by Howard Moutrie
Spain generally is not particularly accessible, mainly due to its landform and the age of the towns and cities.
Seville, in Andalusia (southern Spain), was one of my favourite cities, it is located on the Guadalqivir River and makes the most of this location with large public areas and many restaurants along the waterfront. It is also quite flat which makes getting around easy. There is a tram, but to be honest I didn’t use it, I just walked everywhere. Having said that, there are areas of cobblestones, and in the older areas, the streets and paths can be narrow and worn. The main sites are relatively close together. The metro is fully accessible with lifts at all stations and there are wheelchair taxis available.
Although European, the Moorish influence is evident which adds to its charm. For one week a year, the locals dress in traditional clothing, and by chance that was when I was there.
The Cathedral is one of the main attractions. It is the third largest church in the world and houses the tomb of Christopher Columbus. It was built in the 12th century on top of a Mosque, the giralda (belltower) of which still exists. The majority of the Cathedral is accessible with ramps provided to all major attractions. Entry is free for wheelchair users.
Nearby, the Real Alcazar is a notable attraction. Parts are accessible but other parts are not and the steps are not always clearly evident.
The Torro del Oro is located along the river front. There are steps up to the entry and a spiral stair inside – probably not worth the effort.
One of my favourite places was the Spanish Plaza. This is relatively new, constructed for an Exposition in 1929, and although the plaza is accessible some of the buildings have steps and ramps are located at each end. The plaza alone is worth a visit.
The other major attraction is the Casa de Pilatos, which dates back to the 1500s. Again entry is free for wheelchair users and once over the cobblestones, access is pretty good.
The hotel in which I stayed was relatively new and had a colonnade around it. Interestingly, TGSIs were used to continue the shoreline around the building. There were also directional tactiles to the kerb ramps which also had TGSIs. Once again, though, luminance contrast was not really considered.
So, to the east coast of Spain and the Costa del Sol. This area comprises a number of holiday resort areas, I visited Torremolinos and the surrounding area. It comprises the coastal strip which is relatively flat and the main town which is on higher ground to the west. You can find all you need around the beach and access is pretty good. The town itself was relatively accessible though getting there is problematical. It is common to provide mat access to the beach itself. Although I didn’t visit it, I understand that nearby Fuengirola is much more accessible. It is further south.
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Inland from Torremolinos is the village of Mijas. It is a beautiful village of white painted buildings. It is not particularly accessible, the fact that one of the attractions is their taxis – donkeys – tells you something. But if you are reasonably mobile it is worth an afternoon. The central plaza is accessible.
My hotel at Torremolinos was quite modern. The ground floor had an accessible toilet and it had been designed to be an enjoyable space. Unfortunately, this came at the expense of accessibility. The dim “mood” lighting is not good for a person with poor vision. See photos below. Note again the lack of latchside door circulation space (photo on the right). There are dropdown grabrails at the toilet.
Travelling inland, and to the north west, is Granada. The city of Granada is like all other cities, there are parts which are accessible and other parts which present more of a problem. The public transport is not particularly accessible but accessible private transport can be arranged. But to be honest, if you go to Granada it is to visit the Alhambra, which sits above the main city. It is Moorish in design and was mainly built in the 1200 to 1300s. At that time no-one was thinking about accessibility; as a result, access is not available to all areas, though ramps and lifts have been installed in some areas. The office does provide a map showing a wheelchair accessible route and offers a discounted entry fee. Some of the glorious gardens are accessible and some not. Even if you are not able to access all areas, it is such a large site I am sure there is sufficient to delight you. Worth a trip.
One of the newer buildings is the Charles V Palace is one area which does have lift access, so you can experience this magnificent space.
Just a couple of notes on travelling within Spain. I found the high speed trains an excellent way to get around. The stations are generally accessible as are the trains. The price varies considerably depending on the time of travel so you can save if you are flexible with your travel time. You also need to check the baggage allowance for a particular train. Some only allow a small bag, so be sure to check full luggage is accepted, if that is what you need.
If you need a toilet, public toilets don’t really exist. Shops, bars, hotels etc are the supplier of sanitary facilities and you will need to find the larger establishments for an accessible toilet.