Belgium is small and internationally oriented — the Netherlands is 1 hour away by train, France 1-2 hours. For wheelchair users who want to make a multi-day trip, a surprising number of cross-border routes open up where you can experience a barrier-free adventure in 2-4 days. Train connections between NMBS (Belgian Railways), NS (Dutch Railways) and SNCF (France) are all PRM-equipped with an assistance request system, and you barely notice the borders.
In this guide: 6 international routes for wheelchair users, all bookable without a car and with accessible overnight stays at every stop.
The basics: how do you book cross-border assistance?
For every cross-border train journey with a wheelchair:
- Reserve assistance with NMBS (Belgian Railways) for the Belgian segments (departure and final station)
- Reserve assistance with NS (Dutch Railways) for Dutch segments (via ns.nl/assistance or phone +31 30 235 78 22) — at least 24h in advance
- Reserve assistance with SNCF for French segments (via accesplus.sncf.fr) — at least 24h in advance, longer for TGV
- For Thalys/Eurostar: one single PRM request via b-europe.com or phone — that covers Belgium-Netherlands-France in one go
International assistance works in a standardised way — a Belgian attestation is recognised by NS and SNCF for the disability fare.
🇧🇪🇳🇱 Routes to the Netherlands
Route 1: Antwerp → Breda → Rotterdam (3 days)
Day 1: Antwerp — overnight in an adapted hotel such as Hotel Indigo Antwerp City Centre or Mercure Antwerpen City Centre. Antwerp citytrip 1 day for the sights.
Day 2: Breda — IC train NMBS-NS from Antwerp-Berchem (30 min). Breda has a barrier-free city centre with the Grote Kerk (partially adapted) and the Begijnhof. Overnight in Hotel Mercure Breda or Apollo Hotel Breda (both with adapted rooms).
Day 3: Rotterdam — IC onward (1h). Rotterdam is one of the most wheelchair-accessible cities in the Netherlands: flat architecture, low-floor tram network, and top museums (Boijmans Van Beuningen, Maritime Museum, Kunsthal — all adapted). Stay at Hotel New York or NH Atlanta Rotterdam (adapted room).
Practical: Antwerp-Berchem station is fully accessible in 2026; Breda station is fully adapted with lifts.
Route 2: Meuse Valley route Liège → Maastricht → Meuse Valley (Dutch Limburg) (4 days)
Day 1: Liège — stay at Hotel Amosa Liège or Mercure Luik City Centre. Visit the Opéra Royal de Wallonie and the Cité Miroir.
Day 2: Maastricht — train Liège-Guillemins → Maastricht (35 min, NMBS-NS). Maastricht city centre has a lot of cobblestones, but the Markt and the Vrijthof are accessible for those with buggy-style tyres. Overnight at NH Theater Hotel Maastricht or Crowne Plaza Maastricht (adapted room).
Day 3-4: Dutch Limburg Meuse Valley — bus 50 (low-floor) from Maastricht to Roermond + onward Susteren-Sittard. Combine with a cycle ride (handbike rental at HelloVelo Maastricht) along the Juliana Canal — flat and largely accessible.
Practical: For those who want to do the Belgian Meuse Valley route first, you can plan 2 extra days in advance starting from Namur.
Route 3: Coastline-Zeeland-Vlissingen (2 days)
Day 1: Ostend — stay at Hotel Andromeda Oostende or a B&B Villa Emma Oostende. Walk along the sea dyke + visit the Mercator three-master.
Day 2: Zeeuws-Vlaanderen + Vlissingen — The Westerschelde ferry from Breskens to Vlissingen is wheelchair accessible (free for pedestrians and wheelchair users). The Vlissingen promenade and the MuZEEum (maritime museum) are adapted. Train back via Breskens-Bruges.
Practical: The Coastal Tram (Belgium) → De Panne is fully low-floor. For the Zeeland crossing, the Breskens-Vlissingen ferry is the adapted option.
🇧🇪🇫🇷 Routes to France
Route 4: Brussels → Lille → Lille Métropole (1 day or weekend)
Day 1: Brussels to Lille — Eurostar Brussels-South → Lille Europe in 35 minutes. PRM request via b-europe.com for one seamless ticket. Lille Europe station is fully adapted.
Sights in Lille: La Vieille Bourse, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Citadelle, Musée d'Art Moderne (LaM) — all with adapted main entrances. Hôtel Carlton Lille or Hôtel l'Hermitage Gantois for a luxury stay.
Practical: Lille's metro has lifts at every station. For a day trip back to Brussels: last Eurostar around 8 pm.
Route 5: Brussels → Paris (2-3 days)
Day 1: Brussels → Paris — Eurostar Brussels-South → Paris-Nord in 1h22. PRM request via b-europe.com. Paris-Nord has 24/7 assistance.
Day 2: Paris highlights — Métro line 14 is fully adapted (lift at every station); other lines vary. Adapted museums: Musée d'Orsay (fully), Louvre (partially), Centre Pompidou (fully), Musée du Quai Branly (fully). The Eiffel Tower has an adapted lift to the 2nd floor.
Day 3: Versailles (RER C with lift) or Montmartre (lift at Abbesses station).
Practical: Book hotels via accessibleparis.com or ask specifically for a PRM room at Mercure/Holiday Inn/Ibis branches in Paris.
Route 6: Wallonia → Champagne (Reims) (3 days)
Day 1: Charleroi-Sud — train Charleroi-Sud → Reims (1h50 via Lille). Reservation NMBS+SNCF.
Day 2: Reims — Reims is a surprisingly accessible city: flat city centre, cathedral fully adapted with lift, Mumm champagne house with an adapted guided tour. Stay overnight at Hôtel Continental Reims or Holiday Inn Reims (adapted room).
Day 3: Champagne route — taxi transport available for people with a disability attestation. Visit two Champagne houses: Pommery and Mumm are both adapted with a lift in the wine cellars. Veuve Clicquot is partially adapted.
Practical: The French disability fare applies on TGV and SNCF — show your Belgian disability attestation at the assistance desk.
Practical tips for multi-day international travel
Pack light — international wheelchair trips demand lifting strength from companions. Avoid suitcases that are too heavy; use smaller wheeled bags that you can roll alongside the wheelchair.
Print your PRM attestation — keep a paper copy of your disability attestation in 3 places: in your wallet, in your backpack, and with your companion. Foreign assistance desks sometimes ask for it.
Reserve an adapted hotel room 3 months in advance. Internationally, the supply of adapted rooms is more limited than in Belgium. Plan 3 months ahead for the summer.
Eat in adapted spots along the way. At stations: KFC-Brussels, Délifrance, Pret a Manger have barrier-free counters; avoid traditional Belgian chip shops in stations that lack adapted tables.
Photo documentation of your wheelchair. Take photos of your wheelchair (all angles, foldability, battery specs) before departure — handy at Eurostar/Thalys check-in where the baggage service sometimes asks questions.
For the return trip: build in a rest day. A multi-day international trip is physically and mentally more tiring than a Belgian outing. Plan a rest day at home after returning before you head back to work.
In closing
An international trip from Belgium as a wheelchair user is, in 2026, an experience that is fundamentally different in terms of infrastructure and assistance than ten years ago — NMBS (Belgian Railways), NS (Dutch Railways), SNCF and Eurostar work together with standardised assistance systems. A 2-3 day citytrip Brussels-Paris or a 4-day Antwerp-Rotterdam is well plannable, and gives you the feeling that European mobility works for you too.
Have you taken an international trip you had a good experience with? Let us know — first-hand info on foreign hotels, stations and transfer tips helps enormously.