There are a number of tours available for disabled visitors to London ranging from boat trips on the River Thames to guided tours of the city. It is always a good idea to call the organisers of the specific trips if there are a group of wheelchair users who plan on going, this way everything is properly organised and the tour opeartors have enough time to accommodate a large group and provide appropriate facilities.Here are a few of the popular tours that are enjoyed by both the disabled and able bodied groups alike.

London Tours

Earls Court Olympia
There are always spectacular events hosted here, at the main exhibition centre in London. These include the Ideal Home Exhibition, Royal Smithfield Show, Garden Fair and the British Beer Festival. The best way to find out information about what's on and when is by calling the dedicated disabled visitors number.
Disabled visitor information - Tel: 020 7370 8078

Walk by the Thames River Banks
This is a free printed guide detailing four walks around the banks of the River Thames, whic are all easily accessible for wheelchair users.
This guide book is available from the Richmond Tourist Office.
Richmond Tourist Office - Tel: 020 8940 9125

St Pauls Cathedral - Touching Tour
This is an outstanding tour of St Pauls Cathedral that has been coordinated with the blind and partially sighted in mind. The tour is based on experiencing St Pauls through touch - this gives many blind people an enormous sense of space. If you get the chance to stay long enough for the evening service, please do - this really is an enlightening experience.

Guided Tour Of London
There are various tours available, all of which are led by William Forrester, who is a Blue Badge Guide for London, a museum lecturer and a very knowledgeable person. William is a wheelchair user himself and offers tours in the UK and London for other chair users and abled bodied individuals or groups. William arranges special visits to many of the popular London attractions including Big Ben, Houses Of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the British Museum and makes use of specially fitted taxis for the tours.
William Forrester - Tel: 01483 575401

Sailing on the River Thames
The Thames River Cruises offer the chance to take in the sights of London while relaxing onboard one of the many boats. All of the newer vessels have plenty of room for wheelchair access and the major piers along the Thames have step free access. It is a good idea for groups of wheelchair users to contact the operator in advance, so they have some early notification of your trip.
Information Line - Tel: 020 7918 4753

River Thames - City Cruises
Treat yourself to a cruise on the River Thames in one of these luxurious boats. The boats cruise the Thames to Greenwich and the Tower of London, initially departing from Westminster Pier and most of the boats are accessible by chair and a few of the newer boats have disabled toilets onboard.



If you are a disabled person who has visited London and you know of a good tour, we would love to hear from you. Contact andrea (at) hotelsin-london.co.uk


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