text: We try again; Barcelona with a slow walker - Barcelona Forum - TripAdvisor
  We try again; Barcelona with a slow walker - Barcelona Forum
  We try again; Barcelona with a slow walker
  2 years ago I asked for advice and I am asking now for an update for we were unable to go then. My husband can walk 2-3 blocks at a time for 2-3 times per day maximum. Our plan is to stay in Barcelona for 3-4 days then hire a car to visit his family places; La Bisbal, Palamos and Macenet de Cabrenys where we can, hopefully, meet family. We might try to see the Dali museum on the way back to Barcelona where we'd stay near the airport after dropping off the car. We were advised originally to stay near the placa Calaluna/ramblas in Barcelona and use the hop-on-hop-off buses. Friends of ours rented an apartment and saved a lot but I am a bit anxious about finding food shops etc and cooking/cleaning up. Any advice welcomed re. itinerary or sightseeing with a disability.
  Gracies, Barbara
  booking123 December 7, 2017
  1. Re: We try again; Barcelona with a slow walker
  Feb 24, 2013, 4:08 AM
  I guess it's difficult for those of us not facing the same mobility difficulties to comment accurately, Barabara, but I'll try.
  I often suggest that people stay in apartments. We have stayed in more apartments than hotels in our visits to the city. One possible drawback is that a lot of the city centre ones are in buildings without lifts and the stairs can be steep. I imagine, though that that is something you would be checking when hunting for a place to stay.
  The suggestion of using ho/ho buses seems an excellent one to me, because they get you close to so many places that you will want to visit and basing yourselves around Placa de Catalunya is also not too bad because there are plenty of public seats in the area and the station there has access to other lines, should you decide to venture on to public transport.
  There are numerous small and large shops in the area from 'mini-supermarkets' open for long hours to supermarkets and department stalls with food halls.
  A short distance down Las Ramblas from Pca de Catalunya on the south-west side is a Carrefour supermarket. You can see it on Google Streetview, shortly after the Hotel Royal. It doesn't look very welcoming but it's fine. They will seel just about anything you will need for cooking and cleaning. There's also a food hall in El Corte Ingles on Pca de Catalunya. I've only ever bought sandwiches etc here for picnics and imagine (could be wrong) that they serve a more upmarket (or wealthier) clientele than Carrefour and might not have as wide a range.
  I hope this is of some help and inspires some other suggestions.
  2. Re: We try again; Barcelona with a slow walker
  My mum is now 85 years old and she can't walk more than 2-3 blocks without having a rest. The good point of central Barcelona is that's quite flat, and there are seats virtually anywhere to sit and rest when needed. Maybe less public seats in the old town, but a couple of weeks ago I explored a good part of El Born with mum and she loved it, I do not remember where we seat but she was not complaining ;-)
  The HOHO bus is a good idea, but you can as well use regular public transport, or a taxi now and then. It really depends on your planning.
  Regarding finding food, this is never a problem in Barcelona. If you stay central in an appartment, you do not really have to cook if you do not want to, most supermarkets and food markets sell ready to eat food. So, you can keep cleaning at the mínimum too. Besides, if you stay central, you will have plenty of choices for "menú del día" restaurants and other cheap but decent eateries... you can invest part of the price savings from staying in an appartment on eating out, so not cooking/cleaning at all. When staying in appartments on holidays, we usually only have breakfast and sometimes light dinners there.
  Regarding supermarkets, the one in the basement of El Corte Inglés actually has more choice than Carrefour, but it is generally a bit more expensive, except when they have special deals. But it is still one of the best places near Plaça Catalunya where to buy quality food and wine
  3. Re: We try again; Barcelona with a slow walker
  4. Re: We try again; Barcelona with a slow walker
  Mar 14, 2013, 2:54 PM
  The HOHO buses can get crowded, sometimes with long queues just to get on. And the best bit is definitely the view from the top deck; the lower deck has the big disadvantage that quite a lot of the windows are covered by advertising outside, reducing visibility. You actually get better views from an ordinary bus than the lower deck of the HOHO.
  The TMB information office in Universitat metro station has bus maps for the ordinary routes. I think it has been said the Tourist info place at Plaça Catalunya does too. Hopefully they now have updated maps with the new horizontal/vertical/diagonal bus routes (I was told in January they were due to be ready shortly after). You can use the T-10 ticket on buses and metro and it is 9.80€ for 10 journeys. The 2 of you can share one card (click twice on the bus). I would say using a T-10 and the occasional taxi is probably better than the HOHO.