We knew Lisbon was going to be a challenge as it is known as the city built on seven hills! But we wanted to find out is Lisbon wheelchair accessible?
Journey
We had tried to book wheelchair assistance for the train in advance of us arriving in Portugal but found this too difficult to do using the CP Comboios de Portugal website. We therefore bought our train tickets and requested assistance at Faro Train Station (our previous destination) as we wanted to make sure the train we planned to catch was accessible.
As we had bought our tickets at the station it meant that we couldn't take advantage of cheaper advance tickets which was annoying! However I am glad we didn't pre-book tickets as not all of the trains from Faro to Lisbon are wheelchair accessible. The newer 'Alfa Pendular' trains have an electric ramp onboard for wheelchair users whereas the older trains have stairs to get onto them. Therefore please check before booking your tickets the type of train you plan to travel on and ensure it is accessible.
The ramp onto the train was quite impressive. It was an electric platform lift which was built into the train and folded up when not in use. The train itself is a high speed tilting train, inside there was plenty of space for my wheelchair and the train had an accessible toilet.
The journey from Faro took about 3 hours in total. When we arrived at Lisbon Oriente station we had planned to get on the subway to a stop close to our hotel. As we were queuing up to buy tickets we were approached by an assistant who said she would check if the lifts at our stop were working.
Unfortunately they weren't and so we had to travel to a stop a little further away from the hotel. There is a website where you can check the current status of lifts at stations. This did put us off using the subway and we decided to use the buses for the rest of our Lisbon trip.
Stay
We stayed at Ibis Lisboa Jose Malhoa which was about a 30 minute bus journey to the centre of Lisbon. The hotel was in a modern area which looked like a business district. We were a bit out of the city however there were plenty of bus stops and Sete Rios train station nearby.
We booked an accessible room through the Ibis website. The room was a little small for an accessible room and was basic. The bathroom was big enough and had a wheel in shower with shower seat.
Breakfast at the hotel was available all morning so there was no rush for us to get there early! It had a great selection of food choices and even had warm Portuguese tarts available every day!
The hotel also had a bar and restaurant but we didn't use these during out stay.
Eat
Once we had arrived at the hotel and dropped our bags off we decided to catch a bus into the centre of Lisbon. On the day we arrived in Lisbon it was a national holiday so it was pretty busy everywhere! We had heard that the Time Out Market was worth a visit so we firstly headed to there.
Time Out Lisbon Market
The Time Out Lisbon Market has a variety of different food and drink outlets where you can try out loads of great food. Unfortunately it was too busy for us here so we couldn't stop but i'm sure it's better earlier in the day when it's less busy!
After we visited the market we wanted to find somewhere quiet to eat. We found a Mexican restaurant on TripAdvisor called Guacamole not too far from Time Out Lisbon. We chose the burritos which you could build yourself. These were freshly made to order and the menu had plenty of choices. The restaurant was really cool too!
Visit
After we had had something to eat we walked along the seafront to the Praça do Comércio. It was a really nice walk with lots of bustling bars and views of the sea.
Praça do Comércio
The Praça do Comércio is one of the largest plaza's in Portugal. It's flat and easy to get around. There isn't lots to see here but it is an attraction in Lisbon so worth a visit!
After visiting here we walked along the Rue Augusta which is lined with lots of restaurants and shops. The street was flat to walk along and was decorated with patterned Portuguese tiles.
Off this street you can find the Elevador Santa Justa which is a 19th century built lift which takes users from Baixa district up to Largo do Carmo. Unfortunately the lift isn't accessible but it's another tourist attraction to see!
That was the end of our first day in Lisbon. In answer to our question, is Lisbon wheelchair accessible? I would say that Lisbon has some great public transport options which help to make the city accessible. However it is important to do your research first to find the areas of Lisbon which are flat.
In our next post we will be visiting the flat area of Belém in Lisbon. In the meantime, you can find out about our trip to Faro here.
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