The "Venice of the North" has similar issues, when it comes to accessibility, to the "original Venice": cobbled pavements, lots of historic buildings and bridges. But with some locals' tips and tricks, you can enjoy a wonderful holiday. And not miss on the chocolate and beer - especially.

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Hi, I'm Eleonora from Brussels. Visiting Bruges is easy for me, just an hour by train. In June 2024, I spent a day in this charming city with my friend Erik (you'll spot him in the photos with a green shirt and eyes) on a tour organized by Inter Vlaanderen, the Flemish region's disability and accessibility organization.

We explored Bruges' initiatives to facilitate wheelchair access. We met Tim from Bruges, who works for Inter, and along the way, we connected with Emmanuel, a local YouTuber showcasing the city from a wheelchair perspective, and Janae, an American architect specializing in mobility. This guide is the result of that day out, and some more research and tips from Tim, Erik and Emmanuel. Thanks guys!

Essential Planning for Your Accessible Bruges Visit

The first step to an enjoyable trip is proper planning. Fortunately, Bruges provides a fantastic resource for visitors with disabilities—the Accessible Bruges Guide. This downloadable guide, created by the city itself, is a treasure trove of information on accessible and less accessible places, helping you navigate the best routes through the city.

Key features include:

• Detailed maps with accessible routes that avoid cobblestone-heavy areas and difficult bridges
• Locations of accessible toilets
• Information on accessible tourist attractions

This guide is available in multiple languages, so be sure to

Bruges by WheelsPOV: Experience the City from a Wheelchair User’s Perspective

If you're curious about what it's like to explore Bruges in a wheelchair, and want to see it beforehand, check out WheelsPOV on YouTube. Emmanuel, the creator behind this YouTube channel, takes viewers through Bruges from a wheelchair user's perspective. His videos offer a firsthand look at the streets, attractions, and accessibility features, giving you a realistic idea of what to expect.

Here are two of his most popular videos for exploring Bruges, the first dedicated to a roll in Bruges:

and the second all about the most beautiful museums in town:

Accessible Spots You’ll Love - Erik's favourites

While Bruges is known for its major attractions, there are a few lesser-known, wheelchair-friendly spots worth visiting. Here are Erik's favourite spots.

A Panoramic View: Concert Hall of Bruges

For breathtaking views of the city, head to the . Not only is the venue fully accessible, but you can also enjoy a drink or snack at the rooftop café, offering a panoramic view of Bruges' medieval skyline. If you’re a music lover, consider booking a concert while you're there.

Chocolate Paradise: The Chocolate Line

No visit to Belgium is complete without indulging in some local chocolate. For a delightful and accessible chocolate experience, make your way to . Simply ring the bell, and a staff member will quickly provide a portable ramp, giving you access to their decadent chocolates.

A Hidden Historical Treasure: The Jerusalem Chapel and Adornes Estate

For history enthusiasts, is a must-visit. This medieval gem offers partial accessibility, so it’s important to check the details on their website beforehand. Although not fully accessible, the parts you can explore are fascinating and worth the visit.

Download the full guide to accessible Bruges

We have prepared for you a full guide with more tips from the locals and useful information to prepare for your visit to Bruges - including good spots out of the "tourist traps" to eat a bite.

This September we took a short trip to Rome with Mechthild Kreuser, adaptive yoga teacher and mindfulness coach. from Germany. .

Out at the Coliseum with Mechthild Kreuser

We had previously visited Apulia together, where we are organising an adaptive yoga retreat in June 2025. This is the story of our morning visit to the Coliseum, where we very excited to try out the famous elevator!

Disclaimer: the visit was not really organised, we just looked at the website and understood about the free entrance (+1) and that we just had to show up - the rest we improvised and discovered on the spot.

We went by car, and were able, after a few minutes of searching, to park very nearby the Coliseum and walk from there. There is a Metro station right in front of the Coliseum entrance so that is a good option too (mind that sometimes elevators might not work, so that is a bit of a risk). The area just around the Coliseum is not super easy to navigate, the ancient road is very bumpy, and in some spots it can be a challenge - but it was worth it. The accessible elevator was our big highlight, because of the million times you hear "we can't make it accessible, it's a heritage site". Guess what? The Coliseum now has even 2 elevators, and nobody is traumatised about it.

Thumbs up for...

The accessibilility of the first floor of the Coliseum is great: not only the pavimentation allows for smooth wheeling, but access is guaranteed by the famous elevator.

We were surprised to discover that there are two elevators in the Coliseum: one which has been active for many years now, is free and you just queue up and wait for your turn. This one takes you to the first floor, where you get a great view of everything.

But there is also a brand new one, inaugurated in 2023, which is a panoramic elevator, and takes you much higher. Basically, you are up where the emperor was (just guessing) - however, since you are not the emperor, you need to book more or less one month in advance, as tickets are sold out pretty quickly. There is also a third elevator to reach the basement, but we did not see it - and this one also has to be booked. The booking of the elevators was not super clear from the booking website of the Coliseum, but we went there to explore, so clearly...we'll have to come again. An excuse as good as any other!

Dont' do like us - book in advance the panoramic lift! .

More nice perks we really liked

The gift shop is a bit crowded but is placed on the first floor and has a ton of cute or interesting things to buy - and some good stuff to read if you want to go beyond The Gladiator (strongly advised!).

Free entrance for you and your +1 - just arrive at the main entrance and introduce yourself to the staff with the yellow vests and they will let you in, and you get to skip the neverending queue. It takes a bit to go by the people who are inside queueing, but once you skip that part you can go directly to booth Number 10 and you get your two free tickets.

Viewpoints - most viewpoints are made so that you can get a good look at the entirety of the ground floor, which is stunning. This is great because the wall is a bit high.

Free water! Rome in summer is very - very - very hot. So bring your water bottle and fill up at the free water fountain on the first floor.

Thumbs down

We found that the exit itinerary was confusing: also the ground floor, which you have to cross in order to go out, is very bumpy. It is not as bad as the outside of the Coliseum, but it is** a rather coarse pavimentation, and quite a few rampy bits up and down,** so some help might be needed.

Also, once we were out, we encountered a part with the worst cobblestone ever, and had to cross some puddles and some rough ground bits. The exit itinerary for wheelchair users should be re-designed, so that people can have a more comfortable - and shorter - exit itinerary.

The toilets: we tested the women's accessible toilets, and found that there is just one, and it is on top of a rather steep and narrow ramp. This means you have to ask everyone to budge, so you can go up (with help). If you have a wide wheelchair, then everyone has to get off to let you through. Don't be shy, just ask in English, everyone is a tourist there! The same happens for the way out, which is the same steep ramp. Also, the setup of the bathroom, not the best, as it is missing a proper grab bar on side. Easy fix: it would be enough to leave the ramp to access the toilets (now used by everyone, and crowded) exclusively for using the accessible toilet, and leave the others to use the steps (which are now used just the exit). Basically invert the entrance and exit flow for the “regular” toilets - leaving people who need to use the ramp enough space to go up and down at all times. If the team of the Parco of the Colosseo is reading, happy to receive a coffee in exchange for the tip - or a cappuccino, but only before 11am of course 😄.

If you are looking for ideas for your next summer holiday, we have a few suggestions on where to go to learn how to sail a boat. Sounds far-fetched - or expensive? Not at all! Here are some of our favourite organisations in Italy that make sailing fun, accessible - and affordable.

Let's start North, and explore the North Eastern region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. In this beautiful corner, between Venice and Slovenia, you can find two adaptive sailing schools: Tiliaventum and Duino 45° Nord. At a short distance one from the other, you can choose depending on your preferences, or the proximity to an accessible accommodation.

Tiliaventum: adaptive sailing, SUP, kite and windsurf... it's truly Sea4all!

Let's start with Tiliaventum in Lignano Sabbiadoro: created in 2000, this association has adapted all kinds of water sports. Not only they have sailing boats that wheelchair users can sail, but also adapted kitesurf, Windurf, wakeboard and SUP, under their initiative called "Sea4All".

The team is experienced and counts experts and volunteers who will make a day out with them incredible fun. They speak English too, so you can be sure that communication will not be an issue! You will be welcomed by Daniele Passoni, founder of Tiliaventum, and you can discuss with him and his team the best options for you to approach sailing - and the other available sports. Perk of the location: a short walk away is a beautiful adapted sandy beach where you can chill when you are not sailing - and Lignano counts a number of accessible accommodation options. .

Safe sailing school for all with Duino 45° Nord

A few Km away from Lignano Sabbiadoro, you will find the village of Duino, an ancient fishermen village. Here, kids and adults with mobility, learning and cognitive disabilities can learn how to sail on Hansa boats with the local association Duino 45° Nord: a hoist is used to lower the person in these tiny boats, which are built in a way that makes them unsinkable, and therefore safe for everyone.

The sailing school, active since 2012, carries out the lessons in a safe harbour area, making it the best activity for beginners. Here too the young team of trainers speaks very well English and is happy to welcome groups of tourists eager to learn sailing!

Let's go down South, to Naples

We go down South and reach beautiful Naples: what could be more impressive than sailing with a view on the Vesuvius volcano? You can join sailing courses with Hansa boats here with the local non profit association Peepul: they have years of experience and are a very fun bunch of locals.

Sailing in style: Cadamà sailing

Milanese class of 1967, Andrea Brigatti's passion for travel began early, exploring North Africa at age twelve. After an accident in 2003, he realised there was not much around to make sailing accessible, for himself and for other wheelchair users. So he transformed Cadamà, a 22-meter wooden ketch launched in 1971, into **the first historic barrier-free sailing yacht. **

Cadamà features a full-beam owner’s cabin, two guest cabins, and can accommodate up to nine guests and three crew members. It is designed for accessibility, with space for up to four wheelchair users and specialized seat shells ensuring stability and safety, allowing physically disabled individuals to actively participate in sailing. The latest work Andrea is carrying out on Cadamà will allow for people who have limited strenght in their arms to sail the boat independently.

Cadamà is available for day trips to try out adaptive sailing, or you can charter it for a number od days, complete with the crew, if you want an exclusive experience. Want to sail for free? Andrea offers free sailing courses on specific dates.

Discover why hiking is a super activity for if you have a mobility disability - and the perfect way to enjoy the colours of nature in all seasons.

If you are in Tenerife, chances are you’ll catch sight of groups of hikers of the local non profit organisation Montaña para todos. Some walking, some on what is called a Joëlette chair, carried by two people – and some also running. You might also catch sight of a group of friends or a family, where one person is climbing up a hilly spot on a rather rugged and muddy looking wheelchair, with two long handles on the sides that allow the rider to propel themselves forward and climb up on some tough terrains. All over the world, more and more associations are organising accessible hiking activities, and more and more people are trying it out - have we made you at least a little bit curious?

The right wheels make the road

Two different "sets of wheels" have literally “paved the road” to make the most of the outdoors for wheelchair users: joelettes for carrying people, and all-terrain chairs for independent users that allow them to climb ostacles.

A “chaise”(chair) from France, the Joëlette has now been going strong for over 30 years. Created in just two days in 1987 by Joël Claudel, a mountain guide whose nephew had muscular distrophy, it has ever since been produced by Joëlette&Co, part of a company called Ferriol-Matrat. Based near Lyon, Ferriol-Matrat's main activity is actually industrial subcontracting in tube processing.

Different models exist, with one or two wheels, one for kids, and one with electric assistance. Imitated around the world, one interesting variation is the Becasine chair, made of wood, produced by a Belgian family in the town of Virton (update August 2023: the family of the inventor of the Becasine, David Enthoven, who died two years ago, is currently creating a non-profit association to continue the production of the trekking chair, and keep alive their father’s beautiful project).

Joëlette chairs are a great option to take people of all ages to explore the outdoors, and can be packed in a car boot, which makes it a really nice solution for families too.

To organise a hike you usually need to have 4 people for each person in a joëlette, as 2 carriers are needed (one at the front and one at the back) and after an interval they need to swap to get some rest.

For this reason, the offer of outdoors hikes of this type is either via a private company (rather expensive option) or a local volunteers organisation (non profit and either for free or a small fee). Sometimes these associations can be difficult to find, because their websites are mostly in the local languages, but there are more opportunities out there than would seem, and you can find quite a few here on WheelTribe. At the end of this post you will have a selection of our favourite ones.

The other types of chairs that have really pushed the agenda of hiking for people with reduced mobility are the Grit chair and the Mountain Trike.

Both types of all-terrain wheelchairs allow the hiker to use the front handles to propel themselves forward and upwards, and can come with electrical assistance as well.

One of the best things about the Grit chairs is their super enthusiastic community: both the adult users and the parents of younger Grit climbers are a delightful bunch, and you can meet them in the . Join this massive group, which now counts well over 3000 members, for some fun pictures and great tips on beautiful hiking spots around the world.

The also has a lot of enthusiastic users, and different models to accommodate everyone, from the youngest to the oldest.

Hiking & advocacy: Disabled Hikers

Another very interesting initiative is Disabled Hikers, a movement created 7 years ago by nature lover from the US Syren Nagakyrie, who describe themselves as “writer, activitist, spoonie”. In January 2023, Nike, the popular sports apparel brand, launched a campaign on their Social Media channels featuring Syren and some of the participants of the Disabled Hikers movement, who were filmed and interviewed during a hike in the woods. Unfortunately currently the project is on hold due to lack of financing.

However, Syren's first hiking guide for all was published in 2022: The Disabled Hikers Guidebook to Western Washington and Oregon. You can follow the to stay updated and consult the information shared in the past years: even if the project is currently on hold we really hope it will be soon active again.

Useful contacts if you want to hike around Europe

The associations listed below offer outings for families, individuals and groups, and trainings on how to organise an outing with people with reduced mobility in joëlettes, check them out and find one in your next destination! We will be adding new associations over the next months, and if you know of more organisations, drop us an email at info@wheeltribe.eu to let us know!