What are the world's most wheelchair friendly cities? When it comes to wheelchair-friendly travel, not all places have the same accessibility and environment. Certain cities around the globe have made commendable strides towards. Thus becoming accessible and have earned the gratitude of tourist wheelchair users. If you want to skip to our favorite, the video of Nara is the best!
Here, we present our selection of the world's top wheelchair-friendly cities to give inspiration for your next trip. Don't forget, you while you travel, we have a wide network of dealers available to serve you. Just punch in your zip code or go to our Global Network if you're out of US.
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona is deemed one of the most accessible cities in Europe. This is truly our favorite. All of its buses, most of its metro stations, and a large part of the city’s streets are wheelchair-accessible – except modified pavements, pedestrianized, and the cobblestone-free Ciutat Vella (Catalan for ‘Old City’).
The majority of attractions such as the Sagrada Família, Park Güell, and Casa Mila hold disabled access, with the previous offering free entry to wheelchair-users. But the most attractive part of this city for those with reduced mobility has to be the city beach. It has wheelchair-accessible walkways down to the water, accessible changing departments, and a free aided bathing service throughout the summer months.
Hotel Casa Camper is the highest-rated accessible hotel in Barcelona, with the majority of the rooms being wheelchair-friendly and two being particularly readjusted.
Seattle, USA
Seattle can be a hilly city but it’s also often advertised as the most accessible city in North America. Everything – from taxis and buses to airport shuttles and ferries – is wheelchair-friendly, with wheelchair ramps, and elevators, and a Link Light Rail system that is designed to increase accessibility. But it is not merely transportation that makes the Emerald City so renowned for travelers with reduced mobility.
Most of its main sights are sufficiently accessible. Whether you want to zip up to the top of the city’s iconic observation tower landmark, Space Needle, or take a boat tour for whale watching around the islands and waterways of Puget Sound. Even the neighboring nature areas are provided with boardwalks and viewing platforms. Some other accessible sights that wheelchair users can explore include the waterfront Pike Place Market and the 175 foot-tall Seattle Great Wheel.
London, UK
The city of London is well recognized for being the house of black cabs. The city has about 21,000 black cabs, often found in London based movies and television shows. The best thing about them is the point that they are completely wheelchair accessible. So this make getting from one point to another within London easy. For transport black cabs aren’t your only choice. Other parts of London’s transport system are wheelchair accessible and so it is clear to see why it is one of the most popular wheelchair-friendly cities in the world.
For a center where much of the architecture dates back several hundred years, London is surprisingly very accessible for wheelchair users. The Tube is considered to be the world’s oldest underground railway but a fraction of stations have step-free access and you can design your accessible route in advance using the TfL (Transport for London) website.
All of the buses and black cabs are wheelchair-accessible. This suggests you can hail and hop into your taxi without requiring assistance. And with regards to attractions, the immense majority already have wheelchair ramps and easy access. The government is working on further access laws that demand all tourist attractions. This includes hotspots to accommodate adequate wheelchair access. Instances of portable wheelchair ramps throughout the city further increase wheelchair accessibility potential.
Berlin, Germany
Berlin is a remarkably popular city that draws millions of wheelchair users from all over the world every year. Due to its popularity, a large amount of investment has been put into easy accessibility so that more people can experience the city to its fullest. The public transport system’s accessibility is second to none and presents easy mobility with wheelchair ramps and elevators.
Moreover, Berlin is known all around the world for being rich in history, which means there are plenty of sights to indulge in. Most of the city’s main attractions are planned to provide easy access for wheelchair users and even have free entry, like in the gates of the Berlin Wall and the Brandenburg Gate. Many of Berlin’s main attractions are also within walking distance of one another.
Tokyo, Japan
Everyone arrives back from Japan expressing how much they loved it, and now you can too!
Furthermore, there are a plethora of elevators and wheelchair ramps with specialized priority ones for those who need them. Isn't that great! Truth be told, Japan is really our favorite. Not to mention, the people are so nice! Accessible public bathrooms are available throughout the city. The main attractions are all close to an accessible train station and they are comparatively easy for mobility. Many of the museums are wheelchair friendly, as are the notable gardens of Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Nara Park, and the Bamboo Forest. Getting an accessible hotel can be a problem as Tokyo isn’t known for its large rooms, but it is attainable. Just double-check with the hotel regarding your accessibility requirements.
Final Thoughts
Being a wheelchair user does not mean that you hold back from taking a vacation. Hopefully our list of the wheelchair friendly cities around the world will get you motivated and moving. Start searching for cheap international flights to visit some of the amazing wheelchair-friendly cities as soon as possible.