2. 2
Table of contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 3
BRUSSELS ................................................................................................................................................. 4
PROVINCE OF ANTWERP ....................................................................................................................... 11
Antwerp ............................................................................................................................................. 11
Mechelen ........................................................................................................................................... 16
Other ................................................................................................................................................. 18
PROVINCE OF LIMBURG ........................................................................................................................ 23
Hasselt ............................................................................................................................................... 23
Ghent ................................................................................................................................................. 33
Other ................................................................................................................................................. 37
PROVINCE OF FLEMISH BRABANT ......................................................................................................... 41
Leuven ............................................................................................................................................... 41
Other ................................................................................................................................................. 46
PROVINCE OF WEST FLANDERS ............................................................................................................. 51
General .............................................................................................................................................. 51
Bruges ................................................................................................................................................ 51
Coast .................................................................................................................................................. 57
In Flanders Fields ............................................................................................................................... 66
Other ................................................................................................................................................. 74
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Introduction
This information pack gives an overview of the possibilities regarding accessible day trips in Flanders and Brussels.
People with physical disabilities often need adjustments to make their visit to a museum or attraction run more smoothly. Most of the information in this pack is therefore primarily aimed at people with a physical disability. But we do include initiatives that offer extra facilities for other types of impairment as well.
Not all the sites that call themselves accessible are included in this pack. Our information is always based on objective expert research, i.e. on the positive experiences of visitors with a disability. Some journeys have also been tested by our staff.
Whether or not something is accessible, varies greatly from one person to the next. Every disability or impairment is different. We recommend that you always get in touch with the places mentioned in advance so as to get a concrete idea of what to expect.
This information is in no way comprehensive but it’s a start. You can always contact us for additional information, or send us your tips and experiences.
Looking for more information on accessible travel in Flanders and Brussels? The following brochures are also available at the Accessible Travel Info Point
- Accessible travel in Flanders and Brussels (public and private transport option)
- Accessible tourist information offices and visitors centers in Flanders and Brussels
- 100 years of the Tour of Flanders: everyone’s cycling!
- Accessible walking and biking in Flanders and Brussels – AVAILABLE SOON
- The Great War Centenary: accessible to everyone! –AVAILABLE SOON
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BRUSSELS
1. General
A different point of view of cities
St-Jansstraat 32-38 1000 Brussel
Tel.: 32 2 515 02 61 E-mail: info@vfg.be Website: www.stedenandersbekeken.be
VFG (the Flemish association for disabled people) has mapped out trails in different cities for people with a physical, learning, auditive or visual disability. Tailor-made walks or guided tours make it possible for you to put together you own excursion. Together with friends, family or accompanying person you can discover a city of art in an educational, light- hearted and playful way. The website gives you information about Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp, Hasselt and Sint-Truiden. There are also brochures about Louvain and Lier available.
Almagic – hiring of electric scooters and bikes
Mimosalaan 7 1150 Brussel
Tel.: 32 499 22 68 68 E-mail: almagic.asbl.news@gmail.com Website: www.almagic.org
Almagic hires out 4 electric scooters and all kinds of adjusted bikes (wheelchair bikes, handbikes, tandems, tricycles, joëlletes…). The prices are the same as the hiring prices of Provelo (www.provelo.org). You can hire for a maximum of 2 weeks.
Museumtalks
Brussel
Website: www.museumtalks.be
The museums in Brussels are to be heard. An elite group of famous Flemings, Walloons, residents of Brussels and world citizens comment on their favourite locations or objects that you can visit in one of the 40 participating museums. You can load their personal comments beforehand and save them on your mp3 player at home, in order to subsequently listen to them at the museum.
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2. Museums and sites
Autoworld
Jubelpark 11 1000 Brussel
Tel.: 32 2 736 41 65 E-mail: info@autoworld.be Website: www.autoworld.be
More than 250 vehicles of various origin recount the history of automobile and illustrate the spectacular development of vehicles over more than a century. Fairly accessible, but help is needed to take the lift. There is an adapted toilet, but you need to ask a member of staff for the key.
Basilica of Koekelberg
Basiliekvoorplein 1 1030 Brussel
Tel.: 32 2 421 16 79 E-mail: tourism@basilicakoekelberg.be Website: www.basilicakoekelberg.be
With regard to the surface, the Basilica of Koekelberg is the fifth biggest church of the world, after the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro in Ivory Coast, the Saint-Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the Saint-Paul’s Cathedral of London and the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower in Florence. Today, the church is first of all a place for prayers for peace. The Basilica is still used for parochial services and for big national services. But the church is more than that: it is a beautiful Art deco monument, there are two museums, annually, different exhibitions are organized and you can enjoy a magnificent panoramic view of Brussels. In the beginning of 2012, a new lift was installed. The Basilica, its museums and the panoramic view are now completely accessible for wheelchair users.
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Children’s museum
Burgemeesterstraat 15 1050 Brussel
Tel.: 32 2 640 01 07 E-mail: info@childrenmuseum.be Website: www.museedesenfants.be
The Children’s museum is concentrated on children between the age of 4 and 12 with and without a disability. Children get to know themselves and others in a playful way. The museum is accessible and has a lift. The animators also welcome children with a learning disability. Every fourth Wednesday of the month, there are activities for deaf and hearing impaired children in sign language.
Cinquantenaire Museum
Jubelpark 10 1000 Brussel
Tel.: 32 2 741 72 11 Website: www.kmkg-mrah.be
In the Cinquantenaire Museum,you can see national archaeological artefacts from prehistory to the age of the Merovingians, as well as finds from Egypt, the Near East, Iran and Classical Antiquity. Accessible via a side entrance, all floors can be visited with the lift. An adapted toilet is available, as are wheelchairs. The café is also accessible independently of the museum (hot meals are served). Guided tours are being organised for people with a visual impairment. However, reservation is required at least one month in advance. Guide dogs are allowed.
Magritte Museum
Koningsplein 2 1000 Brussel
Tel.: 32 25 08 32 11 Website: www.musee-magritte-museum.be
The Belgian surrealist painter and artist René Magritte – world-famous for his painting ‘Ceci n’est pas une pipe’– now has his own museum in Brussels. You can see an overview of his impressive oeuvre. You can conclude the visit with films about the life of the painter or films that he and his friends liked to watch or which inspired him. The museum is fully accessible, with a spacious lift and an adapted toilet. Wheelchairs are also available. The ‘museum op maat’ (museum made to measure) programme is specifically for people with a disability and other specific target groups (also available at other sites of the Royal Museum for Fine Arts). Deaf visitors can join a guided tour with a deaf guide once a month.The tour is organised on the second Saturday of each month. Individual deaf visitors who don’t want to join a guided tour, can borrow a tablet from the reception with comments on several paints in the museum, among others in international sign language. If you have a hearing aid then you can also
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reserve the Guide-U system. This system, with a headphone and microphone, is connected to your hearing aid. Ask about it when you make a reservation. Visitors with a visual impairment should certainly give the monthly Equinox programme a try. With relief drawings, music, poetry, all kinds of objects, 3D productions and audio description you can discover the wonderful world of Magritte. Adapted tours are also organised for visitors with a mental disability. All these tours must be booked in advance using the contact details below.
Mini-Europe (Bruparck)
Eeuwfeestenlaan 20 1020 Brussel
Tel.: 32 2 478 05 50 E-mail: info@minieurope.eu Website: www.minieurope.eu/en
Located at the foot of the Atomium, Mini-Europe allows visitors a chance to see perfect replicas of the best monuments and sites of Europe. Reserved parking is provided at the second entrance to Bruparck (Athletenlaan – at the rear of the King Baudouin Stadium). In The Village there is a route provided for visitors in wheelchairs. This route runs past the rear of the playground and gives easy access to the square at The Village and the entrance to Mini-Europe. Mini-Europe, Oceade and Kinepolis (theatres 8, 9, 13 and Imax) are equipped to welcome visitors in wheelchairs.
Museum of Natural Sciences
Vautierstraat 29 1000 Brussel
Tel.: 32 2 627 42 38 E-mail: info@natuurwetenschappen.be Website: www.naturalsciences.be/index_html
In the Museum of Natural Sciences there are 2 adapted parking spaces. You can reach the entrance door via a ramp (the outside door does not open automatically, but the parking attendant can help you). The museum has two wheelchairs that you can reserve. All floors are accessible by lift so that the exhibition areas can be visited easily. In the Gallery of Dinosaurs and in the Evolution gallery there are two smaller balconies that are not wheelchair accessible. The Dino Café and the Museum Shop are also easily accessible and can be reached without visiting the museum. There are several adapted toilets: in the dino gallery (level -2), in the minerals room (level -1) and in the insect and shell room. One toilet area is equipped for use with a hoist (dino gallery, level -2). The Education service offers workshops for people with a cognitive, visual or auditory limitation. The PaleoLAB is accessible for wheelchairs. Questions about accessibility: suppoosten@natuurwetenschappen.be or call: 32 (0)2 627 41 98.
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Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History
Jubelpark 3 1000 Brussel
Tel.: 32 2 737 78 09 E-mail: infocom@klm-mra.be Website: www.klm-mra.be
A museum for enthusiasts of weapons, armours, military uniforms, tanks and fighter planes. Most rooms are accessible; the 1st floor of the aeroplane hall is not accessible, nor is the Archway Gallery (with exception of the Napoleonic section). The adapted toilets are accessible with help. Wheelchairs are available. Guided tours are also organised for people with a visual or hearing impairment. You do, however, need to reserve one month in advance.
3. Restaurants & pubs
If you want more information about accessible pubs and restaurants in Brussels, you can take a look at http://www.brusselvoorallen.be/?lang=en. Also, the Use-It wheelchair plan offers more information about the accessibility of a few restaurants and pubs.
Restaurant L'Objectif (Silken Berlaymont hotel)
Karel De Grotelaan 11-19 1000 Brussel
Tel.: 32 2 231 09 09 E-mail: hotel.berlaymont@hoteles-silken.com In the restaurant of the Silken Berlaymont hotel, there is narrow circulation space, but it is sufficient to use. A wheelchair-accessible table is available. There also is sufficient room in front of, next to and diagonally in front of the toilet. A handrail is provided.
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PROVINCE OF ANTWERP
Antwerp
1. General
Accessible Antwerp
Website: www.visitantwerpen.be/docs/stad/bedrijven/actieve_stad/as_tnc/toegankelijkheid%20antwerpen.pdf
The city of Antwerp offers on her website www.visitantwerpen.be >”People like you” > “Disabled” the brochure “Accessibility of Antwerp” in PDF. In the brochure, you can find a summary of all the accessible churches, museums and attractions, a list of every reserved parking space and some useful information about transport, lending services of material and homecare stores.
2. Museums and sites
Aquatopia
Koningin Astridplein 7 2018 Antwerpen
Tel.: 32 3 205 07 40 E-mail: info@aquatopia.be Website: www.aquatopia.be/en
In Aquatopia, you travel through tropical rain forests, streams, rivers, underwater caves, coral reefs up to the bottom of the ocean and you get to know more than 10.000 fish and sea mammals. Aquatopia is wheelchair accessible and disposes of two wheelchairs. You can get more information about the availability of those wheelchairs at the telephone number 32(0)3 201 07 50.
Antwerp Zoo
Koningin Astridplein 26 2018 Antwerpen
Tel.: 32 3 202 45 40 E-mail: info@zooantwerpen.be Website: www.zooantwerpen.be
The Antwerp Zoo is one of the oldest and most famous zoos in Europe. Make sure you have enough time for a visit, because there are many things to see and to experience. Penguins in Vriesland, elephants and giraffes in a unique Egyptian temple and hippos in the pink villa: here you can admire more than 950 species and over 5,000 animals. The zoo is easily accessible. There is a special obstacle-free wheelchair path. Two accessible toilets.
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Photo Museum
Waalsekaai 47 2000 Antwerpen
Tel.: 32 3 242 93 00 E-mail: info@fomu.be Website: www.fotomuseum.be/en/index_fomu.jsp?layout=fomu&layout=fomu&layout=fomu
This exceptionally dynamic and ambitious Photo Museum does not only exhibit photographs, but also preserves them, and on top of that, the museum invites a photographer every month to explain his or her work. Guided tours are given and workshops are held for young and old. Visit the permanent exhibit and discover the history of photography.
You might need a push on the incline to the front door. All exhibition rooms on the different floors in the museum are easily accessible, but the showcase tables are not adapted to wheelchair users. There is an adapted toilet, but the space in front of the toilet is only 100 cm.
Silver Museum Sterckshof
Hooftvunderlei 160 2100 Antwerpen
Tel.: 32 3 360 52 52 E-mail: nfo@zilvermuseum.be Website: www.provant.be/vrije_tijd/cultuur/musea/zilvermuseum/toegankelijkheid
The Silver Museum is established in the castle Sterckshof in Deurne. Sterckshof is a house with many rooms and with room for silver. The silver collection covers the period from the 16th century until now and is thematically presented, the technique, the marks as well as the style and the use of the objects are treated in their context. By means of thematic or time-bounded exhibitions and publications, the museums fills the gaps in the history of the Belgian silversmith’s trade. There are 2 wheelchairs available for free. You can find a reserved parking place in the Cornelissenlaan. There are guided tours in Flemish sign language for the hearing-impaired visitors. Moreover, for guided tours and workshops, the deaf loop system can be used. It is necessary to make a reservation.
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Mechelen
1. Museums and sites
Kazerne Dossin: memorial, Museum and Documentation centre about Holocaust and Human rights
Goswin de Stassartstraat 153 2800 Mechelen
Tel.: 32 15 29 06 60 E-mail: info@kazernedossin.eu Website: www.kazernedossin.com/EN
During the Second World War, more than 25,000 Jews and gypsies departed from Barracks Dossin to extermination camps. This emotionally charged site now tells the story of the persecution of Jews and gypsies in Belgium. The museum is easily accessible and has a large lift. The texts are sometimes a bit high to read easily from a wheelchair. There is an accessible toilet.
Planckendael
Leuvensesteenweg 582 2812 Mechelen
Tel.: 32 15 41 49 21 Website: www.planckendael.be
In this green oasis close to Mechelen you can get a close look at both large and small animals from every continent. Take a raft from Africa to Oceania, or act like a monkey yourself in the trees 14 metres above the ground. If you visit the zoo by car you will find (paid) reserved parking spaces right next to the entrance. Close to Mechelen station however you can also set course with an accessible boat straight to Planckendael. You can reserve wheelchairs in advance. The De Ooievaar, De Gazelle and Toepaja restaurants are accessible. In De Gazelle and Toepaja you will also find an accessible toilet. Special themed tours are organised for people with a visual, auditive and cognitive impairment.
Provincial sports and recreation centre De Nekker
Nekkerspoel-Borcht 19 2800 Mechelen
Tel.: 32 15 55 70 05 E-mail: reservatie@denekker.be Website: www.denekker.be
On the outskirts of Mechelen, there is a sports and recreation domain mainly known for the beach where hundreds of visitors relax and have fun during the summer.
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On the 65ha of green area, there is not only a lake with swimming area and a beach, but also playgrounds, a waterslide and outdoor and indoor sports facilities, a skate street with different ramps and an indoor playground Nekki. Easily accessible via surfaced roads. There are accessible toilets. There are also diver’s floats for wheelchair users as well as volleyball, basketball and handball equipment that can be adapted to wheelchair users.
St. Rumbold's Cathedral
Onder den Toren 12 2800 Mechelen
Tel.: 32 70 22 00 08 E-mail: toerisme@mechelen.be Website: http://sintromboutstoren.mechelen.be/en/index.html
Access via side entrances. The tower is not accessible for wheelchair users but you can take a virtual tour with a multimedia guide.
Toy Museum
Nekkerspoelstraat 21 2800 Mechelen
Tel.: 32 15 55 70 75 E-mail: info@speelgoedmuseum.be Website: www.speelgoedmuseum.be/EN/homeEN.html
Discover a great collection of toys of the past and the present. Puppets, party games, trains, teddy bears, building toys and so much more. The playful and interactive presentation of the permanent collection and the temporary exhibitions will make every visit a unique experience. Fully accessible for wheelchair users. Guide dogs are allowed. Guided tours and workshops are organised for people with a mental impairment. The Toy Museum has a special Toy Library for children with a disability or suffering from chronic illnesses. Specially adapted toys can be borrowed on Saturdays from 10am to 12.30am.
2. Restaurants and pubs
Vé Café
Vismarkt 14 2800 Mechelen
Tel.: 32 86 139 164 E-mail: info@vé-café.be Website: www.hotelve.com/index.asp?taal=uk
This brasserie is a part of Hotel Mercure Mechelen Vé. Everywhere enough circulation space, tables adapted to wheelchairs are present. Enough room next to, in front of and diagonally in front of the toilet. Two handrails are provided.
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Zimmer pavilion
Zimmerplein 18b 2500 Lier
Tel.: 32 3 800 03 95 E-mail: info@zimmertoren.be Website: www.zimmertoren.be/en/home
Easily accessible, has an adapted toilet. On the Zimmer Square next to the Solar System you will find a bronze scale model of the Zimmer Tower in 3 languages and in Braille.
Beguinage, beguinage church and beguinage museum
Begijnhof 56 2300 Turnhout
Tel.: 32 14 42 12 48 E-mail: begijnhofmuseum@turnhout.be Website: www.begijnhofmuseum.be
The beguinage in Turnhout is an island of tranquility in the middle of the city. Together with 12 other Flemish beguinages, it is on the list of the cultural world heritage of UNESCO since 1998. The beguinage in Turnhout is barely accessible for wheelchair users due to the narrow footpaths and poor road surface. The museum is accessible with assistance and has an adapted toilet.
Cross-border park De Zoom-Kalmthoutse Heide, visitors centre De Vroente & apiculture museum
Putsesteenweg 131 2920 Kalmthout
Tel.: 32 3 666 61 01 E-mail: bijenteeltmuseum@kalmthout.be Website: www.kalmthout.be/Toegankelijkheid-voor-mensen-met-beperkte-mobiliteit.html
At the border of the Kalmthoutse Heide, you can find the Nature Education centre De Vroente and the apiculture museum. It is an ideal location for a day surrounded by nature. You can park your car on the car park of Kalmthoutse Heide (also the car park of De Vroente, the apiculture museum), where you can find 7 reserved parking places.
Nature Education centre De Vroente
NEC de Vroente is at the main entrance of the Kalmthoutse Heide and is the visitor’s centre of “Cross-border park De Zoom-Kalmthoutse Heide”. Walkers and nature lovers can also go there with all their questions. The centre is accessible to wheelchairs and there is an adapted toilet. There are also two special wheelchairs with large tires for walks in the Kalmthoutse Heide. The “Wombat” wheelchairs make it possible to go through the shifting sand. You can borrow them for free for a couple of hours. It is recommended to reserve in advance: Tourist office Kalmthout, tel. 03 666 61 01, toerisme@kalmthout.be.
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More information: www.kalmthout.be/natuureducatief-centrum-de-vroente.html
Apiculture museum
Apiculture is an age-old tradition in the Kempen. In this museum you get to know more about the marvelous world of the bee. The museum is accessible to wheelchairs and has an adapted toilet. The museum brochure is available in braille at the reception. A special guided tour for people with a visual disability is possible on demand.
More information: www.kalmthout.be/bijenteeltmuseum.html
Cross-border park De Zoom-Kalmthoutse Heide
There are 2 semi-paved paths for wheelchair users and for baby carriages.One path starts at the entrance gate De Vroente; this accessible path ‘Klein Zwitserland’ goes by the Withoefse Heide. On the road, you can find an adapted picnic table. An other semi-paved path starts at the entrance gate Ravenhof/Moretusbos. This path leads you through the old castle garden. If you prefer to go into the sandy woods, you can borrow a wombat wheelchair for free at the tourist office (see information NEC De Vroente)
More information: www.grensparkzk.nl/minder-mobiel
Olmen Zoo
Bukenberg 45 2491 Balen
Tel.: 32 14 30 98 82 E-mail: info@olmensezoo.be Website: www.olmensezoo.be
Easily accessible via surfaced paths. There are two accessible toilets and an accessible restaurant with adapted toilet. Wheelchairs are available. Special guided tours are organised for people with a visual and learning disability.
Town walk Geel
Markt 1 2240 Geel
Tel.: 32 14 56 63 80 E-mail: toerisme@geel.be Website: www.geel.be/product.aspx?id=2319
The town walk was developed by Tourism Geel in cooperation with the Tourist Information Office and the federation of guides in Geel and takes you to the most beautiful places and monuments of the City of Charity. The route of the walk is indicated by brass signposting nails and departs at the Tourism house De Waag on the Markt. The walk is suitable for wheelchair users. The accompanying brochure of the walk is available at Tourism Geel, Markt 1, 2440 Geel and costs 2,5 euro a piece.
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2. Restaurants and pubs
Café 't Koningsrek
Bovenstraat 2 2880 Bornem
Tel.: 32 3 889 96 57
Right behind the Scheldt front in Branst nearby Bornem, there is the café ‘t Koningsrek. Someone tipped us off that this café has no doorstep at the entrance and an adapted toilet. We don’t have any objective details; you’d better ask the proprietor based on your specific requirements. The environment became famous because the TV-show Stille Waters was shot in the area. The café only serves drinks.
Restaurant Dennenhof
Bredabaan 940 2930 Brasschaat
Tel.: 32 3 663 05 09 E-mail: dennenhof@valk.com Website: www.moteldennenhof.be/nl/restaurant
In the restaurant of hotel Dennenhof, the space to turn and to walk is limited. There are tables adapted to wheelchairs. There is enough room next to, in front of and diagonally in front of the toilets. Two handrails are provided.
3. Accessible tourist information offices and visitors centers
Tourism Heist-op-den-Berg
Postweg 6
2220 Heist-op-den-Berg
Tel: +32 15 25 15 82
Fax: +32 15 24 31 98
E-mail: toerisme@heist-op-den-berg.be
Website: www.heist-op-den-berg.be
VVV Baarle-Nassau-Hertog
Nieuwstraat 16
5111 CW Baarle-Nassau
Tel: +31 13 507 99 21
E-mail: info@vvvbaarle.com
Website: www.vvvbaarle.nl
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PROVINCE OF LIMBURG
Hasselt
1. Museums & sites
Cultural Centre Hasselt
Kunstlaan 5 3500 Hasselt
Tel.: 32 11 22 99 31 E-mail: info@ccha.be Website: www.ccha.be
Has an accessible café where meals and snacks can be bought. There is also an accessible toilet. The large theatre is also wheelchair accessible; reservation in advance is possible.
Japanese Garden
Gouverneur Verwilghensingel 23 3500 Hasselt
Tel.: 32 11 23 52 00 E-mail: toerisme@hasselt.be Website: toerisme.hasselt.be/en/content/3742/jardin-japonais.html
The largest authentic Japanese garden in Europe. Easily accessible, help might be needed on the somewhat steeper slopes. The stepping stones and the waterfall are not wheelchair accessible, but there is a route around them. There is an adapted toilet. Two wheelchairs are available at the check-out but these have to be booked in advance.
Fashion Museum
Gasthuisstraat 11 3500 Hasselt
Tel.: 32 11 23 96 21 E-mail: modemuseum@hasselt.be Website: www.modemuseumhasselt.be
Since 1995, the fashion museum Hasselt is located in the former convent of the Grauwzusters, a protected building situated at the ‘Green Boulevard’ (inner ring road) in Hasselt. The museum exposes different themes of fashion in changing expositions. Very good access via ramps and a lift. The adapted toilet is rather small. There is a special programme for people with a cognitive limitation; reservations are necessary.
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National Genever Museum
Witte Nonnenstraat 19 3500 Hasselt
Tel.: 32 11 23 98 60 E-mail: jenevermuseum@hasselt.be Website: www.jenevermuseum.be
In a 19th century agricultural distillery – in the middle of the city of Hasselt - the National Genever Museum tells the story of Belgian genever, from grain to drink. You can follow the production process, among others, in an authentic 19th century distilling facility A limited number of rooms are accessible. There is an adapted toilet.
2. Restaurants and pubs
Brasserie De Groene Hendrickx
Zuivelmarkt 25 3500 Hasselt
Tel.: 32 11 28 82 10 E-mail: groene@lodge-hotels.be Website: www.lodge-hotels.be/lodge/enghome.jsp
The brasserie of the hotel of the same name has enough circulation space and a table adapted to wheelchairs. Narrow circulation space at the door and toilet, but enough for use. Enough room next to and diagonally in front of the toilet, in front of the toilet it is limited (98cm). Two handrails provided.
Koper (Radisson Blu hotel)
Torenplein 8 3500 Hasselt
Tel.: 32 11 77 00 00 E-mail: info.hasselt@radissonblu.com Website: www.radissonblu.be/hotel-hasselt/dineren/koperhuis
Restaurant of the Radisson Blu Hotel Hasselt. Narrow room at the buffet, but sufficient for use. Tables adapted to wheelchair users are present. Enough room next to (88cm), in front of and diagonally in front of the toilet. Two handrails are provided.
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The Meuse museum and the Basketry museum are accessible from the visitors centre via a lift and ramps. The cafe is also accessible and there is an accessible toilet.
Bokrijk
Bokrijklaan 1 3600 Genk
Tel.: 32 11 26 53 00 E-mail: bokrijk@limburg.be Website: www.bokrijk.be/en/praktisch-info.aspx
Bringing the past back to life in an interesting and exciting way is what you will experience during a visit to the Open Air Museum of Bokrijk. It's a permanent re-enactment of daily life in the Flemish countryside more than 100 years ago. A visible past. More than a hundred historic buildings with furnishings were rebuilt meticulously and embedded in a typical green landscape. The Open Air Museum is closed from October 1st 2012 until March 28th 2013. The Bokrijk Park is open every day of the year and free of charge. There are hardened paths everywhere, but some houses are inaccessible to wheelchairs. There are adapted toilets. It is possible to borrow a wheelchair free-of-charge from the information centre (main entrance of the Open Air Museum
Hoge Kempen National Park
Winterslagstraat 87 3600 Genk
Tel.: 32 89 32 28 10 E-mail: info@rlkm.be Website: www.rlkm.be/en/hoge-kempen
You can enjoy the beauty of the Hoge Kempen National Park even if you have a disability. The Kattevennen and Pietersheim parks are excellent starting points. You will find all the necessary information for visiting the park and also about the easily accessible attractions and facilities which are really worth a visit.
Europlanetarium (Cosmodrome)
Planetariumweg 18/19 3600 Genk
Tel.: 32 89 65 55 55 E-mail: cosmodrome@genk.be Website: www.cosmodrome.be
One of the five active observatories in Flanders. Here, you will get to know a lot more about astrology, space travel and meteorology. The Cosmodrome has giant binoculars and a projector that represents meticulously the movement of the stars and planets on a screen of 400m². It can reproduce star-spangled skies from every place on earth and from no matter which date. In total, it shows 9000 stars.
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The Cosmodrome has 110 seats and 6 of these can be removed to give the opportunity to wheelchair users to sit among the audience. A specially adapted toilet is available. An accessible tavern, De Krater, can be reached with the lift from the Kattevennen entrance gate or via the terrace. The extensive library has publications with pictures of star constellations in braille for the visually impaired.
Domain Pietersheim
Neerharenweg 12 3620 Lanaken
Tel.: 32 89 71 21 20 E-mail: pietersheim@lanaken.be Website: www.pietersheim.be
The Pietersheim park is one of the five gateways to the Hoge Kempen National Park where the recently renovated medieval fortress with moat of Pietersheim is located. It houses the recently renovated medieval fortress with moat of Pietersheim, a quiet witness to the famous and turbulent battles of the Lords of Pietersheim. A suspended footpath, which is also accessible for wheelchair users, lets you explore the secrets of the fortress. This journey full of surprises also includes informative modules that tell the story of Pietersheim. The park also has a children’s farm and a playground with a few accessible toys. The activities tower is connected to three other toys via a tread. Children in a wheelchair can map out their own track between the different toys. A sandbox is made at the height of a chair, so that children in a wheelchair can easily join.
Wheelchair accessible walking route ’t Dorpshuys
Schoolstraat 13 3680 Maaseik
Tel.: 32 89 86 40 03 E-mail: dorpshuys.opoeteren@gmail.com Website: www.hetdorpshuys.be
The ancient town hall of Opoeteren has been converted into a charming touristic residence with 5 rooms and a terrace for cyclists. The residence has accessibility label A. The co-ordinator for the disability policy and the disability council of the city of Maaseik and Regionaal Landschap Kempen en Maasland have outlined a walk accessible to wheelchairs. It starts at ‘t Dorpshuys and is about 4km. You can get a map for free.
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Museums Maaseik
Lekkerstraat 5 3680 Maaseik
Tel.: 32 89 56 68 90 E-mail: musea@maaseik.be Website: www.museamaaseik.be
The Pharmacy Museum and the Regional Archaeological Museum are accessible. They have an adapted, but cramped toilet. Assistance may be required on the slopes. The Baking Museum is not accessible for wheelchair users. Assistant and guide dogs are welcome.
Visitors centre and tourism Voerstreek
Pley 13 3798 s Gravenvoeren
Tel.: 32 4 381 07 36 E-mail: voerstreek@skynet.be Website: www.voerstreek.be/?lang=en
Whoever wants to get to know the Voerstreek in a playful and interactive way, can go to the visitors centre, where you can visit the nature education and the cartographic-historic exposition for free. You can also ask for brochures of some short walks over asphalted paths or walkways. Cobbles make the entrance difficult to access. Otherwise easily accessible, with an adapted toilet. It is rather cramped, there are no handrails and you have to be able to negotiate a 77 cm door.
Museum De Mindere
Capucienessenstraat 1--3 3800 Sint-Truiden
Tel.: 32 11 67 29 71 E-mail: info@demindere.be Website: www.demindere.be
The De Mindere Museum tells the life of Francis of Assisi, including the story of his disciples, the Friar Minors, in an accessible way: life in the monastery, their vocation and training, the missions, etc. Easily accessible museum with lift and an adapted toilet. The toilet is however quite cramped and you have to be able to negotiate a 76 cm door.
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Gallo-Roman Museum
Kielenstraat 15 3700 Tongeren
Tel.: 32 12 67 03 30 E-mail: grm@limburg.be Website: www.galloromeinsmuseum.be
In the Gallo-Roman Museum you will discover the many facets of man’s history, from prehistoric times to the end of the Roman age. You will learn about major events that changed history and see more than 2000 objects from the museum’s own collections, carefully explained and presented in a fascinating way by Niek Kortekaas and De Gregorio & Partners. So don’t forget to visit the Gallo-Roman Museum which was chosen as best European museum in 2011. The museum is also accessible with its wide passages, spacious lifts and accessible toilets. Tours can be booked upon request for the blind and visually impaired. They also have many sensory tables that make it possible to feel history.
2. Restaurants and pubs
Restaurant De Wintertuin (Castle of Wurfeld)
Kapelweg 60 3680 Maaseik
Tel.: 32 89 56 81 36 E-mail: info@kasteelwurfeld.be
The restaurant of the castle of Wurfeld is in the winter garden. There is enough circulation space and tables adapted to wheelchairs. Enough room next to, in front of and diagonally in front of the toilet. 2 handrails are provided.
Restaurant De Kommel
Kommel 1 3798 Voeren
Tel.: 32 4 381 01 85 E-mail: info@dekommel.be
In the restaurant of the hotel of the same name, the circulation and positioning space is narrow, but it is just enough. Tables adapted to wheelchairs are present. Largely accessible toilet with handrails.
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PROVINCE OF EAST FLANDERS
The Scheldeland car route
Sint-Niklaasstraat 2 9000 Gent
Tel.: 32 9 269 26 00 Website: www.tov.be/campagnes.aspx?pageid=185878
The Scheldeland car route is a signposted car route across the Scheldeland, the tourist area around the river Scheldt. The Scheldt meanders between Ghent and Antwerp in seductive curves through an attractive landscape of green embankments and unique mud flats and marsh lands. The river Dender flows into the Scheldt in Dendermonde and the river Rupel in Rupelmonde. You can use the many ferries to hop from one river bank to the other. - Circular 1 Scheldt and Rupel is approximately 100 km / 60 miles and lets you explore the Scheldeland near Antwerp with its authentic landscape and inhabitants (also called Small Brabant). You can continue your journey towards the Rupel area and visit Breendonk Fort, the Provincial Recreation Centre De Schorre and the cultural city of Mechelen. - Circular 2 Scheldt and Durme is also about 100 km / 60 miles and takes you through the East Flanders side of the river Scheldt. Don't forget to stop in Buggenhoutbos, visit the UNESCO city of Dendermonde and get some fresh air at the Donkmeer lake in Berlare. And also remember to taste the many local specialities, in particular eel and beer. This exciting route is perfect for touring several days and suited for everyone. No less than 4 places with accessible accommodation can be found along this route! This brochure also includes extra information and useful pictograms for the disabled. You can immediately see where accessible facilities can be found in museums, tourist information centres, cafés and restaurants.
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Ghent
1. Museums and sites
Ghent-Authentic
Keizer Karelstraat 97/201 9000 Gent
Tel.: 32 498 10 99 61 E-mail: info@ghent-authentic.com Website: www.ghent-authentic.com
Ghent-Authentic is a tour company in Ghent that not only provides tour guides but also organises visits to Ghent, providing practical information (where to park, walking distances, town maps, etc.) and advice, and booking restaurants, museums, etc. If you are less good on your legs and/or you use a wheelchair,medieval Ghent, with its tangle of alleys, stairways and steps, can be quite a challenge. Ghent-Authentic has developed a wheelchair walk especially for you.
MIAT
Minnemeers 9 9000 Gent
Tel.: 32 9 269 42 00 E-mail: publiekswerking.miat@gent.be Website: www.miat.gent.be/en
The Museum of Industrial Archaeology and Textiles (MIAT) is housed in an old cotton mill and gives a unique picture of the radical technological and industrial changes which our society has undergone over the last 250 years. Small doorstep at the door, but otherwise easily accessible. There are two adapted toilets and an accessible snack bar. A wheelchair is available.
Museum Dr. Guislain
Jozef Guislainstraat 43 9000 Gent
Tel.: 32 9 216 35 95 E-mail: info@museumdrguislain.be Website: www.museumdrguislain.be/index.php?lang=en
A museum in Belgium’s oldest psychiatric hospital, built in 1857. You will find a permanent collection that illustrates the history of psychiatry and an international collection of outsider art or art brut. Easily accessible. There is an accessible toilet. Guided tours for people with a visual impairment are possible. A sign language interpreter can be arranged.
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expression for ‘very cool’) experience for young and old. A slope next to the cycle racks enables you to reach the entrance easily with a wheelchair. The doors and passageways are wide enough and a spacious lift brings you quickly to all of the halls. The STAMcafé and the toilet are also accessible. For guided tours you can request a sign language interpreter in advance.
St.-Baafs Cathedral
Sint-Baafsplein 9000 Gent
Tel.: 32 9 225 16 26 E-mail: sint-baafskathedraal@kerknet.be Website: www.visitgent.be/en/node/8184
Whoever visits Gent, should definitely take a look at ‘The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’ (1342). This world-famous polyptych, made by the brothers van Eyck, is one of the showpieces of the Sint-Baafs Cathedral. The cathedral is Gent’s oldest parish church, first mentioned in 942. The crypt, richly decorated with frescoes, is a remainder from that time. In the 12th century, a Romensque church was built. Only in the 15th and 16th century the church got its current, gothic, view. Limited access, but the entrance and the most important sites, such as the ‘Adoration of the Lamb’ painting are easily accessible. Wheelchair users could use a little push at the entrance, since the slopes are quite steep. There is an adapted toilet in the Ibis Hotel 30 m away.
St. Nicholas' Church
Cataloniëstraat 9000 Gent
Tel.: 32 9 234 28 69 Website: www.stniklaas.com/ENGELS/Welkom.htm
A wheelchair user might need a little push on the cobblestone path leading to the church. You could also use some help entering the church: there is a steep slope immediately behind the heavy entrance door. During the opening hours, however, the doors are always opened. Good access via ramps.
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Other
1. Musea and sites
MOU - Museum Oudenaarde and Vlaamse Ardennen
Markt 1 9700 Oudenaarde
Tel.: 32 55 31 72 51 E-mail: toerisme@oudenaarde.be Website: www.mou-oudenaarde.be
Oudenaarde, starting point for further exploration through the Flemish Ardennes, 1000 years of history among waving hills. The MOU – brings that history to life. Through interactive media and special historic pieces, you travel through time, from the Dark Ages till today. The MOU is located in one of the most beautiful city halls of Belgium, centrally on the market place of Oudenaarde. It takes up the oldest part, the 14th century clothmakers’halls, symbolizing the glorious textile history of Oudenaarde. You might need help on some short but rather steep slopes and a low doorstep. Downstairs, there are cobble stones in the museum. There is a lift, because of which the three floors are accessible. Only the hall with the wall hangings is not accessible to wheelchairs because of three steps. There is a large accessible toilet, but the room in front of the toilet is limited because of the wash basin and there are no handrails.
Tour of Flanders Centre
Markt 43 9700 Oudenaarde
Tel.: 3255 33 99 33 E-mail: info@crvv.be Website: www.crvv.be/en/295-home
Are you also crazy about the race? Then you can enjoy yourself here to your heart’s content. The Centre Tour of Flanders is a multifunctional visitors centre that houses among others an experience museum, an exhibition room, a film auditorium, a museum shop and a cycling tavern. In the museum, you are indulged in the unique atmosphere of the Tour of Flanders thanks to multimedia techniques, objects, words and pictures. At the counter you can find (cycling-related) touristic information about the Flemish Ardennes.
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Carriages Verdonckt
Rubberigtsbank 39 9681 Maarkedal
Tel.: 32 55 21 87 17 E-mail: koetsen.verdonckt@telenet.be Website: www.koetsen-verdonckt.be
Fancy a day out in a horse-drawn carriage through the beautiful Flemish Ardennes? Wheelchair users can come along too. ‘Koetsen Verdonckt’ (Carriages Verdonckt) offers rides for groups of 16 to 24 people. The carriage is accessible by wheelchair. If you’d rather take the reins yourself you can sign up for an introductory pony-trap course (the wagon has room for a wheelchair). The carriage museum is an absolute must if you want to really immerse yourself in this world, and – you've guessed it – there's access for wheelchair users.
Provincial visitors centre Huysmanhoeve
Bus 1 9900 Eeklo
Tel.: 32 9 327 04 47 E-mail: huysmanhoeve@oost-vlaanderen.be Website: www.huysmanshoeve.be
The Huysmans Farm visitors centre is the ideal base for exploring the Meetjesland region. At this centuries-old farm you can learn about the nature, culture, history, countryside and recreational possibilities in the area. The Huysmans Farm is located just outside the centre of Eeklo and is partially accessible.
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Accessible catering establishment in Louvain with an accessible toilet.
Foodsquare
Vuurkruisenlaan 4 3000 Leuven
Tel.: 32 16 21 32 00 E-mail: H3153@accor.com
The brasserie of Novotel Louvain Centre has enough circulation space and there are tables adapted to wheelchairs. There is enough room next to and diagonally in front of the toilet. The room in front of it is 90 cm. There are 2 handrails.
Memling Taverne
Diestsestraat 38 3000 Leuven
Tel.: 32 16 22 33 72
Accessible catering establishment in Louvain with an accessible toilet.
Restaurant De Blauwe Maan
Mechelsestraat 22 3000 Leuven
Tel.: 32 16 29 97 47 E-mail: deblauwemaan@skynet.be Website: www.deblauwemaan.be
In their beautiful renovated medieval house, Kristie Dehert and Johan Gilbert serve a French-Belgian kitchen with Mediterranean influences.
Restaurant Voltaire
J. Vandenbemptlaan 6a 3001 Leuven
Tel.: 32 16 20 44 43 E-mail: info@voltaire.be Website: www.voltaire.be
Accessible catering establishment in Heverlee with an accessible toilet.
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Other
1. Museums and sites
Paper mill Herisem
Fabriekstraat 20 1652 Alsemberg
Tel.: 32 2 381 07 70 E-mail: info@herisem.be Website: www.herisem.be
The museum is in large part easily accessible and there is an accessible toilet. However, the doorway of that toilet is only 75cm large.
National botanic garden of Belgium
Nieuwelaan 38 1860 Meise
Tel.: 32 2 260 09 70 E-mail: info@br.fgov.be Website: www.plantentuinmeise.be/PUBLIC/GENERAL/facilities.php
The national botanic garden of Belgium is with its 92ha one of the largest botanic gardens in the world and holds 18,000 sorts of plants.
Wheelchairs and walking frames can be borrowed at the main entrance. You can find toilets for wheelchair users across from the Herbarium and near the Garden Shop. You can ask a brochure with practical information for people with a disability at the entrance.
Palm breweries
Steenhuffeldorp 3 1840 Steenhuffel
Tel.: 32 52 31 74 11 E-mail: info@palmbreweries.com Website: www.palm.be
The group Palm Breweries produces a lot of renown beers. The beer Palm itself is known from the draft horse on the logo. Besides paying a visit to the brewery and the visitors center, you can also admire the horses in the stud farm. The brewery itself is unfortunately not accessible for wheelchair users, but you can visit the visitors center and the stud farm. In the visitors center you can watch a film and taste beers. There’s also an adapted toilet, but we don’t have any objective information about it. The guides take the blind and the visually impaired into account on their tours. You should give them this information in advance.
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Royal Museum for Central Africa
Leuvensesteenweg 13 3080 Tervuren
Tel.: 32 2 769 52 11 E-mail: info@africamuseum.be Website: www.africamuseum.be/home?set_language=en&cl=en
The Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) is an ethnographical and natural history museum in Tervuren just outside Brussels, Belgium. It was first built to King Leopold II's Congo Free State for the 1897 World Exhibition. It focuses mainly on Congo, Belgium's former colony. Not all rooms are accessible; because of the sometimes steep slopes and heavy doors, assistance is recommended. There is an adapted toilet and an accessible café. Wheelchair users can call at the large gate on the Leuvensesteenweg main road. The museum has 5 wheelchairs but booking is advised. The museum will be closed for renovation as from end of 2013. It will re- open in May 2016.
Damien Museum
Pater Damiaanstraat 37 3120 Tremelo
Tel.: 32 16 53 05 19 E-mail: info@damiaanvandaag.be Website: www.toerismevlaamsbrabant.be/bezoeken/bezienswaardigheden/damiaanmuseum/index.jsp
The birthplace of Father Damien, beatified in 2009, was built around 1800. This campine house is preserved in its original state. On the basis of a audiovisual assembly and an exhibition, Father Damien is brought back alive. Quite accessible, but assistance may be needed on the rather steep slopes in the museum. There is an adapted toilet, but no space for wheelchairs next to the toilet itself. People with a visual impairment have the opportunity to hold or touch certain objects. Special assistance is provided for people with physical or learning disabilities. The guides have experience with the disabled. The museum doesn't have a restaurant but special catering is available by arrangement only 300 metres away in Huize De Veuster (call: 32 (0)16/53 65 95)
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Sportimonium
Trianondreef 19 1981 Zemst
Tel.: 32 15 61 82 22 E-mail: publiekswerking@sportimonium.be Website: www.sportimonium.be/en/home
The Sportimonium takes you through 150 years of sport in Belgium. Extraordinary photos and posters, fascinating objects, sparkling trophies and humorous sounds and images show how sports evolved in many ways into a social phenomenon in the 20th century. The Museum of course also includes items belonging to legendary sports heroes, such as Eddy Merckx, Jean Marie Pfaff or Tia Hellebaut, to admire. The sports museum is easily accessible for wheelchair users. The traditional sports offered in the sports garden and those in the sports lab can be played by wheelchair users and the visually impaired. The ‘Sportimonium Anders Bekeken’ (sports from a different viewpoint) programme gives the visually impaired the chance to visit the museum with their family, friends, companions or in a group. A permanent exhibition includes sensory boxes and audio systems to help you understand the history of sports. The first stage is the black-box, a room in total darkness where you are introduced to touching the first object. Everyone is invited to follow the entire tour, including visitors without an impairment so they can learn more about the world of the blind and visually impaired. After visiting the exhibition, you can try the showdown - a game of table tennis by touch. The ‘Measuring Up to Athletes’ activity can also be enjoyed by those with a visual impairment, but is less accessible to wheelchair users. An offer tailored to visitors with learning disabilities can be provided on request. Sportimonium visitors enter the Bloso domain via the entrance at Trianondreef 19.
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Provincial domain Het Vinne
Ossenwegstraat 70 3440 Zoutleeuw
Tel.: 32 11 78 18 19 E-mail: provinciedomein.zoutleeuw@vlaamsbrabant.be Website: www.vlaamsbrabant.be/en/index.jsp
Het Vinne has much more to offer than the accessible playground we mention on p.63. Wheelchair users can also follow a sensory experience path along a stream called the Sint-Odulphiusbeek, and you’ll use your senses to enjoy the natural beauty of this location. The bike rental firm has some special bikes for people with a disability: a wheelchair bike, a duo-bike, tandems and bicycles with a low step. In addition, there are accessible cycle routes starting from the park. It is recommended you book the bikes by e-mail or by calling the phone number indicated below. A Wombat all-terrain wheelchair is available for the walks around the lake. The visitors centre has relief maps available for the blind and visually impaired, to give them an impression of the different biotopes and the natural water balance in Het Vinne. You can also visit the herb garden, which is accessible for wheelchair users, and borrow a Daisy player.
Tourism Dijleland
Aarschotsesteenweg 212 3010 Leuven
Tel.: 32 16 31 18 61 E-mail: toerisme@dijleland.be Website: www.dijleland.be
Dijleland Tourism has developed a package for wheelchair users and the visually impaired. In the morning you can choose from a visit to the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Hof van Melijn, the Witlof Museum, the Forest Museum or the Local History Museum De Botermolen. After lunch you can choose between two bus tours in the region.
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PROVINCE OF WEST FLANDERS
General
Everyone’s cycling!
Website: www.iedereenfietst.be
Westkans has investigated the accessibility of at least 360 km of cycle network along the Belgian coast. You can find the routes that fit your particular needs at www.iedereenfietst.be (available in Dutch): without gravel or cobblestones, rest areas with benches or accessible toilets, without slopes, etc. The information is useful for all cyclists, not just for those with hand bikes, wheelchair bikes, tandems or bicycle trailers. Westkans also suggests 10 easy circular cycling routes.
Bruges
1. Museums and sites
Basilica of the Holy Blood
Burg 10 8000 Brugge
Website: http://bezoekers.preview.brugge.be/en/basiliek-van-het-heilig-bloed-basilica-of-the-holy- blood
This double chapel consists of the Chapel of Saint Basil, the understructure of the gothic upper chapel, the Holy Blood Chapel, where the relic of the Holy Blood is conserved. This relic is carried around each year on Ascension. The entrance to the ground floor chapel is narrow, but accessible with a manual wheelchair. Inside accessible with help (steps to be negotiated). The upper chapel containing the valuable relic is not accessible.
Bruggemuseum - Belfry
Markt 8000 Brugge
Website: http://bezoekers.preview.brugge.be/en/belfort-belfry
The inner court of the Belfry is accessible to wheelchairs, but the tower itself is not. Bear in mind that there are a lot of cobble stones. In front of the Belfry, there is a bronze version of the tower, that you can touch and that has some explanation in braille.
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Minnewater
8000 Brugge
Website: http://bezoekers.preview.brugge.be/en/minnewaterpark
A romantic park near the Minnewater and the beguinage. Bear in mind that there are many cobble stones in the medieval city of Bruges.
Market
Markt 8000 Brugge
Website: http://bezoekers.preview.brugge.be/en/markt
The Market is located in the heart of the city centre and has a surface of about 1ha. At the south side of the square, there is one of the best-known monuments of the city, the belfry built in the 12th century (Halletoren). Bear in mind that there are many cobble stones in the medieval city of Bruges.
Sint-Salvator Cathedral
Steenstraat 8000 Brugge
E-mail: sint.salvator.brugge@skynet.be Website: http://sintsalvator.be/tourist/english
Entrance via the side, easily accessible.
The Beguinage
Begijnhof 24-28-30 8000 Brugge
Website: http://bezoekers.preview.brugge.be/en/begijnhof-beguinage
Prinselijk Begijnhof Ten Wijngaarde (Princely beguinage Ten Wijgaarde) with its whitewashed façades and the beguinage museum, was founded in 1245 and is nowadays occupied by the sisters of the Order of Saint-Benedict. The entrance of the beguinage closes irrevocably at 6.30 PM. Bear in mind that there are many cobble stones.
Welcome-Church Onze-Lieve-Vrouw
Mariastraat 8000 Brugge
E-mail: onthaal.olvkerk@telenet.be Website: www.onthaalkerk-brugge.be/index.asp?taal=uk
Easy access. Some wheelchair users may need assistance for a 10% incline inside the church.
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Bruggemuseum - Archaeology
Mariastraat 36a 8000 Brugge
Tel.: 32 50 44 87 11 E-mail: musea@brugge.be Website: http://bezoekers.preview.brugge.be/en/archeologiemuseum-archeological-museum
This museum confronts aspects of life from prehistory, the Roman period and the Middle Ages (both Early and Late) with elements of 21st-century living. Under the motto of 'feel the past under your feet,' you will discover the history of the city through a series of 'do' and 'search' tasks. The ground floor is accessible with help. Guide dogs are allowed if arranged in advance.
Bruggemuseum - Gezelle
Rolweg 64 8000 Brugge
Tel.: 32 50 44 87 11 E-mail: musea@brugge.be Website: http://bezoekers.preview.brugge.be/en/gezellemuseum
Discover more about the work of the famous Flemish writer, Guido Gezelle, in the house where he was born. In addition to a glimpse into his life and work, explore temporary presentations about the art of the written word. The museum is easily accessible.
Groeninge Museum
Dijver 12 8000 Brugge
Tel.: 32 50 44 87 11 E-mail: musea@brugge.be Website: http://bezoekers.preview.brugge.be/en/groeningemuseum-groeninge-museum
The permanent collection shows a rich and fascinating array of artworks from the southern Netherlands (Belgium) over a period of six centuries. Accessible with help via a 6% incline; one room is inaccessible. The toilet is accessible with help.
Memling in Sint-Jan - Hospital Museum
Mariastraat 38 8000 Brugge
Tel.: 32 50 44 87 11 E-mail: musea@brugge.be Website: http://bezoekers.preview.brugge.be/en/sint-janshospitaal-saint-johns-hospital
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The St. John’s Hospital (now Memling in Sint-Jan - Hospital Museum) is one of the oldest preserved hospital buildings in Europe. The museum gives a moving impression of what life was like in a medieval hospital ward. The hospital chapel is a virtual monument to the artistic genius of Hans Memling. This 15th-century artist created many of his greatest works for the St John’s Hospital, including his famous St. Ursula Shrine. The museum has two ‘plus suitcases’ developed especially for children with an auditive or visual impairment. That way, they can discover the museum tailor-made. Museum and toilet are accessible with help, entrance via lift. There are raised markings on the lift buttons for people with a visual impairment.
Observatory Beisbroek
Zeeweg 96 8200 Brugge
Tel.: 32 50 39 05 66 E-mail: info@beisbroek.be Website: www.beisbroek.be/content/view/42/86/
Visitors who need accessibility receive star treatment at the Beisbroek Observatory. A platform lift takes you to the planetarium where you can enjoy the magnificent star-spangled sky. You can see how the sun apparently seems to move throughout the year, the ever-changing faces of the moon and the dancing of the planets between the shiny stars that goes on forever. The telescopes in the observatory are not accessible for wheelchairs, however, the images visible through the telescopes can be projected on the planetarium dome so that everybody can enjoy them. With an ear loop system, people with a hearing impairment can also follow the comments and music of the presentations comfortably. If you have a visual impairment, you can request the services of an employee who will explain everything in detail. There is also an easily accessible toilet present.
2. Restaurants and pubs
Café De Republiek
Sint-Jakobsstraat 36 8000 Brugge
Tel.: 32 50 34 02 29 Website: www.derepubliek.be
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This Grand Café also serves meals. The café and terrace are accessible and the toilet is also specially adapted.
Restaurant Verdi
Vlamingstraat 5 8000 Brugge
Tel.: 32 50 34 42 43 Website: www.verdibrugge.com
The restaurant and toilet are accessible with assistance (toilet is 148 cm long).
Restaurant Koto (Hotel De Medici)
Potterierei 15 8000 Brugge
Tel.: 32 50 33 98 33 E-mail: reservation@hoteldemedici.com
This Japanese restaurant, connected with hotel De Medici, has everywhere enough space. Tables adapted to wheelchairs are present. There is positioning space next to and diagonally in front of the toilet. There is 100cm in front of the toilet. 2 handrails provided.
Restaurant Maria van Bourgondië
Guido Gezelleplein 1 8000 Brugge
Tel.: 32 50 33 20 66 Website: www.mariavanbourgondie.be
The restaurant and toilet are accessible with assistance (toilet is 148 cm wide).
Tearoom - Eetcafé De Bretoen
Ezelstraat 4 8000 Brugge
Tel.: 32 50 34 54 25
The restaurant is easily accessible and has an adapted toilet.
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1. Museums and sites
Abbey museum Ten Duinen
Koninklijke Prinslaan 8 8670 Koksijde
Tel.: 32 58 53 39 50 E-mail: tenduinen@koksijde.be Website: http://en.tenduinen.be
In the abbey museum, you experience the daily life in a medieval Cistercian abbey. There are two reserved parking places at the entrance for disabled people. Access pathways are flat or an inclined plane. The visitors centre has a lift which is large enough. In the museum there are information signs in braille in every room.
Accessible Nieuwpoort
Marktplein 7 8620 Nieuwpoort
Tel.: 32 58 22 44 44 E-mail: info@nieuwpoort.be Website: www.nieuwpoort.be/nieuwpoort/view/nl/nieuwpoort/inwoner/wonen/toegankelijk_nieuwpoort
For 14 years, Stedelijk Adviesraad voor Personen met een Handicap (municipal advisory body for disabled people) issues an annual brochure, named “Toegankelijk Nieuwpoort” (Accessible Nieuwpoort). The brochure holds every public service, parking space, accommodation, addresses for accessible health care, catering establishment (with adapted toilet), etc. that is accessible to wheelchair users. Apart from the information about the assistance project ‘Zon, Zee… Zorgeloos’, the four beach wheelchairs, the Tiralo-sea wheelchair, the wheelchair bike and the accessible municipal pool with pool wheelchair and pool lift are treated in the brochure. The relief panel for blinds and visually impaired on the esplanade at the Loodswezenplein is new. The panel shows the Yser estuary, the adjoining nature reserve, the palisades, breakwaters, the lighthouse, the beach and the sea in several tactile elements. This brochure is available for free at the tourist office of the city of Nieuwpoort, Marktplein 7, 8620 Nieuwpoort. Tel: 058 22 44 44, fax: 058 22 44 28, e-mail: info@nieuwpoort.be. You can also consult it completely on www.nieuwpoort.be. Click on the opening page on the right on ‘Toegankelijk Nieuwpoort’. The casino is accessible to wheelchair users.
Casino Koksijde
Casinoplein 10 8670 Koksijde
Tel.: 32 58 53 29 99 Website: www.casinokoksijde.be
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The casino is accessible for wheelchair users.
Fort Napoleon
Vuurtorenweg 8400 Oostende
Tel.: 32 59 32 00 48 E-mail: fort.napoleon@erfgoed-vlaanderen.be Website: www.fortnapoleon.be
Most wheelchair users will need help though to reach the entrance.
Most of the fort is accessible with the exception of the roof of the museum area and the roof terrace of the bistro and restaurant. A computer is provided that gives wheelchair users information about those sections on the roof of the fort which are not accessible to them. There is an adapted toilet.
Mu.ZEE
Romestraat 11 8400 Oostende
Tel.: 32 59 50 81 18 E-mail: info@muzee.be Website: www.muzee.be/?m=muzee&lang=en
The museum houses a unique collection of Belgian art from 1830 to now. Learn about the Great Masters and be surprised by changing combinations and temporary exhibitions. Most of the rooms are easily accessible. In a manual wheelchair you might need a slight push up a few of the ramps. An accessible lift is also provided. At the bookshop you will find an easily accessible toilet.
Navigo - National Fisheries Museum
Pastoor Schmitzstraat 5 8670 Oostduinkerke
Tel.: 32 58 51 24 68 E-mail: info@navigomuseum.be Website: http://en.navigomuseum.be
The NAVIGO Museum invites everyone, young and old, to explore the history of Flemish marine and coastal fishing. Get to meet the Flemish fisherman’s family, the heroic Iceland fishing-boat sailors and the shrimpers on horseback, a unique living tradition in Oostduinkerke. The rich museum collection brings together the heritage, art, crafts and
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The Atlantik Wall military defence bunkers are one of the top attractions on the coast and one of the three museums in the Provincial Domain of Raversijde. A unique set of bunkers and trenches from the First and Second World Wars. The museum is the ideal place to gain an impression of what it was like on the “Longest Day”. The Prince Charles Memorial is a reminder of the period when the Prince Regent stayed on the estate. The Walraversijde archaeological site goes even further back in time and allows you to experience a 15th century fisherman’s life. Unfortunately the Atlantik Wall is not accessible by wheelchair, but you can watch a film about this historic defensive wall in the Memorial. Walraversijde is easily accessible. There you will also find an accessible toilet fitted with safety rails. Only the ground floor of the Prince Charles Memorial is accessible. There is good access to the Walrave Café-Restaurant, which has an easily accessible toilet.
Recreational domain Grasduinen
Zandstraat 8450 Bredene
Tel.: 32 59 56 19 70 E-mail: toerisme@bredene.be Website: www.uitinbredene.be/data/grasduinen.asp?P=5&mId=57&pId=62
An excellent new attraction is now available in Bredene for visitors who want to stay a few extra days but not necessarily at the beach. The recreational park Grasduinen is a green zone for sports and playing. Several mountain bike trails and a cycle and hiking path cross the park, and you will also find several sports fields, a fit-o-meter, a large pond, park toys and sanitary facilities. The shower and the toilet are accessible for people with a disability (open every day in July and August between 9am and 6pm). You may need a push occasionally on the footpaths which have been paved with shells. All facilities are free for everyone. The entrance is located in Zandstraat near no 101, the car park is located near no 103. More information is available from the Tourist Board in Bredene. Tel 32 (0)59 56 19 70, Fax 32 (0)59 56 19 69, toerisme@bredene.be, www.uitinbredene.be
Seafront
Vismijnstraat 7 8380 Zeebrugge
Tel.: 32 50 55 14 15 E-mail: info@seafront.be Website: www.seafront.be/UK/index.asp
The buildings of the old fish market of Zeebrugge have been transformed into an interesting theme park. In Seafront, you can discover all the secrets of the sea en taste the rich fisheries history.
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For the greater part, the museum is accessible to wheelchair users, but an accompanying person can be needed to take an inclined plane and to open doors. The boats outside by the quay are not accessible. There is a narrow adapted toilet at the entrance of hall 2.
Sea Life Center
Koning Albert I-laan 116 8370 Blankenberge
Tel.: 32 50 42 42 00 E-mail: slcblank@merlinentertainments.biz Website: www.visitsealife.com/blankenberge/en
Over 50 aquariums show the mysterious underwater world. With over 2500 animals, Sea Life offers a great overview of the 7 oceans. The Sea Life Center is accessible and also has an accessible toilet and cafeteria.
Serpentarium
Zeedijk 146 8370 Blankenberge
Tel.: 32 50 42 31 62 E-mail: serpentarium@pandora.be Website: www.serpentarium.be
This reptile zoo is accessible, although the path through the exhibition space is not very broad.
The dairy museum
Brugsesteenweg 68 8370 Blankenberge
Tel.: 32 50 41 18 75 E-mail: info@zuivelmuseum.be Website: www.zuivelmuseum.be
The dairy museum is a remarkable and unique permanent exhibition of dairy material of the low countries. The visitor walks through the history of the dairy industry in Flanders during the last five centuries and brings to life the story of milk, from past till present. The dairy museum is easily accessible.
The Zwin
Graaf Leon Lippensdreef 8 8300 Knokke-Heist
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Tel.: 32 50 60 70 86 E-mail: info@hetzwin.be Website: www.west-vlaanderen.be/kwaliteit/Leefomgeving/zwin/english/Pages/default.aspx
The Zwin is an important area for salt marsh and mud flat in Belgium. It has a unique collection of European water birds in magnificent nature surroundings.
Parts of the Zwin are accessible, some of them with help. There are reserved parking places and accessible toilets at the entrance building. However, there is a small step and the entrance door is a bit narrow. The park, the birdhouse and the front next to the reserve are accessible, the salt marshes and the mud flats of the actual reserve are not. The cafeteria is accessible as well.
Turkeyenhof
Zegelaan 42 8450 Bredene
Tel.: 32 59 33 08 30
Turkeyenhof is a renovated farmhouse from 1737 in the classical polder farm style. Turkeyenhof gives you a broad view on the past of the municipality and the area through an exhibit of old equipment, Gallo-Roman discoveries, photos and posters. You can get to know the equipment for example of the clog maker, carpenter, shoemaker, bluestone manufacturer and plumber. Moreover, the museum accommodates an extended collection of North Sea shells, fossils and mammoth rests, dredged up from the North Sea by Flemish fishermen. The Turkeyenhof museum is accessible. There are no differences in height at the entrance and the hallways have no bottle necks.
2. Restaurants and pubs
Accessible restaurants and cafés at the coast
Website: www.westkans.be/nl/projecten/reca
The non-profit organization Westkans has examined the accessibility of a large number of restaurants and bars on the coast. You can find the detailed measurement results at www.toevla.be. That way, you can see whether a restaurant or café is easily accessible for you or not. If you have no time to lose and you want to sit in an outdoor café, you can consult the summarizing tables at www.westkans.be/nl/projecten/reca or at www.toegankelijkreizen.be (section Travel information and links, Belgium).
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Restaurant De Kombuis
Tijdokstraat 4 8380 Zeebrugge
Tel.: 32 50 67 83 25 E-mail: info@dekombuis.be Website: www.dekombuis.be
You can find detailed measurement data for this business on www.toevla.be. The complete Dutch brochure “Toegankelijke restaurants en cafés in Zeebrugge” (“accessible restaurants and cafés in Zeebrugge) is available in the section “Publicaties” on the website www.toegankelijkreizen.be.
Ravelingen - De Grote Rede
Zeedijk 290 8400 Oostende
Tel.: 32 59 55 27 54 E-mail: info@ravelingen.be Website: www.ravelingen.be/home.php?page=page&pid=2
You can find detailed measurement data for this business on www.toevla.be. The complete Dutch brochure “Toegankelijke restaurants en cafés in Oostende” (“accessible restaurants and cafés in Ostend) is available in the section “Publicaties” on the website www.toegankelijkreizen.be.
3. Accessible tourist information offices and visitors centers
Tourism Knokke-Heist
Zeedijk-Knokke 660
8300 Knokke-Heist
Tel: +32 50 63 03 80
Fax: +32 50 63 03 90
E-mail: toerisme@knokke-heist.be
Website: www.knokke-heist.info
Tourism Oostende
8400 Oostende
Tel: +32 59 70 11 99
Fax: +32 59 70 34 77
E-mail: info@visitoostende.be
Website : www.visitoostende.be
Tourism Middelkerke – Kusthistories
Joseph Casselaan 1
8340 Middelkerke
Tel: +32 59 30 03 68
Fax: +32 59 31 11 95
E-mail: toerisme@middelkerke.be
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Rijselstraat 77 8930 Menen
Tel.: 32 56 53 23 63 E-mail: schippershof@menen.be Website: www.westkans.be/assets/files/Menin_fl.pdf
Historic patrimony walk through Menen, excellent flash card about the walk with all the information about accessibility can be downloaded. The information dates from 2004.
Saint Nicholas Church
Kerkstraat 1 8957 Mesen
Tel.: 32 57 22 17 14 E-mail: toerisme@mesen.be Website: www.mesen.be/website-default/101-www.html?branch=1&language=1
This neo-roman and neo-gothic house of prayer with two corner towers and a prominent crossing tower, was originally the abbey church of the Benedictine nuns. A neighbouring house and other abbey buildings belonged to it. Around 1057, when the abbey was founded, the Roman crypt was built. The alternative entrance via the side of the church is has no doorsteps. You might need some extra help to open the heavy door to the prayer and reflection room. The ‘Crypt’, located in the basement is not accessible to wheelchairs.
St. John's Church
Sint-Janskruisstraat 1 8970 Poperinge
Tel.: 32 5734 66 76 E-mail: toerisme@poperinge.be Website: www.toerismepoperinge.be/nl/pagina/1212-1224-1258-1322/sint-janskerk.html
The St.- Johns Church, a preserved monument in gothic style, is located in the Sint-Janskruisstraat. The church is mainly known as a place of pilgrimage of Our Blessed Lady. Because of her, a miracle took place in 1479, and that is why we have an annual Mary Procession. You reach the church via a flat path without obstacles. The entrance of the church has 2 double doors, which are easy to open. One of the parts of the doors is not wide enough, but when both door parts are open, there is enough room. In the church, everything is easily accessible.