In Things to do

Planning a city break or a day trip in one of the UK’s cities? If you’re a wheelchair user or have a mobility aid, here are our top tips for exploring the city to take the stress out of getting around!

According to research, the most wheelchair accessible cities in the UK are as follows:

Manchester
Glasgow
Birmingham
Newcastle
Cardiff
Bristol
Swansea
Edinburgh
Leeds
Liverpool

Whatever city you visit, you’ll find accommodation that offers facilities for wheelchair users, as well as a host of attractions and activities. The main thing you’ll need to research prior to your trip is the public transport – how are you going to navigate the city?

In London, for example, the best way to get around the capital is via the Underground, the Elizabeth line offers step free access around the city but this is not universal across all stations so be sure to research your public transport options before you head out.  

Cities across the UK will have accessible public transport, especially in terms of buses and places like Manchester, which has trams, will also offer carriages that accommodate wheelchairs. You may prefer to hire a car or private taxi, so you can ensure that it is suitable for the type of wheelchair or mobility aid that you use.

Once you are confident with how you are going to get from A to B, then you can start looking for your accommodation. You will find a host of hotels, B&Bs and self catering properties in and around the city offering inclusivity and accessibility, but make sure to speak to the property when making your booking so you can confirm that they are suited to your needs.

Be aware that when visiting a city, it will be busy and city centres especially, though full of fun things to see and do, will also be full of people, which might make navigating around in a wheelchair difficult. Try and book at quieter times of year, like during school term times and outside of peak holiday months.

We suggest:

Research public transport and the places you want to visit to find out the best times to visit and any information like which entrances to use for wheelchair users etc.

Book your accommodation well in advance

Choose the best time of year to visit, like we say, cities are already very busy and during school holidays, they will be even busier!

Have a back up plan

The most important thing is to have a good time!

We can help with the planning of your city break, so if you’re looking for attractions and accommodation around the UK, as well as travel tips? Find out more here.

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