A city that sprung up at the foot of the Derbyshire hills, Derby is one of Britain’s most centrally located destinations and an early site of the Industrial Revolution. It lounges on the River Derwent with a rejuvenated waterfront and a hefty number of independent breweries. The city is perhaps most famous for its advanced manufacturing, and is home to Rolls-Royce aero-engineering and Toyota Manufacturing; two of Derby’s biggest employers. Transport isn’t all the Derby is renowned for - Core Design created Lara Croft here; the game character in search of hidden treasures!

Go on a shopping spree

Derby is home to the massive Derbion shopping centre (formerly Intu Derby) which attracts people from all over the Midlands. Inside you’ll find nearly two-hundred shops, as well as a cinema and restaurants; and reviewers have loved the accessibility of this shopper’s paradise! The centre also has a Changing Places toilet on Level 1 close to the Debenhams.

One wheelchair user told us, 'Intu consists of many different shops all of which are level access.' Read their review here to find out more and check out their detailed images.

Another visitor said, ‘All the entrances to the centre on the ground floor are all wheelchair accessible.’ Read review >

See it on stage

If you’d rather be entertained by a bit of theatre when visiting Derby, The Guildhall Theatre is an intimate venue frequented by amateur groups as well as folk, comedy and jazz events. The theatre is listed on Euan’s Guide saying:

‘For many of our shows we have various dates which include BSL, Relaxed, Captioned, and Audio Described performances which can be found on our website.’ Find out more >>

For sports and activity fans

Sports fans can check out what’s on at the modern Derby Arena, a venue which can hold up to 5000 people! Inside there’s a 250m Siberian Spruce cycle track and a massive sports infield for badminton, netball, football and volleyball. The Arena is listed on Euan’s Guide saying there are ‘fully accessible changing rooms’ and that some events have ‘BSL sign-interpreted performances, audio described performances and relaxed performances.’

Food and Drink

The Arboretum Community Project and Café is led by Deaf people providing services, placements and events in Derby. There is also a café selling hot and cold food! The project is listed on Euan’s Guide saying, ‘the café is accessible, we will make sure you are happy and comfortable with our services.’ Find out more >>

BEAR is a trendy coffee shop with, as one reviewer described, 'level access entrance, spacious accessible, dining area, and large accessible toilet.' This is definitely one for coffee lovers to check out!

Vedi is a restaurant near the Intu centre, council house and bus station which specialises in vegetarian and vegan food from around the world. This venue has level access and parking nearby for blue badge holders.

Get cultured

The Derby Museum & Art Gallery is in the city centre and features collections of Joseph Wright paintings, touring exhibitions and an award-winning Coffee House.

If you love the outdoors, Derby has beautiful stately homes and gardens to explore. Elvaston Castle Country Park is near Derby and Nottingham and has 321 acres of open parkland and woodland. Here you can rent trampers which can help you get around the muddier areas if you prefer!

Have you been to Derby?

Tell us about places you visited in this Midlands city! We want to hear about your disabled access experience! Write a review >>

Last updated – March 2021