A little while ago I took a trip to Brussels the capital of Belgium and while it was short, I had a great time! We were there for only two days, but got to eat delicious food , drink amazing beer and see some pretty cool sites! If you like good food and beer, you should definitely go to Brussels.While the wheelchair accessibility was decent, there was some problems that I came across. The main problems I faced was the subway and a lot of restaurants and bars, not being accessible.I really liked the hotel we stayed and the area close to old town. Hopefully this guide can help you plan a less stressful trip to Brussels.

Transportation

  1. Eurostar train. We took the train from London to Brussels and I thought it was great! Wheelchair accessible spaces are only in the standard premier or business premier class car which was good with me since you only have to pay the standard ticket price for yourself and a discounted companion ticket. I booked my wheelchair space tickets on the Eurostar website. [https://www.eurostar.com/us-en/book-wheelchair ] I recommend using Eurostar’s special assistance services when you plan your trip. We arrived at the St. Pancras station 90 minutes early to have enough time to get through a very wheelchair accessible security check. I thought it was a beautiful train station. When it was time to board the assistance staff rolled a lift to the door and I went on up, and drove my chair through a short hallway to the train car opening to my spot where they folded and moved the regular seat by sliding it back into itself to make the space for a wheelchair which was pretty cool. I backed up into it pretty easily. It was easy to move to and from the accessible bathroom. My favorite part was the free drinks and a two course meal that featured duck confit. Yum! When we arrived in Brussels they were ready for me with the lift and I was off with ease
  2. Subway. I don’t recommend using the subway in Brussels. We tried. No one was helpful and my friends just had to picked me up on to the subway car and then to get off Ihad to back my chair off. 
  3. Chair. The hotel was in the vicinity of everything I wanted to see and do, so I was able to drive my chair everywhere. I found the terrain to be a mix of smooth sidewalks and pretty bumpy cobblestones in the old parts of town. There were also some hills to deal with.


Taxi. The hotel booked us a taxi to the train station. It was a small car that I was able to roll into without any trouble, and it still had enough space for my friend and our luggage.

Restaurants

  1. Grimbergen Cafe. A modern Belgian brasserie on Pl. Sainte-Catherine that features local dishes. I had an abundant serving of spicy mussels provencal which were some of the best mussels I have had in my life! The Flemish beef stew was also incredible. It is wheelchair accessible inside and had an accessible bathroom but we still sat outside.
  2. Nüetnigenough. Charming little brassiere that focuses on food cooked with beer and a big beer list. Located on Rue du Lombard close to the Grand Place and the Manneken Pis. It is not wheelchair accessible with a big step but they have outside seating. 

Bars or Breweries

  • Delirium Café. A famous bar in Delirium VIllage with over 2,000 beers tucked away on a dead end alley a few blocks from the Grand Place. Sadly, it isn’t wheelchair accessible. But they do have a couple tables outside and my friends went in to get the beers. If you are into beer it’s worth going. I managed to have more beer than I needed and then obviously, had to find a place to use a bathroom. Fortunately, there were accessible bathrooms in other nearby bars and hotels.
  • Moeder Lambic Fontainas. A craft beer bar in a modern space with exposed bricks, close to the Manneken Pis. It is wheelchair accessible, but the space is narrow and it was crowded when we were there. The only open table was outside and what isn’t modern, is no accessible bathroom. Still, it is a great atmosphere where you can relax, drink some delicious beers, have some snacks such as cheeses and breads. We shared a table with two people from Germany so It also turned out to be a fun place to meet new people!
  • Brasserie Cantillon et Musée Bruxellois de la Gueuze, is a brewery established in1900 that makes traditional Belgian beers. They make sour beers like lambics, geuze and kreiks. They offer a tour of the brewery which is not completely wheelchair accessible though I was able to see some of it that was not downstairs. Instead I just drank some beers and later, a stranger gave us some of the beers they bought because they couldn’t drink it all. Lucky us! 

Attractions

Manneken-Pis. Famous fountain from the 17th century, that literally means “little man pee,” featuring a bronze statue of a boy peeing. Locals dress the beloved boy in different costumes for holidays.

Comics Arts Museum. A museum dedicated to, you guessed it, comic books! I never heard of a museum like this so I had to check it out; plus the building is a Victor Horta Art Nouveau home! I really enjoyed seeing comics from all over the world and learning the history of comics  and how the comics are  made. The museum is wheelchair accessible with an elevator and accessible bathroom on the second floor. 

Grand-Place. A 14th century town square at the center of the city, considered to be one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. My favorite time to be surrounded by the spectacular architecture was at night when the square is lit up with all kinds of colorful lights. It’s a popular tourist attraction where tons of people meet up with friends to drink and eat. In August, every two years, there is a Flower Carpet event where more than half a million begonias and flowers are designed to carpet the square. 

Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert. A beautiful shopping arcade with an arched glass ceiling, featuring high-end shops, restaurants and sweets. Some great places for sampling Belgian chocolate, macaroons and eclairs. There is a small ramp for easy access at both entrances

Hotels

Hotel nhow Brussels Bloom. A modern and artsy nice hotel right next to the  Botanique (Botanical Gardens). I found the hotel to be very wheelchair accessible and aesthetically pleasing. Every room has art from unique artists. My room was big enough but only had one queen bed. The bathroom had one of the best shower chairs I ever used. The chair was attached to the wall and was large enough to sit comfortably and with arm rest.Unfortunately, I don’t think there is room enough for a hoyer lift.