Berlin’s accessible top sights
Explore accessible Berlin – see, hear, touch and experience – as recommended by visitBerlin
From the Reichstag parliament building to Alexanderplatz. From Gendarmenmarkt square to the Museum Island. Berlin is full of surprising things to discover. And surprisingly easy to travel around when it comes to accessible things to do in the city . Here, you can find our selected highlights at a glance – with visitBerlin’s best wishes for a great stay in the city!
TIP 1: Reichstag parliament building and the glass dome
The German parliament is not just a place where major policy decisions are taken. This is also where policies are implemented – including a policy of comprehensive accessibility. The Reichstag’s glass dome is a special attraction for visitors to Berlin. Two tips in advance for your visit: The glass dome is accessible for people with disabilities through a separate entrance without long waiting times. On special tours of the Reichstag building, arranged in advance for people with a visual impairment or who are blind, participants can even take a seat in the Plenary Chamber.
What you need to know before your visit
- All entrances are suitable for wheelchairs
- The easiest way to enter is via the ramps on the Platz der Republik
- If required, wheelchairs are available on loan for visitors with limited mobility
- The path into the glass dome is designed as a relatively steep rising spiral. Wheelchair users should take an accompanying person to assist them.
- Special tours for blind and visually impaired visitors take participants through the Reichstag building, also including the Plenary Chamber
- There are audio guides for blind and visually impaired visitors to the glass dome
- There are three tactile models of the Reichstag building on the scale of 1:1000
- For visitors with a hearing impairment, induction loops on the visitors’ galleries assist in following plenary debates and lectures
- There are video guides for visitors to the glass dome who are hard of hearing or deaf
- For sign language interpreters for groups, contact the Visitors’ Service well in advance in writing
TIP 2: Brandenburg Gate
An absolute must-see sight – and easy to reach. If you are travelling by tube, the wheelchair friendly Brandenburger Tor station has an elevator to take you directly to the square at Pariser Platz. The square is also easy to navigate for wheelchair users, so you can explore the iconic symbol of a reunited Germany from all sides.
TIP 3: Unter den Linden boulevard
Unter den Linden is the grand boulevard connecting Brandenburg Gate with Alexanderplatz. And at present, a lot is also happening here below ground. The extension of the U5 tube line connecting many of Berlin’s best-known landmarks.
What you need to know as a wheelchair user along Unter den Linden
- During the construction work, the main paths are fitted with mini ramps at places so you can use the boulevard freely
- Since 2020, the U5 line connects the first fully accessible tube line Berlin’s top sights
TIP 4: Berlin TV Tower
In the 1960s when the East German government launched the project of building the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz, it had a clear objective – to send out an unequivocal signal of the GDR’s strength and capabilities. But at that time no one thought of building for accessibility. Even today, the escape route in the event of an emergency is down a staircase with around 1000 steps. As a result, the viewing platform and restaurant can only offer visitors with disabilities limited accessibility. We ask for your understanding that the safety of all visitors has to be the main priority.
What you need to know before you visit the TV Tower
- Accessible for visually impaired visitors with accessibility dogs
- Not accessible for wheelchair users
- Not accessible for people with limited mobility who need assistance from others or use walking aids
TIP 5: Kurfürstendamm boulevard
In the nineteenth century, Otto von Bismarck, Germany’s “Iron Chancellor”, ordered Kurfürstendamm to be constructed as a grand boulevard, transforming what had previously been just a bridle path. Today, Ku’damm, as locals say, symbolises the Roaring Twenties, war-torn Berlin and the modern fashionable metropolis. Here, you can explore more than a hundred years of history on over 3.5 km – and with broad pavements with wheelchair-friendly surfaces, this is also very much accessible.
Two things to note when visiting the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
- For wheelchair users and visitors with limited mobility, the easiest way to reach the raised area with its ensemble of buildings is via a ramp starting from Kurfürstendamm boulevard and leading between the new church and memorial tower. When you reach the memorial, a member of staff will open the door for you.
- Since there are no hearing induction loops, we recommend that visitors who are hard of hearing sit nearer one of the loudspeakers.
TIP 6: Berlin Wall Memorial
The Berlin Wall is a thing of the past – but at the Berlin Wall Memorial, the years of the division of Germany come vibrantly alive. Today, the main memorial site of German division is a large open-air exhibition on the former border strip along Bernauer Straße. We recommend beginning your visit at the accessible Visitor Centre close to the Nordbahnhof S-Bahn (city railway).
What you need to know before you visit the Berlin Wall Memorial
- The Nordbahnhof station has an elevator and escalators
- The open-air exhibition is accessible and suitable for wheelchair users. Some paths have a fine gravel surface.
- People who are partially sighted or blind can listen to some of the stories in the open-air exhibition
- The Visitor Centre is accessible via an elevator
- On request, accessible tours for groups can be arranged
- Wheelchair users can access the Document Centre via a ramp next to the main entrance. The exhibition rooms and viewing platform can be reached by an elevator.
- The entrance to the Zeitzeugen Café is accessible
- Interesting to know for people who are partially sighted or blind – the contemporary witness events in the Zeitzeugen Café are recorded and are available as online audio files (in German)
- The Berlin Wall Memorial’s webpage is available in German, English and French. The German website also offers a simple language version for people with learning and cognitive disabilities.
TIP 7: Museum Island
Keen on culture, history and heritage? Then head for Berlin’s famous Museum Island! Here, you’ll find no less than five renowned museums:
- Bode Museum
- Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery)
- Altes Museum (Old Museum)
- Neues Museum (New Museum)
- Unfortunately, the Pergamon Museum has been closed for renovation work since October 2023.
In 1999, this ensemble of museums was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage. Incidentally, the regular ticket for €18 includes admission to all five museums.
Events for all groups of visitors to the Museum Island
All museums are wheelchair accessible. There are also numerous tours and events specifically for people with disabilities. The museums have something on offer for all groups, from public tours for people who are hard of hearing or deaf to exhibition talks for adults living with changes caused by dementia. The events page of the Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin (National Museums in Berlin) lists all the upcoming events and can be filtered for inclusion (also available in English).
Museum Island touch model in the Lustgarten
In particular for heritage and culture fans who are partially sighted or blind, we recommend the touch model in the Lustgarten park as a useful start to a day on the Museum Island. Printed and Braille inscriptions introduce the key points of orientation on the Museum Island and the different buildings.
What you can expect from ALL Museum Island museums:
- Wheelchair accessible
- Tours, exhibition talks or workshops, including some for people who are blind or deaf or living with changes caused by dementia
- Audio guides
- Information and advice in simple language
- Signage / orientation aids
TIP 8: Potsdamer Platz
Potsdamer Platz is the home of the Berlinale, a meeting point for shopping fans, and connects the inner city in the east with the new west of Berlin. This is one of Berlin’s most popular sights to visit, and all the U-Bahn (tube) and S-Bahn (city railway) stations here are equipped with elevators and escalators. The square itself is also designed to be fully accessible.
What else you can find at Potsdamer Platz:
- An audio guide available as a free download, useful not only for visitors who are blind or partially sighted
- The wheelchair accessible viewing platform at the Panoramapunkt Potsdamer Platz, with its stunning views of the city. The viewing platform can take up to three wheelchairs at the same time.
TIP 9: Charlottenburg Palace
Today, this is the largest and most magnificent palace in Berlin – a highlight for any Berlin visitor. Charlottenburg Palace recounts the history of the Hohenzollern dynasty which ruled Prussia from the 1600s to the early 1900s. The palace was named after Sophie Charlotte, the first Queen consort in Prussia. Today, it is owned by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK). Thanks to the SPK’s considerable efforts to make the palace as accessible as possible, people with disabilities can enjoy their visit here to the full. (Please note: some accessible services are only available in German).
What you need to know before you visit Charlottenburg Palace
- The SPK website has more information (in German) for guests with limited mobility. The website also has a map of a wheelchair accessible route through the palace gardens
- There are audio guides for the Old Palace and the New Wing
- The Old Palace and New Wing both have induction loops for guests who are hard of hearing
TIP 10: Gendarmenmarkt
Please note: Berlin's beautiful Gendarmenmarkt is currently not barrier-free, as it is currently being remodelled into a top renovated, barrier-free square. The main work has been completed so that it will be available to you again from the end of 2024, barrier-free and sustainable!
The U2 tube station Stadtmitte, very close to the square, is equipped with an elevator.
What you should know for a visit to Gendarmenmarkt square
- Dogs are generally not allowed on the square with the exception of assistance dogs.
- In the Deutsche Dom, a former church on the square, you have free entry to the Milestones - Setbacks - Sidetracks, the German Bundestag’s accessible exhibition on parliamentary history.
Like to explore some more? Then here are some more tips on what to see:
These sights are all especially recommended as they have been certified as accessible under the Tourism for All scheme:
Other accessible sights in Berlin:
- Zoo Berlin and the Tierpark Berlin wildlife park (mobility assistance, wheelchairs available on loan)
- Berlin Cathedral (wheelchair accessible, special tours for visitors who are blind or visually impaired)
- Dungeon Berlin (wheelchair friendly)
Any questions?
Just call us and we’ll be happy to help you plan your accessible visit to Berlin. You can reach us on+49 30 25 00 23 33.
You can also be sure of a warm welcome at any of our Tourist Info Centres in the city!
All Berlin Tourist Info Centres are Tourism for All certified
- Berlin Tourist Info at the Berlin Central Station
- Berlin Tourist Info at Brandenburg Gate
Don’t be put off by the step at the Tourist Information at the Brandenburg Gate – a mountable ramp will be provided by our service team. - Berlin Brandenburg WelcomeCenter
- Berlin Tourist Info Centre at the Berlin Central Station
You can find the respective opening hours here.