Madrid is the capital of Spain and located in the centre of the country. It is a large city with wide treelined streets, large parks and a large number of art museums. There is also the historical heart of narrow streets, but to a large extent this has been overtaken by the modern city. The settlement dates back to Roman times and there are still remnants of the Muslim fort from the 9th century but the majority of the city is much more recent and as a result accessible.
Getting around
The metro is a great way to get around, and about half of the stations are accessible, although this is less in the heart of the city. The footpaths are generally user friendly, being relatively level and having kerb ramps at most intersections. Although the footpaths are often wide, the biggest issue can be the sheer volume of people using them. Once at a venue, the tourist attractions are reasonably accessible. As with Spain generally, public toilets are non-existent, so you need to source hotels, bars or fast food outlets.
The heart of the city is the Plaza Major, the town square (photo above). It is a vibrant place full of restaurants. Although there are many ‘gates’ which allow entry to the plaza, a number of them contain a step or two, so wheelchair access can be limited.
The cathedral is one of the major attractions (see photo). Although raised above the surrounding plaza, a ramp is provided and inside is deemed accessible, although the use of stairway platform lifts is required to access some parts.
The Prado Museum is another top attraction for those interested in art (photo below). As you can see from the photo, it is accessed via stairs, however, this is not the main entry, which is around the other side and is fully accessible.
If you can work your way through the crowds, the San Miguel markets (photo above), is a fun place to try tapas. There is a ramp to enter the building but it will be crowded.
The Retiro Park (photo below) is a beautiful area to wander around and is accessible. So too is the Plaza Espana (photo below). The latter is quite new and the designers went to town using directional TGSIs.
While on the subject of TGSIs, the Madrid train station uses a mix of TGSIs, including the only discrete type I have seen used outside of Australia.
Although the luminance contrast at the station was effective, as with most installations in Spain, the use of contrast was not considered. See the following examples, can you spot the TGSIs? The use of directional and hazard tiles also was a bit haphazard.
Just to the South of Madrid, and an easy day trip from Madrid, is the city of Toledo. An ancient city dating back to the 2nd century. It exhibits its history of Muslim, Jewish and Christian culture. It is located on a hilltop and has steep and winding cobblestoned streets. It is definitely worth a visit and there are tour companies specialising in taking people in wheelchairs around the town – definitely the way to go.
The cathedral (photo below), is the largest in Spain and definitely worth a visit. It has an accessible entrance and the ground floor is on a single level. The Alcazar is also supposed to be accessible, although I didn’t venture inside.
People who have limited vision need to be extra careful, as the roads – because they are narrow – tend to be a shared area, and footpaths in other areas are not well defined.
Also easily reached in a day are the towns of Avila and Segovia to the west of Madrid. Avila is an historic, walled town in the hills but is surprisingly accessible. In fact, it has been awarded for its level of accessibility.
Segovia is another wall town. It is best known for the Roman aqueduct and it is worth a visit just to that. Photos do not convey the awe-inspiring size of the structure: it is truly remarkable. It is much larger than Avila but much less accessible. Again, using a travel company specialising in accessible tours is the way to go. An accessible bus service from Madrid is available which takes you to the city centre. But beware, many of the streets are narrow, steep and cobbled. One good bit of news, however: there is an accessible toilet at the Information Centre near the aqueduct.
Ramps lead to the cathedral (photo below) making it easily accessible, and like many attractions in Spain, is free for people in a wheelchair. The Alcazar (photo below), also has decent accessibility, although people with impaired vision need to be careful of raised door thresholds.
Finally, in Segovia, some good views are had from the perimeter wall. Although paved with cobblestones, the section between the cathedral and the Alcazar offer the easiest access (photo below).
Using Madrid as a base, Toledo, Avila and Segovia can be done in one day but it would be a rush and is better to do Toledo on one day and Avila & Segovia on another. For people needing a wheelchair, the specialist tours which provide accessible vehicles would be recommended for these towns.
Finally, in Madrid at the edge of the residential area, car parking is at a premium. The cars parked so close together (I don’t know how they did it) that it made crossing the street, other than at a corner, very difficult. After taking this photo, I passed the same spot about 2 hours later and the red car had been replaced with a white car.
