Europe’s most and least accessible capital cities ranked for disabled travellers
Following the announcement that all of Britain’s 31 largest airports are no longer ranked as a poor for accessibility, a new study has ranked the most accessible capital cities in Europe for disabled travellers to visit.
With millions of disabled travellers now taking to the skies annually for holiday and work, air travel has never been more popular or more accessible for those with mobility needs. Recently, the Civil Aviation Authority reported that a rise of over 80 percent in the number requests for disabled assistance at UK airports since 2010, reaching a record 3.7million in the last year.
Whilst air travel is becoming more accessible, a question still remains of how accessible a destination is when a person arrives, in terms of airports, accommodation, transport and attractions. A new study by insurance comparison giant comparethemarket.com however has evaluated Europe’s capital cities, assessing each city from a traveller’s perspective to reveal which are the most accessible for tourists with limited mobility and other impairments.
Europe’s five most accessible cities
- Luxembourg, Luxembourg
- Berlin, Germany
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Oslo, Norway
- Bern, Switzerland
Luxembourg takes the top spot
The research highlights that the most accessible city in Europe is Luxembourg, with 18.56 percent accessible accommodation available, 33.33 percent accessible attractions, a fully accessible airport, an Access City award and an ongoing council campaign for accessibility.
The small European city had won third prize at the Access City Award 2018 after it actively raised awareness of various disabilities to reduce the stigma associated with them and coined the term “specific needs” to reframe the way people discuss disabilities.
In addition, the city overhauled its public transport system to improve accessibility for all residents and visitors.
Europe’s five least accessible cities
- Chisinau, Moldova
- Kiev, Ukraine
- Belgrade, Serbia
- Sofia, Bulgaria
- Tirana, Albania
The lowest ranking cities for accessible accommodation are Kiev and Zagreb, which both have only 1.83 percent of their accommodation as wheelchair accessible.
Where did London rank?
London came in 11th place, having only 25 percent of attractions highlighted as accessible and just 8.03 percent of accommodation accessible.
Last year, the Government launched its Inclusive Transport Strategy – part of the £300 million Access for All fund – to transform accessibility in Britain. So far, the funding has helped improve accessibility on the UK’s railways and the creation of new Changing Places at motorway service stations.
See the full results of the study below: