Discover exciting accessible places in Amsterdam

Photo by Joel de Vriend

Able Amsterdam promotes awesome wheelchair-friendly places in the Dutch capital. By sharing accessibility reviews, I hope to shatter disability stereotypes and encourage fellow mobility aid users to get the most out of this exciting city.

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  • If you need me I'll be strolling around in some espadrilles with my @rollzint Rollz Motion rollator. 😉 It's funny how an injury or illness can suddenly make you appreciate a standard fashion item because it reduces pain or daily challenges. Today, I am grateful to whoever sat in a dusty old room and invented the espadrille. With new surgery scars and wounds down to my ankle, all other closed shoes are off the table. It's too cold for slippers here in Holland, so I'm happy with a comfy alternative. 😊
  • It's no secret lots of tourists flock to The Netherlands each year for a smoke in one of Amsterdam's famous coffeeshops. Coffeeshops in the city centre are often located in narrow, historic canal houses with zero adaptations for customers with reduced mobility. I don't smoke myself, but I thought it was great to see that @thebulldogamsterdam Hotel & Loungebar has a fabulous threshold-free entrance, automatic doors, a wheelchair-friendly toilet, and plenty of low tables and seats. My only immediate point of improvement for @thebulldogamsterdam is that the soap dispenser is too high for wheelchair users. To allow everyone to wash their hands, I recommend placing a 2nd soap dispenser on the ledge above the sink. Head on over to the Oudezijds Voorburgwal 216-220 to check it out. 😚
  • Some artsy and tasty looking drinks at accessible @coffeecoconuts in Amsterdam 🍹 Photo credits: Coffee & Coconuts
  • Fancy a meal out at a nearby restaurant? Can't find one with an accessible toilet? Don't worry, I've got you covered. 😊 I've created a Google Maps link with over 80 restaurants in Amsterdam with wheelchair-friendly toilets. I have personally visited all places marked in orange (and have reviewed these in detail on the 'Restaurants and Cafes' page). I have yet to visit the places marked in purple, but have spoken to a restaurant representative of each location and confirmed they have a wheelchair accessible toilet with grab rails. If you visit any of the purple places, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts about their accessibility. 😚 As always, tips on other accessible restaurants are very welcome. To view the map in all its glory, send me an Instagram message or copy and paste the following link into your browser: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zkHqYVVF8GLW192luVbOj54lLk6h2d6O&usp=sharing
  • "Living life with a shattered leg gives you a million new perspectives on familiar places. Places you've been to for years, but never stopped to think about how it would be for a person with reduced mobility. Yesterday I used Dutch public transportation for the first time in a wheelchair. I feel silly admitting it but it was a little adventure. It had been so long since I'd hopped in an Amsterdam metro carriage that I couldn't even remember how to top up my public transport card. I had no idea where the lifts were, how to tilt my wheelchair into the metro carriage, how to navigate through the crowds, or how to reach an accessible exit. I knew where I was and where to go, but at the same time, I didn't. Luckily I had @corinavb with me to help conquer it all, which made such a 'normal' thing 10x more of an adventure. Based on my experience, the Amsterdam Metro gets an 8/10 for wheelchair accessibility. My only problem was a bit of a gap between the platform and the carriage, but three strangers swooped to our rescue and helped me across. (I'll have to investigate if this is a common problem or just the one station) Yesterday was proof that there are lovely people out there and that experiences with a disability don't always have to be a struggle. Another successful milestone checked off my mental list." ' I wrote this exactly a year ago and it's still very relevant. 😚

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