Which European capital city is the best for accessible travel?

With one in six people living with a disability (World Health Organization), ensuring that cities around the world are accessible to all is vital.

However, when it comes to travel, data from GOV UK states that those with a disability travel 75% less frequently than those without. People with disabilities are also more likely to report facing a greater number of difficulties throughout their trip; 25% of people with disabilities report challenges when it comes to their travel, compared with 10% of people without disabilities (GOV UK).

With that being said, travel agency Iglu Cruise has researched the most disability-friendly travel destinations in Europe, to reveal which destinations are the most inclusive.

The team gathered data from TripAdvisor and Wheelmap for the total number of fully accessible hotels, restaurants, leisure activities and tourist attractions for each capital city in Europe. The results were then divided by 100,000 of the population for each city. 

The cities were then ranked from most to least disability-friendly by the combined score of each four categories.

Lisbon, Portugal takes first place as the most disability-friendly tourist destination in Europe. The city had the highest combined score of each four accessibility points (accessible hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions and leisure activities). Per 100,000 of the population, Lisbon has 374 accessible hotels, 206.7 restaurants, 7.3 tourist attractions and 3.9 leisure activities.

See the full breakdown below. Please note that the numbers are per 100,000 of the population of each city.

Rome, Italy is the second most disability-friendly travel destination in Europe, scoring highly in the number of accessible hotels and restaurants. Per 100,000 of the population, the city has 292 fully accessible hotels, 156 restaurants, 1.2 tourist attractions and 0.8 leisure activities.

In third place is Paris, France, which had a combined score of 350.3. The French capital has 123 fully accessible hotels, 216 restaurants, 6.1 tourist attractions and 5.2 leisure activities per 100,000 people.

Reykjavik, Iceland has a combined score of 337.3. The city has 240 accessible hotels, 88.7 restaurants, and 4.3 tourist attractions/leisure activities per 100,000 people.

The final cities included in the top 10 are Dublin, Amsterdam, Sarajevo, Athens, Prague and Bern.

London, UK, placed 23rd out of 44 capital cities in Europe, with a combined score of 107.4 (per 100,000 people).

Some of the least disability-friendly capital cities in Europe include Minsk, Moscow, Copenhagen, Sofia and Bucharest.

Dave Mills, Global Supply Director from Iglu Cruise said:

“Everyone should be able to explore the world, no matter if you are living with a disability or not. While having a disability can sometimes cause challenges for those looking to travel, we all must make conscious efforts to make travel more accessible for everyone.

“For those living with a disability who may wish to travel more frequently, there are plenty of options available and destinations to be discovered that are fully inclusive. Cruising is an excellent option as most onboard facilities cater for a range of disabilities, whilst guests can also travel to multiple destinations in one trip with ease. Please get in touch with us to see how we can help.”