What are the best places in Spain for disabled tourists?
Being disabled brings about lots of challenges when travelling. Luckily there are several destinations in Spain that make things easier for those with physical, visual, mental or auditory impairment.
Barcelona
Spain's most-visited city, Barcelona, has been praised by the EU for its ongoing commitment to accessibility and won third prize in 2022's Access City Awards.
Approximately 90 percent of the city's metro stations are accessible and all buses are equipped with electric ramps.
Many of the city's top sights are wheelchair-friendly such as Gaudí's La Pedrera and the Joan Miró Foundation. The Sagrada Familia has also launched audio guides for people with visual disabilities and adapted descriptions, as well as the possibility of tactile exploration of some parts of the temple. Park Güell also has two accessible routes.
The city even offers specialised tours such as its Easy Gothic Walking Tour, available for wheelchair users, those who need walking aids and those who have reduced mobility. You can find more information about this and more tours on the Barcelona Access website.
The organisation BCN4ALL also offers personal assistance for tourists and those who need a companion.
READ ALSO: What's life in Spain like for people with physical disabilities?
Madrid
Around 70 percent of Madrid’s metro stations are accessible for disabled travellers, making it not quite as friendly as Barcelona, but still a relatively easy destination to get around.
The Madrid City Council Tourism Department has put together a guide with eight different tourism routes specifically directed at disabled travellers. Each one includes a brief description of the route as well as tips and suggestions on which museums, monuments, squares or gardens with accessibility, you should visit.
Some of the most important museums in the city - the Prado National Museum and the Reina Sofía National Art Museum have also been adapted for disabled travellers.
Valencia
Another of Spain's great accessible cities is Valencia. All of Valencia's stations adapted routes with ramps and elevators, with the exception of the València Sud station.
There are also remote controls available in the lifts at Alboraia – Palmaret, Alboraia – Peris Aragó, Benimàmet and Les Carolines – Fira. Certain areas in the metro stations of Colón and Xàtiva also have a magnetic loop for those hard of hearing.
Many of the museums in Valencia have been adapted to those with physical, auditory and visual impairment. These include the Museum of Fine Arts, the Oceanogràfic, the Science Museum, the Silk Museum and the Fallas Museum.
Maps Voice is also available in the city, which allows you to read or listen to the information on maps for those who are visually impaired.
The city also has a wealth of information on its website for disabled travellers in Valencia.
There are many cities in Spain that have been adapted for wheelchair users. Photo: Nayeli Dalton / Unsplash
Málaga
In 2019, Málaga was recognised for its outstanding achievements in accessibility with a European Smart Tourism Award.
Part of the reason it was recognised is because of its accessibility on its transport network. the local Cercanías train service between Málaga and Fuengirola, as well as both metro lines have wheelchair access and lifts to the platform. Buses also have wheelchair access via electronic ramps.
Many museums also have accessibility including several of its most important art museums - the CAC, Picasso Museum, the Pompidou Centre, the Russian Museum, and the Thyssen Museum.
Bilbao
The northern Basque city of Bilbao is another great choice for disabled travellers. Many of the roads have lowered cubs and there are ramps on each bridge over the River Nervión, as well as wide pavements for wheelchair users or those with mobility scooters.
Metro Bilbao offers discounted rates for passengers who have either a total permanent disability or a severe disability, as well as for those who prove to have any disability equal or higher to 65 percent. Those accompanying a wheelchair user or a severely sight-impaired passenger can also travel free of charge.
Several of the most important museums have been adapted for disabled travellers too. The Bilbao Guggenheim Museum has a certificate that accredits its accessibility system. It offers audio guides, video guides and tours in sign language, as well as models of some of the most famous works that those who are blind or partially sighted can touch.
The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum also has a tactile experience space for people with visual disabilities.
Bilbao-based tour company Fekoor offers special city tours for disabled travellers, as well as to areas nearby.
Córdoba
The Andalusian city of Córdoba won second prize in the European Commission's Access City Award for 2023.
The city has a dedicated Delegation of Inclusion and Accessibility that aims to promote and improve accessibility for tourists who visit the city. Train stations are also accessible while funding from NextGenerationEU is being used to make 220 bus stops in Córdoba 100 percent accessible too.
One of the best times to visit Córdoba is for the Patios Festival in May, where residents open up and decorate their courtyards. During the festival, mobile ramps are installed for wheelchair users or people with reduced mobility.
Córdoba’s Julio Romero de Torres Museum is also the first museum in Spain to be 100 percent accessible. It is equipped with a hearing loop, relief paintings, audio descriptions of the exhibits in 34 languages and Spanish sign language. There is also an accessible route from the historic centre to the museum.
Other Cities
Other cities worth visiting for disabled travellers include Vigo in Galicia which received a special mention in the EU's Access City Award in 2019, Valencia's Castellón de la Plana which was awarded second prize in 2020 and Palma de Mallorca which received a special mention in 2022.
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Barcelona
Spain's most-visited city, Barcelona, has been praised by the EU for its ongoing commitment to accessibility and won third prize in 2022's Access City Awards.
Approximately 90 percent of the city's metro stations are accessible and all buses are equipped with electric ramps.
Many of the city's top sights are wheelchair-friendly such as Gaudí's La Pedrera and the Joan Miró Foundation. The Sagrada Familia has also launched audio guides for people with visual disabilities and adapted descriptions, as well as the possibility of tactile exploration of some parts of the temple. Park Güell also has two accessible routes.
The city even offers specialised tours such as its Easy Gothic Walking Tour, available for wheelchair users, those who need walking aids and those who have reduced mobility. You can find more information about this and more tours on the Barcelona Access website.
The organisation BCN4ALL also offers personal assistance for tourists and those who need a companion.
READ ALSO: What's life in Spain like for people with physical disabilities?
Madrid
Around 70 percent of Madrid’s metro stations are accessible for disabled travellers, making it not quite as friendly as Barcelona, but still a relatively easy destination to get around.
The Madrid City Council Tourism Department has put together a guide with eight different tourism routes specifically directed at disabled travellers. Each one includes a brief description of the route as well as tips and suggestions on which museums, monuments, squares or gardens with accessibility, you should visit.
Some of the most important museums in the city - the Prado National Museum and the Reina Sofía National Art Museum have also been adapted for disabled travellers.
Valencia
Another of Spain's great accessible cities is Valencia. All of Valencia's stations adapted routes with ramps and elevators, with the exception of the València Sud station.
There are also remote controls available in the lifts at Alboraia – Palmaret, Alboraia – Peris Aragó, Benimàmet and Les Carolines – Fira. Certain areas in the metro stations of Colón and Xàtiva also have a magnetic loop for those hard of hearing.
Many of the museums in Valencia have been adapted to those with physical, auditory and visual impairment. These include the Museum of Fine Arts, the Oceanogràfic, the Science Museum, the Silk Museum and the Fallas Museum.
Maps Voice is also available in the city, which allows you to read or listen to the information on maps for those who are visually impaired.
The city also has a wealth of information on its website for disabled travellers in Valencia.
Málaga
In 2019, Málaga was recognised for its outstanding achievements in accessibility with a European Smart Tourism Award.
Part of the reason it was recognised is because of its accessibility on its transport network. the local Cercanías train service between Málaga and Fuengirola, as well as both metro lines have wheelchair access and lifts to the platform. Buses also have wheelchair access via electronic ramps.
Many museums also have accessibility including several of its most important art museums - the CAC, Picasso Museum, the Pompidou Centre, the Russian Museum, and the Thyssen Museum.
Bilbao
The northern Basque city of Bilbao is another great choice for disabled travellers. Many of the roads have lowered cubs and there are ramps on each bridge over the River Nervión, as well as wide pavements for wheelchair users or those with mobility scooters.
Metro Bilbao offers discounted rates for passengers who have either a total permanent disability or a severe disability, as well as for those who prove to have any disability equal or higher to 65 percent. Those accompanying a wheelchair user or a severely sight-impaired passenger can also travel free of charge.
Several of the most important museums have been adapted for disabled travellers too. The Bilbao Guggenheim Museum has a certificate that accredits its accessibility system. It offers audio guides, video guides and tours in sign language, as well as models of some of the most famous works that those who are blind or partially sighted can touch.
The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum also has a tactile experience space for people with visual disabilities.
Bilbao-based tour company Fekoor offers special city tours for disabled travellers, as well as to areas nearby.
Córdoba
The Andalusian city of Córdoba won second prize in the European Commission's Access City Award for 2023.
The city has a dedicated Delegation of Inclusion and Accessibility that aims to promote and improve accessibility for tourists who visit the city. Train stations are also accessible while funding from NextGenerationEU is being used to make 220 bus stops in Córdoba 100 percent accessible too.
One of the best times to visit Córdoba is for the Patios Festival in May, where residents open up and decorate their courtyards. During the festival, mobile ramps are installed for wheelchair users or people with reduced mobility.
Córdoba’s Julio Romero de Torres Museum is also the first museum in Spain to be 100 percent accessible. It is equipped with a hearing loop, relief paintings, audio descriptions of the exhibits in 34 languages and Spanish sign language. There is also an accessible route from the historic centre to the museum.
Other Cities
Other cities worth visiting for disabled travellers include Vigo in Galicia which received a special mention in the EU's Access City Award in 2019, Valencia's Castellón de la Plana which was awarded second prize in 2020 and Palma de Mallorca which received a special mention in 2022.
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