Accessible Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin
Accessibility :
Partially Accessible Palace Buildings,
Accessible Park & Gardens,
Accessible Toilets
Further Info
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For details of other wheelchair accessible hotels, wheelchair-friendly eating and drinking options and wheelchair accessible attractions in central Berlin, see the Accessible Berlin Guide
Accessible Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin
Charlottenburg Palace was once a royal summer residence, but today it is Berlin’s largest and most magnificent palace.
The actual Charlottenburg Palace building is comprised of two buildings: the original Old Palace (the Alte Schloss) and the New Wing (the Neuer Flügel). And within the Charlottenburg Palace grounds, you’ll also find the New Pavilion (the Neuer Pavillon), the Belvedere (NOT accessible though), the Mausoleum (the interior of which is inaccessible – steps) and the Theatre Building (the Theaterbau – home to the Käthe Kollwitz Museum).
As well as the formal Charlottenburg Palace Gardens themselves too of course, plus the wider Charlottenburg Palace Park (garden/park paths are wheelchair accessible).
A free Audio Guide to to Charlottenburg Palace, in English too, is also available to visitors.
The Charlottenburg SPSG app (available in English) offers multimedia tours through the Old Palace and the New Wing. Available free of charge in the App Store or Google Play.
And although Charlottenburg Palace is easily accessible from central Berlin, it’s far enough out that it is not swamped with visitors. Perfect.
Accessible Charlottenburg Palace (the Old Palace).
The main entrance to the Charlottenburg Palace is NOT accessible. However, step-free access IS possible via a separate side entrance. There is a ramp here (but, on the day of your visit to Charlottenburg Palace, the door at the end of the ramp might have to be unlocked by staff from inside though – there is a bell to call them if needed).
The wheelchair ramp at this side entrance has a width of 120cm, and a total length of just 180cm – the maximum gradient of the wheelchair ramp is 15%.
You’ll only be able to visit about 10 rooms on the ground floor of the Old Palace. Stunning rooms though.
Guided tours of Charlottenburg Palace are offered on request to wheelchair users (and to all visitors with walking impairments). Advance reservation is required though [phone: +49 (0) 303 20 910].
Accessible Charlottenburg Palace New Wing (“Neuer Flügel”).
The New Wing of Charlottenburg Palace includes the White Hall and the Golden Gallery – two of the most beautiful Rococo creations in Europe.
The “New” Wing is not just some recent addition though. It was added in:
1740!!
The lower floor of the step-free New Wing is easily accessible though.
And the upper rooms can be accessed via an elevator (the elevator cabin measures 136 cm x 182 cm, and the elevator door is 90 cm wide – although many of the doors within the New Wing are a maximum of 83cm wide – so use 83cm as the maximum width possible for a visit to the interior of Charlottenburg Palace).
Accessible Charlottenburg Palace New Pavilion (“Neuer Pavillon”).
Situated in the grounds of Charlottenburg Palace, the entrance to the New Pavilion building is stepped. However, this entrance is made accessible by the use of an inclined platform lift (the platform of the wheelchair lift is 109cm x 175cm).
The upper floor is only accessible via an inner staircase (of 25 steps) though.
Accessible Charlottenburg Palace Theatre Building (“Theaterbau”).
The Käthe Kollwitz Museum has been located in the wheelchair accessible Theatre Building at Charlottenburg Palace since autumn 2022.
Admission is free on the first Sunday of every month (part of Berlin’s “Museum Sunday”). Which simply means that Charlottenburg Palace in general is busier then (so, ironically, it might be wiser to visit Charlottenburg Palace on another day).
Getting to Charlottenburg Palace by Berlin's Public Transport
Charlottenburg Palace is located outside of Berlin city centre (to the west). The closest accessible S-Bahn station to Charlottenburg Palace is Westend (lines S41, S42 & S46). However, it is very likely that you will have to change train at Westkreuz S-Bahn station first though (lines S3, S5, S7 & S9 from central Berlin). There are elevators at both Westkreuz and Westend stations.
Alternatively, but leaving you slightly further away from Charlottenburg Palace, take the U-Bahn directly to Sophie-Charlotte Platz (line U2), and then roll 1km to the palace along the central path (pedestrian) of Schloßstraße. This is a leafy part of Berlin – and although it’s slightly further away from Charlottenburg Palace, it’s a very pleasant contrast to the hustle and bustle of Mitte (I’d only recommend taking this route when the weather in Berlin is not too bad though – although you can hop on bus 309 at Sophie-Charlotte Platz U-Bahn station, and this will take you directly to Charlottenburg Palace if needed).
A further option, and one which will allow you to combine your visit to Charlottenburg Palace with a visit to the wheelchair accessible Berlin Zoo, is to head to the accessible S-Bahn/U-Bahn station at Zoologischer Garten (lines S5, S7, U1, U2, and U9). From Zoologischer Garten station, you will then need to take the M45 bus towards Charlottenburg Palace though – for a further 3km journey (about 15 mins). And although you could easily spend an entire day at either place – 3 hours spent at each would be a perfect Berlin Day Out.
Access - Entrance to Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin
Old Palace Entrance:
The main entrance to the Charlottenburg Palace is NOT accessible. However, step-free access IS possible via a separate side entrance. There is a ramp here (but the door at the end of the ramp may have to be unlocked by staff from inside on the day of your visit though – but there is a bell to call them if needed).
The wheelchair ramp at this side entrance has a width of 120cm, and a total length of just 180cm – the maximum gradient of the wheelchair ramp is 15%.
New Wing Entrance:
The entrance to the step-free New Wing is easily accessible though. And the upper rooms in the New Wing can be accessed via an elevator (the elevator cabin measures 136 cm x 182 cm, and the elevator door is 90 cm wide – although many of the doors within the New Wing are a maximum of 83cm wide – so use 83cm as the maximum width possible for a visit to the interior of Charlottenburg Palace).
New Pavilion Entrance:
There are 4 steps leading up to the entrance door of the New Pavilion. However, this entrance is made accessible by the use of an inclined platform lift (the platform of the wheelchair lift is 109cm x 175cm).
There is a double-door entrance here too (width = 120cm). And the threshold is just 4cm.
Exhibition rooms on the ground floor of the New Pavilion are wheelchair accessible. The upper floor of the New pavilion can only be accessed by 25 stairs though.
Accessible Charlottenburg Palace Park and Gardens
The gardens and park behind Charlottenburg Palace are open to the public free of charge (you only have to pay to go inside the actual Charlottenburg Palace buildings).
The paths are composed of well-compacted earth/gravel and are fairly easy to roll along.
The carp lake at the end of the formal Charlottenburg Palace gardens is connected to the Spree River, although there are steps down to the water’s edge at the end of the Charlottenburg Palace gardens.
Head for the bridge at the far end of the pond, via an accessible path, for THE best view of Charlottenburg Palace.
Accessible Toilets at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin
There are accessible toilets in both parts of Charlottenburg Palace.
Old Palace:
Although the actual toilet door is at least 90 cm wide, the toilet is accessed via the castle chapel (door width 76 cm), or alternatively via the exit door (door width 81 cm).
There is ample manoeuvring space within the toilet.
Grab rails are available on both the right and left of the toilet (with distance between them being 67 cm). Either, or both, grab rails can be flipped-up as required.
The sink is wheelchair compatible (roll-under sink), and the mirror can be seen while standing or sitting.
An alarm trigger (button) is available inside the toilet (the alarm trigger is 142cm from the floor).
The toilet door can be opened without a key.
New Wing:
There is also an accessible toilet in the New Wing.
The door is slightly wider here (95cm), and doesn’t have to be accessed via a narrower doorway anywhere else.
As with the accessible toilet in the Old Palace, there is ample manoeuvring space within the toilet here too.
The sink is wheelchair compatible too (roll-under sink), and the mirror can also be seen while standing or sitting.
Accessible Museums Directly Opposite Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin
Opposite the main entrance to Charlottenburg Palace, and facing each other, you will see the rooftop cupolas of the twin buildings designed by Friedrich August Stüler, which now house the Bröhan Museum, and facing it, the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection.
Bröhan Museum:
Since 1994, the Bröhan Museum has officially been the “Berlin State Museum of Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Functionalism”. Displaying decorative excellence across three floors, the Bröhan-Museum features a wheelchair friendly elevator that allows access to all exhibition areas. The museum also features a wheelchair accessible bathroom. Website: www.broehan-museum.de/en/
The Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection (Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg):
The Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection, now part of the National Gallery of Berlin, is located in the eastern Stüler Building opposite Charlottenburg Palace, and shows major works of surrealism.
The 250 artworks in the National Gallery’s “Surreal Worlds” permanent collection (paintings, sculptures and works on paper) are spread over three floors.
Highlights: Salvador Dalí: Study for “Banlieue de la ville paranoïaque-critique” (1935); Hans Bellmer: La poupée (1936/1938); Max Ernst: Le Triomphe de l’amour/fausse allégorie (1937); Jean Dubuffet: Nez d’Apollo Pap (1953); and René Magritte: Gaspard de la nuit (1965).
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For details of other wheelchair accessible visitor attractions, eating and drinking options and hotels in Berlin, see the Accessible Berlin Guide.
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Video Credit: Charlottenburg Palace Berlin (via SPSGMuseum on Youtube)
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