Wheelchair Accessibility of the Reichstag Building and Dome, Berlin

Interior of the Reichstag dome showing the mirrored central cone, spiral ramps, and a person on a mobility scooter on the accessible ramp

The Reichstag Building is the seat of the German Bundestag and one of the most visited landmarks in Berlin. Its rooftop terrace and glass dome are open to the public for free, and I found the entire visit to be very wheelchair accessible — even with active construction around the building during our trip. The Reichstag also pairs naturally with the nearby Brandenburg Gate, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and Tiergarten, all covered in a separate Scooty post, making this a great first stop on that itinerary.

Person on a mobility scooter rolling up the spiral ramp inside the Reichstag glass dome, Berlin

Reserve Your Free Visit in Advance

Admission to the Reichstag roof terrace and dome is free, but advance registration is required. You can reserve your spot through the German Bundestag’s official online registration page. You will need to provide the name and date of birth for each member of your party, and you must bring the same official photo ID (a passport works) on the day of your visit, because your identity is checked against your reservation.

Getting There from Berlin Hauptbahnhof

I was able to roll from Berlin Hauptbahnhof (the main train station) directly to the Reichstag. Check Google Maps to confirm the route from where you are staying, but the distance from the station is less than a mile, and the route is manageable for a person using a wheelchair or mobility scooter. For notes on rolling out of the station itself, see Scooty’s guide to getting to and around Berlin.

Construction and Cobblestones Around the Building

During our visit, there was construction around the Reichstag, which meant we had to roll around the building to reach the visitor entrance. The detour took us over cobblestone sidewalks that were navigable, but tougher than usual because of the construction. Take it slowly over the stones and you will be fine. Without the construction, reaching the building should not be a problem at all — and construction projects like this one are temporary, so your route may be more direct than ours was.

Security, Check-In, and the Accessible Entrance

All visitors enter through a security checkpoint, where your passport is checked against your advance reservation. After clearing security, a staff member — not a volunteer, an actual member of the Bundestag visitor staff — led us to a separate accessible entrance at the ground floor level of the building. This is a well-organized process: the staff member stays with you, so there is no guesswork about where to go.

The Elevator to the Roof

From the ground floor entrance, you board a large elevator that takes you all the way to the top of the building. The elevator was easily big enough for my mobility scooter. It stops along the way to pick up the rest of your group — visitors who do not need the accessible entrance go upstairs to reach the elevator at a different level — and then everyone rides together and exits onto the roof.

The Roof Terrace and the Glass Dome

The elevator opens onto the roof terrace, where you can roll freely and take in great views of the city. From there, you can continue up through the glass dome itself: a gently graded spiral ramp winds up the inside of the dome, and I was able to roll the entire way up on my scooter. As you roll up, the views get even better — out over the parliamentary quarter, across the Tiergarten, and to the Brandenburg Gate in the distance. Free audioguides are available on the roof terrace if you want the full narration as you ascend.

Summary

Overall, this was a very wheelchair accessible visit, even with the construction around the building. The advance reservation system, the staff escort, the dedicated ground floor entrance, the large elevator, and the ramped dome all worked well together, and the views from the top are among the best in Berlin — all for free. The Reichstag makes a great stop on the way to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which is just a short roll away.

For more wheelchair accessibility coverage across Europe, see Scooty’s guides to Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Munich, and Frankfurt. For general tips on accessible air travel and finding wheelchair accessible hotels, visit the Scooty resource pages.