Traveling to europe with mobility issues

[Raj]

Folks - I'm planning to visit with an elderly relative who cannot walk more than 2-3 steps. Does not need a wheelchair but will manage to walk on flat ground, even cobblestone as long as it's flat or a gentle slope. That's why I ruled out istanbul when I realized it's similar to rome where going between two places could be surprised by seeing a lot of steps to climb.

That being said, is Vienna and Prague relatively good fits for this trip?

 

[Eleanor]

If you want flat, then Netherlands is probably the best place - you can't get much flatter! There are some lovely small towns to visit.

 

[Ian Sutton]

Hi Raj
Welcome to the forum.

I've not been to either, but is there any other driving reasons to choose these two?

There is a wealth of experience on the site and we'd be happy to suggest places that might fit very nicely to what you're looking for, be that art, history, architecture, food, festivals, etc.

regards
Ian

 

[Raj]

Our travel style is usually avoiding the very large tourist sites and instead enjoy open-air natural beauty, find a cute neighborhood cafe and people watch, leisurely stroll in a park, eat at restaurants that locals flock to, check out any outdoor music or festivals and so on. Cities and small towns work for but not the tiny villages where you can see the whole village in 2 hours as we prefer to spend 3 nights at any location we are at. For this trip, I'm looking for a pair of 2 places to be based out of of where I can spend 3 nights each or spend 6 days in a single place and take day trips out within a 2 hour drive. Driving vs public transportation would be better since one of us has bad knees and prefers avoiding any steps

 

[Ian Sutton]

Hi Raj
Thanks for the extra insight.

Certainly Holland is worth a look, and even outside of the big cities English is widely understood / spoken. I'd be slightly wary of Amsterdam, due to the rather vertical nature of it's buildings, meaning what (internal) steps there are can occasionally fell terrifying steep! There are others more expert than me, as my experiences are limited to Amsterdam and cricket tour to places such as Utrecht/Wageningen, plus a day trip to Keukenhof gardens (note limited season this is open). Hopefully others can chime in with good suggestions as I think this might be a very good option.

In Italy
The relative flatness of Emilia-Romagna might make Parma, Modena, Faenza, Bologna, Reggio nell'Emilia, Ravenna, etc. appealing. Bologna is the big city, but I suspect Parma and Modena would make for easier walking and Bologna could be done as a day trip. Reggio certainly has a large public park ideal for strolling, relaxing or people watching. Not being a tourist destination means that even a nice café with outdoor seating in a pleasant piazza, can mean a coffee sat down there is ~ €1.30 rather than the €3, 4, 5 or more that you might pay in touristy locations.

Verona is pretty flat too, and whilst a little more touristy than I'd like, isn't totally ruined by it. It presents a number of day trip options on the train (in Italy the simple regional trains have a single step, but the inter-city / Freccia trains have a few IIRC). The platforms typically require going under and underpass with quite a few steps but I think most have lifts (not that I've used them)

I'm discounting places where traveling via boats are an appeal, as whilst this is brilliantly easy on them when moving, I could see how a bad knee might make embarking/disembarking awkward. If you think this isn't a problem, then it does open some great options up, including classic such as Venice, or some Italian lakes, Aeolian islands etc.

Pisa - this place gets some awfully bad press, partially justified in the case of the area around the leaning tower and between it and the two stations. The supreme irony is it's often the half-day trippers that are most critical, yet it is the same people who fuel the rubbish rip-offs in those areas. Away from there though, the city itself is a little under the radar and has much to appeal on your list - some easy to access parks and charming botanical gardens (actually quite close to the leaning tower), very good / good value food as long as you stay in / around the city avoid the previously mentioned areas, or head on a short bus trip to the coast. The main street (corso Italia IIRC) is great for an early evening walk with ice-cream, busy but not oppressively so. It's Italy so cafes aren't a problem. Pisa is also a busy airport, quite close to the city, so that can work in its favour.

If driving, it opens many more places up, but also might count against many places. Driving in the countryside is generally brilliant, but in the cities and historic old towns can be horrific (and costly with congestion charges / ZTL etc.).

We've found rural Piemonte, Tuscany/Toscana, Puglia pretty easy for driving and the Veneto region east of Verona not bad either. There will be many options.

The plan sounds good, either 2 bases or one. My only thought on this would be to focus on what your arrival airport options are likely to be and work around that. With less than a week, it would be ideal to have somewhere really very close so you are relaxing as fast as possible.

regards
Ian

 

[Raj]

thx so much - great post Ian and gives me a lot of good ideas to research further

 

[Ian Sutton]

Hi Raj
Just a heads up that Rome addict is in the process of getting some travel notes (with an accessibility focus) up for Rome, which will be worth reading when posted, as they might put Rome back into consideration.
regards
Ian

 

[nukesafe]

Folks - I'm planning to visit with an elderly relative who cannot walk more than 2-3 steps. Does not need a wheelchair but will manage to walk on flat ground, even cobblestone as long as it's flat or a gentle slope. That's why I ruled out istanbul when I realized it's similar to rome where going between two places could be surprised by seeing a lot of steps to climb.

That being said, is Vienna and Prague relatively good fits for this trip?

Raj,

It was not clear to me from your original post that it was actual steps your companion had trouble with. It seemed you were saying he could only take a two or three steps, i.e., strides. How far is he comfortable in walking on flat ground?

In choosing cities that are flat, I would concentrate on those located on rivers, as many towns in Europe first built on the flat alluvial land deposited by floods. Prague and Paris are two of these. While Prague is alongside a river, and the central historic district is quite flat, it is poorly served by public transport, and while the rest of the area is served by a modern public transport system, many of the other sites are located on hills, as they were originally built as fortifications. Once out of the center, steps are everywhere, I'm afraid.

I am getting on in years and also have trouble with steps, and my choice of cities is Paris. The central area is along the river, and most of the tourist attractions are on flat ground. The city also provides a wonderful public transport system. The Metro portion of this system will, in general, will not be useful for your friend, as it has LOTS of steps. The bus system, however is well designed for folks who have difficulty with steps. In fact, many/most of the buses "kneel" in order to accommodate wheelchairs, so getting from site to site by bus should be relatively easy, and taxis could give you even more flexibility.

I hope you find a suitable town and have a wonderful trip.

 

[Raj]

yes sorry for not being clear. Am I accurate in saying that istanbul is full of steps and not a good destination for us? Also how is Krakov. I'm ok taking some taxis if public transportation is not upto par

 

[Rome Addict]

Raj while it is still up may I suggest you check out my accessible Rome page on slow Trav http://slowtrav.com/italy/accessible/rome/index.htm

Now reality check time. Get a scooter! Repeat get a scooter! As a senior I for one am sick and tired of being coddled. Is the relative going to Europe for the first time? Seriously? And you want to limit them to hick, never heard of villages? Deprive them of things like the Louvre or Vatican because they can't walk long distances?
We live in a fabulous technological age. You are talking almost instantaneously with people from all over the world. You are fine with that but not a scooter? If price is a concern there are hundreds of them on Craig's list. Or rent for a week.
With disability we sometimes do the same thing as guys with sickness. Guys say no no I am fine. We say " just go on without me, or do what you want. I will be fine." Ringing bells? When secretly we would kill to come along. And 99% of the time it is possible with a bit of an effort.
Warning relative may like it so well! You will end up buying it!

 

[Raj]

thx _ i love your write up but have a stpid question. How does a scooter climb steps - thx

 

[Rome Addict]

It doesn't but 99% of the places with steps have work around. Stay in the old city center and you should be fine. If your relative can handle 2 or 3 steps really you should be fine. Italians as a whole will bend over backwards to help get a scooter up stairs etc.

 

[Ian Sutton]

Hi Rome Addict
For clarity, am I right in thinking you're recommending a mobility scooter, rather than a Vespa/Lambretta scooter? The former are certainly much more widely seen in Italy in recent years.
regards
Ian

 

[Raj]

yes lol - a vespa would be quite funny though

 

[Pauline]

I changed the thread title to indicate "mobility issues".

 

[Rome Addict]

Florence is actually somewhat better than Rome. The streets are better traveling surfaces. All the big museums have accessible entryway. Most of the churches also. Italy's population is aging at even a faster rate than the US. Lots of elderly with canes, scooters, wheelchairs. There is a neat device where you attach it to a standard wheelchair and it turns it into a scooter. The public buses are better equipped than Rome and you can rent small electric cars

 

[Rome Addict]

The big issue with Rome is it is HUGE. No pun intended. The average tourist walks 6 miles a day. The distance from the entrance of the Vatican museums to the Sistine chapel is 438 meters or in American speak 1437 feet or about 3/10ths of a mile. That is on attraction. Add in St. Peters and you exceed a mile.

Pushing a wheelchair over the Roman cobblestones is grueling, exhausting work. My slow Trav article outlines work arounds for Vatican and lots of the other main tourist attractions. Coliseum is amazingly accessible with a scooter and miserable with a wheelchair. The actual interior where you can see where the games occurred consists of worn, chipped bricks with gaps. Impossible to push a chair over these surfaces.