My aunt and I are visiting Rome for 3days. She is handicap and will be using wheelchair most of the time. I was wondering which area would be best to stay to make the trip easier to sightsee or least amount to walk to catch a bus to sightsee.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23268 posts
That could be tough given that I don't seen Rome as being that friendly to things like wheelchairs. Have you reviewed the postings in Accessible Europe under Diverse Travelers? I might suggest the Termini area since it is close to the hub of public transit and the hop on/off business. BUT my experience with handicap is extremely limited.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
This is a duplicate post. See "A place to stay" posted below.
Posted by
Oklahoma City, OK, USA
430 posts
I agree that staying in/near the Termini area might be your best choice for somoeone with mobility challenges.
You may look into the Mecenate Palace Hotel -- www.mecenatepalace.com. They are 500 meters southwest of the Termini station, so right in the hub of transportation options. They rent wheelchairs there, so if you opted that route you wouldn't necessarily need to travel with yours.
Their staff is exceptionally helpful. They speak english very well, so you can call them and talk through your concerns and they can address them before you consider booking.
Now -- to be perfectly clear -- I have not stayed there personally. I have planned trips for friends, and on 3 occassions this is where they stayed. In one case it was very helpful to be able to speak with their staff and leave instructions for a family member's accomodations.
They are a little pricey by American standards, but not extremely so for Rome -- Doubles start at 180 Euro for a 3 night stay. Depending on when you are going you should be able to negotiate a better rate than that with them. It's been a little over a year, but last time I helped someone with a trip they got a Superior Double for 4 nights at 140 Euros a night.
Keep in mind that taxis are fairly reasonable in Rome -- so don't be hesitant to use that option as well.
I've traveled twice with folks who need to be aware of their walking restrictions (my Mom has MS). To what degree does your Aunt need to plan ahead / be cautious? Also, now that I've thrown out an option, what's your budget?
Posted by
OP
Pittsburgh, usa
28 posts
Thank you all for your advice. Renting a wheelchair at the hotel is a great idea. Although extremely beautiful, the hotel you suggestion might be slightly pricey for our budget. We were hoping to spend no more than 130 euros/night while in Rome. We will be spending a little over 3weeks in Europe and need to stretch our dollar/euro as much as possible. I was misinformed about the taxi cost. It is fairly reasonable? Bus transfering should not be an issue for my aunt. She is not completly wheelchair bound and usually walks with a cane. Could you give me some key points to see that are reasonable with our time frame and ability? Thanks again for the insight!