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8 Wheelchair Accessible Travel Tips for Berlin Germany

By John Sage

Berlin wheelchair travelers can easily make their way from accessible tourist sight to accessible tourist sight if they know what they’re doing. These 8 Berlin Wheelchair Travel Tips will help you to see the city as easily as possible while making the most of your time and money.

1. Stay in East Berlin near the tourist attractions – While are there plenty of hotels in West Berlin, most of the tourist attractions are located in East Berlin making it a better area for disabled tourists to stay.  The tourist attractions in the former East Berlin include the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin TV Tower, the Topography of Terror, Unter den Linden, and all the museums on Museum Island.

2. Don’t overpay for transportation – Berlin wheelchair accessible taxis and normal taxis are some of the easiest ways to get around Berlin with a disability.  However, you should be aware that in many cases the accessible bus lines and metro lines are just as easy and much cheaper.  Often it’s even easier to take public transportation because you don’t have to find a taxi.  Nearly all of the buses are accessible and many of the metro stations are handicapped accessible.  Be sure to download a map of the accessible transportation system before leaving on your trip.

3. Be sure you know which airport and you arrive and depart from – Many European cities have a single main airport and then another airport or two for smaller flights. Berlin is not one of these cities.  Berlin has two major airports: Tegel and Schönefeld.  There are accessible public transportation options for both airports although Schönefeld requires a long walk.

4. Be sure you know which train station you arrive and depart from – The previously divided Berlin not only resulted in multiple airports, but it also resulted in multiple large train stations.  Your train will likely pull into one of 3 stations: Zoologischer Gardens station in West Berlin, Ostbahnhof station in East Berlin, or Hauptbahnhof in the center of Berlin.  All of the Berlin train stations have wheelchair lifts. Some trains stop at two of the three stations.  When you buy your train ticket, confirm which train stations you will be stopping at and get off at the one closest to your hotel.

5. Visit Museum Island attractions together – Museum Island in Berlin has multiple museums in close proximity to each other which makes it easy for Berlin wheelchair travelers to visit them in a single day.  The Pergamon Museum, the Neues Museum, and the German History Museum (located just across the Spree River) are all top-notch museums and each deserves a minimum of 2 hours.

6. Accessible souvenir shops near Spree River – Between the German History Museum and the Spree River, you will find numerous souvenir carts that are very easy to visit in a wheelchair.  You won’t have to go up a step to get into a building, so this is a good area to do your souvenir shopping.

7. Group Checkpoint Charlie attractions together – Several wheelchair accessible Berlin tourist attractions are within walking distance of Checkpoint Charlie.  They include Checkpoint Charlie which is located in the middle of the street, the Museum at Checkpoint Charlie, the Jewish Museum Berlin, and the Topography of Terror exhibit (remains of the SS building and the Berlin Wall).  A few blocks away are Unter den Linden street, Potsdamer Platz, the Brandenburg Gate, and the Reichstag.  The whole neighborhood is flat with curb cuts making for easy Berlin wheelchair travel between the attractions.

8. The easiest Berlin wheelchair travel option between East and West are the #100 and #200 buses – The #100 bus goes from Alexanderplatz in the east past the Reichstag to the Zoologischer station.  The # 200 bus goes from Zoologischer station, past the Gemäldegalerie art museum, near Checkpoint Charlie and through Museum Island. Both the #100 and #200 routes have wheelchair accessible buses.

Get answers to all of your accessibility questions. 
Talk to our Berlin accessible travel consultants today.

Read more:

Berlin Accessible Travel – main page
   Pros and Cons of Berlin Disabled Access
   8 Wheelchair Accessible Travel Tips for Berlin Germany
   8 Keys to Success for Berlin Disabled Travel
   Handicapped Access at the German History Museum
   Berlin Wall Wheelchair Access
   Disabled Access at Museum of the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie
   Wheelchair Access at the Reichstag
   German Resistance Memorial Handicapped Access
   Travel Insurance for Disabled Travelers
Berlin Trip Planning by Sage Traveling – Travel with Ease!

 

Contact our Berlin accessible travel consultants

 

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