Are there any Berliners here?

[poothtaste]

Hello,
Is there anyone here from Berlin please?

I am going to Berlin for five days in Mid August. I am disabled and in poor health, and will be travelling with two teens. When I booked it I really wanted to go but right now I can barely walk. Not in a wheelchair but use crutches ....I can do a few hundred metres per day only, and a few steps, but not a whole flight.

I'm starting to feel anxious about how I will cope, how much pain I will be in, and whether I will fall over and hurt myself.

Is there anyone here who can help me put a schedule together that means I don't have to walk much, but that my teens will still have a good time?

Staying near Zoologishergarten.
Arriving by train.
Departing by plane.

Would like to go to Tropical Island one day as this meets my "I get to sit still while the teens go off and do something active" desires!

I think there is a museum that compares life in West and East Berlin and has a trabant in it.

Is there a river cruise?

How can I see the main sights without walking too much?

Does anyone know where I can hire a mobility scooter, or which tourist places might have them for hire while I am at their attraction?

What is the best hospital to go to that accepts the EHIC card if I have an accident?

Many thanks for your help.

Oh, and when do the Berlin children go back to school after their summer break?

Not many doughnuts around tonight then.

@VeniVidiWeeWee my first thought too! 😉

I'm not from Berlin but we went in 2019.

We went to the DDR museum. It is on the river, opposite museum island. It has a Trabant that you can sit in, a mock up of a DDR flat and examples of TV programmes, foods, clothing etc.

There are definitely boat trips as we saw them but didn't go on one. I've looked at Google Maps and it looks like there is one a few minutes from the DDR museum. Historic City Cruise - Nikolaiviertel Pier.

There are lots of tours you can go on. I think there are Hop on Hop off buses. We didn't use them in Berlin as DH likes to walk (a lot) but I did in Barcelona with my DGM. It was nice to have a sit down.

You can also do Trabant tours but I think you may have to self drive.

I don't know much about Mobility Scooters though.

Tropical island is fantastic but I wouldn’t day trip it if I was in your position. It is vast and you would struggle with the number of steps you have to walk getting there and getting inside.

Also are you flying? Have you thought about how you will manage at the airports and transfers? Tegel was so convenient and easy but the new airport is, well, like any big city airport. Big and not easy to get to or from.

Honestly in your position I’d rely on my health insurance and cancel the trip. It is a big city and you will be walking a lot, using trams or buses or trains, cancel it and book a week at an all inclusive with a waterpark style swimming pool. It will be much better for you.

Don't forget you must book tickets for the Reichstag, ahead of time. They have a ramp, and if I recall it's wheelchair user friendly.

The trams, taxis and toilets are wheelchair accessible.

If you consider using a wheelchair for at least part of the trip there's plenty of info available.

wheelchairtravel.org/berlin/

This also seems to have info somewhere on scooter rentals: www.sagetraveling.com/berlin-accessible-travel

Regarding EHIC, it's accepted nearly everywhere. Germany has a dual track public-private medical system. Private insurance covers one in ten residents and there's very few practitioners and almost no hospitals who don't accept the public option.

Hello, I live in Berlin. Kids here go back on the 22nd of August. In Germany the school holidays are staggered by state though, so there will likely still be tourists/families from other regions of Germany in town after that date.

The airport is accessible - there’s lots of walkways and long distances between gates and passports etc, but you can book assistance with the airline of course, and this way they can wheel you around.

Zoologischer Garten is a good place to be based. It’s a few stops on the train from Hauptbahnhof (where I suppose you’ll arrive into?) and has a direct connection to the airport. Small station so not much walking involved - at least not compared to other Berlin hubs.

Can you do the tourist bus tours? I’m afraid I don’t go on the river boats often so I’ve no idea how accessible that activity is.

Tropical Island is far away and not the most straight-forward journey. I’d much rather recommend one of the lakes or even just the Tiergarten for a lazy day. Parks are usually pretty accessible with frequent bus stops along the entrances.

Buy 9-Euro travelcards for everybody - they’re valid for a month and you can use on any form of transport across Berlin and Germany, except for the high-speed intercity trains. Then just hop on and off buses as required.

I do very desperately want to… but it’s a serious thread so I need to hold my tongue.