Zagreb for People with Disabilities: A Guide

Zagreb for persons with disabilities

Excluding the slopes of Medvednica and the hilly Upper City, Zagreb and its metropolitan area is a pretty flat area, which means that most outdoor landmarks are wheelchair accessible.

Persons with disabilities comprise 11% of Zagreb’s population, so, even though there’s a lot more to be done, progress is definitely being made to make the city more and more accessible to people with disabilities.

The first Festival of Equal Opportunities (Festival jednakih mogućnosti) took place in 2002 and it has been a big hit ever since. This festival in May is a wonderful opportunity to present creative capabilities, in the form of artwork or performances, of people with disabilities, and show that people with disabilities should enjoy the same rights as other citizens of Zagreb. More than 900 participate in this three-day festival, including 600 persons with disabilities.

http://fm.dti.hr/ and http://dti.hr/

Public Transport

There are 260 low-floor buses and 126 low-floor trams, and most buses also have a wheelchair access ramp. However, the curbs at tram and bus stops sometimes make it impossible for people with disabilities to enter trams and buses without additional assistance, which is something the city needs to work on.

Low-floor buses operate on the following lines:

You can see which tram stops are wheelchair-accessible on the photo below:

ZET (Zagreb Electric Tram) has had vehicles for organized transport of persons with mobility problems to school, work, or therapy since 1994. There are currently 10 vehicles for adults and 7 for children), but their use needs to be arranged one or two days in advance by calling (01) 66 00 443 (Mon – Fri 7:45 a.m. – 2 p.m.), and people using them have to have a certificate from the City office for social protection and people with disabilities. However, these vehicles operate until 11 p.m., which makes it difficult for persons with mobility problems to go out or visit cultural events.

You can contact the office at:
Zagreb, Trg Stjepana Radića 1
Phone: +385 1 610 1241
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

There are also private companies offering specialized vehicles for transport of people with disabilities, such as http://www.prijevoz.hr/prijevoz-osoba-s-invaliditetom.html

All car parks and garages have parking spots for persons with disabilities.

TravAbled and Slopey

Dubbed “Tripadvisor for people with disabilities”, TravAbled is an online community and travel adviser for people with disabilities and their companions. The author, Stipe Splivalo, has had first-hand experience in all the obstacles that people with disabilities encounter while traveling, so he came up with an interactive platform where people can search for information, leave comments and reviews to help their fellow travelers in their future barrier-free trips.

Locations are divided in three categories: Hotels, Restaurants and Things to do, with subcategories such as Food & Drinks, Shop & Leisure, Attractions, Facilities, and Transport.

Even though it was developed in Croatia, this useful site is available for international destinations as well, including Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, UK, USA, Portugal, Spain, and many more.

www.travabled.com

TravAbled recently presented a pilot-project called Slopey, simple and light-weight ramps enabling people in wheelchairs to enter the previously inaccessible stores, bars and restaurants with one or two steps at the entrance. Developed in cooperation with the City of Zagreb and Zagreb Tourist Board, these red ramps were placed in Tkalčićeva, one of the busiest streets in the city, and they have proved to be a simple, yet very useful solution for persons with mobility problems.

Public spaces in Zagreb

49% of over 3,000 public institutions in Zagreb are accessible to people with disabilities, which might seem a lot, but 29% of the institutions is completely inaccessible, meaning that there’s a long way to go.

According to the City’s publication from 2012, accessible objects include 487 healthcare facilities, 59 hospitals, 26 universities, 136 kindergartens, 74 primary schools and 33 secondary schools.

Click here to access the guide. 

Here’s a map of fully and partially wheelchair accessible public institutions:

Public Healthcare Service (hospitals and polyclinics)

Public Healthcare Service (health centres)

Pharmacies

Cinemas

Theatres and concert halls

Museums

Libraries

Churches and Religious Societies

Accommodation

Police stations

Post offices

Transport (railway and bus stations, funicular, airport)

Sport Halls and Stadiums

Swimming Pools and Sport Centres

Specialized Institutions

Typhological Museum

This is one of the rare museums in Europe that collects, stores, researches, documents and communicates tangible and non-tangible materials related to people with special needs, with an emphasis on people with visual impairment, so there are tactile strips to lead you through the museum and labels on all exhibits are written in Braille. Their entire website is available in audio format, to make it as accessible as possible.

Draškovićeva 80, Zagreb
Phone: +385 (0)1 4811 102
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.tifloloskimuzej.hr/page_en.aspx?id=33

Opening hours

Winter
Mon – Wed, + Friday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sat – Sun: closed

Summer (June 1 – August 31)
Mon – Wed, + Friday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sat – Sun: closed

Admissions

Adults: 20 kn
Children, groups (more than 10), students: 15 kn
Persons with disabilities, retirees: free