London help needed

kingfisherblue

I'm thinking of taking my children to London for the weekend. We'd like to visit Madame Tussaud's and the London Eye. One of my son's will be in a wheelchair - he can walk short distances, so he will be able to access the Eye (he's been on it once before with the school and frequently talks about it).

I've looked on maps of London and they seem fairly close together, but I've no idea of the length of the few roads we would have to walk. Does anybody know how far it is between the two attractions? If it's less than two miles, we would walk it (with my son in his wheelchair), but any further and we'd probably get a taxi - I'm not confident enough to try the Underground and i don't know if it would be accessible anyway.

Also, Premier Inn seem to have some good prices for family rooms and they seem to be close by. It would cost around £200-£250 for a family room with dinner, bed and breakfast for two adults (myself and 19 year old daughter) and two children (age 10 and 12).

We would be travelling by train from the North West, so would arrive at Euston and have to go from there to near St. Pancras - again, any idea how far this is? Is it best to get a taxi or another train?

I'd love to go to London with my children. I haven't been there since I went on a school trip when I was thirteen, so it's almost thirty years ago. There is a possibility that I would get tickets for Madame Tussaud's and some or all travel expenses via a charity due to my son's disabilities, and I have saved some money for accommodation and spends.

If anybody can answer my questions or give any advice, I'd be really grateful.

Thanks,

KFB

Generali

It's about a couple of miles from the London Eye to Madame Tussauds I would guess. Google Maps will have the answer.

If you want a meal not too far from the London Eye, one of the best gastro pubs in London is a little way down the road, the Anchor and Hope on The Cut, the other side of Waterloo Station.

I'd consider getting a cab from Euston to St Pancras because it's one of the things you have to do if you go to London. The modern cabs are meant to be pretty good for wheelchair access, the older ones less so.

The tube would be a nightmare with a wheelchair IMO, it's bad enough with a baby buggy and Londoners aren't the most sympathetic types as a rule. I was once threatened with being beaten up for moving too slowly through the tube station corridor. I was on crutches.

I lived in London for 15 years although have moved to Australia. Happy to answer anything via PM if you want.

hethmar

The Premier Inn near the Eye has very good reviews. There is a McDonalds very near the Eye and several small cafe/restaurants along the south bank there

Id honestly advise you get taxis. The tube is a pain at the best of times and at weekends there are a lot of engineering works and delays.

hethmar

These may help:

http://www.visitlondon.com/maps/accessibility/

http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/london-eye

http://www.londoneye.com/VisitorInformation/DisabledGuests/Default.aspx

f you think you will need special assistance boarding your London Eye capsule, bring a carer to help. Their ticket is free.

Please note safety concerns mean only two wheelchairs are allowed per capsule on the London Eye – and a maximum of eight in total at any one time. It’s a very good idea to book your wheelchair space in advance, especially if your London Eye Flight is during a school holidays or a weekend.

To make a booking for a wheelchair space on the London Eye, call our disabled booking line
Call + 44 (0)871 222 0188
9.00am - 5.00pm Monday to Sunday
Email accessiblebooking@londoneye.com .

bubblegum26

kingfisherblue wrote: »

We would be travelling by train from the North West, so would arrive at Euston and have to go from there to near St. Pancras - again, any idea how far this is? Is it best to get a taxi or another train?

It is a very short walk from Euston to St Pancras probably 5 - 10 mins last time I took a taxi it cost over £10 because of the volume of traffic and took longer.

xfive71

Hi

There is a Premier Inn along Euston Road, near Kings Cross. The one at County Hall is nicer though - it being near to major sights such as Westminster Palace and the London Eye. The walk down South Bank is rather nice too.

Euston to St Pancras is a short walk on level terrain so no point in taking a taxi. The traffic jam there can be horrendous and the meter just ticks away.

From Madame Tussauds to London Eye, I have checked the Transport for London Journey Planner and it seems that you can take bus no. 453 (which is wheelchair friendly) between the two.

Less of a hassle than walking and taking the tube.

kingfisherblue

Thanks everyone for your help. My son won't need to stay in his wheelchair when on the Eye, if there is somewhere we can leave it. I'll ring to check and book beforehand.

I'm glad that Euston and St. Pancras are close to each other - we don't mind walking although I wouldn't want to push a wheelchair more than a couple of miles.

I'll definitely avoid the Tube.

Thanks for the recommendations about where to eat as well.

Hethmar, thanks for the links - I'll have a good look at them.

alanfp

Nothing further to add to the sound advice you've had so far...other than to say I hope you and your family have a really enjoyable and memorable time :-)

hethmar

Kingfisher, Im sure you could leave the chair in the Eye office which is adjacent to the eye itself and where you pick up your tickets.

hethmar

Oh and these vouchers 2 for 1 - in case they are handy Do go to covent garden - you can sit and eat in there and then mooch about watching some street entertainers. And a boat trip is a must

http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/

loulou123

I went to tussuads on August bank holiday last year and it was a nightmare! The queue outside didnt look too bad and was moving relatively fast (or so we thought.) after queuing for about an hour we reached the front doors to the building and then saw a sign that the time of waiting in queue from that point was 2 hours. In total i think we queued for just over 3 hours.

Then once we were inside, they seriously could not have fitted many more people in there, there was no room to move and it was very very claustophobic. Even getting near enough to see some of the wax works was impossible, let alone taking photos of them. We were in there 90mins maximum before we wouldnt take the pushing and shoving anymore.

Not trying to put you off, just warning you of my experiance!