Madrid, Spain Travel Guide
About Getting Around Attractions Hotels Eats & Nightlife Essentials & Practicals
Accessibility in Madrid
Calle de Alcala in Madrid is wheelchair accessible
Overview: Madrid is a large, sprawling city. Luckily, the main tourist sites take place in close proximity of each other in the city center. This is where Puerta Del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Gran Via and Prado Museum, Royal Gardens stand.
Puerta del Sol streets in Madrid
Madrid is a relatively easy place to get around. Not as easy as Frankfurt or Los Angeles in the US, but easy enough with flat sidewalks and dipping curbs. However, there are a lot of people walking about and they walk fast. As well, Madrid has its slopes and a lot of awkward street transitions. Crosswalks aren´t located at the corners of the streets but near them. You have to contend with oncoming foot traffic as you cross.
Calle de Alcala en route to Prado Museum
Streets, Sidewalks, Curbs, Buildings
Streets
Madrid is a bit slopy (not sloppy), not as much as Prague, but there are some slopes. Never fear, there seem to be a lot of handicap people in wheelchairs and crutches here, which was surprising.
The streets themselves are generally blacktop pavement and the sidewalks are flat. On Gran Via and the Puerta Del Sol area, where the center is, the sidewalks have diamond shaped, flat stones. There are some eraser-like cobblestones but not that much.
Calle de Carretas between Puerta del Sol and Plaza Jacinto Benavente
Curbs
The curbs dip down for wheels here but some of them have a 3 inch climb up or height.
Steps: Because Madrid has its slopes, a lot of the buildings have steps that appear slanted. The steps themselves aren´t slanted, but the sidewalks incline or decline, making steps to entrances of buildings anywhere from 0 inches to 5 to, well, you name it. Generally speaking, though, a lot of the restaurants and hotels have 2 to 5 inch steps. Of course to negotiate these steps, go to the lower part of the step and climb up. The more north you go, the cleaner and more spaced out the city is and the less hills, except the ritzy part, Salamanca.
North of that, around the Cuzco area, the city seems to flatten out.
Crosswalk on Gran Via in Madrid
Buildings: As mentioned, many buildings in the city center seem to have this quirky, slant-step.
Street Addresses: Street signs are posted extremely high on buildings.