[Geordie Travels]

Hi there, I am a manual wheelchair user, and I lived in Taiwan for six months. Overall, my experiences in terms of access were mixed. Sometimes sidewalks are either inaccessible or non-existent, and in these cases, I was often left with no choice but to wheel along the side of the road. It wasn’t too bad, though, and you soon get used to it. I never felt like I was in any danger of being hit by a car or moped. I guess in these parts of the world, drivers are well accustomed to being on high alert.

In terms of public transport, I had much better luck with trains and subways than I did with any bus systems. Every train I took, wherever it may be in the country, had a ramp service to help you get on and off the train, and the staff were very kind and hospitable. As for buildings, they were fairly hit and miss for accessibility. You’ll struggle to find local spots that have an accessible bathroom, for example. What I tend to do in these less touristy spots is look out for major hotels in the vicinity. That way, I know that if I am caught short, I can always dip into their establishment and use their accessible bathroom.

Taipei is obviously a lot more developed and accessible than other areas of Taiwan. I spent the majority of my time in Tainan, the old capital, and can highly recommend this region for some of the best food! Taichung is also cool and is where Boba Milk Tea (Bubble Tea) originates from. If you feel like going up into the mountains, you can take the Alishan Mountain Railway from the city of Chiayi, and some of the shorter walkways up on the mountaintops are accessible. For something extra special, I would recommend a train ride up the eastern coast, with stop-offs for an overnight stay in the likes of Taitung!

Finally, I am not sure how much use you will get from this blog post that I wrote, as I cannot remember how much access information I put in there, but it gives an account of some of the stuff I did while in Taiwan: https://geordietravels.com/tales-of-travel-in-taiwan/

[TravelLover]

Dear Geordie Travels, many thanks for your input and I will certainly check out your homepage for more information. We are still in early stages of planning, but once we get closer I may take the liberty to contact you again. Take care.