Europe Disabled Travel Advice, Accessible Tours Hotels, Accessible Holidays, Disabled Guided Tours By www.sagetraveling.com. If you truly want to have the best possible accessible trip to Bruges, you’ll need more than just find an accessible hotel. Bruges offers a variety of sightseeing, dining, and shopping experiences that have varying levels of accessibility. Focus on the Tips, Advice, and Travel Packages given by Sage Traveling and we think you’ll agree that Bruges is one of the best destinations in Europe!

1. Bruges Disabled Access - Tips, Advice, and
Travel Packages
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2. Bruges Disabled Access
The Golden Age of Bruges lasted from the 12th to 15th centuries and
produced a magnificent city for disabled tourists to visit. Bruges has
changed very little over the centuries which produces both good and bad
news for Bruges wheelchair visitors.
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3. The entire city is completely flat and few automobiles are found in the
central tourist area of town. While virtually the entire town is covered in
cobblestones, the good news is that these are mild cobblestones and
consequently they are more of a nuisance than a barrier.
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4. Bruges Disabled Access – Best Aspects
Small city size – Bruges is small enough that you can walk across the entire
Bruges city centre without much difficulty (other than the cobblestones).
It’s 3 km (2 miles) from north to south and 2.5 km (1.5 miles) from east to
west. The map on the right shows the 1.5 km (1 mile) route from the train
station to Markt Square in the middle of town.
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5. Bruges Disabled Access – Best Aspects
Flat inside the outer canal – The historical city of Bruges is ringed by a small
canal, and virtually the entire interior is flat (typical Bruges street shown in
the image below on the right). There are a few exceptions with some slight
inclines over the bridges with the steepest incline located at the bridge
that goes into the Beginhof (shown in the image below on the right).
There are no hills anywhere inside the historic centre.
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6. Bruges Disabled Access – Best Aspects
Bridges with no steps – The bridges over the canals in Bruges are not like
the accessible bridges in Venice, almost all of which have steps to get over
them. The Bruges bridges are also used by cars and consequently they
don’t have any steps on them. Most of them are nearly completely flat.
An example is shown on the right.
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7. Bruges Disabled Access – Best Aspects
Accessible train if advanced notice – Bruges is easy to reach by train from
Brussels or other nearby cities. Disabled travelers, including wheelchair
users, will have no problem taking the train as long as they provide
advanced notice that they need a wheelchair accessible seat and
assistance getting on and off the train. The picture on the right shows John
Sage getting onto the train at the Bruges train station.
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8. Bruges Disabled Access – Most Challenging Aspects
Cobblestones – The biggest challenge that wheelchair users will encounter
in Bruges is the cobblestones that cover virtually the entire city. At least
95% of the streets are cobblestone. Fortunately, the cobblestones have
a 4 star smoothness rating and won’t present major problems for
wheelchair users other than a bumpy ride. They are not nearly as severe as
the cobblestones in central Rome or many medieval city centers.
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9. Bruges Disabled Access – Most Challenging Aspects
Little accessible public transportation – Bruges is small enough that all
visitors get around by walking or rolling between tourist sights. There is no
metro or tram and the bus really only connects the train station and Markt
Square (shown in the image on the right). You won’t be able to use public
transportation to get around Bruges.
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10. Bruges Disabled Access – Most Challenging Aspects
WC accessible boats – A canal boat ride is one of the top experiences in
Bruges, but unfortunately none of the boats are truly wheelchair
accessible. Tourists using wheelchairs will need to transfer into the boat
and leave their wheelchair on the dock. There is not enough room on the
boat to stay in a wheelchair. The boat floats low in the water and
wheelchair users will need to transfer down into the boat. Only some of
the docks have ramps to get down to the dock.
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11. Bruges Disabled Access – Most Challenging Aspects
The Belfry in Bruges – The 86 meter tall bell tower overlooks the Markt
Square and can be seen from all over town (shown on the right). The only
way to see the view from the top is to climb up the narrow, steep staircase
which has 366 steps. There is no elevator to reach the top.
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12. Bruges Disabled Access – Most Challenging Aspects
Few taxis – As mentioned previously, Bruges is a pedestrian town.
Consequently, you are far more likely to see a horse-drawn carriage than a
taxi in the centre of town. Unlike Brussels, you won’t be able to hail a taxi
while you’re in Bruges.
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13. Bruges Disabled Access – Most Challenging Aspects
WC accessible taxi from Ghent – If you need a van taxi with a wheelchair
ramp to drive you around Bruges, you’ll need to call and have one drive
over from the city of Ghent. Consequently, it’s quite expensive to arrange
for a wheelchair accessible taxi in Bruges.
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14. We look forward to making your accessible dream vacation a reality!
Call Us: 1-888-645-7920
Contact us at info@sagetraveling.com
www.sagetraveling.com/Bruges-Disabled-Access