ll need to take a taxi or one of the accessible bus lines to get there.

7. Take a day trip to Bath, Windsor, Stonehenge, or Cambridge – London has several great options for day trips to nearby cities. Handicapped accessible train travel from London is possible to almost all of the cities. Confirm in advance that you will have a wheelchair accessible taxi or bus to get you to and from the train stations.

8. Check theatre accessibility – No visit to London is complete without seeing a musical or a play at one of the West End theatres (Her Majesty’s Theatre shown on the right). Unfortunately, most of the buildings are very old and barely accessible. Make sure that you verify that the theatre meets your accessibility needs before you buy tickets.

9. Choose your hotel neighborhood carefully – London is a very big city with a great variety of neighborhoods. Your London accessible travel experience can be quite different depending on which part of the city you stay in. Proximity to tourist attractions and accessible restaurants should be primary factors when choosing your hotel. Pick a charming neighborhood to stay in and you will be glad you did.

Want a worry-free, fully accessible vacation?  
Check out our London accessible trip planning services

 

Read more:

London Accessible Travel – main page 
   Pros and Cons of London Disabled Access 
   13 Wheelchair Accessible Travel Tips for London England 
   9 Keys to Success for London Handicapped Travel 
   Tower of London Wheelchair Access 
   London Eye Wheelchair Accessibility 
   Stonehenge Disabled Access 
   Travel Insurance for Disabled Travelers 
   London Accessible Travel Packages 
Accessible Walking and Driving Tours in London 
   Highlights of London Accessible Driving Tour 
   Classic London Wheelchair Accessible Tour 
   Royal London Accessible Guided Tour 
   London Accessible Boat Cruise on the Thames River 
   Stonehenge & Hampton Court Accessible Driving Tour 
   Stonehenge & Windsor Castle Accessible Guided Tour 
   Stonehenge Accessible Tour by Train 
   Cambridge Accessible Tour from London 
   Oxford Accessible Tour from London 
   Highlights of Greenwich Accessible Tour 
London Accessibility Guide by John Sage 
London Trip Planning by Sage Traveling – Travel with Ease!

 

Contact our London accessible travel consultants

 

 

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