Accessible Tourism in Barcelona
Enjoy an Accessible Holiday in Catalonia's Capital
Barcelona in northern Spain is an excellent destination for everyone, but especially disabled or older travellers. Some useful access information for visiting Barcelona.
The 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona forced the city to improve access dramatically, both for the Paralympics athletes and for disabled visitors. As a result, Barcelona is now one of the most disabled-friendly cities in Europe.
Travel to Barcelona
The easiest way to reach Barcelona is by flying. Barcelona airport is 12 km from the city centre and from here you can catch a fast accessible shuttle bus (Aerobus). It leaves every 15 minutes and takes 30 minutes to reach the city centre.
There are fast luxury overnight trains from Paris to Barcelona with TrenHotel, but these are unfortunately not accessible to wheelchair users. Ambulant disabled travellers who wish to travel by train should take the Eurostar to Paris, transfer to Paris's Austerlitz station, then take the overnight train from there. You will arrive in Barcelona at around 8am.
Accessible Public Transport & Taxis
Public transport is easily accessible in Barcelona, and thanks to a comprehensive metro, FGC (internal city trains) and bus network you shouldn't need to use taxis. You can download maps and timetables from the Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona website.
Around 80 per cent of metro stations now have lifts (check the map for exact stations). At one end of the platform there is a raised section which allows level access to the train. Adaptations are also being made in stations to improve automatic ticket machines, signage and announcements for visually and hearing impaired travellers.
Amazingly, all buses in Barcelona are now accessible, with a kneeling action, automatic lowering ramp and dedicated wheelchair space. This includes night buses. When you want to get off the bus, make sure you press the blue button with the wheelchair symbol – this alerts the drive that he must lower the ramp for you.
Only about half of Barcelona's regional trains (cercanias) are currently accessible, although the plan is to raise this figure to 90 per cent by 2010. Disabled access is indicated for each train on the Spanish train company Renfe's on-line timetables. If you need help accessing the train, call +34 9 02 240 202 in advance and make sure you arrive at the station around 45 minutes early.
Accessible Museums, Sights & Attractions in Barcelona
Barcelona is packed with museums, galleries and other attractions, and most have now made the necessary adaptations to allow disabled tourists to enter. Details should be on most websites but it's a good idea to call in advance to check that lifts are working and toilets are open. You can also check the 'Access' section of the official tourist information website (see below), which contains detailed and reliable information on almost all tourist attractions.
One of the best museums in Barcelona is the Fundació Miró, a modern museum containing a huge collection of art by Catalan artist Juan Miró. Disabled visitors get discounted entry and there is a nice, quiet café-restaurant inside.
The Fundació Miró is located in the Parc de Montjuïc, a superb park overlooking Barcelona from the southwest. It can be a little steep and bumpy in places, but is perfect for a picnic and day out. The best way to reach the park is by funicular railway from the Paral-lel metro station. Make sure you enter the allocated disabled area in the front of the funicular train, as this leads you straight to a platform lift on arrival at the upper station. Staff will help with any arrangements.
Barcelona Tourist Information for Disabled Visitors
The official tourist board provides an excellent access information website for Barcelona. The site suggests various walking routes around the city and gives reliable information on sights and attractions. It uses pictograms to indicate the level of accessibility of each place for different disabilities, including hearing and visual disabilities.
The English-language Accessible Barcelona website can arrange airport transfers, hotel booking, equipment hire and accessible taxis. Be aware that some of the information on the site is slightly out of date.
