Hi there,

Lisbon is the Capital of Portugal, a country well known for its:

• Great gastronomy
• Sunny Beaches
• Temperate clime with an average of 236 sunny days per year in the south
• Friendly people
• Ancient History
• huge cultural, architectural and nature contrasts
• Helpful friendly people

Visiting Lisbon in a wheelchair requires some preparation and study, since many touristic buildings are not accessible, many hotels don´t know what a roll in shower is (most have a bath with grab rails) and getting accessible transport around the city is also a hard task.

The best way to move around is the subway (if your hotel is near a station with accessibilities). However not all the stations are accessible? The red line is all accessible (it is the most recent one) as well as all the downtown stations. You can get an elevator from/to the surface, and there is no gap between the train and the platform.

The best places to visit are definitely the downtown area. All the area is flat and has a great concentration of history and places to see, like "Praça da Figueira", Praça do Rossio", "Praça do Comércio", etc. The "Rua Augusta" is one of the highlight of Lisbon, going from "Praça do Comércio" to "Praça do Rossio". It is flat and closed to traffic and has most of the big fashion shops mixed with many of the old traditional shops, where you can find all kinds of local tapestry, port wine and other Portuguese items. Also in this street you have some restaurants and coffees. However the street with more restaurants is definitely the street "Portas de Santo Antão" where you can taste some local gastronomy. Most of the restaurants don´t have an accessible toilet, so the best option is the toilet of the "Hard rock Café" just 5 minutes walk (just ask where it is to some local).

The old quarters of Alfama and Bairro Alto are really hard to visit with a wheelchair, unless you get a transport that leaves you there (the subway doesn´t go there). In "Bairro alto" you have many Fado houses where you can listen to live Fado shows while taste some local dish. Most of the Fado houses are not accessible so get informed before you go.

(this post is to be continued...
I´ll write about:
Alfama, Lisbon´s castle, Belem, Parque das Nações or Expo 98, and other "must See" places in Lisbon.
Come and check this post later. I'll try to write about a place every week and improve the information about the downtown, if I have time)

Any question: Luisvarela@accessibleportugal.com