disabled travler - suggestions on hotels and attractions

Warning, small family run unique hotels etc,, often do not have elevators, or if they do they are so tiny that wheelchair may barely fit, and if it does, the "pusher" may not fit in,, also, bathrooms will not always be wheelchair friendly.
And, this is a trick,, but some say they have elevators, and yes, the wheelchair will fit, but you will still have 2 or 3 steps to get to the elevator or room, this I have seen in Paris.. so it must exist in other small places. This is because older places have often been retro fitted with elevators and this is how they could make it work. I think you will have to email each hotel seperately and ask specific questions to ensure your stay is successful, or you may have to try chain hotels just assurance it will work for you, but I would still email hotel directly with specific questions. Good luck, sounds like a nice trip.

For the London Point of View I only see this through the eyes of an able bodied person but I help disabled and wheelchair passengers pretty much every day on the train. It seems to me that the UK in general and London is pretty clued up on disabled requirements. Of course there are many exceptions but many many places now have ramps, disabled toilet facilities and lifts. Almost all attractions are required to have made accommodations. The exceptions will be listed ancient buildings and ships, etc., for which the accommodations would be impractical. Even some narrow boats have been retrofitted with lifts, hoists, and removable furniture to assist wheelchair passengers. It is not all smooth sailing. My customers tell me of places where the kerb is cut on one side of the road and not on the other, where the tactile paviors are missing or misplaced, or other failings. And places which forget about the one small step up after the ramp. All taxis (not minicabs which tend to sail pretty close to the wind anyway) are required to be able to take wheelchairs. All new buses and trains, too, but some old buses cannot. The Underground is notoriously difficult for disabled folk of many types and nearly impossible for wheelchairs. There are some stations, marked on maps with icons of wheelchairs, which are step free but then what do you do at the other end? If you want an accessibility website for London transport it is available. I've never looked in the rest of Europe ... sorry

Though not family run nor unique, the Ibis chain of hotels has room that accommodate wheel chairs.

Your best bet for hotels is probably to stick to chains, honestly. I don't think I've ever stayed at an independent small hotel that wouldn't present problems for a wheelchair. Ibis is a good recommendation, their hotels are generally clean and affordable and accessible. Be sure and write or call every hotel to double check about accessibility. Germany is pretty good to get around with a wheelchair in terms of public transit, there is always a way to get to the u-bahn platform, either an elevator or the "ramp" stairways . Paris however will be far more difficult, most metro stations are not wheelchair accessible. Consider taking a tour with a wheelchair accessible company, or see if there's a hop on hop off bus that's wheelchair accessible.

In Paris those in wheelchairs, or even with just mobility problems will prefer to take the regular buses . Many of them have a roll in entry.
Christine, it would help if you explained if the person in the wheelchair can transfer easily, or is a child, as that may make things easier, can they take a few steps, can you lift them,, etc..