Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I traveled fairly frequently; we are a Multi-generational travel family. Since cancelling my family's Summer 2020 trip to Prague, Madrid, and Barcelona, I've spent nearly all of my time in NYC and on Long Island. That finally changed in Summer 2022, when my family resumed International travel with a trip to Montreal.
We were all two years older and three years removed from travel, and the pandemic shutdowns made us far less active than we were when we last travelled to Budapest, Vienna, and Milan in Summer 2019. This was made obvious by the difficulties my mom had getting around. She has always been somewhat mobility challenged - walking slower than the rest of us, occasionally using a cane to steady herself when using stairs, and struggling with arthritic knees and swollen feet that were affected by weather conditions - but now she can't walk more than a couple of blocks without getting winded, needs a cane to steady herself on flat ground, and receives cortisone treatments for her knees (and shoulders too). We are now traveling when mobility challenged.
While my mom doesn't use a wheelchair to get around, she does benefit from ADA accommodations that increase her independence from others - this is the whole idea behind universal design. When design is thoughtful, it considers the needs of everyone, providing access and independence for all types of abilities. Furthermore, the accommodations made for those who are viewed as differently abled are often used by those who society considers to be able-bodied (e.g., closed captioning, voice to text, ramps, etc.). Thoughtful design is inclusive, yet not all design is thoughtful.
Now that we're traveling again, I have become more mindful and aware of the lack of accommodations made available to those who are differently abled. On this page I will offer reviews of places we've visited based on my mom's limited mobility experience.
First and foremost, Florence is my favorite place on the planet. I've been there 4 times and love everything about Florence...except the things I don't. Florence is great for the able-bodied, but it presents significant challenges for those with limited mobility or joint issues. It's an ancient city and comes with ancient cobblestone streets and narrow sidewalks and unadapted buildings. Also, strangely enough, I could never find decent cannoli. But, the street vendors and Florentine steaks make up for the lack of decent cannoli.
-Review by Katherine Pauletti
We stayed at Hotel Spadai for about a week. It's a stone's throw from The Duomo; the church bells are audible - particularly if you open the windows. The breakfast was fantastic! There is a large assortment of pastries, fruits, cereals, breads, and cured meats. As is typical for hotels, there was also scrambled eggs and bacon. But - they'll also do made-to-order eggs - so go ahead and place that omelette order with your cappuccino.
The rooms were good, but the hallways aren't suitable for those with limited mobility as there are steps and a lack of hand railing. The "hand rail" was a large rope that had a lot of slack in it so it was not stable. More on that in the blog.
-Review by Katherine Pauletti
If Florence is a mecca for the arts, then The Uffizi is its central piazza. I've visited the Uffizi three times and probably still haven't seen everything it offers. The Uffizi houses a vast collection of Renaissance art - works from Giotto, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo are all there. The outside of the museum also boasts beautiful sculptures.
Wheelchairs are available at no charge. You must enter at Door 1, where the chairs and a lift are available. There is also priority access at Door 1.
Pro tip: go early and take advantage of the combo ticket so you can also visit Palazzo Pitti and Bobli Gardens across the Arno.
-Review by Katherine Pauletti
Florence seems pretty small because the "touristy" stuff is fairly concentrated in one area. However, there's a whole different world outside this small area. Neither of my parents are be able to walk far distances anymore, so we went on a golf cart tour of Florence. The drivers are also tour guides, so you learn lots about different areas. They took us all the way up to Piazzale Michelangelo, which gave us a beautiful panoramic view of the city. I highly recommend taking a golf cart, even if able-bodied.
-Review by Katherine Pauletti
Florence is small, and so is its airport. We flew in from London - it was under 3 hours, so a pretty quick flight. We deplaned via steps down to the tarmac and loaded onto a bus to take us to the terminal. Those who couldn't take the stairs had to wait for a bucket lift to be brought down and were taken to the terminal by an accessible vehicle.
While this is an international airport, there are no direct flights to NYC. Instead of doing a connecting flight (we have two travelers for whom direct is best), we took the train to Milan and departed from Malpensa. I don't think I'd do this again without staying a few days in Milan. The train ride is nice - we had done it before - but it makes for a much longer trip home and there's a lot of walking.
-Review by Katherine Pauletti
I don't know which has more churches, Rome or Florence. I love visiting churches, which might be why I love Florence. I am not very religious by ceremonial standards - I don't attend mass and I do take issue with the Catholic Church as an organization - but I do have a strong faith and believe in living in service of others, as embodied by Christ. I always feel calm and centered when I visit a church (but not during a mass, which is why I don't go). Those who practice a different religion, or no religion at all, will still find enjoyment in the architecture and art of the many Florentine churches. I can't recommend a favorite because they're all so beautiful.
The churches are mostly accessible via ramps, although some catacombs are inaccessible.
-Review by Katherine Pauletti
If traveling through Heathrow, be sure to request wheelchair access via the airline used. After checking in with your airline, they will direct you to the wheelchair assistance area upstairs; you will have to walk some distance to enter the terminal, check-in, and get to the wheelchair area. An attendant will wheel you through security to another waiting area, where you will take a mobile cart to your gate. Some attendants accept tips, other do not.
-Reviewed by Katherine Pauletti
By far the best way to see all of London is via a private taxi tour. We used Black Taxi Tour London for three tours totaling 13 hours: Christmas Lights Tour, Hidden London Tour, and a Bespoke Tour. All were wonderful! The driver guides are licensed Black taxi drivers who are very knowledgable of all of London. We covered it all: from the South Bank, to Notting Hill, to Little Venice and Camden, Shoreditch, Dalston, Mayfair, Central London. We highly recommend Black Taxi Tour London - particularly Stella and Frank!
-Reviewed by Katherine Pauletti
We went here for Sunday Roast in April and it was great. The restaurant is at basement level, but there's a lift so my parents were able to access it with no issues. However, when we returned in November, the lift was out of order so we had to give up our reservation. It was very difficult to find a restaurant with both dining room and bathroom access for those with limited mobility. We wound up at The Prince of Wales pub near the Gillian Lynne Theatre, which worked well because that's where we were headed.
-Reviewed by Katherine Pauletti
We love the theatre! However, not every theatre loves those with limited mobility. Prior to booking any show, I visit Seat Plan to learn about the accessibility of the theatre. This has been invaluable in that it helps us to find appropriate seating sections - sometimes the stall are step-free, other times it's the dress circle, and yet other times an alternate entry point of the theatre is required. It also informs us as to the lack of accessibility, as was the case for some of the shows we were interested in seeing.
-Reviewed by Katherine Pauletti
The shows that we saw were:
All the shows were fantastic!
-Reviewed by Katherine Pauletti
The Clermont, Charing Cross is our go-to hotel in London. It is centrally located, with easy access to the tube, buses, and a taxi rank. For those with limited mobility, there are only a few wheelchair accessible rooms that must be booked directly with the hotel. My parents don't need such a room because every other room we've had includes a walk-in shower. Just to note, the tubs in London have very high sides that make it more difficult for those with limited mobility to get in and out. The staff is also friendly and helpful. We recommend the The Clermont for hotel accommodations.
-Reviewed by Katherine Pauletti
The Westin has valet parking right in the front of the hotel where you can use either a ramp of steps to enter the hotel. The hotel was great for mobility. My mom had a junior suite room, which had a tub in the bathroom and no handheld wand. This was a difficulty for her, but we've since learned to ask for a walk-in with a handheld to make showering easier for her. We would stay here again.
-Reviewed by Katherine Pauletti
Old Montreal is beautiful, but I had forgotten how hilly it is. This made it difficult for my mom to enjoy the area, as it's difficult for her to walk long distances on flat ground let alone up and down hills. The cobblestone also posed a problem due to the unevenness of the stones.
-Reviewed by Katherine Pauletti
This exhibit was fully accessible, including the bathrooms. There was a step-free entrance and a single level. The exhibit was also an interesting way to experience Van Gogh's art.
-Reviewed by Katherine Pauletti
We went to the archaeology museum to see the special Vikings exhibit and it didn't disappoint! From a mobility standpoint, the museum offered free wheelchair rentals, which my mom used. My SIL wheeled her around the museum and they were able to access all levels thanks to the main elevator and the wheelchair lift that went to the mid-levels. The only thing we found strange was the the end of the museum trail wound up being across the street from the start, so we had to wheel my mom back across the street to return the chair. My brother's family walked to the museum, but I drove my parents. The parking garage was a 5 minute walk (at mom's speed) from the museum.
-Reviewed by Katherine Pauletti
If you want a fantastic American breakfast while in Montreal, this is the place to go. However, the ADA is an American legislation, not a Canadian one so there were some mobility obstacles. This particular location was not wheelchair accessible; there were a few steps to enter the building and then a few more steps into the restaurant. Although the bathrooms are located in the basement (more steps!), my mom was able to us the employee restroom that was located on the main dining floor. We found it strange that the employee restroom was more conveniently located than the guest restroom, but were appreciative that she was able to use it.
-Reviewed by Katherine Pauletti
Since walking in Old Montreal was tiring for my mom, we decided to do a boat tour. Once on the boat, it was a nice way to spend an hour. Getting to, onto, and off of the boat was another story. The boat is not wheelchair accessible and was nearly inaccessible to my mom who was using a cane. There is a series of long ramps down to the boat landing, which was easier for her to navigate down than up. Once there, there were some seats in the waiting area but not a sufficient amount. There was no ramp to get on the boat; you had to climb a series of steep steps that led to the top outside level. We were unable to go to the enclosed, air conditioned area because that required descending another staircase that brought you back to the landing level, which would've required another climb back up. Needless to say, the stairs and ramps were not user friendly for those with mobility issues.
-Reviewed by Katherine Pauletti
We spent one night in Salem on the way to Montreal. No mobility issues were encountered at the Hampton Inn in Salem. The parking garage is street level and offers direct access to the hotel via a ramp. The self-park garage had sufficient handicap spots available near the ramp. The double queen room also posed no mobility issues for my mom, particularly the bathroom had a walk-in shower with a handheld wand so she didn't have to worry about clearing the height of the tub.
-Reviewed by Katherine Pauletti
First, the trolley tour was so good! We highly recommend it. With regards to accessibility, there was a bit of a step up to enter the trolley but my mom was able to do so with the help of her cane and the grab bar. I'm not sure if there is an ADA accessible trolley available for those in a wheelchair; the one we were on was not wheelchair accessible. We chose to walk from the Hampton Inn to the trolley stop, which proved to be a little far for my mom so it took us a while to get there with some breaks. There is a parking lot adjacent to the trolley pickup/drop off area that is ideally located for the mobility challenged.
-Reviewed by Katherine Pauletti
Finz seafood restaurant is located outside of the city center, so I drove my mom to Finz. There's a small parking area in the wharf with some handicapped parking distributed throughout. We were able to find one such spot, but it was the last available. As with many parking locations, there are far fewer ADA spots than non-ADA spots. The restaurant itself was accessible for our needs, however I can't speak to the needs of wheelchair users. The pathway to the outside seating area didn't seem to be sufficiently wide for a wheelchair. (BTW: food was great!)
-Reviewed by Katherine Pauletti
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