Where should I stay in London?

Minerva, With "walking issues", I'd consider a location close to a Tube stop in order to minimize walking (one possibility would be the London Victoria area). Some walking is probably going to be unavoidable though. You might find it helpful to have a look at the England or London Guidebooks, as they contain maps showing the various neighborhoods. That way you could choose a location that's somewhat "central" to the specific attractions you want to visit. Good luck!

We always stay at the Green Park Hilton, an OK hotel in a great location (Half Moon Street). It seems to be within a mile or so of all the major attractions except for the Tower. Pret half a block away on Picadilly Street is great for breakfast. There are several other hotels nearby, although they all seem to have rates about twice as high.

With walking issues the most convenient place to stay would be near Piccadilly Circus (say Jermyn Street) or near Leicester Square. Piccadilly is a good travel hub, with Tubes going in all different directions; Green Park Hilton or elsewhere in mayfair are also reasonable if you are close to Green Park tube, or poossibly Leicester Square area. These areas would be more expennsive than Victoria station or Paddington but closer to the center of everything. Bloomsbury is right next to British museum, but nothing else. If budget is unlimited ........ many suggestions

Thank you for these responses! I can walk some but the daily amount is limited, so if I use my walking 'allowance' getting to places then I don't have much gas left for exploring them. Budget is a consideration, of course, but being well-situated to get to interesting sites is more important. I'm willing to pay reasonable but not ridiculous rates! Hopefully Rick's London book will be reclining under the Christmas tree!

You may want to look into accommodation at London School of Economics Northumberland House location. LSE "Top Floor" at Northumberland House offers accommodation to tourists year round at very reasonable rates. The accommodation includes daily maid service and all rooms have ensuite bathrooms and telephones. There is also on-site coin-op laundry, free internet, elevators, and basic cooking facilities if you want to prepare a simple breakfast or dinner instead of eating out all the time. The front desk is staffed 24/7 if you have a question or a problem, and there is card access security to the building and all floors. Northumberland House is located less than 2 blocks to Trafalgar Square. There are 2 major tube stops within 2 blocks, and buses that run right outside the front door. When I stayed there I was able to walk to many major sights, restaurants, grocery stores, parks, and the London theater scene in less than 15-20 minutes including Westminster, National Gallery, Parliment/Big Ben, Churchill Museum & War Rooms & London Eye. St. Paul's Cathedral, Tate Modern, and Buckingham Palace were about 25-35 minutes by foot and I was even able to walk to the Tower in about 45 minutes. The central location of Northumberland could be very helpful for you if you get tired out and need to take a rest during the middle of the day. And while the Tube system is great at getting you from one place to the next quickly, you have foot problems so you may want to take into consideration that you can encounter some Tube stops where the escalators aren't working and you may need to walk up/down a lot of stairs and some of the corridors for transferring from one Tube line to another can be quite long underground. Study the bus system routes before your trip if you have a lot of problems with stairs and want to avoid unnecessary walking.

A hotel in the West End, and more specifically Westminster, should put you as close as you are going to get to the traditional sites. Since walking is an issue, you might want to do some reasonably detailed planning to minimize aimless wandering, or getting lost. I find the "Eyewitness Travel" London book, published by DK, has excellent maps of London's neighborhoods and the territory surrounding major sites. Lots of good photos, too, which I really like in a travel book. Be aware that traversing the interior of Tube stations can involve a surprising amount of walking and going up and down small stairs. Buses are usually slower due to traffic but obviously there's no walking once you get on one. I think you should consider, and budget for, occasional use of a taxis. They cost more, and can be difficult to find in rush hours, but if it's late in the day and you're tired and your feet hurt, a cab can be a welcome sight.

You will find the bus can mean much less walking then the tube

Let me join Ceidleh, John, and J.C. in recommending the bus over the tube for those with difficulty walking. This map http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/visitor-bus-route-map.pdf gives a good overview. See how close your potential hotels are to bus routes. This link http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/ will give details of any specific journeys. Bus stops are well signposted.

We rented a great apt in the theatre district very convenient to Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, British Museum, many restaurants/cafes, etc. Check out holiday-rentals.co.uk and find property #430330
We loved the apt and the location. Owner is very friendly and helpful.

Nice looking flat, Janis. Let us know how you liked it when you return. I've stashed it away for consideration on my next trip. About the British Museum: A wonderful, and large, place. Most folks use the stairs to get from one floor to the next, but there are elevators squirreled away. The main floor lobby is stunning. At the top of the spiraling staircase is a pretty nice restaurant. (An elevator is located around to the right of the large central structure that dominates the first floor.) There's also a coffee, tea and snacks cafeteria line on the first floor, and another cafeteria with a more extensive menu elsewhere. Locations are marked on the museum map. The local neighborhood has a fair number of pubs, coffeeshops and cafes.

I think an apartment would be a great idea. I don't really need or like frequent maid service and my friend is on a crazy restricted diet, so being able to make some of our meals and snacks would be a great idea. Thanks for the suggestion!

I like the Holiday Inn, located in Belgravia. Knightsbridge is also a favorate neighborhood that is convenient to the Tubes, shopping, and sightseeing.

I was very happy with a very convenient small hotel right by Westminster Abbey, and practically next to the St. James's tube stop the Sanctuary House Hotel. Above a pub, and extremely comfortable rooms/baths.

Minerva, Your original question seems to be well-covered by others, so I will move on to your transportation issue. There are two companies in London who offer hop-on, hop-off double-decker bus tours around town. They both drive by about 30 of the city's highlights. It's an inexpensive form of transport if you take full advantage of your 24-hour period your ticket is valid for. The Original London Sightseeing Bus Tour is 16 pounds(3 pound discount with the Rick Steves book), you ride around town, getting a live guided tour (be sure to get the bus that has the yellow triangle on the front of the bus for a live tour guide onboard narrating, instead of a recording), and when you come to a site you want to see, get off the bus right in front of that museum, then come back out, show your ticket to the next Original London Sightseeing Bus, get onboard, and continue your tour around town. Get off anytime. Go to www.theoriginaltour.com for more details. Tel. 020/8877-1722. This ticket includes a 50-minute narrated round trip boat tour from Westminster Pier OR a point-to-point boat trip from Embankment Pier to Greenwich.The other company is Big Bus Hop On Hop Off London Tours. Go to www.bigbus.co.uk for details about them. Tel 020/7233-9533. Cost: 22 pounds(20 if you book online) Red buses come with a live guide, blue buses, a recorded guide. The pass is good for 24 hours, same tour as Original, and includes a Thames boat ride from Westminster Pier to the Tower of London. Very scenic, and it sure beats walking as a way for you to get from Westminster to the Tower of London! If you choose not to get off the bus at all, the entire tour is two hours, with either company. It's a good way to get your bearings, passing and stopping at all the major sites of London. You can get a good look at things without having to walk everywhere. Have a nice trip!

Hello. My husband and are are in our 60's. We have stayed at the Crowne Plaza Kensington (100 Cromwell) in Kensington, two years in a row. It is right across the street from the Gloucester tube. We took the tube to everywhere. We took numerous Gray Line tours while in London. Sometimes we just had to cross the street to the Holiday inn to get picked up for th etours. Gray Line Tours are great to WIndsor, around London, Bath, etc. We took the tube to Cambridge and Oxford. Then we took hop-on, hop-off buses to see the towns there. Elaine [email protected]

Elaine You could not have taken the Tube to Oxford and Cambridge. The tube is in London and its outskirts. Please clarify your post, some people may believe you