Interesting artice "Where to travel for accessible adventures in Europe"

That’s great to see, Mark.

We’ve found Switzerland has obstacle free routes that are nice for anyone who wants a less strenuous outing. See https://schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland/obstacle-free-routes.

Excellent. This is a subject that I have been watching for years. In large part because designing access for those with mobility issues was a major part of my career for 30 years.

With assistance most any location in the EU can be planned in such a way as to be ultimately accessible. Americans should not expect the philosophy of accessibility that exists in the US. That’s not horrible, you change your expectations and be prepared to work within European standards; probably make a few sacrifices and do a bit more prep to be ready for the day out. In a way you are adapting to the culture which can be part of the fun of travel.

An example of the difference in expectations is that none of the routes in Switzerland listed above are accessible by US standards. But it’s great what the Swiss are doing, and they don’t need to be accessible by any standards but their own. From an American point of view these are just options for something more athletic than normal accessibility. In other words, you compare these routes to a fully able-bodied person on a nature hike and not to a day of city tourism. Not saying that good or bad, just suggesting that if someone is going to choose one, they need to understand the difference compared to the norm that they are familiar with in the US. Plan for the differences and be ready for the challenge.

I would suggest that anyone with such needs find professional experienced local planning help prior to arriving in Europe; if possible someone who is familiar with the US mandated accessibility standards. The real challenge is the ability to close enough of the physical and emotional gap between European standards and US standards to help ensure an enjoyable holiday.

Like to mention that European Commission provides an annual "Access City Award (ACA)".

List of past award winners.

A lot of EU countries provide public (co-)funding for building in accessibility solutions, tools and helping devices.

Those accessible city awards are based to a large degree on progress and intent and not always so much about result. Still, fantastic way to provide enocuragment to seek solutions for an age old problem. A very interesting list and reading about why the cities received the awards is also facinating.

There are a number of organizations addressing the issues. Some have published city specific information, npo’s and government organizations like:

• European Network for Accessible Tourism: https://www.accessibletourism.org/?i=enat.en.accessible-cities
• Accessible EU: https://accessible-eu-centre.ec.europa.eu/index_en

Then private tour companies are seeing the potential in the market place, like”

• Sage Traveling: https://www.sagetraveling.com/berlin-accessible-travel
• AccessiblEurope.COM: https://accessibleurope.com/
• Accessable: https://disabledaccessibletravel.com
• Wheelchair Accessable Holidays: https://www.accessibleeuropeholidays.com/
  

For some of these organizatiins seem a bit suspect. But they at least illustrate that the world does recognize the problem. I am still with the idea that you work with a US trained accessibility consultant and a local guide to create a custom holiday built around your personal limitations. For that you will get the most result for the investment.