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As one has visited Paris numerous times previously, it was a difficult decision as to where to base ourselves on this occasion. Due to the love for modern architecture, it seemed appropriate to drive to the La Défense district staying at the Campanile Hotel. Although low-cost, it still has all the amenities one requires i.e. a wet room and is only a 25 minute walk away from the centre of the La Défense district.

Akin to Frankfurt, the route from the hotel conveniently weaves it’s way through the countless skyscrapers and a large proportion is a dedicated cycleway…

The plan was to visit the Grande Arche which was an observation deck that closed a few years ago (unbeknown to me). Although the structure has been off limits for some time, the accessibility infrastructure i.e. elevators are still operational. It’s only when you reach the entrance that one realises that it is no more…

Despite this, with its large plazas and pedestrianised zones, its perfect for rolling around in a wheelchair whilst marvelling at the architecture.

As I mentioned previously, Disneyland Paris is a wheelchair users paradise due to 99% of the site being accessible down to the final touches and the main park is no exception.

Akin to the majority of theme parks across the world, a large proportion of disabled individuals can skip the ride queue. However, it is worth noting that at Disneyland Paris, it is necessary to pre book the rides that you wish to go on. Whilst this is understandable, it does take the spontaneity element away.

Unfortunately, many of the attractions that one wished to visit i.e. Thunder Mountain were undergoing refurbishment at the time of visiting hence it was only possible to observe from a distance…

Ones attention then turned to wheelchair accessible attractions for which one stood out, Its A Small World. As such, we wandered from Frontierland to Fantasyland. It is clear that accessibility has been at the forefront of construction as drop curbs are present when necessary and surfaces are smooth.

When rolling up to the entrance (or exit) of It’s A Small World, it’s possible to request a wheelchair accessible boat which allows one to board and then simply roll to the front making for a spectacular view inside the attraction…

Before we retreated back to the Newport Bay hotel, one couldn’t resist watching the parks parade. Now, it is worth noting that there are a few ‘areas’ along the route reserved for wheelchair users to gain an unobstructed view. The parade route can get very busy, especially during holidays thus this option is worth it in those cases. However, one decided to brave the crowds on this occasion…

Tomorrow, we return to ones European road trip by heading into Paris, exploring the La Défense district and much more.

A few hours in the WAV from Luxembourg led us to one of the most magical places on Earth, Disneyland Paris! For a wheelchair user, the entire site is heaven due to 99% of it being accessible. Although all the hotels on the plot contain fully accessible rooms, we chose the Newport Bay on this occasion…

We will be checking out the main Disneyland park tomorrow with the focus being on accessible rides, however the Disney Village sandwiched in between the majority of hotels and the parks is equally wheelchair accessible…

The Disney Village is full of shops and restaurants, nearly all of which have level access hence one really does have the pick of the crop here.

Let’s see what Disneyland has to offer a wheelchair user tomorrow…

Another day meant yet another drive in the WAV, this time over to the small nation of Luxembourg and to its beautiful capital, Luxembourg City. Again, we are staying in The Park Inn by Radisson which is located a short distance from Luxembourg Gare station and a 15 minute walk into the heart of the city making it an ideal location for a short stayover. I must say that compared to other Park Inns, the accessible room is rather on the large side.

The central part of Luxembourg is very compact with the bonus of smooth surfaces for the majority making for an easy roll…

This is apart from the usual European steps into some shops.

Cutting through the centre is a series of deep gorges containing The Old City and the River Alzette accessed by several ways from the centre. Of course, the easiest way is via road, however if you are looking for a little bit of adventure, there are a few steep and cobble streets that one can wander down…

Once at the bottom, everything is pretty much wheelchair accessible…

To save walking back up steep streets, one can also take the Pfaffenthal Panoramic Elevator FREE of charge and will return you to the centre.

Of course, a trip to a new city couldn’t be complete without visiting the train station…

Tomorrow, we head back into France to visit one of the most magical places on earth, Disneyland Paris!

As one has visited the city of Frankfurt before, it enabled us to condense our plans a little and return to the hotel before the thunderstorms hit.

The city is well-known for its endless amount of skyscrapers and, as if planned, the walk from the Radisson Blu hotel to Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof weaved it’s way through a large proportion of these, some with plazas making for a photographer’s paradise…

Today has been very humid hence the sight of the city’s Hauptbahnhof became very appealing as it provided some welcome shade (and trains, of course)…

One had planned to visit the observation deck at the top of Main Tower, however it was under refurbishment upon our arrival. From what I can recall from previous visits, the tower is completely wheelchair accessible and provides panoramic views of Frankfurt’s cityscape.

Another good vantage point that one discovered previously is atop of the MyZeil Shopping Centre which became our last stop before the thunderstorms began to roll in…

There is nothing better than watching thunder and lightning from a 10th floor hotel room…

Tomorrow, we head 3 hours over the border to our next destination on ones European Road Trip, Luxembourg City.

As the drive from Cologne to Frankfurt is relatively short (around 2 hours), we arrived at the Radisson Blu Hotel just before lunchtime. Akin to Lille, if you are looking for a central location, this hotel may not be for you as it is located just off the autobahn network and can take up to 60 minutes to walk into the heart of Frankfurt. However, if you enjoy modern architecture, this hotel has it all…

What is even better is that ones room is located on the 10th floor making for a spectacular view over the surrounding areas (and is underneath one of the main flightpaths)…

As per the majority of Radisson Blus in Western Europe, the accessible rooms come complete with a wet room to suit most requirements.

We have one full day tomorrow to explore as much of Frankfurt as possible, however, there is a high probability of thunderstorms late afternoon so this could be interesting!

As mentioned previously, one was unsure whether the Cologne Cable Car was wheelchair accessible hence we took the manual wheelchair as a precaution. However, one has since learned that a ramp is available upon request. Despite this, one is unsure whether electric wheelchairs would fit as the door is quite narrow…

For ease, we decided to do a loop meaning that the wheelchair could be left at one end. Although the journey only lasts around 6 minutes (one way), it still provides panoramic views of Cologne and the Rhine…

Tomorrow, we hop back in the WAV and travel to one of my favourite cities, Frankfurt.

As the Mercure Hotel Koeln (Belfortstrasse) is located just a stone throws away from the River Rhine, one decided to take a morning stroll along the waters edge to reach the central district. The cycle path makes for an easy roll…

Just a few minutes later, we stumbled across Cologne Central Station so, of course, one couldn’t resist a look inside (all accessible by the way)…

One of the things to note about Cologne is that the centre is quite compact making it perfect if one only has a day to explore. A few metres from Cologne Central Station is the city’s famous Cathedral with its Gothic architecture…

Although we did not have time to enter the cathedral, one has it on good authority that the majority is wheelchair accessible.

The easiest way to the Cologne Triangle Observation Deck is to cross the Hohenzollern Bridge with its unfathomable amount of padlocks. As it forms part of the cycle network, it is all accessible for wheelchairs…

One would recommend a scenic roll through the park just before entering the Cologne Triangle, perfect for getting away from the hustle and bustle for a few minutes…

As the Cologne Triangle is also used as an office building, it can seem a little strange entering, however, signage inside points you in the right direction. Disabled individuals can usually enter for FREE with proof of disability.

After a short elevator journey, one is provided with spectacular views of Colognes cityscape…

Later, one will be sampling the Cologne Cable Car which doesn’t look that wheelchair accessible, however, we will see.

After a full day exploring Brussels and The Atomium, it was time to jump back in the van and travel to the next destination, Cologne, Germany. However, let’s briefly discuss the car parking situation in the Park Inn (Gare Du Midi). Due to the limited floor space available, rather than having a conventional car park where one can exit onto the street, it is necessary here to drive your vehicle into a elevator, not an easy task with a WAV (wheelchair accessible vehicle)…

Rather than heading straight from Belgium into Germany, it was decided that we would drive through The Netherlands and then down. Now, on the map, it stated that one would be driving through a National Park, however, it simply turned out to be a plain of fields. Still, nice scenery…

For the next two nights, we are staying at the Mercure Hotel Koeln (Belfortstrasse) which is approximately 15-20 minutes walk from the famous Cologne Cathedral and Hohenzollern Bridge. Located on a quaint street, the view from ones room is quite calming in comparison to Lille and Brussels…

The plan for tomorrow is to simply explore Colognes famous centre, visit the Cologne Triangle and take a ride on the city’s cable car (which appears rather precarious)…

One of Brussels star attractions is The Atomium, originally constructed for the 1958 World’s Fair and is located just to the north of the city centre. As we are staying within touching distance of the metro network, it made sense to hop on at Gare Du Midi. Unfortunately, on our walk around yesterday, we discovered that the lift down from street level was out of order. As we only have one full day in Brussels, it was decided that taking the manual wheelchair would be far easier and quicker. The added benefit being that an escalator could be used at Gare Du Midi…

The current rolling stock on the Brussels Metro network possess quite a large gap hence it is required to notify a staff member that one needs a ramp. However, the manual wheelchair made light work of this issue with a little manpower…

Conveniently, the Atomium is located around a 10 minute walk from Heizel metro station (which is wheelchair accessible) and stands proud over its surroundings…

Due to the limited accessibility of The Atomium (only areas that can be accessed via the central elevator are suitable for wheelchairs), disabled individuals can enter for a reduced price (€8,50) Although, very strangely, if you have ‘reduced mobility’, you can enter for FREE.

The individual spheres can be accessed by a series of escalators and stairways which criss-cross the structure with some resembling the launch of Space Mountain in Disneyland Paris.

For one, there was nothing for it but to travel to the individual spheres by foot (or sitting down on escalators), great exercise I will admit!

The tram network also runs fairly close to the Atomium and is far more wheelchair friendly with level boarding (although some gaps are quite wide) and spacious areas hence it was decided that we would meander our way back to the hotel using this mode of transportation…

Tomorrow, we head over the border again, this time into Germany with the destination being Cologne!