London is packed with iconic sights: Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, the Royal Parks, and more. But how easy is it to enjoy them in a wheelchair?
As someone that uses a large electric wheelchair, I’d heard mixed things about London’s accessibility (including one tour operator who told me “London is a nightmare for wheelchair users”).
But my experience was surprisingly positive. While London’s age means some areas have rough pavements and inaccessible Underground stations, the major tourist districts were far more accessible than I expected! London is making efforts to create smooth pavements, cleverly hidden elevators in older buildings, and accessible transport options.
In this post, I’ll share the highlights of the places we visited in June 2025. Read on to find out my favourite London places, hidden gems, accessibility advice, and my tips for avoiding the crowds.
Wonders of London tour
We booked a accessible, private, customised 6-hour London Highlights walking tour with Wonders of London. This included Westminster, Buckingham Palace/Changing of the Guard, Picadilly, Royal Parks, City of London, and Tower of London.
Wonders of London provided by far the best service of the companies we contacted when making enquiries. They replied quickly, with ideas for accessible attractions and routes based on our interests.
The tour experience was also fantastic, with a mix of gentle rolling through London’s attractions and accessible public transport to cover longer distances between attractions.
Our guide was Linda, who was a lot of fun and extremely knowledgeable as a London local. Linda kept a comfortable pace and was always looking ahead for the most accessible curb crossings and smooth pavements for me.
Below are more details about the highlights and accessibility features of the places we visited.
Piccadilly
Picadilly is famous for the bustling Picadilly Circus. But, Picadilly also has some quiet and historic streets full of beautiful buildings and luxurious stores.
Wandering through the streets of Picadilly, we stopped at exclusive Royal warrant stores (who supply products to the British Royals).
My favourite store was Fortnum & Mason a department store famous for its biscuits, teas, gifts, and chocolates. Linda had previously worked at the store and provided some great recommendations for chocolates to try. I can personally recommend the lime centred milk chocolate and rose flavoured chocolate.
Our next memorable experience was the luxury five-star Ritz hotel. Since we will most likely never afford a room at the Ritz (around £1000 per night), we asked whether we could pop our heads into the hotel to have a little look around. Surprisingly, they said yes!
The doormen even pulled out a long wheelchair ramp for me to get up the steps into the hotel – a promising sign of accessibility if I ever do stay there!
Inside the Ritz was stunning! Chandeliers and tapestries everywhere. The dining rooms were full of patrons enjoying high tea and champagne, served by staff in tuxedos.
To top it off, as we entered the lobby, fittingly, the pianist was playing “Puttin’ on the Ritz”.
Buckingham Palace and Changing of the Guard
Entry into Buckingham Palace was unavailable when we visited in early June. So, we just viewed the palace from the gates on The Mall instead.
The Changing of the Guard is a free, ceremonial parade where you will see the palace guards marching along the Mall between Buckingham Palace and St James’ palace.
The Changing of the Guard usually occurs at around 11 AM Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (but check official times and days as they do change occasionally).
Most tourists watch the Changing of the Guard at the gates of Buckingham Palace. This area gets super crowded during the parade. This means there is limited visibility for wheelchairs (and anyone really). Additionally, the crowds make it difficult for wheelchairs and strollers to leave.
If you go to this area, you should get there at least 15 minutes early to get a good spot and wait for the crowd to disperse before you leave.
SECRET TIP: Buckingham Palace is not the only place you can see the Changing of the Guards. Linda found us a place much further along the Mall near St James’s Palace, where we saw the parade returning from Buckingham Palace. We had front row, unimpeded views and were able to leave as soon as the parade went by.
Big Ben, Parliament Square, and Westminster Abbey
Westminster is the political and historic centre of London. We visited Parliament Square which gave us an opportunity to have some photos in front of Big Ben and Houses of Parliament.
Linda provided some history, including the story of Guy Fawkes, the enthusiastic explosives expert who got caught red-handed trying to blow up the Houses of Parliament.
We strolled around Westminster Abbey. However, being short on time, we skipped the tour inside the abbey.
If you do want to do the Westminster Abbey tour, it is very accessible. There is ramp entry and accessible toilets inside. They also provide hearing loops, British sign language, and written transcript multimedia info tour options. Service and assistance dogs are welcome inside. Also, visitors with disability plus their carers can receive free admission.
HIDDEN GEM: Tucked behind Westminster Abbey is the Westminster School. This prestigious public school was built in the 11th century and has gorgeous old buildings and courtyards. Although it is an active school with students going about their school days, anyone can wander through the grounds to enjoy a peaceful stroll.
Other highlights we passed in Westminster included the Whitehall Horse Guards parade ground, where they were setting up for the upcoming Trooping the Colour events, The Churchill War Rooms, and Downing Street, home of the British Prime Minister.
St James’s Park and The Green Park
Right in the middle of Westminster city, we wandered through St James’s Park and The Green Park. Both of which are Royal Parks of London.
St James’s Park was very picturesque. This park has Woodlands, grassy areas surrounded by flowerbeds, playgrounds for kids, cafés, and wetlands.
The lake in the centre of the park was a great place for us to have a rest and watch people feeding the ducks and pelicans.
The Green Park on the other hand is more grassy lawns and doesn’t have the attractions of St James’s Park. Instead, it’s more the relaxed type of place you would go to lay in the sun, have a picnic, read a book, or have a nap.
For a wheelchair user, both parks had wide, flat, and firm gravel pathways. At the entrances, gateways were wide enough for me to fit through.
City of London (Horizon 22 Observatory and financial district)
Catching the underground from Green Park to Tower Hill, we entered London’s financial district.
This area is full of unusually shaped skyscrapers including the Shard, the Gherkin, and the Sky Garden.
At ground level, it’s just a financial district with modern concrete foot paths and glass windows. So, it is very easy to get around the district.
In this area, there are several excellent Observatory viewing platforms you can visit in the skyscrapers to get panoramic views of London. As a tourism initiative, building developers are encouraged to include free viewing decks in their skyscrapers.
We visited Horizon 22, a business building, with a free viewing platform on the 58th floor, offering 300° views of London. The windows are floor to ceiling glass, allowing wheelchair to get up close to the view.
We love a good observation deck. It’s a great way to get your bearings of where things are located in a city. You also get to view all of the attractions from a different angle. We were able to see inside the grounds of the Tower of London, which you can’t see from ground level.
You will need to book tickets in advance and arrive before your timeslot begins. There is a security checkpoint at ground level before going up the elevator. Accessible toilets are available in the building and there is a café.
City of London markets
Most tourists head to the Borough market, a famous foodie hotspot. We skipped Borough market as it was closed on the Monday we visited, and because it is generally overcrowded.
HIDDEN GEM: Instead, Linda recommended we visit Leadenhall market. Leadenhall market has some nice boutique shops and places to eat. It’s also nice just to stroll through and see the beautiful glass ceilings and Victorian architecture.
If you are a Harry Potter fan, hold on to your sorting hats!
Leadenhall market is where they filmed Diagon Alley. As soon as you entered the cobbled laneways, you’ll instantly recognise the shopfronts and Leaky Cauldron pub (which is not actually a pub in real-life).
There are cobblestones in the market, which gets a bit bumpy. However, there are some smoother areas where you can navigate around them. Either way, it was 100% worth it to get my Harry Potter experience.
Tower of London/Tower Bridge
Located next to the Thames is the Tower of London, which has a great view of Tower Bridge.
Being nearly 1000 years old, there is limited wheelchair access in the Tower of London. The tower buildings have steps and there are cobblestones throughout.
However, wheelchairs can access the Crown Jewels exhibit. As you can see a lot of the Tower from the outside, we decided to skip it. If you do decide to visit though, the Tower of London website has excellent accessibility info. There are also discounts for people with disability and companions.
We wandered around the exterior of the Tower. On the western side of the Tower, is a gentle sloping area where you can see the side of the castle and look into some of the interior courtyards. There are some visitor information signs along the way with info about the Tower.
Along the riverside, you get close up to the walls of the tower and traitor’s gate. This is also a great place to get some iconic photos with Tower Bridge and the Thames in the background.
Unfortunately, the riverside path has some cobblestones. Through the centre of the pathway though there are some bigger stone blocks. These are much more comfortable for the wheelchair.
The Dickens Inn
HIDDEN GEM: Following the river East, we stumbled across St Katharine docks. Wandering around this historic marina, we found the cutest pub: The Dickens Inn, which had balconies lined with stunning baskets of colourful flowers.
Funnily, a friend of mine also told me about the cutest pub she stumbled on in London. Turns out it was the same place! So, if you are near the Tower of London, it’s very likely you will accidentally land at the Dickens Inn as well.
The pub is accessible as well. According to their website, they have an elevator inside, ramps onto the lower outdoor deck, and toilets. We stayed outside so I can’t comment on the interior.
We sat on the lower outdoor deck overlooking the marina. It was a nice friendly atmosphere to enjoy some drinks and snacks.
Overall impressions
We absolutely loved our walking tour of London. Wonders of London provided a great experience in booking and throughout the tour. We were able to fit a lot into the day and had some unexpected hidden gem experiences along the way.
London itself is definitely getting better with accessibility. Sure, there are still some cobbled areas, rough foot paths, and room for improvement on the underground railway.
Want more?
For more information on accessibility in London, check out my related posts :
How to see London in a wheelchair (Rainy Day activities)
How to get around London in a wheelchair
The best place to stay in London in a wheelchair
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Ratings
Wow Factor: 4/5. I enjoyed London so much more than I expected. It felt very relaxed, safe, and we enjoyed wandering around the city.
Cobble index: 3/5. Many smooth modern pavements with some historic bumpy zones.
Barrier free barometer: 4/5. London is making a huge effort to make attractions accessible. Discounts for people with disabilities and companions, multiformat guides and experiences for people with disabilities, and good information on websites made London quite accessible.