Mobility concerns in Barcelona and Madrid

Do you really need a tour in those cities? I've never heard of a tour group especially for slower folks, or folks with disabilities but maybe they exist...

But I've seen many people with canes on walking tours in every city....

Why not make a list of the sights you would like to see, and take a taxi to and from those sights? You can hire a private guide at most main sights and that person could tailor the speed to your limitations....

For Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, for example, I bought my tickets online a month before my visit last March, and I booked the option of entrance with guided tour...so I was in a small group but there were a coupe of folks using canes in the same group...

Your other options would be book a totally private tour for the two of you, but that is not inexpensive....example from this well-regarded company:

https://www.foreverbarcelona.com/barcelona-half-day-tours/

I suppose you could buy tickets for one of those hop on/hop off buses but I think you know about those already..

Well, I can’t be of much help because, as @ekscrunchy says, I don’t know either of a tour specifically aimed at this target group either.

But I’d like to offer a more general thought about the “need” for a tour. Barcelona receives a lot of visitors and has a very mature tourism infrastructure, but more importantly in this case, it is also a city where a large number of older residents and people with reduced mobility go about their everyday lives. As a result, accessibility is not just something designed for tourists. Much of the city and its services are adapted to people who may have difficulty walking or getting around.

Of course, I’m not questioning your preference if you’d rather take a tour. Everyone travels in their own way. But perhaps your idea of how difficult Barcelona might be to navigate independently doesn’t entirely match the reality on the ground, and that might make you reconsider whether a tour is actually necessary.

Barcelona is relatively easy to do DIY, even with some mobility limitations. Public transport is largely accessible, as well as cheap, clean, safe and efficient. Museums and major sights are generally well adapted for people with reduced mobility and easy to visit independently, with clear signage, information in several languages, lifts and other accessibility measures where needed.

The same applies to everyday things such as shops, cafés and restaurants. This is, after all, a city where people of all ages and physical abilities live their daily lives, not just a place set up for visitors. It is also a very international city, with around 20% of residents coming from more than 120 countries, so dealing with different languages and needs is very much part of normal life here.

You could check these for more info: https://thisisbarcelona.com/accessible-barcelona and https://www.meet.barcelona/en/visit-and-love-it/accessible-barcelona

Enjoy

#mobility #senior

I am an older woman with mobility issues who uses a cane sometimes.

I went to Barcelona by myself and was able to do just fine with my mobility issues.

You do not need a tour group in Barcelona. You will be able to do your own thing at your own pace.

I was going to take the HoHo bus but never got around to it and I regret it. However one very well traveled member on this forum told me that she could recommend the HoHo bus in Barcelona.