My daughter Norah and I recently spent a weekend in Ghent, Belgium, and it’s a city I’d happily recommend to any wheelchair user. It’s well set up, there’s plenty to see and do, and we had a really good time.
Getting There
Ghent is about a 3-hour drive from Ettelbrück — though realistically, budget a bit more. The route takes you past Brussels and traffic there can cause delays. It’s worth checking where the larger petrol stations are along the way, as many have accessible facilities if you need a stop.
Also worth sorting out before you leave: Ghent’s inner city is a low emission zone, so you’ll need to register your car in advance at stad.gent/en/mobility-ghent/low-emission-zone-ghent.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at Aparthotel Castelnou, which has proper wheelchair accessible apartments., just ask for it! I wrote a more detailed blog post about Castelnou here. The receptionist on arrival was friendly and mentioned something very useful: with a Handicap Park Card, you can park anywhere in Ghent for free. On Friday evening we had dinner at ‘Dalí‘, the restaurant in the hotel.
Visit Gent offers an Accessibility Brochure, handy to read before your trip.
Saturday Morning — Accessible Citadelpark
We started Saturday at the Citadelpark, a lovely park with a botanical garden managed by the University of Ghent, and several museums nearby:
M.S.K. Fine Arts Museum, Fernand Scribedreef 1, 9000 Gent
S.M.A.K. Museum of Contemporary Art, Jan Hoetplein 1, 9000 Gent
G.U.M. Ghent University Museum | Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Gent
We parked at the S.M.A.K., which has a few spots for less mobile visitors. All three museums are accessible and have barrier-free spots to get a coffee or a bite to eat.
My personal favourites were the S.M.A.K., the botanical garden and the park itself.
A word on cobblestones — some streets in Ghent are paved with them. Norah found it manageable, but it’s good to know in advance.
Saturday Afternoon — Ghent City Centre
In the afternoon we made our way into Ghent city centre, taking in De Reep, City Hall, the Ghent Graffiti piece Lam Gods, Graffiti Street, St. Michael’s Bridge, St. Nicholas Church, St. Bavo’s Cathedral and the Wintercircus. We stopped for something to eat at Bar Bassie at the Wintercircus, which has a nice rooftop terrace.
Saturday evening, we went on a little stroll around the Hotel. We had some yummy salted caramel ice cream at De Buffel.
Sunday — S.T.A.M. City Museum
Sunday we visited the S.T.A.M. Ghent City Museum (Godshuizenlaan 2, 9000 Gent) — a great place to learn about the city’s history. There are accessible restrooms, a good lunch option with a large terrace, and plenty of parking.
Spots with a Wheelchair accessible Toilet in the city center
– S.G.O.L. Emile Braunplein 40, 9000 Gent
– Wintercircus (several restaurants & cafés), Lammerstraat 13, 9000 Gent
– NTGent Theatre Café Sint-Baafsplein 17, 9000 Gent
All in all, Ghent is a city that works well for wheelchair users and I found it is well worth the trip.
