The Burrow
Sep 20, 2024
Travelling with a disability can be very tough. Often, attractions and accommodation don’t cater to those with disabilities, and as such, travelling can require extra planning.
According to data released by Tourism Research Australia, tourists with accessibility needs comprised 23% of all Australian domestic trips throughout the June quarter of 2023.1
As experts in helping Australians compare travel insurance, we were interested to see which cities across the world are the best for travelling to with accessibility needs.
To do this, we’ve looked at 56 well-travelled cities across the world and indexed them against a variety of different factors, including restaurants with wheelchair access and hotels with facilities for disabled guests. We then placed them against the city population to get per capita figures and ranked each city from a scale of 0 to 10, with the latter being the best.
Here’s what we found.
Taking the top spot in our list is actually both Florence and Venice in Italy, with total index scores for 9.91. Both of these Italian cities each landed at the top for two of our four categories, and it’s easy to see why.
While at first it may seem surprising that these old cities paved with mostly cobbles rate so highly in our index, in reality, each of these cities have taken great strides to make their streets and attractions accessible to all.
This is especially impressive considering the geological position of Venice and its residents’ reliance on high bridges and narrow alleys. The city of Venice has made the main mode of transport, the vaporetto, wheelchair friendly with onboarding ramps. These waterbuses transport visitors all across the city and allow disabled visitors high speed transport.
Florence was far and away the strongest city for activities, coming in with 153.2 disabled-friendly activities per 100,000 people, far surpassing Venice, which placed second with 66.7 per 100,000. Florence also ranked at the top of our list for restaurants with wheelchair access, at a rate of 293.7 per 100,000.
Venice came in as top ranked for both hotels with wheelchair access and hotels with facilities for disabled guests, at 64.7 and 41.5 per 100,000 respectively, helping it secure a tied first place with Florence.
Landing at second on our list is Türkiye’s Antalya. Being the tourism capital of Türkiye, Antalya is famous for its stunning coastlines, ancient architecture and lavish resorts. What’s less known, however, is how accommodating and accessible Antalya is for those with accessibility needs.
Placing within top four for wheelchair accessible activities, wheelchair accessible hotels and hotels with facilities for disabled guests, as well as seventh for wheelchair accessible restaurants, Antalya is showing the rest of the world how it’s done. From smooth walking streets to modern accessible trams and busses and the wheelchair accessible Konyaaltı Beach, Antalya is the perfect spot to enjoy the Mediterranean for those with accessibility needs.
Italy’s third entry on our list, Rome, comes in as third on our index. Packed full of historic landmarks, Rome is a popular travel destination for any avid traveller. Luckily for those with accessibility needs, the city has done it’s best to accommodate for everyone.
Rome ranked fifth for both wheelchair accessible activities and hotels per 100,000 (29.2 and 23.0 respectively), and forth for wheelchair accessible restaurants per 100,000 (150.9).
Rome offers a vast variety of guided tours that accommodate for accessibility needs, across the many attractions of the city. The attractions themselves, such as the iconic Colosseum or the Pantheon, are each fully wheelchair accessible and allow for anyone to enjoy the sights.
Australia’s northern-most capital city, Darwin, lands in as fourth on our list. Darwin’s tropical climate and wheelchair accessible vistas are the perfect place to have a relaxing holiday.
Darwin landed in our top five for both wheelchair accessible hotels and hotels with facilities for disabled guests per 100,000 (29.3 and 15.7 respectively). Darwin’s relatively centralised design and small size lends itself to those with mobility difficulties.
Due to the cultural and touristic significance of Darwin’s surroundings, the city has placed a large focus on guided multi-day tours of the surrounds, accommodating for those with accessibility needs as well.
Fifth in our list, and the final entry from Italy, is Milan. Similar to the other Italian cities in our list, Milan is home to a variety of well-known historic sites, such as the Duomo di Milan and Sforzesco Castle, both of which happen to be accessibility friendly.
Milan’s biggest strength within our index was the city’s wheelchair accessible restaurants, landing at third with a rate of 200.9 per 100,000. Despite being a city historically founded with cobble streets, the tightly compacted city centre is paved with flat roads, allowing for easy accessibility access between the close by landmarks.
Representing Czechia, Prague ranks sixth on our list. As another historical European city, cobbles are present once again. Fortunately, Prague’s public transport system is very accommodating to those with accessibility needs, with low-floor trams and city busses equipped with wheelchair ramps.2
Despite being a large city, these accessible transport options allow anyone to see this stunning city and its attractions, including Prague Castle, the largest castle complex in the world.3
Hobart comes in as Australia’s second entry on this list, at number seven. A well-known destination for food tourism, it is no surprise that Hobart ranked as our number five for wheelchair accessible restaurants per 100,000 (90.1).
Hobart’s condensed layout lends itself perfectly to easier access to those with accessibility needs. In addition, the city offers frequent busses that can cater to accessibility needs and allow for easy travel across the city.
Outside of the city centre, the wilderness that surrounds Hobart offers a vast range of accessible activities in the form of scenic lookouts, historic landmarks, such as the 19th century penal settlement, Port Arthur, and gardens.
Dubai is number eight on our list. The United Arab Emirates has historically had a very forward-thinking approach to people with disabilities or accessibility needs, referring to them as people of determination.4
This approach extends to the city design and travel experience as well, with the Dubai Metro fitted with wheelchair and lift access across every station throughout the city. While the majority of the surrounding desert remains difficult and inaccessible to those with movement disabilities, the attractions within the city itself are largely accommodating for those with accessibility needs.
In addition, Dubai’s public parks are often equipped with complimentary wheelchairs and staff trained in sign-language.5 People with disabilities are frequently eligible to receive discounted or free tickets to many of the attractions across the city, namely waterparks and theme parks.6
Amsterdam makes it at ninth on our list. The Netherlands as a country is remarkably flat and this extends into the capital as well, allowing for easier access for those with accessibility needs.
Amsterdam’s world-famous canals similarly are easily navigated by those with accessibility needs, with wheelchair accessible ferries frequenting the city, equipped with electric lifts and ramps for all accessibility needs. These boats provide tourists with a unique experience of the city and offering access to some of the unique attractions around Amsterdam, such as Bloemenmarkt, the only floating flower market in the world.7
Finally, coming in at the tail end of our top 10 is Cancún, Mexico. Cancún has become Mexico’s primary tourism hotspot and it’s no surprise. This resort city is surrounded by ancient Mayan ruins that can be accessed through accessible tours.
The city itself features stunning beaches that feature wheelchair and accessibility options, as well as accessible hotels and resorts to allow for all visitors to fully enjoy their time in this beautiful city.
| Country | Activities/100,000 | Hotels (Wheelchair)/100,000 | Hotels (Disabled Facilities)/100,000 | Restaurants/100,000 | Total |
| Florence, IT | 153.2 | 57.6 | 29.4 | 293.7 | 9.91 |
| Venice, IT | 66.7 | 64.7 | 41.5 | 248.0 | 9.91 |
| Antalya, TR | 41.5 | 50.7 | 22.1 | 86.0 | 9.40 |
| Rome, IT | 29.2 | 23.0 | 7.9 | 150.9 | 8.95 |
| Darwin, AU | 10.7 | 29.3 | 15.7 | 75.8 | 8.86 |
| Milan, IT | 17.5 | 19.0 | 8.6 | 200.9 | 8.77 |
| Prague, CZ | 25.6 | 22.8 | 9.5 | 59.8 | 8.63 |
| Hobart, AU | 9.6 | 19.2 | 8.6 | 90.1 | 8.45 |
| Dubai, AE | 23.8 | 13.1 | 8.4 | 75.6 | 8.31 |
| Amsterdam, NL | 10.1 | 19.9 | 12.0 | 59.4 | 8.27 |
| Cancún, MX | 14.9 | 16.5 | 11.4 | 44.2 | 8.18 |
Compare the Market’s Executive General Manager of General Insurance, Adrian Taylor, notes the importance of disclosing any pre-existing medical conditions when taking out travel insurance.
“Travelling with a disability or accessibility needs can require extra planning, and it’s important to extend that to your travel insurance,” Mr Taylor said.
“By disclosing any pre-existing medical conditions to your insurer, you will know exactly what you are covered for and what isn’t covered, which can remove a lot of the travel stress and allows you some peace of mind.
“When comparing travel insurance, ensure that you are only looking for policies that offer cover for pre-existing medical conditions.
“In addition, it’s important to make sure your chosen policy has the cover you need for any medical equipment you take with you.
“Finally, cancellation cover can be an important option to consider if your medical situation can cause unpredictable flare ups, causing you to cancel your trip with late notice.”
Across our study of 56 cities, data was collected across four categories and converted into a number per 100,000 population within each city. These scores were then indexed and averaged into the final ‘total score’. The categories and sources included: