7 Days in London

Not sure what you mean by ‘mile long stairs’?
If the station is particularly deep there will be an escalator from the ticket hall to the platform levels.There is then often a further flight of stairs down, the equivalent of one storey.
Less deep stations, such as on the circle or district line will have a flight or two down.
Newer stations, for example on the Jubilee line will also have lifts. All stairs have hand rails etc.
Transport for London produce a Step Free access guide which can help when planning a journey.
https://content.tfl.gov.uk/step-free-tube-guide-map.pdf

There are stairs on the tube, but I don't think that they are an issue if you can usually do 1 -2 flights of stairs. Emma described the situation well. You can take your time and use the handrails. Everyone, including those on your tour, wants you to be safe and healthy!

There are escalators and elevators at all of the tube stops we used on this tour; we took it in late April/early May of this year. There may be an occasional short flight of steps from one area to the next in a tube/train station. But generally you won't be walking up a mile of stairs. You will be walking over cobblestones in some areas, but again that wasn't really an issue either. Wear good walking shoes and carry a walking stick if that would help you with mobility.

I've had 2 knees & a hip replaced & am 5 years older than you are. I have no problem walking up stairs, but do go very slowly down. I have never found getting down to the train in The Tube a problem. As others said there is usually an escalator or just one or two flights of stairs (or a combo.) I always grab the rail and go slow, but so far have had only one mishap and it was not in London. One time changing trains and going up a small set of stairs to a new platform, someone rushed by and knocked in to me (without stopping.) Luckily someone behind me saw it & grabbed my falling bag so I was able to grab the railing. I did pull a hamstring which was painful for the whole trip plus, but I wasn't badly hurt, just embarrassed. Have a wonderful time. I am scheduled for my 10th Rick Steves tour in April 2027.

Thank you everyone who replied and put aside any hesitations I had. Excited to sign up for this trip in April.

I’m glad you’re signing up, and have a great Tour!

I do want to add, though, that there are some really loooooooooong escalators. When they work, it’s great. But at least a couple of times, I’ve experienced that the escalator wasn’t running, and it required a very long descent - felt like an almost endless staircase.

Then, it seems there’s always at least one person who has to get to the top (or bottom) ten seconds faster than if they just stood on the escalator. Instead, they rush past everybody, running along the left edge of the escalator, sometimes bumping into people. Don’t be surprised if that happens, and keep your right hand on the railing as you stand as far to the right as is reasonable. Hopefully you won’t get much (or any) of that.

Do have a great trip.

Just to reinforce what Cyn says- if you are planning to stand on the escalator (as opposed to walk up) ensure you are always stood on the right- the left is for walking, and people can be a bit rude if someone is unknowingly stood on the left. Hope you have a wonderful visit.

I lived in London for 30 years the last 15 or so with a disability. Sometimes escalators are temporarily out of service but it isn’t particularly common, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I can remember it happening a few times at the Piccadilly line at South Kensington when I commuted through there, but as I said it really wasn’t.common.

Despite their reputation Londoners are generally very kind to people who might be slightly struggling on public transport. The ‘rule’ of standing on the right and walking on the left is definitely followed, if it wasn’t things would grind to a halt very quickly. But again if people can see someone is really struggling they do (mostly) understand, although expect a few tuts! :-)

If you are a bit slow one thing to do is try and get out of the way of the flow of people as quickly as you can. So when going through ticket barriers, stepping off escalators and getting off trains don’t just stop, keep moving, there are people behind you. If you need to get your bearings step away from the barriers. When getting off a train stand by the wall whilst you work it the way to go. I used to get nervous getting off an escalator, I was a bit slow and scared I would trip, so as soon as I stepped off I would step to the space to the side. The people behind me could carry on and I could get my balance and breath.