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.

I meant the rooms are clean, and the staff pleasant. Staff being clean is a given.

For dinner I recommend the delaunay or henrietta bistro (inside the henrietta Hotel) for something nice but less formal.

@Blossomtoes

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.

This is excellent advice. Lovely location to stay. Lots going on and interesting cafes to sit in to watch the world go by within easy walking distance. Why not get a cab to Regent’s Park if the weather is nice? You could be dropped off inside the inner circle so you barely need to walk.

Otherwise, take a cab to one of the great museums like the national gallery or thr v and a. You might need to book tickets in advance (even if they’re free)

Also seconding the book meals thing... We went to the theatre last week and when we tried to book a meal for before the show a couple of days in adbance nearly everywhere was full.

I'd do national gallery on the first afternoon, then dinner and show. Then the next day go to the v&a

The Coutauld Gallery at Somerset House in The Strand is small enough to be manageable and has some cracking paintings, especially if you like Impressionists. There is a lift to each floor. You will need to book in advance tho, as it gets busy.

I'm not sure if the travelogue at Covent Garden has a lift to the reception but I do remember it having stairs to get into the hotel and that might not work with limited mobility.

Gosh- need to make some decisions......

St James Park/Green Park are looking lovely at the moment with daffodils out. Easy 5 minute walk from the National Gallery and cafes and coffee stalls dotted around if you need a sit down. Much easier than trekking out to Kew.

The Wallace Collection just north of Oxford Street is lovely and has very convenient buses.

Does your DM have a bus pass? If so she can use it for free travel on London buses (if she's old enough but has never bothered getting one it might be worth doing now).

In your situation I'd use buses but the key to an enjoyable trip is to plan your routes in advance using CityMapper/Google Maps and then use Streetview so you know exactly what the bus stop you're aiming for looks like. Prior preparation is key, and then try to exude an air of knowledgable competence which will enable your DM to relax.

Thank you. So much helpful advice here. I might well have cocked it up without you!

I would stay at a Premier inn, either Euston or Leicester Square. The Courtauld Gallery is near covent Gen and is lovely, they have a Van Gogh portrait exhibition on until 8 May. She might be interested in seeing Somerset House which is on rhe river by Waterloo Bridge. For dinner I would have the pre theatre meal at The Ivy in Covent Garden. Like others say Kew is too far but St James Park and the park behind the Savoy are quiet and lovely to walk through.

Can I suggest the Courtauld gallery as an alternative to the NPG? It's very close to the Duchess Theatre, has a fantastic exhibition of Van Gogh self portraits on at the moment (small but wonderful and perfect if your mum is interested in portraiture, on until 8 May) and the permanent collection is also great. It's much smaller that the National Gallery so you could easily see everything and it's quieter which might be easier for your mum.

Kew has wheelchairs you can borrow at the entrance. I've wheeled my elderly Mum and my Dd with a broken ankle round and had a great day ( not at the same time obviously!)

Have a look at the Premier Inn hub hotel on St Martin's Lane - slap bang in between the National Gallery and Covent Garden. It's basic but stylish at the same time. There's a lift too. I stayed there a few years ago and would definitely go again.

Kew is lovely and the mini-train makes it manageable, but it will cost an arm and a leg by taxi on top of the entry fee. The walk from the train/tube station isn't trivial and it's a long bus ride.

Skip Kew, too much of a trek and not fun if you can’t walk far without a rest. Ditto regents park - v dull!

Would stick to city stuff. Tube is fine except rush times if you look up which ones have lifts. Buses excellent if uber fares come up pricey!

I came on to say the Wallace Collection. Not too big, and very beautiful and special. Nice enclosed courtyard cafe too.

My DPILs and DPs use their local bus passes on London buses when they're up from the sticks. The Freedom pass gets you free travel on tubes as well, and that's only for Londoners.

A quick update - the trip went beautifully and one very happy 90 year old! Thanks to all for your help x

What did you do in the end? Glad it was a success

Covent Garden, dinner and theatre, then the next day Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery so Mum could sit down when she needed to.

That sounds lovely! I bet your mum will remember that forever. I bet she feels very lucky