The Gothic quarter and most of
Eixample are basically flat, with a very gradual slope downward toward the
waterfront. Montjuic is a steep
hill. Some of the outer neighborhoods,
such as the area around Parc Guell, are hilly.
The vast majority of intersections in the
city center have curb ramps or curb cuts. Many curb ramps, especially in the
Eixample, span the entire width of the crosswalk. A clever design, this
eliminates the common problem of an able-bodied pedestrian standing in and
blocking the small ramped area. Unlike
in some European cities, the curb ramps are smooth and continue all the way
down to the street; there are no 1” or 2” high ledges presenting obstacles at the
bottom. Many curb ramps are steeper than
the
Buses. We took a couple
round trips on different lines. For a
detailed description of the accessible buses, see “Transportation – General,”
above. The ramps worked and the drivers
were proficient and courteous. We didn’t
have to wait more than 12 minutes. In
Eixample the streets have truncated corners, a clever, unique innovation in
urban planning and street design. One
good effect of this is that the bus ride is smooth around the corners: turning a corner means turning 45 degrees,
going straight for a short distance, then turning 45 degrees again – there are
no 90 degree angles.
Funicular (to Montjuic and the
Metro. We didn’t take the Metro but were informed that many stations are accessible. In various places we saw people in wheelchairs waiting for or emerging from Metro elevators.
Information. Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona has a good website with bus and metro information, including an English section. www.tmb.net.
Taxis. We contacted our hotel
in
We
used: Juanjo; Monorolumen Adaptado: Phone 011-34-609-324-006.
Others:
Barna Taxi and Taxi AMIC . Phone 011-34-934-208-088.
Where We Stayed
This
80-room hotel, opened in 2003, has much to recommend it. It’s conveniently located in an elegant
neighborhood near Passeig de Grŕcia at the beginning of Eixample, only a few
blocks from most of the Modernist architecture yet close enough to walk to the
Gothic quarter and the trendy El Born neighborhood. This 1888 neoclassical building has been
carefully restored with attention to detail in a style that is modern and sleek
rather than charming. Our room featured
a lovely (though inaccessible) balcony with large doors and a good view; even
though it faced the main street Gran Via, it was quiet with the doors closed.
Service was attentive and sophisticated;
the hotel was spotless; it was very reasonably priced; hi-tech amenities
including wi-fi Internet access are prominently featured; the bathrooms are
marble; and there are a beautiful (though small and inaccessible) pool, Jacuzzi
and sauna. There is a good café off the
lobby. One nice touch: a few days before our arrival we received an
informative email from the hotel containing sightseeing suggestions, current
cultural events and helpful website links.
The front entrance has a gradual ramp and
electric glass doors. There is an
accessible bathroom off the lobby. There
are two elevators, one small and one smaller.
Howard fit in both but could use the smaller only with the wheelchair
footplates in the shortened position.
Although the elevators are too narrow to turn around in, there’s no need
to because they have front and rear doors (a design common throughout
We stayed in room 502. We were told there are two other identical
adapted rooms. The bedroom is medium
size and has a long, wide hallway that enhances the spacious feeling and affords
very good turning space. There is very
good natural light, excellent recessed lighting and well-placed light
fixtures. But some important items are
inaccessibly high, including the receptacle for the master cardkey necessary to
turn on the electricity in the room, and the hair dryer and phone in the
bathroom. The room door is very heavy
and has a tight closer; it would be impossible for most people in wheelchairs
to open and close the door.
The room has two bathrooms – one
accessible, which is medium size, and one regular. Each has a large bathtub; there is no roll-in
shower. The bathtub has one short
horizontal grab bar on the side wall and one small built-in handle on each
side. So there is no way for most wheelchair users to transfer to the tub. The shower hose is very long, though it and
the controls are hard to reach.
Fortunately, the sink is deep and wide, so one can wash one’s hair using
the shower hose. There is little space
on the sink for toiletries and no vanity or shelf.
The toilet is problematic. There is one wall-mounted fold-down grab bar
on the side nearest the wall, and no fixed grab bars. The fold-down bar is too close to the toilet,
reducing one’s leverage. Most important,
there is insufficient space between the toilet and the sink for a
wheelchair. Also, the toilet is similar
to those common in
If bathroom access weren’t an issue, we’d
recommend the
Other
Hotels to Consider
The
following hotels told us they have adapted rooms though, except as otherwise
indicated, without roll-in showers:
Hotel H10 Gravina.
Three star. One adapted
room. Renovated in 2001. Gravina, 12.
Phone 011-34-933-016-868; fax 011-34-933-172-838. www.h10.es; h10.gravina@h10.es.
Hotel Majestic.
Four star. Four adapted
rooms. Passeig de Grŕcia, 68. Phone 011-34-934-881-717; fax 011-34-934-879-790. www.hotelmajestic.es
reservas@hotelmajestic.es.
Le Meridien.
Five star. Four adapted
rooms. Renovated in 2002. Ramblas, 111.
Phone 011-34-933-186-200; fax 011-34-933-017-776. www.lemeridien.com;
www.lemeridien-barcelona.com.
Prestige Paseo de Gracia.
Four star. One adapted room. We were unable to ascertain the existence of
a roll-in shower. Passeig de Gracia, 62.
Phone 011-34-932-724-180; fax
011-34-932-724-181. www.prestigehotels.com; paseodegracia@prestigehotels.com.
Hotels Without Adapted Rooms
The
following hotels told us they do not have adapted rooms:
Hotel Colon. Four Star.
Avenida Catedral, 7. Phone
011-34-933-011-404. www.hotelcolon.es. They told us they will be making rooms
adapted in the “near future.”
Hotel Neri. Three or Four Star. Calle Sant Sever, 5. Phone 011-34-933-040-655. www.hotelneri.com.
Cathedral (Barri Gothic).
There is a steep but short semi-permanent ramp at the side entrance (to
the left as one faces the front). The
floor inside is level but most of the chapels are up stairs.
Synagogue Mayor (Major Synagogue).
Calle Marlet, 5. (Near Placa Sant
Jaume in the Gothic Quarter.) Phone
011-34-933-170-790. www.calldebarcelona.org. This newly restored synagogue, dating from
the late Roman period, is down several steep stairs and isn’t wheelchair
accessible. But if you wait at the
entrance in the narrow street, an enthusiastic English-speaking guide will come
out and explain the history of the synagogue and
La Pedrera (Gaudi’s Casa Mila).
Gaudi’s dazzling, organic masterpiece cannot be described in words. If you like the photographs of it, you won’t
be disappointed; if you don’t, see the real thing before judging it.
There is
a small but accessible modern (more or less) elevator from the ground floor to
the attic. Be careful backing out of the
elevator at the attic – there is a stairway nearby. The attic, with its famous vaulted brick
ceilings supported by catenary arches (an arch shaped like a chain suspended
upside-down from two points), has an extensive, well-documented museum with
models of many of Gaudi’s projects and thorough explanations of his methods and
innovations. From the attic you can take
the same elevator to the roof. The
elevator landing at the roof consists of a steep compound-angled steel floor;
anyone in a wheelchair – manual or electric - will require assistance. From there you can wheel to one small area on
the roof; the remainder is full of stairs.
It’s exhilarating to be on the roof and one can see a lot from the
accessible area.
One apartment (there are four large
apartments per floor) has been restored with typical period furniture (but not
Gaudi’s furniture) and is part of the tour.
It’s accessed by the old, original elevator from the ground floor. This is a different elevator from the one to
the attic/roof; it’s still used by the apartment tenants (yes, many of the
apartments are still being rented and occupied). Howard just fit with no room to spare; both
tires brushed the sides of the doorway.
For people who can transfer easily or stand a bit, a narrow wheelchair
is available that fits in this elevator.
The employees were very helpful and the
audioguide is comprehensive and rich in detail.
Casa Battlo.
Gaudi’s expressive, colorful, exuberant and airy masterpiece on the
“Street of Discord” was recently restored with careful attention to each
extraordinary detail. The main entrance
is level. However, the only elevator is
the original one; it has folding wooden doors and was a couple of inches too
narrow for Howard’s wheelchair. So
Howard was admitted for free and given an audioguide. On the ground level are the entrance lobby
with a beautiful stairway, including the wooden “spine” railing, and the
radiant courtyard/light well with aqua blue scalloped ceramic tiles. These areas alone are well worth waiting in a
long line. The complete tour includes
the primary residential level, rear terrace, attic and roof. While Michele toured the inaccessible areas,
Howard enjoyed waiting in the lobby and listened to all segments of the superb
audioguide to learn about the inaccessible areas.
Parc Guell.
Accessible bus 24 from Passeig de Gracia goes to the park, which is
located on a hill in the outskirts of
From the upper park level a steep stone
path with railings leads down to the Gaudi house/museum. The house entrance has one stair. The ground floor is accessible but the
basement and upper floor are not.
A series of fairly steep dirt paths leads
down from the upper park level to the top of the pavilions (where the
beautiful, serpentine benches of colorful ceramics are located), from there to
the bottom of the pavilions, and from there to the main (lower) park entrance
with its main gate flanked by whimsical buildings. Howard required some assistance on those
paths and a person in a manual wheelchair would need to be pushed in many
areas. Also, each level has stairs on
one side and a path on the other, but the path at one level isn’t on the same
side as the path at the next level, so it’s necessary to switch sides from one
level to the next. There is a large
clean accessible bathroom (with an attentive attendant) near the café at the
main (lower) park entrance and a smaller, unattended accessible bathroom near
the café at the upper level.
After your visit, we strongly advise
backtracking uphill through the park, leaving via the upper entrance and
catching the bus there, rather than exiting the main entrance and trying to
negotiate the steep streets downhill to the main bus stop.
Sagrada Familia.
There are entrances at the front and back, both of which are up steep
slopes from the sidewalk. There are tricky compound angles and assistance is
required for electric and manual wheelchairs.
The cavernous interior is accessible. (The interior is cold and windy; a jacket or
sweater is advisable no matter the weather.)
One can roll alongside the construction area via wooden walkways with
railings; the walkways are steep in a few places and people in manual
wheelchairs may require assistance. The
elevator to the tower is up several stairs and is too narrow for a
wheelchair. The large basement has
informative, extensive exhibits on Gaudi, including some of Gaudi’s actual
models and photographs of construction of the cathedral. The basement is accessed via a steep ramp and
assistance is required for electric and manual wheelchairs. Wheelchair users
are charged a reduced admission fee.
Hospital Sant Pau.
Taller de Tapas.
This tapas bar in the trendy El Born neighborhood has a large variety of
delicious tapas. The fish and seafood
are particularly good.
Cacao Sampaka. This innovative chocolate café and store
in the Eixample serves delicious, intense but not overly sweet hot chocolate,
truffles, other chocolates and cocoa beans.
It is the creation of the brother of the