1 Day in Brussels: A Wheelchair Accessible Guide
Brussels, the capital of Belgium perhaps may be overshadowed by the likes of Bruges in the north, however, it is still worth a visit with its mix between the old and the modern. However, you may wish to pre-plan your visit if you use an electric wheelchair and here’s why:
Where to stay
Despite it being part of my 2013 European Road Trip, we booked ourselves into the Park Inn (Gare du Midi) in the heart of the city within walking distance of public transportation (Trams, Metros etc) stemming out of Gare du Midi station. Eurostar also operates daily services to this station from the UK
As with most Park Inns, the hotel has all the accessibility features i.e. roll-in showers.
Transportation
Metro
As we arrived the evening before our full day in Brussels, we headed out into Gare du Midi to ensure that the metro was fully accessible as stated on the STIB website. It turned out that there was actually a flight of steps down to the metro platform hence I would highly recommend that you YouTube your intended station beforehand. In addition, it is worth noting that the majority of its rolling stock is pre-millennia and has quite a large step between the train and platform edge…
Tram
The tram network in Brussels is a much easier method of transportation if you are an electric wheelchair user due to it’s newer stations and rolling stock…
(YouTube video courtesy of Busfotodotnl)
Rolling around Brussels
As we had limited time to explore the city, we centred ourselves visiting the Atomium built for the 1958 World Expo. Unfortunately, due to it’s age, the only wheelchair accessible ‘atom’ is at the top but nonetheless presents spectacular views of the city…
Due to Brussels being an ‘old’ city, we encountered various cobbled streets, however, there are also smooth pavements to counteract this.
Overall, Brussels is a great city to visit with it’s contrast of architecture, however, if you use an electric wheelchair, I would highly recommend planning your visit prior to your arrival.