London: After Theatre, Walk to Premier Inn County Hall or ?

As far as personal safety discovered, there's no worry. If the weather would make walking less than pleasant, then use the CityMapper app, Google Maps, or the tfl Plan a Journey to see which tube or bus would get you as close as possible to your hotel. Or take a cab.

If you want an even easier journey after the theater, consider Witness for the Prosecution - it's also inside County Hall.

Another option would be the bus. There is a stop just a couple minutes from both the Duchess and the Lyceum that will drop you within a few minutes walk to the Premier Inn.

Certainly there are loads of hotels less than $850/night that would be convenient for theatre evenings. Just be sure to book a room with air conditioning.

I would walk. Use the Golden Jubilee pedestrian bridge by Embankment to cross the Thames. There will be lots of people out and about and it will be perfectly safe.

I go to the theatre almost every night when I visit London; I always walk or take the tube.

We saw Moulin Rouge last month and had no choice but to walk an additional 20 minutes because the tube stations were so jam packed after the shows let out that security was limiting the number of people who could enter the tube station at a time. At no time did we feel unsafe or feel the theatre district had 'sketchy' areas.

You can definitely walk it and may have to. I’m staying at the Premier Inn County Hall (checking out today) and went to see All My Sons in Leicester Square yesterday afternoon. The tube station is next door to the theatre, but was unexpectedly closed.

It’s only about a 15 minute walk. I travel solo and have no worries walking around London. Even after dark.

Walking will probably be the quickest and easiest way back to your hotel. That hotel is in a very good central location and will be well below your $850 a night budget. Premier Inn are a reliable if not particularly exciting chain of hotels so don’t expect luxury. This is not a criticism of the chain, they were my hotel of choice when I travelled for work with a relatively limited budget.

Theatres tend to empty at the same time so public transport (buses and the tube, London doesn’t have trams) can be busy and cabs in short supply.
The area you will be walking through will be as busy as day time and very safe. The view over the river can also be lovely at night. Your biggest danger will be crossing the road.

All the information you need for London’s public transport is on the Transport for London website.
https://tfl.gov.uk/

If you have a smartphone you can also use the TFL or Citymapper apps to help you get around.

Hi, V-n-J, I stayed at the Premier Inn County Hall back in March of 2024 and one evening, I went to see Billy Crudup in Harry Clarke at the Ambassador Theatre, which is about a mile away. I decided to walk and was so happy I did as it was a lovely walk. I travel solo and I'm female, so I was by myself but it was just a delight to walk there and back and I never felt unsafe.

I mappled it out beforehand on Google Maps to get there, which took me along the Queen's Walk to the Golden Jubilee Bridge. I walked across the bridge (which was all lit up with color) and then just continued to the theatre. There were lots of people out that evening, both on the way there and on the way back, and so many beautiful lights along the river. Plus all the buildings were lit up, and it was just gorgeous. I was so glad that I walked there. And, of course, the production was great!

For what it's worth I really enjoyed staying at the Premier Inn County Hall. It's not a quaint B&B but it was very clean and very comfortable (especially their beds). It's in a great location, too, with lots of restaurants and shops in the area. Gail's Bakery is right up the street, which is a great place to shop for pastries in the morning or take away in the afternoon, and there is an M&S Food hall nearby where you can buy food items. It's close to Waterloo station and the Westminster tube station is right across the Westminster bridge. I would not hesitate to stay here again.

Keep in mind that the earlier you book, the cheaper the price will be.

Just returned home from London after staying at Premier Inn County Hall for 10 days in December. We saw OLIVER one night and decided to walk home as the tube station was so crowded. We found CITYMAPPER was a game changer……and we also found that anytime it routed us through Waterloo it was easier than being routed through Westminster. If you are routed through the Westminster station you still have to walk across the bridge before getting back to Premier InnCH……and that bridge STAYS crowded……so we loved the going and coming from Waterloo over anything routed to Westminster. The Waterloo route also walks you right by Gail’s Bakery and a M&S store for anything you need to take back to your room. I also posted a trip report called LONDON AT CHRISTMAS……so there are some London tips there as well. We were walking home that night and were shocked that all of the warnings about Iphone theft, etc just did not play out for us……of course we were very careful but loved the ease of the tube and our County Hall location and we felt very safe the entire visit…….PS The help at Premier Inn Cty Hall was great….we just had to communicate to the employees that we wanted fresh towels each day and to please make our beds up…..they were great

Just agreeing with what others have said- it's safe to walk around after a show and that will be the easiest way to get back to your hotel. These areas all stay busy late and I wouldn't describe any as sketchy. That said, just remember to pay attention to your surroundings and I advise keeping your phone put away when you're out walking, and try not to take it out particularly when you're near the road. The main issue we have is people coming by on motorbikes to snatch them out of people's hands. The police have been cracking down and it's unlikely this will happen to you, but it's always best to be safe and with a bit of situational awareness you can protect yourself.

Thanks everyone for all the info about your personal experiences and suggestions. I hadn't even considered how crowded the transportation system would after a play! I appreciate the tips about CityMapper, tfl Plan a Journey, routing thru the Waterloo Station instead of Westminster, and using the pedestrian bridge. You've set my mind at ease about walking back to the PI County Hall location. Wishing you happy travels in 2026!

Question…..everytime we walked back to PICounty Hall i noticed on York street, right around the corner from us, there was another Premier Inn…..anyone know anything about that one?

That’s the PI Waterloo. There is very little difference between Premier Inns in general (unless it’s badged as a Hub which have small rooms). The Waterloo PI is perfectly fine and may be cheaper - the County Hall PI often has a premium due to it’s location on the river.