For the fourth in our series of blogposts on accessible getaways abroad, we head to Berlin. The German capital is one of the most fascinating cities in Europe: rich in history, art and culture. It also very accessible for those of us with different mobility needs. So, here is Quingo Scooters’ guide to just a few of the best accessible sights in Berlin.
Charlottenburg Palace
The spectacular Charlottenburg Palace was home to the Prussian royal family for hundreds of years, and today it is one of Berlin’s most popular attractions. It is a beautiful building, built in the late 1600s and with some of the best gardens to explore in Berlin. It is a great place to head to when the hustle and bustle of the city gets too much. While there are parts of the palace that aren’t accessible to those of using mobility scooters, the gardens themselves are. A stunning place to relax and explore.
Mauer Museum
Although it is long gone, the Berlin Wall still casts a long shadow across the city. One of the best places to get a sense of how it divided the city is to head to the Mauer Museum. It is packed full of exhibits from the Wall’s early days through to its fall in 1989, as well as stories of the many thousands of ordinary Berliners whose lives it affected so dramatically. There is ramped access and a lift inside to all of the exhibits on the different floors. It is also well worth heading to the East Side Gallery, which features the longest remaining stretch of wall, and examples of the spectacular art it was decorated with.
Get away to Museum Island
One island, five museums. Berlin’s Museumsinsel is home to some of the city’s most remarkable treasures, and it a must-see for any visitor. It is also very accessible, with all five museums (The Pergamon Museum, the Bode-Museum, the New Museum, the Old National Gallery and the Old Museum) generally accessible. You will find everything from the Gates of Babylon in the Pergamon to artistic treasures from some of world’s greatest painters in the Old National Gallery. For a general guide to opening times for specific museums on Museum Island, head here.
Take a tour of Berlin’s fascinating neighbourhoods
One of the very best things about any visit to Berlin is the sheer variety in the different areas of the city. Whether you’re into art, culture or just want to see how ordinary Berliners pass their days, then an accessible tour is a great way to do it. We really liked this one, that starts in trendy Kreuzberg, takes you to Tempelhofer Feld park and ends up in Neukölln. If you’d like to work out your own route, then the tour uses a list of accessible sites featured on the handy Wheelmap.org tool, which you can find here.
Did you know?
There were actually two Berlin Walls, separated by a ‘death strip’ in between them, and over the years 80 people were killed trying to cross from East to West.
Getting to Berlin
There are plenty of regular flights to both Berlin Tegel Airport and Berlin Schönefeld from the London airports, as well as Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Edinburgh. Both Tegel and Shönefeld have personal assistance services if you need them, and there are barrier-free shuttles available to the city centre.
If you’d like to find out more about getting around the city and more on the many accessible sites there are to visit, then Berlin’s official tourist organisation has a really useful site here.
Travelling with scooters
The great news for those of you travelling abroad is that Quingo Scooters are all approved for air travel by IATA so you won’t have any problems taking them on the plane. That said, it is always well worth getting in touch directly with any train, bus and airlines you want to use just to double check their rules on scooters before you go. For more handy tips on travelling with your scooter by air, take a look at our page here.
Share your accessible getaways abroad with us
Do you have any accessible getaways abroad recommendations? In Europe or perhaps further afield? If you do, we’d love to hear from you, so drop us a line and we’ll feature them.
About Quingo Scooters
The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any Service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.
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All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC). AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 30847