Barrier-free excursion destinations in Tyrol

The view from the barrier-free Adlerblick viewing platform sweeps over the Kaunertal and countless mountains that tower far above the 3,000 metre mark. The platform is perched on a 100 metre high rock face and at first glance looks inaccessible for wheelchair users. However, they can also reach the Adlerblick platform via the Verpeilweg - a wide gravel path. This requires an electric wheelchair or a Swisstrac (small tractor), which can also be hired. The path is around 250 metres long and climbs at a maximum gradient of seven degrees.

Tyrol's largest thermal spa is located in the middle of the Ötztal mountains: the Aqua Dome is home to a thermal bath, sauna landscapes, an extensive premium spa area and a four-star superior hotel with barrier-free suites. The other hotel rooms are also spacious and easily accessible for wheelchair users. The Hotel Aqua Dome is one of numerous quality-certified accommodation options for wheelchair users in Tyrol.

Handbikers cycle with a view of the Hohe Munde (2,662 m) near Leutasch through the Gaistal, one of the most beautiful valleys in Tyrol. The Ganghofer Museum cultural centre, which is accessible for wheelchair users, is located directly on the cycle route. Handbikers can also visit some of the numerous Leutasch chapels along the route. After the handbike tour, the barrier-free Alpenbad Leutasch awaits athletes - there is also a sauna area.

Wheelchair users and people with walking difficulties can discover the Tyrolean capital on a barrier-free city tour, either alone or accompanied. The route leads from the Imperial Palace to the Golden Roof and numerous other sights in Innsbruck's historic city centre. A city trail for blind people and wheelchair users leads along the River Sill. Six information stations with tactile images provide information about the nature around the Sill and the Inn. There is also an accompanying brochure in Braille for blind people at the tourist office. The highlight in Innsbruck is probably a ride on the barrier-free Nordkettenbahn railway up to the Seegrube. There you can enjoy the view over the city, the Inn Valley and the surrounding mountains.

Even the giant created by André Heller that flanks the entrance to Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens is astonishing. The Crystal Worlds are equipped in an exemplary manner with climbing aids, barrier-free toilet facilities and car parking spaces for people with physical disabilities.

Ships have been travelling on Lake Achensee since 1887, and in 2015 it goes without saying that the two ships "MS Tirol" and "Stadt Innsbruck" are barrier-free. The evening cruises with music and rock lights are particularly recommended. The wheelchair hike on Lake Achensee is also very popular with sports enthusiasts.

In Austria's only year-round ski area, the barrier-free ascent on the world's highest bicable gondola lift alone is a special experience. The view from the panoramic terrace stretches as far as the Grossglockner, the Dolomites and the Zugspitze. Thanks to its exemplary barrier-free infrastructure, the Hintertux Glacier is an official training area for numerous disabled athletes. In the Tuxer Fernerhaus restaurant (2,660 m) and the showpiece Sommerbergalm (2,100 m), doors, lifts and toilets have been designed with disabled access in mind.

A barrier-free summer railway takes visitors from the village of Söll up to Hexenwasser, a water adventure park for children. At the "Hochsöll Time Travel", visitors are familiarised with old crafts and traditions, such as making cheese, baking bread, spinning honey or rolling wax. People with disabilities receive a 75 per cent discount on admission prices.

The SchauSennerei Zillertal dairy in Mayrhofen is completely barrier-free and can be visited either as part of a guided tour or on your own. Visitors can see how cheese, butter and yoghurt are made on 6,000 square metres of glazed production space. Children are accompanied by the blue hay milk cow "Zilli" and her mountain farmer. Milk and various types of yoghurt can also be sampled at eight tasting stations. Don't miss the show farm with playground and the delicious dishes in the "Sennereiküche" restaurant.

It must not have been easy to make a centuries-old castle complex, whose main purpose was to be impenetrable, wheelchair accessible. In the Ehrenberg Castle World near Reutte, however, this has been achieved. The visitor centre, the Ehrenberg Arena, the Klause playground, the "Salzstadl" and Gasthof Klause restaurants, the Ehrenberg-Line inclined lift and, with the new Top Liner, the Schlosskopf fortress with its own themed trail are all accessible. The highline179, the world's longest Tibet-style pedestrian suspension bridge, is also accessible. The only thing to note is that the narrow construction means that two wheelchairs cannot travel in opposite directions and assistance is required on the east side due to the steep gradient.

The Dragonfly is also Europe's first barrier-free zipline.

200 million years ago a sea, today a skiing and hiking area: on the Steinplatte in the Chiemgau Alps, the Triassic Park shows how the earth has developed since the Permian period. A wheelchair and pushchair-friendly gondola takes young and old travellers from Waidring to the Steinplatte. There, a barrier-free viewing platform at 1,600 metres above sea level, an information centre and an exploration trail with a stalactite cave await.