Bruges, Belgium is a city I’ve heard amazing things about. I strongly suspected my best friend Izzy and I would love it here, so in September 2024 I took it upon myself to arrange a surprise trip and somehow managed to keep our destination a secret right up until we boarded the Eurostar. But… can you truly explore a cobbly, historic city like Bruges by wheelchair?
I knew from the get-go that Bruges would be a tough destination for me in terms of both accessibility and food allergies. However, I’d mentally prepared myself for this and looking back now, I can tell you it was one hundred percent worth it.
Bruges is even more stunning than I could have imagined. Every single building has a uniqueness about it, even the terraced houses squeezed next to each other on the same street, and it’s the kind of place where every time you turn a corner you find yet another incredible view. We got so lucky with the warm weather during our stay, and yet I imagine it’s just as magical, if not more magical, during the Winter months and festive season too.
You can watch the video from our trip on YouTube now. As always, the first half is a vlog of our adventures as they were happening, and in the second half I sit down to tell you all about our experience once I’m back home and have had time to reflect.
This particular video covers booking assistance for the Eurostar and also our connecting train via the SNCB Assist system, my boarding and accessibility experience during the journey, the hotel and attractions we experienced in the city, managing food allergies when dining out, dealing with cobbles and general access concerns, what I’ve learned for future trips, and my tips and advice for anybody planning a similar visit. As always, please bear in mind that I’m an ambulatory wheelchair user with a chronic illness and don’t represent every disabled person’s thoughts and experiences, but I hope you find it helpful. Watch on YouTube here!
A big part of this trip for me was seeing how we fared travelling by Eurostar rather than airplane, and I have to say, I was a big fan of doing things this way… especially feeling confident to travel in my own powerchair and have it with me at all times. Watch this Reel on Instagram to see a bit more of our journey from London St Pancras to Brussels, and then onwards via our connecting train to Bruges. It’s definitely given me food for thought for planning future adventures…
My health wasn’t as good as I would have liked it to be in the run-up to and during this trip and I’m still recovering weeks later, but I can’t help but feel enormously lucky that I could experience the incredible city of Bruges for myself. It’s not one I’ll be pointing to as the most accessible destination for disabled travellers, but if you can find ways to make it work for you, *please* add it to your bucket lists. I’m telling you, it was pure magic.
Have you been to Bruges before? Any tips or advice you would share?