A great store - if you only visit the front/ground floor of it.
3
3
Date of visit: January 2026
I am a disabled person and a carer or friend of a disabled person and a general supporter of disabled access. I have experience of challenges around: a hidden impairment, accessing toilets, dexterity or coordination and moving around.
Overall Rating
Average
Half of the store is great - the front, ground level is, anyway. The rest of it is an uphill struggle, literally, as the steep incline to get to the back of the store is worthy of an olympic wheelchair user!
Disabled Access In and Around
Poor
There are large, automatic doors at the entrance to the store and the aisles are fairly wide and easy to navigate whilst in a wheelchair. There were 2 issues I had when visiting this store and they are pretty major for anyone with a mobility aid. As you get to around the half-way point of the store, the floor starts to incline towards the back and it is a very steep ramp which I struggled to propel my wheelchair up. Thankfully, I had my partner with me to assist with pushing me up and down these ramps, otherwise I would not have been able to access the one thing I went into the store for - vinyl records - which are located on the top floor, up a very steep ramp, right at the back of the shop. There is a lift to the second floor, however the lift itself is incredibly small and I had to wedge my chair under the grab rail inside the lift, otherwise I would not have fit into it full stop. It is overly small, my wheelchair rims scraped against both sides of the lift doors, because that was the only way I was getting into it with a wheelchair and I had to sit with my feet rammed against the door when it was closed as there was nowhere else I could put them. If it had been any smaller, I would have sworn it was a dumb waiter and not a lift! At the till, they have a lowered area for wheelchair users, which was great and meant I could pay without assistance! The biggest pro to this store as a wheelchair user!
Accessible facilities: Lift to all areas, Step-free entrance
Parking & Transport
Poor
I travelled to this place by train
There is categorically no parking available whatsoever for this store. It is located in the middle of Cardiff Queen Street and as such, there are no parking facilities. There are carparks, multi-story carparks and street parking dotted around Cardiff, but these are all a fair distance away on foot. There are links to public transport services such as buses, however I cannot attest for how far away the bus stops are. If you are travelling by train, it is a long distance from the nearest stop if you have mobility struggles, however there are taxis easily available from the majority of Cardiff City Centre wherever you go.
Accessible Toilets
As far as I am aware, there are no public toilets available at this store.
Staff
There are lots of staff at HMV Cardiff and every staff member that I spoke to was friendly and helpful.
