Berlin for people who are blind or partially sighted
More than a picture postcard
Get to know Berlin! With your ears, nose, mouth and your hands. The capital city can be a babble of noises at the Brandenburg Gate and a classical concert at the philharmonic orchestra. From time to time the air is fragrant with the smell of the botanical garden or the Gardens of the World. Sometimes Berlin tastes like street food and at other times like Michelin star. Whether hard or soft, warm or cold, dry or wet - the best place to discover how the capital feels, is in Berlin itself.
Museum, Cinema, tourist attractions
Museums, theatres, attractions – Berlin’s culture is just waiting to be explored! Many buildings permit individual access to visitors who are visually impaired.
The Allgemeine Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverein Berlin (ABSV), provides you with a monthly culture and leisure programme in cooperation with its partners. Upon request, the association employees will accompany you to exhibitions and events.
- More information (in German only): absv.de
Berlin’s museums offer special tours for the blind such as at the Bauhaus-Archiv or the Otto Weidt Museum. During the Second World War, Otto Weidt who was blind himself, saved numerous Jews from deportation in the former workshop for the blind. Needless to say, all exhibits are written in Braille. In the Jewish Museum, tactile models and tactile plans for individual exhibits are available to you in the imposing building by architect Libeskind. You can feel your way round Charlottenburg Palace with all your senses. Authentic reproductions of the palace and palace gardens are sure to provide you with a spatial view. More information about guided tours and barrier-free attractions:
- Bauhaus-Archiv
- Otto Weidt Museum (only in German)
- Jewish Museum
- Charlottenburg Palace (only in German)
The blind and visually impaired are also guided through the Reichstag. As with all visitors, you need to register before visiting. You can then try out the parliamentary seats in the Bundestag, which will give you a sensory impression of German politics. The Reichstag also has three tactile models of the building at a scale of 1:1000. You can feel the reliefs for the plenary hall, the dome and the surrounding government district.
- More information: Reichstag for people with disabilities
A scent and touch garden awaits you in the Berlin Botanical Gardens. Here it is strongly encouraged that you touch and feel things! Aromatic plants and herbs such as coriander, rosemary or the eucalyptus, were specially planted on raised beds. This way, the scent is directly under your nose.
The Cinemaxx at Potsdamer Platz shows cinema films with audio description. The word has got around: the hype surrounding audio drama evenings has spread to Berlin’s parks, open air cinemas and even planetariums.
- deinkino.de (in German only)
Audio Descriptions on Berlin Stages
Experience the plays and shows of the Berlin stages despite visual impairment? This is possible with the Berliner Spielplan Audiodeskription. This is a project of the FÖRDERBAND e.V. - Kulturinitiative Berlin. This way, people with visual impairments also have the opportunity to experience the stages of the capital.
An audio description is a live commentary for blind and visually impaired theatre guests, which is integrated precisely into the overall events on stage. Only the visual elements of the performance are described in detail to the audience. These include rooms, costumes, facial expressions and gestures.
Partners are:
- Berlin Ensemble
- German Opera Berlin
- German Theatre Berlin
- Friedrichstadt Palace Berlin
- Theater an der Parkaue
- Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz
- Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz
Schedule information can be found at blog.theaterhoeren-berlin.de/spielplan.
On Tour
Discovering Berlin-Mitte with a tour on the Ringbahn train or the unofficial number 100 sightseeing bus? The Carpe Diem audio guide will accompany you on your tour through the city and it has something to say at every stop.
With the Stadt im Ohr audio tour, you will get to experience 800 years of Berlin history as an audio drama. Here you will learn about the development of important sites such as Alexanderplatz, the Märkisches Museum or the Nikolaiviertel.
- Audio tour: Stadt im Ohr
Whether by bus, S-Bahn or on foot – you can find out how to best get around Berlin in our tips and videos: