Disabled traveling to W Med 05-07

[ap0805]

anyone out there have any information on private tours, (web sites, etc...) or any information you would like to share about getting around.

 

Barcelona

Nice

Palmero

Rome

Naples

 

 

thanks to all of you!!!!

[leoandhugh]

I think you will get more meaningful replies on this board if you give us some idea of what the disability is. if wheelchair, can you transfer, can you walk up a couple of steps into a bus etc.

for Barcelona, go to Accessible Barcelona; of all the cities you cited this is the most accessible friendly because several years back they had the handicapped Olympics there. Our experience has been that Rome is the worst; often even when you find cored curbs you will find a car parked right across it. In Naples, there are hop on/hop off buses (2 routes) which are doable with a wheelchair if you can climb into bus. many of the museums are not accessible and the galleria has several steps up to its level. suggest you google the cities you are interested in; some, but not all ,:) provide info on disabled routes. Venice, for instance, because of canals and bridges across them is a challenge

[NorthernLite]

I think you will get more meaningful replies on this board if you give us some idea of what the disability is. if wheelchair, can you transfer, can you walk up a couple of steps into a bus etc.

for Barcelona, go to Accessible Barcelona; of all the cities you cited this is the most accessible friendly because several years back they had the handicapped Olympics there. Our experience has been that Rome is the worst; often even when you find cored curbs you will find a car parked right across it. In Naples, there are hop on/hop off buses (2 routes) which are doable with a wheelchair if you can climb into bus. many of the museums are not accessible and the galleria has several steps up to its level. suggest you google the cities you are interested in; some, but not all ,:) provide info on disabled routes. Venice, for instance, because of canals and bridges across them is a challenge

 

Rome now has a taxi/van service called ITC. Taxis marked with those letters can take you right up to most attractions but will cost you. The area around the Spanish Steps is reasonably accessible because it is pedestrian and we plan on taking a taxi into town once to hang with friends when we are there on our way back from an eastern Med and Black Sea cruise. Lots of good restaurants, a wine shop/cafe or two, great shopping and McDonald's. :-(

 

If heat is a problem for you then spend the few extra EUs when you have a coffee or drink in a bar and sit down for awhile under an awning or inside. Bars are mainly coffee shops. You pay more for seats and service although air conditioning is rarely a service. Rome and Naples can get rather hot in May.

 

You are so right about cars parking on sidewalks! Very few people have lawns so the poor dogs have to squeeze between cars or risk getting rundown in the streets by mopeds and cars.

[DEL67]

We did a 7 night Western Med cruise a few years ago. We did not go to Nice or Palermo, but we did go to Barcelona, Rome and Naples.

 

Barcelona - Like LeoandHugh we found Barcelona easy to navigate on our own using the off-on buses. Most of the buses have a ramp that extends from the back door. Just make sure that you use the wheelchair tie downs as the buses can make some sharp turns. We visited the Picasso and Miro museums which were fully accessible and the Gaudi apartments, and the La Sangrada Familia which we partially accessible. We also walked much of the Ramblas.

 

My husband could transfer to a car or minivan so we rented private cars with drivers in Naples and Rome. It was expensive, but worth it. Not only was it more personal, but we were able to see more than many people on buses because our drivers took us right to each site so we did not have to walk from bus lots.

 

I can not find the company we used in Rome, but in Naples we used http://www.sorrentolimo.com. You can check the Ports of Call boards for other suggestions.

 

In Rome we toured the city and visited the to the Catacombs (not accessible), the Parthenon (accessible), the Colliseum (mostly accessible), Trevi fountain, the Vatican Museum (accessible, bit ask for directions to the Sistene Chapel) and St Peters (accessible other than the crypts.)

 

In Naples we drove the Amalfi coast and stopped at Pompei (not accessible.) I felt badly that my husband could not see Pompei, but it was very hot so he was happy sitting in the shade at a cafe near the entrance.

[NorthernLite]

Del, on our cruise we found that the Archeological Museum in Naples has a good deal of the best of Pompei in it. I lived in Rome for 3 years and never realized this. Problem for a non-walker is the taxi-driver/kidnappers. They refuse to take fares except for tours or they wait and you pay by the hour. Yes, this is against the law. Oh, and while expensive by some standards the restaurant Otello on Via Della Croce in Rome two streets to the right of the Via Condotti with the Spanish Steps to your rear is wonderful! It is set back where the villas are and is accessible and they have English menus without the ripoff prices. Lunch/Dinner for two (we ate a lot!) with a bottle of decent San Genovese wine was 76EU. It hasn't changed much in 20 years. The Via Condotti has but not one of our favorite restaurants.

[rascalrider]

If you have patience and can follow a map, you can also ride the L2 Metro line for 1.2 euros to La Familia Sagrada in Barcelona. My friend and I just did it with two small scooters. She figured it out and I followed. You can find all the info on the internet. Others paid 20 euros for a taxi to the same site. We took the ship's shuttle from the port to the main square each way for $2-$3. Some of the shuttles had wheelchair ramps. My main problem was finding a restroom. Finally found one in a Starbuck's with only one step to climb up!

[amstelveenscooter]

anyone out there have any information on private tours, (web sites, etc...) or any information you would like to share about getting around.

 

Barcelona

Nice

Palmero

Rome

Naples

 

As the others have indicated, Barcelona is quite accessible. Several of the Hop-on/Hop-off buses have a single wheelchair accessible seat, but you might have to wait for several buses to pass your location to get an accessible one. There's also a special wheelchair taxi service in Barcelona where every cab is accessible; contact the Barcelona Tourist bureau for service. (Their office below the main square has a porch lift, but it's often staffed by a guard that doesn't know how to operate it.)

 

Depending on whether you tender or dock in Nice, it's a fairly long roll to town, up a medium-grade hill. There's been major construction in the middle of town, as they're adding a subway (Metro) and the major streets are torn up. If you stay near the coastline, you can manage well and shop in the Flower Market. Accessible restrooms available in several of the major department stores.

 

Forget about either touring Naples or going to Capri; neither the ferries nor the hydrofoil are accessible (the elevator from sea level to the town won't work; many steps). We took a taxi from Naples to Sorrento and had a wonderful time. The only accessible restroom in the town is at the train station, but it's great!

 

Rome: If you are in a wheelchair, you get to bypass all the lines at both St. Peter's Basilica (don't get into the lines for entrance; enter under the archway along the right and walk up to the scanning gates) and at the Vatican Museum (watch out for the Sistine Chapel; because of renovation work, there's little room for a chair to maneuver and only a single porch lift to get down to the Chapel). Again, bypass the waiting line on the sidewalk; just roll down the street and go directly into the entrance. Go to the ticket booths on the left side, and they'll copy your passport numbers and give you free entrance!

We used a taxi and had him drop us off at St. Peter's, pick us up at the Vatican Museum, had lunch in the Piazza Navona, then drove us around the Capitoline Hills, down past the Spanish Steps and down the Via Veneto (he was wiliing to stop for desired shopping; I told him to speed up ;) ). Again, not cheap, but can easily be split between two couples!

 

Sorry, can't advise about Palermo, as we never docked.