Please can anyone help with this London trip?

[millefeuille1]

I haven't visited London in years, but I'm booking a trip for myself and my elderly mother for her birthday in May. I have tickets booked for the Duchess theatre in the evening and we plan to arrive in London at around 1pm that day. She has mentioned that she would love to see the National Portrait Gallery and we are staying overnight, so could possibly do that the next day. So - she is pretty mobile but can't walk very very far without a sit-down, and I'm not sure she will cope with the Tube (??). What I suppose I would like are recommendations for a decent hotel near the Duchess (easy walk) and then the best/cheapest way to get to the gallery and back the next day. I am confusing myself Googling! TIA.

National portrait gallery is closed for refurbishment at the moment, but national gallery is open. Also British museum.

Get the Uber app (others are available too) and take taxis.

Sorry, don’t know any hotels.

What's your budget for hotel? One Aldwych is ten minutes walk from National Gallery and practically next door to the theatre. It is not cheap!

Not an answer to your specific question but my recommendation would be to book somewhere to eat before you go. We were in London a couple of weekends ago and got turned away from millions of places for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the Saturday. It was really hard work! I think sat down on Saturday evening and booked everything for Sunday and it was lovely. I lived in London for years and never booked anything when wanting to eat somewhere central but it seems to have changed! Walking in anywhere was nearly impossible!

Thank you for the replies! I'm afraid One Aldwych is way out of my price range. I was hoping for less than £200 for a double room in the hotel? Is this not feasible? My other vague plan was to take her to Kew Gardens the next day? Sorry to be asking so much.

And good tip about booking meals. Not sure Mum is up to wandering around for hours trying to find a restaurant.

You said decent hotel, so the Covent Garden Travelodge might be a bit basic?

What day of the week are you going

I don't mind basic - it's only for one night. As long as it's near enough to the theatre to walk.

If she’s not up for being on her feet for long I probably wouldn’t do Kew as it’s a trek. What about one of the more central royal parks?

Buses are a better option for people with limited mobility than the tube in my opinion / experience. If you download the Citymapper app it will help you with best routes between anywhere you’d like to go.

Kew Gardens is a long way out and involves a lot of walking so wouldn’t be my choice for someone with limited mobility. It’s beautiful though.

Which train station will you arrive into? I often find a link by bus between the station and theatre and stay closer to the station.

Thanks! We are going on a Wednesday. I'll look at the buses, but taxis might be a better bet.

If she likes art, Tate Britain and Tate modern are both fabulous and fairly central. If you are happy to travel west, Victoria and Albert museum has a gorgeous collection.

Kew Gardens is quite a journey and huge - but there is a land train you can take to travel round it.

As pp said, if you are happy with premier inn or travel lodge there are several in central London.

We get into St Pancras.

We stay in premier inns in London clean and reliable and you can usually have breakfast on site. Definitely second booking your meals in advance and keeping to central London best to not try and do everything in a short trip

Have a look at the Z Hotels, don't really know London, so don't know if there would be a suitable one for you, but we have stayed at a couple. They are pretty small rooms (tiny actually!) but they are very clean and really good value. The club rooms one on Gloucester Place (I think), is really nice and the rooms are much bigger and really not that expensive!

I would stay at the premier in St Pancras and just take the bus to the theatre, maybe a taxi back after the show but tbh the bus would be fine

If you stay in the Covent Garden travel lodge you can pay about a tenner more for a superior room and it’s an easy walk to the National Art Gallery. I’d take a cab from St Pancras when you arrive, it’ll be about £20 to Covent Garden.

Thank you for all your help. I don't want her to end up grumpy and exhausted - not much of a "treat"!

You could get an UBER to Kew and they have a small number of wheelchairs to borrow there. If you are up to pushing your mum round.

www.hrp.org.uk/kew-palace/visit/accessibility/#gs.ts5fe3

Don't do kew. Go for regents Park.
Enter South Side entrance in-between great portland St Station and regents Park St.

Agree with using buses.

Chelsea Physic Garden is a lovely garden to visit and manageable too. It’s really interesting as well as beautiful. I took my MIL there a few years ago and she loved it. Just accept you’ll be taking plants home on the train

I use Travellodges a lot, and find they are excellent value. The standard remains consistent, no frills, but clean, pleasant staff IME. It might be nice to have a travellodge, and have an afternoon tea somewhere to make it more special? Bear in mind only some Travellodges do breakfast.

That sounds fab, Barbeasty. Right up her street.