Accessible Europe?: 2004
We have just created a guidebook for travelers with mobility problems (ranging from having difficulty walking to using a wheelchair), with the focus on London, Paris, Amsterdam, Bruges, Frankfurt, and the Rhine. Please share any tips or comments for people with disabilities regarding European travel in general and these destinations in particular. Thanks for your help.
Accessability in Italy
My wife uses a walker. I use a cane. We were in Italy for eight weeks this Fall through Milan, Padua, Venice, Ferrara, Siena, Florence, Tuscan Hill towns, Assisi, Cassino, Amalfi, Pompei, Rome. I took numerous notes on accessability and can share them if anyone is interested. Please let me know.
Donald J. Pedley
Yuma, AZ USA Tue 12/28/2004
Brussels by public transit
Many Brussels trams especially on the underground stretch from North Station to Albert, and from Diamant to Boileau, have very narrow openings. Their double folding doors are of no consolation since there is a pillar between them. I don't see how someone in a wheelchair can climb aboard such a tram. It's hard enough for someone able-bodied to get in, if they have a heavy jacket on and are carrying groceries or whatever. Even with the central platforms for boarding, there are always steps to be climbed. I would suggest for someone with limited mobility to make use the larger metro, lines 1A, 1B and 2, or the bus. Centraal Station possibly has the best accessibility of all the stations.
Josh Hanz
Frisco, TX USA Sat 11/20/2004
The London Tube
Although legally blind, I have travelled by myself around the UK and France, encountering just enough problems to make life interesting and to keep me humble. Because I have some vision, I can use that to great advantage.
Many people on this board comment on the Tube in London. First, I remember that the Tube is over 100 years old, and that it remains a marvel of Victorian engineering. Which did not always include thought for the disabled. But the signage is wonderful, once a person figures out how it works. Since trains usually stop at every station, I count the number of stations I need to pass to get to mine. There are some exceptions, so I do a bit more advance planning to find out which ones those might be. Some stations were built on a curve, so there are the famous "gaps" between the train and the platform to watch out for. But these are always announced. Who has not left London with "mind the gap" still ringing in one's ears?
For those with mobility challenges, Transport for London's website has an 'accessibilty map". Study it carefully. Right now, only 40 stations have proper lifts or no stairs. Most busses, on the other hand, have wheel chair access. Tfl also have tube maps in large print. Take time to explore the rest of their site, it will tell you everything about the Tube you ever wanted to know and then some.http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/content/tubemap/default.asp
The signage at some rail stations can be difficult, especially those "flapper boards" which give the platform and time of your train. I just find a station guard, tell them what I need, and they are invariably helpful. Again as others here have said, ask. You don't ask, you don't get. I just flash a smile, offer a "please" or "s'il vous plait" and all kinds of good things happen.Bon voyage
Michael
Edmonton, Canada Thu 10/21/2004
Elevators in Paris at Arc de Triomphe and Montaparnasse Tower
Contrary to Rick's book, at the Arc de Triomphe, I was told there was an elevator for strollers and wheelchairs that takes you to the museum level, but you'd have to walk up the remaining stairs to get to the outdoor viewing area. I don't know if the museum has any windows that could substitute if you are not able to walk up the stairs to the actual viewing platform.
The 59 story Montparnasse Tower also has an elevator (no surprise) but it only goes to the 56th floor. There is a 3 euro price reduction for handicapped people. The 56th floor is actually the nicer view, as there is a cafe, photo exhibition, and labelled panaromic photos to help you identify buildings. There are probably less than 30 stairs to the 59th floor of the tower with lots of resting places, so it is doable if you can climb stairs. But if you cannot, you have not missed anything.
Karen
USA now Belgium, USA Tue 10/12/2004
TravelRome with a Wheelchair
I?m in the process of planning a trip to Rome and Florence in October with my husband and sister (my sister uses a wheelchair). While doing the planning, I referred to some of the websites listed below. Hopefully they?ll be a good resource for you, as well!
One article I found particularly helpful was located on the Access-Able.com website, and was written by a woman and her husband who?d traveled to Rome in the May 2003 (see link below). I found the article to be very reassuring, as they seemed to have had a great experience. While it is clear Rome is a challenging city to explore on ?wheels?, the author provides great info on basics like what tourist sites are/are not accessible, where you can find an accessible public restroom, etc. In other words, things a lot of people take for granted but are essential to having a good trip!
http://www.access-able.com/tales/rome_access_2003.html
The ?No Barriers? website catalogues Roman tourist attractions, transportation, shops, etc. by how easy or difficult they are to access in a wheelchair:
mellen
Chicago, il USA Wed 09/22/2004
Wheelchair in Europe
Has anyone mentioned that as far asI know all tourist places are freein Europe to those in Wheelchairs? AsI can walk enough to get on a bus, Ifound most things were very accessible.
We were given a specialentrance to Hampton Court, At Westminster Abbey, I was escorted to the front of the line on a very cold day, also I did not have to be in line for the Millieneum Wheel,purchase your tickets and they will give you a time to go the front of the line. The Tower of London is very wheelchair unfriendly with horrid pavements and short stairs all over the place.
The Paris Opera House (Garnier) has a special guide and elevator.The Louve was no problem at all andwe usually were guided to the freight elevators.
At the Munich Airport, they sent a special bus out for me and my husband though I could have gone onthe regular bus and they evencarried me in my chair up the escalator! We also had a special place toview the famous Lipazner stallionsduring morning practice. Both palaces in Vienna are wheelchairaccessible.
If you rent a car, do bring yourhandicapped sticker, it was accepted in England and we did notdrive in any of the other countries.
Cher Classick
Amelia, OH USA Fri 09/03/2004
Barcelona & general observations
I recently traveled to Barcelona and had a great time. I use a wheelchair and had two people with me for assistance. Everyone was most helpful and found most places accesible. One problem is that many restaurants have a step up to enter and then there rest rooms are down a flight of stairs. We had to ask before entering a restaurant about restrooms and if the step was too high to get into the place we just went elsewhere or ate at sidewalk cafes.
After reading many negative letters about travel I wonder if the are any disabled people living in Europe. How do those people get around? Of course, it has taken way too long to get things done in the USA ,so Nobody should complain.
Jane Mitchell
San Diego, CA USA Wed 08/04/2004
Accessible London & Paris
I am so sorry that Rosemary and her husband had difficulty in London and at the Louvre. In London, the sidewalks do need some cut-aways, but it is not impossible to navigate the streets. I pushed my daughter's chair all over London. We did take some cabs when my feet gave out but we walked over 5 miles every day, including from the Globe to Westminister Bridge both ways. We had little trouble navigating the sidewalks. At Heathrow, we were met at the plane and were escorted through customs to luggage, the ATM, and to the cab; the gentleman was wonderful!
At the Louvre, we had a little trouble getting someone to help us but we started looking for the older employee and found them to be more helpful (I think it is the grandparent thing with the wheelchair). All of the elevators worked for us and we saw every painting and sculpture that we wanted to see- some of them twice. Meg wanted to go back and spend an entire day there. No one should ever miss the Louvre on their first trip to Paris, just allow for extra time. Elevators fail everywhere- my daughter just got stuck in the elevator at the high school, and we don't get to see everything we want in this country because of accessibility.
Some of the ramps in Europe are a little steep but we always had someone to help. If using a chair, it is important to measure the outside width of the wheels because some of the doors, elevators, and London cabs are not as wide as ours here in the U.S.
Kaye Norlin
La Salle, IL USA Tue 03/23/2004
Accessible toilets
I noticed on the city maps in larger cities that the w/c accessible toilets are listed using the international symbol. To use them in some locations, you may need to ask for access as the personnel keep the public wcs locked so that they are available for those who need them.
Kaye Norlin
La Salle, IL USA Thu 03/11/2004
Accessiblity info for Paris
For Paris (and a few other cities), there's a great guide where you can see maps detailing the location of accessible toilets, phones, the condition and width of sidewalks and roads, etc. It's in French, but the legend shouldn't be too opaque with the help of a simple dictionary.
See: http://www.mobile-en-ville.asso.fr/
Click on Cartographie (maps), pick your city, et voila!
Dan Boren
Edmonds, WA USA Thu 02/26/2004
Accessibility - England
I suffered a stroke several years ago. Fortunately we have already traveled
extensively in Eupope over the past 30 years! Recently we spend 2 weeks
in South Britain. Small towns, with a rental car, were surprisingly easy
and accomodating. We used email to reserve most of our rooms before leaving
the States. Arriving, we then knew there would be an accomodation reserved
that was accessible. Some of the rooms were recent renovations with roll-in
showers, others were simply ground floor rooms reachable without steps,
and with regular showers.
We took our US handicapped parking sign and it was honored. Most parking garages had reserved spaces, and they were free in most places. Oxford was the only town that we had trouble finding accessible parking.
Small towns were usually the most enjoyable because the walks are shorter, the people very helpful and handicapped parking easier to find. Often local British guide books tell you whether or not some portion of an attraction is restricted for the handicapped. We used taxis to get us to major attractions such as the lovely cathedral in Salisbury. We saw part of the Roman Baths in Bath, but could not see the lower level except by looking down from above. But that is better than not seeing it at all!
Leaving the Salisbury Cathedral I was getting very tired, but still had a smile on my face. My husband approached a taxi sitting in the yard. It was not available, but he radioed, "elderly couple waiting, and she has a stick." No one had ever called us elderly before! But the cane I use got us a limo with a uniformed driver almost instantly! It made my day, even if I was called elderly.
Plan ahead, use email to chat
with the hotel or B&B so you know what to expect. Ask clear questions
and make it clear what you need to make the stay successful. Plan short
days with time for breaks and be satisfied with seeing what you can and
not regretting what you can't get to. I found that because we moved more
slowly, I experienced things that I had missed on earlier trips. Smell
the roses, talk with the children, smell the bakeries, etc.! But do go!
Jan Stout
Bellevue, WA USA Sun 01/18/2004