In 2010, the European Commission created the Access City Award to celebrate cities that are dedicated to improving the accessibility of everyday life for their disabled citizens and visitors. Born and raised in the U.K. and proud to call myself a European for most of my life (thanks, Brexit), I’ve been aware of and intrigued by the Access City Award for several years. In October, I decided to experience what an Access City Award winner offers and booked a trip to Luxembourg City, the 2022 winner.

Luxembourg City is the capital of Luxembourg and home to just over 124,000 inhabitants of 165 different nationalities. The city is built on two levels with a maze of tree-lined streets, landmarks, upscale cafes and museums on the upper plateau of the fortified old town and more homes, parks, canals, lively restaurants and bars along the lush lower valley.

After applying for the Access City Award every year, only to earn a special mention in 2015 and third place in 2018, Luxembourg City finally took top honors in 2022. The European Commission commended the city for ensuring inclusion is a “bedrock” of all its urban planning and providing free public transport that promotes step-free access and houses digital displays with text-to-speech functions for both audio and visual accessibility. Furthermore, Luxembourg City was celebrated for involving disabled stakeholders in decision-making processes through regular consultation and by ensuring that the city’s political meetings are interpreted in sign language and inclusively transcribed. 

It’s important to understand that the Access City Award doesn’t simply recognize Europe’s “most accessible city.” Instead, it honors cities that continually better their approach to inclusion, present sustainable innovation and/or put consultation with those who have lived experience of disability at the heart of their efforts. It covers everything from the built environment, transportation, public facilities and services to innovative digital platforms. With approximately 87 million disabled people living in the European Union, solutions should also have a pandisability approach, serving those with physical, sensory and cognitive impairments, whether visible or nonvisible, permanent, temporary or situational. In short, the Access City Award encourages an annual stocktaking of accessibility measures and promotes the sharing of ideas, experiences and efforts between cities to create a more equitable Europe for all.

Firsthand Research

Upon arriving in Luxembourg City, I was struck by how quintessentially European it is: I was surrounded by charming views from the central Place d’Armes, green spaces such as Parc Dräi Eechelen encouraged slightly deeper breaths, and the ornate infrastructure of the Grand Ducal Palace made the city feel like something out of a fairytale. Of course, in true European fashion, there was also rain. A lot of rain. 

But there were other aspects that immediately set Luxembourg City apart from anywhere I’d ever been before. It was wonderfully clean to the point that my hands did not once pick up dirt from pushing my wheelchair. I noted a grand total of two pieces of litter throughout a five-night stay. (I’m not quite as boring as I’ve just made myself sound.) But even better was the cocoon of safety that Luxembourg City seems to wrap around its residents and visitors. People are kind, navigation is easy, and the whole experience just felt incredibly nice from start to finish. 

Behind the Award

While in Luxembourg City, I was fortunate enough to meet with Nico Bevilacqua and Madeleine Kayser from the city’s equivalent of disability services, along with Yannick Breuer, accessibility coordinator for Info-Handicap, a national umbrella organization providing a central hub of information and community for disabled people within Luxembourg. All three emphasized that the city’s success in the Access City Awards stems from collaboration between departments and partner organizations striving to provide solutions not just for residents or wheelchair users, but also for tourists and those with varying sensory, cognitive and nonvisible impairments. “It is a prize for everyone,” says Kayser, “including our partners and others in the community. No one gets anywhere working solely in a corner. Collaboration and feedback helped us to win.” 

Bevilacqua says the ethos of those working toward the award and continuing to improve accessibility in the city is that “everyone has a special need of some kind, even those who aren’t disabled” and that society becomes a much more inclusive place when this is not simply understood but celebrated. 

While the pandemic has slowed further improvements for the time being, Bevilacqua sees a silver lining in the way the pandemic created a broader social understanding of what isolation feels like. He hopes this can drive future inclusion and accessibility efforts. When asked what’s next for the city and its accessibility journey, Breuer shares his excitement that there is to be a new countrywide law instated in 2023 that makes it mandatory for every new public and private building to provide accessibility features, something that Info-Handicap and other organizations have “fought a long time for.” Kayser and team are also keen to utilize technology further, providing equitable digital experiences when physical areas cannot.

Year after year, inclusive improvements have been made in Luxembourg City. Bevilacqua, Kayser and Breuer, among many others, want to make even more, acknowledging that accessibility is a journey that never ends. This, to me, is the epitome of what the Access City Awards are about and makes Luxembourg City a truly deserving winner. The group I interviewed shared with me that the aim of Luxembourg’s Tourist Office is for the whole country to become “the most comfortable place in Europe.” That comfort is precisely the cocoon of safety that I felt throughout my trip, and that I’ve never quite felt anywhere else. 

Skellefteå, Sweden, was announced on November 25 as the Access City Award winner for 2023.

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The local iteration of international hotel chain Mama Shelter was our home-away-from-home for the trip — and fitting as I’d brought my mum along with me for the ride. Vibrant and youthful in both its decor and ambience, this hotel is a five-minute drive from Luxembourg Airport and just five tram stops away from the city center, with the Philharmonie Luxembourg stop directly across the road from the hotel. The hotel entrance is step-free, there’s elevator access throughout, and we stayed in a large, accessible room with a wet room. Additionally, I’m happy to report that there is not a sniff of clinical functionality in the whole property, a pleasant change from many accessible rooms that I, and no doubt you, have stayed in. Expect free in-room movies, a fairy-light-ladened rooftop bar, and excellent pizza and cocktails in a ground floor restaurant with a brick-a-brack vibe and street art murals covering the ceiling. A weekly resident DJ makes Mama Shelter an after-work drinks choice for many locals.

Next door to the hotel is Infinity, a small shopping hub of beauty, fitness and restaurant options. Both floors are accessible via elevator, and there’s also a well-kitted-out supermarket for snack supplies. Golden Bean is a lovely coffee shop and coworking space with wooden desks and a meeting room on the ground floor for those who need to work during their trip.

One of the accessibility gems of Luxembourg City has to be its tram service, with a total of 17 stops connecting the Luxexpo transfer hub to Luxembourg Central Station and beyond. There are plans for the line to extend further in the coming years, connecting the airport to the route. Access between platform and door is step-free with a minimal gap, promoting autonomy and independence for all. The trams themselves have ample room and prioritized spaces for wheelchair users, and I never had to wait longer than five minutes for the next one. Best of all? The whole service is free of charge for locals and visitors alike.

There are plenty of sights worth seeing, but three not to be missed are the Letzebuerg City Museum, Pfaffenthal Panoramic Elevator and the city’s own Notre-Dame Cathedral. Letzebuerg City Museum is free for disabled visitors and their companions and full of artifacts and information detailing the history of Luxembourg City. While getting to the entrance via a steep, cobbled street proved particularly difficult, especially in the rain, accessibility measures inside were impressive. A mesmerizing glass elevator built into the old building’s structure takes a whopping 60 visitors to all exhibition floors and the museum’s rooftop for panoramic views of the city below. The mixture of modern architecture within old stone walls only adds to the beauty of the experience. The 55-foot panoramic painting of the city center in 1655 by Antoine Fontaine is worth the visit. Several tactile maps and objects are also available throughout the museum for those with visual impairments.

Keeping with cool elevators, the Pfaffenthal Panoramic Elevator is one of the city’s most impressive and accessible attractions. It connects the city center to the Pfaffenthal quarter in the Alzette Valley below, offering stunning views from 200 feet above ground level. The elevator is free, and there’s step-free access throughout the structure with an accessible toilet provided at ground level. Unfortunately, the lower, valley level of the city is full of flattened cobblestones, which are incredibly beautiful but not very wheelchair-friendly. Luxembourg City’s funicular is another free and accessible way to get from Pfaffenthal to the base of the city.

Lastly, the step-free access and powered door entrance provided at Notre-Dame Cathedral made it a particularly welcoming environment for quiet reflection. Entry is free, and a self-guided audio tour of the stunning architecture is available to download.

There are many other sights worth seeing in Luxembourg City. The Cercle Cite, or “city hall” of sorts, commands its place at the top of the Place d’Armes square and includes a library, tourist information and the Ratskeller — an exhibition hub with art, photography and films changing every quarter. The Cercle Cite also houses an accessible public toilet, worth noting for use when in the city center. 

For some luxury shopping in an accessible environment, visit Galeries Lafayette, a six-floor department store catering to all beauty, clothing and accessory needs. If breathtaking views or incredible architecture are your thing, take a stroll either on or under Pont Adolphe, a double-decked arched bridge with a step-free suspended bicycle and pedestrian pathway that connects users to varying parts of the city. A short distance away from Mama Shelter, you’ll find Mudam, Luxembourg’s contemporary art museum. Inside, it is light, modern and spacious — truly a wheelchair user’s dream. There’s an accessible toilet, museum cafe and some interesting visual and sonic exhibitions, allowing visitors to feel immersed in an experience, whether it’s “flying” through a derelict city or marveling at the power of everyday objects. I really enjoyed engaging with Tarek Atoui’s “Waters’ Witness” exhibition, which captures the sounds of port cities. The entrance fee is 8 euros per adult. 

While the assistance service on arrival at Luxembourg Airport was the smoothest and speediest I’d ever experienced, and I managed to navigate the city center streets independently due to excellent dropped curbs, the city isn’t without its accessibility challenges. Plenty of cobbles (although relatively flattened) can be found in the city center and old town, and finding a restaurant or cafe with both step-free access and an accessible toilet was nearly impossible. That is, of course, unless I wanted to eat at the same predictable fast-food chains that can be found worldwide. We did, however, really enjoy our time at Bazaar, a bar and restaurant opposite the Grand Ducal Palace that has mastered the perfect combination of a high-end establishment with a warming welcome. And I can highly commend the famous Laduree pastry shop for offering step-free access, an accessible toilet and the tastiest combination of hot chocolate and macarons I’ve ever had.