Kew Gardens
 

What is the best way to get to Kew Gardens from Piccadilly Circus for stair impared people? I read somewhere about taking the train past Kew and then taking the tube back to limit the usage of stairs. Any suggestions?

From Piccadilly Circus, bus #139 to Waterloo station, Southwest train to Richmond, change to District line to Kew Gardens.

If you don't mind taking longer train ride, train from Waterloo to Kingston, bus#65 goes to Kew also.

I can't see any point in going to Kingston: the 65 bus goes via Richmond station and stops close to the gardens. Kew Gardens station is not so close to the gardens.
It would surely be easier to go all the way by bus to avoid stairs completely: no 9 from Piccadilly Circus to Hammersmith, then 391 to Kew Green, for example.

You can't change from train to train, or train to bus, at Richmond without using stairs - about a couple of dozen, as I recall.

You can change from the Piccadilly Line to the District on the level at Hammersmith (same platform), but you have to get down the escalators and stairs at Piccadilly Circus, and you have to use stairs at Kew Gardens station to get under the tracks for the exit to the Gardens.

Geoff's idea sounds much better (you change at the bus station at Hammersmith Broadway, and the stops are within a few steps of each other on the level), and possibly not much slower.

http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/visitor/needskew.html

GeoffHamer and PatrickLondon have given you the best advice. A bus all the way would be much better than any train/tube combo.

Just how physically limited are the "stair impared people"? Kew Gardens are HUGE so if someone tires easily or can't walk great distances you might want to hire a wheel chair. Kew provides chairs for free - but the number is limited so you need to book ahead. There is lots of info about special needs on the website. http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/

Thanks for all the help. I can do stairs. I had a total knee replacement in May and I still have a mental block climbing stairs and the tube makes my husband's knees hurt from the swaying with the train. The bus looks good. Thanks again.