European Road Trip – June/July 2013

After leaving the hustle and bustle of Paris, we only had a few hours to explore the city of Strasbourg before heading down to Zurich. If you are short for time, one would highly recommend navigating the city using it’s tramway. Thanks to its low floor vehicles, level boarding is possible making for an easy roll around in a wheelchair…

One of the main sights in Strasbourg is its Cathedral located in the heart of the city. Contrary to some articles, one actually found the centre easy to roll around as a large proportion of ‘fake’ cobble surfaces are quite smooth…

Due to time constraints, one didn’t enter the cathedral, I have heard that it is partially accessible for wheelchairs and that disabled individuals can enter for FREE…

The next stop was The Bridge of Two Banks which straddles the Rhine River connecting France and Germany signifying harmony between the two countries. Although it is located just outside the centre, one can easily reach said bridge by tram leaving at Port du Rhin. From there, cycle paths lead to the bridge…

It is quite something to be sitting between two countries…

On the route back to the WAV, it was only right that one stopped by the Gare Centrale which is known for its architecture…

Let’s see what Zurich has in store for a wheelchair user!

Apart from rolling around the La Défense district, the other thing on the Paris checklist was to visit Tour Montparnasse. Since we are staying on the other side of the Seine, Maps advised us that we could either use the metro or the tram to reach said tower. Now, one is quite familiar with the Parisian metro (and RER) network and can say that it’s not the easiest to navigate whether due to the lack of elevators or large gaps between the train and the platform. As such, one was excited to give the tram network a go after which I will never look back!

As per a large proportion of tram networks worldwide, the rolling stock consists of low floor vehicles making level boarding possible at nearly every station. This is definitely one of the better ways for wheelchair users to navigate Paris.

Tour Montparnasse has a direct sight of the Eiffel Tower thus provides an unparalleled view of this iconic structure. Although wheelchair users can only access the 56th floor (and enter at a discounted rate), panoramic views are still available…

Tomorrow, we head back towards the German border for a short stayover in the city of Strasbourg.

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.