Belgium is a land of castles. With more than three thousand registered fortified houses, manors and strongholds, no other country in Western Europe has a denser castle network per square kilometre. For wheelchair users, however, a castle visit is rarely straightforward: drawbridges, basement entrances, spiral stairs and cobbled paving have not historically been a wheelchair-friendly combination. The good news: over the past decade, dozens of castle managers have invested heavily in lifts, ramps, adapted sanitary facilities and adapted tours. We run through the castles where at least a barrier-free route is possible, with the specific points of attention for each site.
The Pajottenland gems: Gaasbeek and Beersel
The Castle of Gaasbeek is a textbook example of a castle visit made barrier-free. A lift connects the three publicly accessible floors, the castle park has wide paved paths, and the visitor centre has adapted sanitary facilities and a barrier-free cafeteria. For anyone visiting a Belgian castle by wheelchair for the first time, this is the ideal introduction. The Castle of Beersel, not far away, is a much older medieval moated castle and is harder to navigate due to its historic structure — the interior is only reachable via stairs — but the moat and the outer route are accessible and visually striking.
The Renaissance ensembles: Alden Biesen and Hex
The Castle of Alden Biesen in Bilzen is one of the most accessible Renaissance castle sites in Flanders. A lift connects the various floors, the French garden has wide gravel paths that are passable for most wheelchairs, and adapted sanitary facilities are amply provided. The Landcommanderij Alden Biesen (the official museum name) offers adapted tours on request. The Castle of Hex in Heers has a beautiful garden with partly paved paths and is made accessible to wheelchairs on its well-known garden days.
The Namur and Hainaut estates
The Chateau de Beloeil in Hainaut, often called the 'Versailles of Belgium', has beautiful French gardens with gravel paths that require a companion for manual wheelchairs but work well for electric wheelchairs. The castle interior is accessible via a lift. The Chateau de Seneffe preserves one of the best-preserved 18th-century castle ensembles in Belgium and has been made fully barrier-free for the permanent Silver Museum. The Chateau de Modave in Liege province is largely accessible via a lift and adapted route.
The Ardennes strongholds: Bouillon and Chimay
The Chateau de Bouillon on its rocky spur high above the Semois is one of the most legendary strongholds in Belgium. Because of its medieval layout — small chapels, narrow corridors, uneven cellars — the castle itself is hard to make fully barrier-free, but an adapted route has been worked out that brings the most striking sections into view without stairs. The Chateau de Chimay has a barrier-free theatre hall and a partly adapted main circuit; the castle park itself, with its view of the Eau Blanche, is fully wheelchair accessible.
The Flemish moated castles: Laarne and Ooidonk
The Castle of Laarne near Ghent is accessible on the ground floor via an adapted ramp; the upper floors remain reachable only via stairs. The castle park around the moat has paved paths. The Castle of Ooidonk near Deinze has a ground-floor permanent exhibition space that is barrier-free, and extensive gardens with largely paved paths — the main castle itself is only accessible via stairs because of the historic structure, but the outdoor experience is excellent.
Practical tips for a castle route
Always call the castle or site beforehand to check the current accessibility status. Ramps and lifts can be temporarily out of service for maintenance, and some adapted tours require booking at least a week in advance. Ask specifically whether a wheelchair is available to borrow on site — at larger sites such as Gaasbeek, Beloeil and Modave, this is the case.
Combine a castle visit with a culinary stop. Most of the listed castles have a neighbouring brasserie or tea room where you can round off the visit. This makes the outing more enjoyable and lets you reflect on what you have seen at a calm pace. A list of accessible hospitality venues in castle regions can be found in our hotel guide.
Allow plenty of time. An extensive castle visit with park easily takes three to four hours. Plan breaks for warm drinks and sanitary stops, and avoid the busiest moments such as summer Sundays when adapted ramps are often in use by buggies. A Tuesday or Thursday morning is usually quieter.
Belgium has many other castles not covered in this guide. For those interested in town halls, belfries and city fortifications, see the guide Accessible forts of Belgium, which also covers the city gates of Diest, Tongeren and Bouillon.