Wheelchair Travel

The SageTraveling website deals with accessible travelling in Europe

https://www.sagetraveling.com/

Ocean cruising is much more accessible than river cruising, for a number of reasons. This article from 2019 discusses the issue:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles/a-guide-to-accessible-river-cruises

I would start with this website - it is a good recourse for people with disabilities who want to travel in Europe. The site has an amazing number of resources for people to use, and of course, there are many forum members here who can help as well, and I'm sure will chime in. https://www.sagetraveling.com/

is your question for any particular country (ies)?

My wife had her first experience with Assisted Travel on a train using the Passenger Assist app in and out of London yesterday.

(short answer - it went VERY well)

Hi,
A couple months ago in Spain I used Renfe assisted travel. Smooth way for train travel in a wheelchair that was no extra cost. You can request when purchasing your ticket or by calling them.
I believe I read on this forum that a company in Italy also does train assistance.

A big thank you to all of you! We were overwhelmed and now we have resources!
And btw, it will probably be the Amalfi Coast next.
Love you guys- keep on travelin!

Is a mobility scooter an option? I don't need an answer, but they can be rented for ocean cruises, so so etching to think about. Seat61 website is all things train travel, so I expect he has a section that is relevant.
TripAdvisor has a Travelling with Disabilities forum. Cruise Critic is its sister website and all things cruising, including river cruising. Both are helpful places to ask.

We travel with my teenage son who is mobility-impaired. We have a collapsible special needs stroller for him with the biggest wheels we could buy (anticipating cobblestones when we bought it).

Every trip has had different challenges to work out, but we have been able to do everything we’ve wanted to (within reason). For example, we went to Venice a few years ago and found that, as long as we planned our routes carefully, we could avoid bridges with stairs and use our vaporetto pass to easily travel around.

Once you have your specific destination planned, come back and ask about specifics.

Adding…. #1 tip: Don’t be afraid to ask for help!!! Either from formal services (train companies, airlines, lodgings, museums, sites, etc) or from strangers when you’re in a bind. People are SO nice and willing to help.

Adding again…. Based on our experiences today and again last year, avoid CDG-Paris at all costs for disability travel. We had an another god-awful experience this afternoon and will never, ever fly thru here again (yes, I said this last year, but now I really mean it!!).

We just returned from our third trip to Europe with my wife riding a personal portable scooter. It's a 48 lb. folding rig good for 10 miles between charges of its lithium battery. We also took a cruise out of Rome to the Eastern Mediterranean.

My wife rides the scooter to the door of the airplane and walks to her seat from there. The scooter gets gate checked and the airline brings it to the door at the next airport. We wouldn't begin to take any trip with a 250 lb. electric wheelchair.

Getting on and off planes and trains, a traveler needs to be at least a little mobile. We did run into a problem at FCO Airport where the mobility challenged and handicapped are taken off planes in a bus with a scissors lift out the back of the airplane. The rest of the passengers exit to buses waiting 30' below (down 50 steps) that take passengers into the terminal and customs.

Many cruise ship excursions require climbing up into a tour bus but I assume they have lifts too. But every cruise excursion is terribly expensive. Most ports have cab drivers doing tours independently. We got in with a family and filled a small van for a trip into Florence and Pisa.

Upon our leaving the cruise ship, we took a train into Rome and a cab to our hotel. We did hit the highlights of Rome with cabs before flying home.

Viking River Cruises usually always has people in wheelchairs and they have day excursions for people with disabilities. I’m sure most river cruises (Gate 1 for instance) would be the same.

Thank you again, all of you. I have much to think about, in a good way. I will check all of these ideas out. I hadn’t thought of an electric scooter. That will free me up for bags. This is so new to us. Thanks guys!

I would be considering the accessibility of the destination as much as the logistics of getting on/off boats and trains. The Amalfi Coast would be waayyyy down on my list of accessible locations.

Thanks to all for answering. And for the warning that the Amalfi Coast might not be a good choice. Thanks everybody!