Escalators on London Tube?

Almost entirely escalators, some of which are extremely long.

Tom is correct, except what the Underground have is looong escalators which are often reached by various short staircases. This is because it is a verrrry old system built long before people contemplated that stairs posed an obstacle. If your parents leave the tube at Victoria, after they pass the ticket gate, they will be confronted by the only way out which is a staircase of about 20 feet height. Have a look at the official TfL webpage with loads of detail at =====> http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/transportaccessibility/1167.aspx

All the Tube stations i remember have escalators- expecially the deep ones. They also (probably without exception) have lifts (elevators) for those who need them. Some of the older ones that I recall have lifts instead of elevators. especially those i seemed to hit late at night. May be a little less convenient to use the lifts, but still practical. If they take the Heathrow Tube and change at Hammersmith from Piccadilly to District/Circle line, that is just a walk across the platform- no stairs or elevator involved. Heathrow Express train arrives at ground level.

Why not eliminate the problem entirely by taking the National Express bus from Heathrow right to Victoria Station? No stairs or escalators to worry about and no transfers, either.

Sorry, Brian, to disagree. I have decades of experience using the Underground. Please use the accessibility map available on the TfL webpage. It shows which stations are either step free or small gaps. I can assure that the vast great majority of stations are not step free. -=- I do not understand your distinction between lifts and elevators. A lift is an elevator with a British accent. An elevator is a lift with an American accent. As far as I know they are the same thing and, except for a few new stations on the Jubilee Line Extension and a few very deep stations such as Covent Garden and Hampstead they are few and far between. -=- Almost every other station has some, few, or more stairs which must be negotiated.

Let me reiterate the previous information on changing at Hammersmith. No stairs when changing trains. Literally one track to the one beside it...If I remember correctly, there are a few steps coming out of the Victoria Station tube stop. But mostly escalator.....If they have "big" luggage, then the suggestion of the National Express bus might be best. Be aware the Victoria "coach" station is a few blocks from the Victoria "Rail" station.

Why not bypass the Tube entirely on the trip in from Heathrow? The platform for the Heathrow Express at Heathrow is entirely accessible, mostly gentle ramps, and once at Paddington you can take a taxi for the short hop to your hotel. Granted, this will be more expensive than just the tube or the bus, but the convenience given that they will be carrying luggage is well worth the price. They could cut the cost by taking the Heathrow Connect rather than the Express, which is slower but much cheaper, although still more expensive than the tube.

As previously suggested, he National Express coach service from the airport to Victoria makes the most sense, especially after a long flight- much easier and direct. Victoria Coach station is just down the road from the railway station. Lots of taxis there, too.

I also disagree with the statement "almost entirely escalators." Most of the tube stations have steps somewhere ... either from street level down to the area with the ticket machines or sometimes steps down to the platform. If they take the Heathrow Express to Paddington, there are no steps from train to railway station. However, transferring to the circle line is a pain with lots of steps to the platform. If they take a taxi from Paddington, there will be no steps. If they take the tube from Heathrow, agree with the suggestion to transfer to District line at Hammersmith. However, there are steps at the exit to Victoria. Very few of the tube stations have lifts. The tube map shows the few station which are accessible. If they need to avoid stairs, they may find the buses easier for getting around.

It's easy for the able-bodied to forget a few sets of stairs. My last trip to London was right after breaking my ankle and I have to say, I was unpleasantly surprised to discover that there are very few stair-free tube stations. I'd been taking the tube for years and just hadn't noticed before. On the original question, I honestly can't see any advantage whatever in taking the Heathrow Connect to Paddington versus taking the National Express Bus to Victoria. The Heathrow Connect costs nearly 8 pounds, and then you have to change from the rail network to the Tube station and buy a Tube ticket (another 4 pounds) and transfer lines at least once to get to Victoria. Or you'll need to take a cab, as one poster suggested, and add an expensive cabfare to the train price. On the other hand, the National Express Coach is just as convenient to pick up from the airport as the train, costs only 5 pounds and takes you direct to Victoria Station. It's likely to be a 5 to 10 minute walk at most to the hotel, but that's the same walk you'll likely end up doing after taking the Tube from Paddington. So, unless you prefer spending more money and time and having the fun of transferring your bags at least twice, there's no reason to consider the train-Tube/cab to Paddington when your hotel is in the Victoria station neighborhood.

Thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate it! I'll definitely let my parents know about the bus that will take them directly to Victoria Coach station.