Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
UK ( 020-7317 2010; www.spain.info/uk/tourspain ) You may visit the office by ap-
pointment only
USA ( 212-265 8822; www.spain.info/us/tourspain ; 666 Fifth Ave, 35th fl, New
York, NY 10103) Branches in Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami
Travellers with Disabilities
Spain is not overly accommodating for travellers with disabilities, but some things
are slowly changing. For example, disabled access to some museums, official
buildings and hotels represents something of a sea change in local thinking. In ma-
jor cities more is slowly being done to facilitate disabled access to public transport
and taxis; in some cities, wheelchair-adapted taxis are called 'Eurotaxis'. Newly
constructed hotels in most areas of Spain are required to have wheelchair-adapted
rooms. With older places, you need to be a little wary of hotels who advertise them-
selves as being disabled-friendly, as this can mean as little as wide doors to rooms
and bathrooms, or other token efforts.
ORGANISATIONS
Accessible Barcelona ( 93 428 52 27; www.accessiblebarcelona.com ) Craig
Grimes, a T6 paraplegic and inveterate traveller, created this Barcelona-specific ac-
cessible travel site, easily the most useful doorway into the city for the disabled. It
can also help with the surrounding region of Catalonia.
Accessible Travel & Leisure ( 01452-729739; www.accessibletravel.co.uk ; Avion-
ics House, Naas Lane, Quedgeley, Gloucester GL2 2SN) Claims to be the biggest UK
travel agent dealing with travel for the disabled and encourages the disabled to
travel independently.
Madrid Accessible ( www.esmadrid.com ) Not a patch on the Barcelona service, but
Madrid's tourist office website allows you to download a list of wheelchair-access-
ible hotels, and a PDF called 'Lugares Accesibles', a list of wheelchair-friendly res-
taurants, shopping centres and museums.
ONCE ( 91 577 37 56; www.once.es ; Calle de Prim 3, Madrid) The Spanish associ-
ation for the blind. You may be able to get hold of guides in Braille to a handful of
cities, including Madrid and Barcelona, although they are not published every year.
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