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The National Gallery, Charing Cross

Companionship careWestminster

Days out in Westminster for an older parent

Ten places in Westminster that make a good day out for an older parent, from The National Gallery to Westminster Cathedral. For each one: what its own access information confirms, what it costs, how long to allow, and the carers nearby who drive and could take them.

Researched by PrimeCarers from each place’s own website and access information  ·  Updated October 2026

The National Gallery. Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0

Ten days out across seven towns

The best places to take an older parent in Westminster

Eight of them are free to visit or to walk around. The access information for four describes a step-free route, and five confirm an accessible toilet. Where a place does not publish its access, we say so.

The National Gallery, Charing Cross

Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Gallery · Charing Cross

The National Gallery

The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square holds one of the world's great collections of European paintings, from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century, including works by Van Eyck, Titian, Rembrandt, Turner, Constable and Van Gogh. Entry to the main collection is free, and there are cafés and a restaurant inside.

All entrances are step-free, wheelchairs and a rollator can be booked, there are accessible toilets near every entrance and seating in the galleries, and a Blue Badge space is on Orange Street.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free

What their access information confirms

  • Step-free route
  • Accessible toilet
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Charing Cross

Westminster Abbey, London

Photo: amanderson2, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cathedral · London

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is the church where English and British monarchs have been crowned for almost a thousand years, with royal tombs, Poets' Corner, medieval cloisters and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries. There is a café in the Cellarium.

Most of the self-guided route is step-free, manual wheelchairs can be borrowed free of charge, there is bench seating throughout the nave and fully accessible toilets in the cloisters.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Paid entry

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near London

Tate Britain, Millbank

Photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Gallery · Millbank

Tate Britain

Tate Britain on Millbank shows British art from 1500 to the present, including the largest collection of Turner's paintings in the Clore Gallery and works by Constable, Hogarth and the Pre-Raphaelites. The collection displays are free to visit.

Five accessible parking spaces can be booked, wheelchairs, walkers and mobility scooters can be borrowed, and the Manton entrance leads by ramp to a level floor with the café and accessible toilets.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Millbank

The Wallace Collection, Marylebone

Photo: JRennocks, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Gallery · Marylebone

The Wallace Collection

The Wallace Collection is a free museum in Hertford House, a London town house on Manchester Square, with Old Master paintings including Frans Hals's Laughing Cavalier, French furniture, porcelain and one of the finest collections of arms and armour. It has a restaurant in a glass-roofed courtyard.

The entrance is step-free, all public areas can be reached by wheelchair with a lift to every floor, wheelchairs and folding seats can be borrowed, and floors are firm and level.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

What their access information confirms

  • Step-free route
  • Accessible toilet
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Marylebone

National Portrait Gallery, Charing Cross

Photo: No Swan So Fine, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Gallery · Charing Cross

National Portrait Gallery

The National Portrait Gallery beside Trafalgar Square shows portraits of famous British people from the Tudors to today, in paintings, sculpture and photographs. Entry to the collection is free, and there are cafés and a rooftop restaurant.

All entrances, cafés and shops are step-free, wheelchairs and walkers can be borrowed free of charge, fixed seating is placed throughout and there are accessible toilets on three floors.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

What their access information confirms

  • Step-free route
  • Accessible toilet
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Charing Cross

Churchill War Rooms, St Jamess

Photo: Robert Lamb, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · St Jamess

Churchill War Rooms

The Churchill War Rooms are the underground bunker beneath Whitehall from which Winston Churchill and his government directed the Second World War, preserved as they were left in 1945, with a museum of Churchill's life. It is run by Imperial War Museums.

A lift gives step-free access from the entrance on Horse Guards Road down to the basement, and manual wheelchairs can be booked free of charge, though a companion needs to push.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Paid entry

What their access information confirms

  • Step-free route
  • Wheelchairs to borrow

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near St Jamess

St James's Park, St Jamess

Photo: Colin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Park · St Jamess

St James's Park

St James's Park is the oldest of London's Royal Parks, with a lake, flower beds and views of Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards, and pelicans that have lived here since 1664. A peaceful lakeside path runs round the water past trees and waterbirds.

The lakeside path makes a gentle loop, and the pelicans can often be seen perched on benches by the lake, so even a short visit gives plenty to see.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near St Jamess

Hyde Park, Bayswater

Photo: @LondonNPC #NationalParkCity, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Park · Bayswater

Hyde Park

Hyde Park is one of London's largest Royal Parks, with the Serpentine lake at its heart, lakeside paths, waterfront cafés and a rose garden near Rotten Row. It has been the scene of famous speeches, concerts and gatherings.

The lakeside paths and waterfront cafés by the Serpentine make it easy to plan a short walk with a sit-down, without covering the whole park.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Bayswater

The Regent's Park, Marylebone

Photo: ed g2s • talk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Park · Marylebone

The Regent's Park

The Regent's Park is a Royal Park laid out by John Nash, with Queen Mary's Gardens and their rose beds, a boating lake, formal gardens and the Queen Elizabeth II Garden. Boats can be hired on the lake.

The formal gardens are a small part of a very large park, so a carer can plan a short visit to the rose beds and the lake without covering the rest.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Marylebone

Westminster Cathedral, Pimlico

Photo: Antiquary, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cathedral · Pimlico

Westminster Cathedral

Westminster Cathedral near Victoria is the mother church of Catholics in England and Wales, built in a striking red and white Byzantine style with rich mosaics and marble chapels. Entry to the cathedral is free.

There is level access through the main entrance into the cathedral, although the side chapels have steps and the café is up a flight of stairs.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Pimlico

Regular groups and events in Westminster

Something to go back to every week or every year, from our research into what older people enjoy doing in Westminster.

  • Dancing · LondonWestminster's annual tea dance for over-65sA long running charity tea dance, now in its seventeenth year, which brings more than a thousand Westminster residents aged 65 and over together for live music and an afternoon of dancing. A carer can request the ticket in good time, help with the outfit and stay for the afternoon so your parent can dance or simply sit and listen.Details
  • Dancing · LondonAge UK Westminster creative dance and movement sessionsRegular dance, movement and social activities for older Westminster residents, listed on the charity's published timetable and held at community venues across the borough. A carer can check the current timetable, arrange transport and join the first session until your parent knows the group.Details
  • Sports · Maida ValeBowls at Paddington Sports ClubA bowls section founded in 1905 on the edge of Paddington Recreation Ground, with outdoor and indoor greens so play continues through winter. A carer can arrange a trial session, carry the woods and stay for the tea afterwards.Details
  • Volunteering · LondonVolunteering through One WestminsterThe borough's volunteer centre, which matches residents with volunteering roles at local charities and community organisations across Westminster. A carer can help work through the options, phone the centre and go along to the first session or introduction workshop.Details
  • Volunteering · LondonAge UK Westminster volunteer rolesThe local Age UK takes volunteers of all ages and runs tailored opportunities for people aged 65 and over through its Give and Receive project, including befriending and information roles. A carer can support the application and sort out travel so a regular commitment stays realistic.Details

Hobbies and carers who share them in Westminster

At a glance

The ten places side by side

What each place’s own access information confirms. “Ask” means it does not say, not that it is missing.

PlaceTimeCostStep-freeToiletCafé
The National GalleryCharing Crosshalf a dayFreeYesYesYes
Westminster AbbeyLondonhalf a dayPaid entryPartlyYesYes
Tate BritainMillbankhalf a dayFreePartlyYesYes
The Wallace CollectionMarylebonean hour or twoFreeYesYesYes
National Portrait GalleryCharing Crossan hour or twoFreeYesYesYes
Churchill War RoomsSt Jamessan hour or twoPaid entryYesAskAsk
St James's ParkSt Jamessan hour or twoFreeAskAskAsk
Hyde ParkBayswaterhalf a dayFreeAskAskAsk
The Regent's ParkMarylebonehalf a dayFreeAskAskAsk
Westminster CathedralPimlicoan hour or twoFreePartlyAskYes

Where the places are in Westminster

The county’s boundary, numbered as on this page, with the main towns for reference.

AldwychMaida ValeKnightsbridgeBayswaterSt JamessLisson GroveSt Johns Wood12345678910
  1. 1The National Gallery, Charing Cross
  2. 2Westminster Abbey, London
  3. 3Tate Britain, Millbank
  4. 4The Wallace Collection, Marylebone
  5. 5National Portrait Gallery, Charing Cross
  6. 6Churchill War Rooms, St Jamess
  7. 7St James's Park, St Jamess
  8. 8Hyde Park, Bayswater
  9. 9The Regent's Park, Marylebone
  10. 10Westminster Cathedral, Pimlico

What it costs

What a day out with a carer costs in Westminster

Carers in Westminster charge £19 to £20 an hour through PrimeCarers, typically £20, with our fee included. A four-hour outing is about £80 for the carer’s time. Entry, food and parking are extra, and travel costs are only payable if you agree them with the carer in advance, in writing. The cost of home care in Westminster has the full figures.

Photographs on this page are from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each one.

Questions

Questions families ask about days out in Westminster

The National Gallery in Charing Cross, Westminster Abbey in London, Tate Britain in Millbank, The Wallace Collection in Marylebone, National Portrait Gallery in Charing Cross, Churchill War Rooms in St Jamess, St James's Park in St Jamess, Hyde Park in Bayswater, The Regent's Park in Marylebone and Westminster Cathedral in Pimlico. Each has its own section on this page with what its access information confirms, the cost and how long to allow.

The access information for The National Gallery, The Wallace Collection, National Portrait Gallery and Churchill War Rooms describes a step-free route. The National Gallery, Westminster Abbey, Tate Britain, The Wallace Collection and National Portrait Gallery have an accessible toilet. The National Gallery, Westminster Abbey, Tate Britain, The Wallace Collection, National Portrait Gallery and Churchill War Rooms lend wheelchairs. Access changes, so ring ahead about anything your parent depends on.

The National Gallery, Tate Britain, The Wallace Collection, National Portrait Gallery, St James's Park, Hyde Park, The Regent's Park and Westminster Cathedral. Parking is often charged even where entry is free.

Yes. A companion carer can drive your parent there, walk at their pace, help with the toilet and meals, and bring them home. 12 of the carers with a rate near Westminster drive. Visits are booked by the hour, typically £20 an hour here with our fee included. Companionship care in Westminster shows who is available.

Often. Many attractions let a carer or companion in free, or at a reduced price, with a disabled visitor, and some ask for proof such as a letter or a benefit award. It varies, so check each place’s access or prices page before you go.

Where the nearest carers live

From the profiles of the carers based within about 45 minutes of Westminster

Where the nearest carers live. A carer close to home can manage a longer day out.

Companionship care in the counties around Westminster

Days out in the areas around Westminster

Companionship care by town in Westminster

Each town page shows the carers who list it as home, with their rates and reviews.

Find a carer who could take them out in Westminster

See carers near Westminster who drive, with their photos, interests, rates and reviews. Talking to them is free and nothing is booked until you say so.

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