Mobility equipment rental in Berlin

Manual wheelchairs are the most widely available rental: a standard 16 to 20-inch folding aluminium chair, sometimes with elevating leg rests, sometimes with anti-tip wheels. Daily, weekly, and monthly rates apply. Weekly is usually the best value for a tourist stay; the daily rate is roughly 5.50 to 12 EUR through Sanitaetshaeuser and the DRK, and the weekly rate roughly 30 to 60 EUR depending on the chair model and the supplier.

Electric (power) wheelchairs are available through specialist mobility rental companies and a smaller number of Sanitaetshaeuser. Expect a folding portable chair (lithium-battery, 25 to 30 kg) for travel use, or a heavier indoor model for stationary apartment use. Daily rates run roughly 40 to 80 EUR; weekly rates roughly 200 to 400 EUR. Range per charge is typically 20 to 30 km on the lighter travel chairs and 30 to 40 km on the larger models.

Mobility scooters (three or four-wheel) are popular with tourists who walk short distances at home but cannot manage a full sightseeing day on foot. Two main classes: a small portable scooter (folds, lithium battery, 20 to 30 km range) and a larger road scooter (lead-acid battery, 35 to 50 km range). Daily rates roughly 35 to 65 EUR for portable, 55 to 85 EUR for road. Weekly rates 180 to 400 EUR.

Patient hoists, hospital beds, shower chairs, bedside commodes, and toilet-seat raisers are all available from medical-equipment suppliers. These are the categories Berliners themselves rent for post-hospital home recovery, so the supply network is mature and the suppliers know hotel and apartment delivery. Specify the bed model the hoist must fit, or measure your hotel bathroom doorway for shower-chair clearance, when you book.

The simplest and cheapest option for visitors who only need a chair inside one venue: most of the major Berlin attractions lend wheelchairs free of charge to ticketed visitors. The Reichstag (Bundestag) lends wheelchairs free at the visitor entrance for the duration of the dome visit. The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Museum Island, Pergamon, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Gemaeldegalerie, Hamburger Bahnhof) offer free wheelchair loans at the accessibility desk on entry.

The Humboldt Forum, the Berliner Dom, Charlottenburg Palace, the Jewish Museum, and the Panoramapunkt all lend chairs free at their accessibility entrances. Stock is usually limited to a handful of chairs per venue and on a busy summer Saturday all chairs may be out; reserve in advance for the larger museums (especially the Pergamon and the Neues Museum during major exhibitions) by emailing the accessibility desk.

Department stores follow the same pattern. KaDeWe lends manual wheelchairs free at the customer-service desk on the ground floor. Galeries Lafayette Berlin (Friedrichstraße) and Mall of Berlin (Leipziger Platz) also lend chairs; ask at the customer-service desk on entry.

These free loans are not a substitute for renting a full-time chair for your stay. They cover the visit only: you give the chair back when you leave the venue. For door-to-door city use, you need an off-site rental.

A Sanitaetshaus is a German medical-supply house: think of it as a specialist pharmacy for mobility equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and rehabilitation aids. Most Berlin districts have one, and several large chains operate citywide branches. They keep a small rental stock of manual wheelchairs and contract a larger network for specialised items. They are used to dealing with foreign visitors paying out of pocket.

Sanitaetshaus Hoffmann (branches in Mitte and Charlottenburg) is one of the larger Berlin operators with a well-stocked rental department. Reha-Service Berlin handles wider mobility-equipment needs across the city. The DRK Kreisverband Berlin (German Red Cross) runs an accessible-equipment hire service from around 5.50 EUR per day for a manual wheelchair, with branches across the inner districts and a service for short-notice tourist needs.

Sanitaetshaus and DRK rentals are cash or card-on-the-day, with a deposit of 50 to 200 EUR depending on the item, refunded on return. The advantage is convenience and no minimum hire period; the disadvantage is no delivery from most Sanitaetshaeuser (you collect, you return) and limited model selection. For a heavier electric chair, scooter, or hoist, you will need a specialist rental company.

The Berlin BGG (Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz Berlin) and federal SGB IX framework guarantee accessible service from these providers, but availability varies by branch and time of day. Phone ahead the day before to confirm stock for the day you want.

A handful of specialist rental companies serve the Berlin tourist market with a wider catalogue (electric chairs, scooters, hoists, hospital beds, accessible vehicle rental) and door-to-door delivery. Most operate citywide and to BER airport, with same-day delivery on confirmed bookings made before 14:00 and next-day delivery as standard. A typical rental package: equipment, delivery, set-up, training, collection, and 24-hour breakdown support.

Booking is by phone or website. The supplier asks for your dates, hotel or apartment address, the equipment category, and any specific dimensions (your weight, the bathroom doorway width, the bed height for a hoist). They quote a daily or weekly rate plus delivery and a deposit (usually 200 to 600 EUR on the credit card, refunded on return).

Pricing varies by supplier and equipment. Expect roughly 5.50 to 12 EUR per day for a manual chair through DRK or a Sanitaetshaus, 40 to 80 EUR per day for a portable electric chair through a specialist, 35 to 65 EUR per day for a portable scooter, and 60 to 120 EUR per day for a patient hoist.

Weekly bundles knock 20 to 35 percent off the daily rate. Delivery to a central Berlin hotel is typically 25 to 50 EUR each way; BER airport delivery is 50 to 100 EUR each way.

Insurance is sometimes included, sometimes optional. Without insurance, you are liable for damage up to the full equipment value. With insurance (usually 5 to 15 EUR per day), the excess drops to a fixed sum (typically 100 to 300 EUR). For a long rental of an expensive electric chair, the insurance is worth the cost; for a short manual-chair rental, the deposit usually covers any realistic damage.

Specialist rental companies will deliver to Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) on request. Two delivery models exist. Meet-at-the-arrivals-hall: the supplier's driver waits at a named meeting point (usually one of the PRM meeting points in Terminal 1 or Terminal 2) with the equipment ready to transfer. Tariff: roughly 50 to 100 EUR each way, plus the equipment rental.

Drop-and-go: the supplier leaves the equipment at the hotel or at the apartment and you collect it after you arrive in the city. This is cheaper (no driver waiting time) but means you fly to the city in your own chair (or a borrowed airport wheelchair) and pick up the rental at your accommodation. Use this model when you are arriving long-haul and have your own chair through the flight.

Returns work the same way in reverse. The most expensive part of an airport meet is driver-waiting time if your flight is delayed: confirm with the supplier whether they will wait, what their delay tolerance is, and what the surcharge looks like on a 2-hour delayed arrival. A pre-paid reservation that does not cover late arrivals can become a costly scramble at 23:00.

Hotel delivery is the standard for tourist rentals. The supplier delivers to the hotel concierge or directly to your room, with an arrival-day window (typically 14:00 to 19:00 to coincide with hotel check-in). You sign for the equipment and have it for the duration of the stay. Collection is on the last day or the morning after you check out.

Apartment delivery (Airbnb, vacation rental, friend's flat) works the same way but requires you to be there to receive the equipment. If the building has a concierge, the supplier will leave it with the concierge; otherwise, agree a delivery window directly. Some Berlin Altbau buildings have narrow lifts or stairs only, which the supplier will need to know if the item is heavy (a hoist or a hospital bed).

Hotels with barrierefrei rooms often pre-stock a small range of equipment (shower stool, raised toilet seat, occasionally a hoist) at no extra cost; ask when booking whether the room includes any of these so you do not double-up on rentals. Larger hotels can also liaise with the rental supplier on your behalf if you book the rental through the concierge desk. The Scandic Berlin Potsdamer Platz is a good benchmark hotel for accessibility-equipment partnerships.

Quoted rates almost always exclude delivery and insurance. Confirm in writing: the equipment model, the daily or weekly rate, the delivery and collection fees, the deposit (and how it is held: pre-authorisation or charge), and the cancellation policy. Most suppliers cancel free up to 48 hours before the start; later cancellations forfeit one or two days of the rate.

On the day of delivery, inspect the equipment before you sign. For a manual chair: tyre pressure, brakes, seat cushion, foot rests, push-handles. For an electric chair: battery charge, charger included, joystick response, brake release lever. For a scooter: battery charge, key, charger, basket attachment. For a hoist: sling included, sling size correct, manual lever for emergency lower. Photograph anything that looks scratched or damaged before you sign for it.

Returning the equipment: keep the box and any cables, charge the battery to at least 50 percent, and return clean. The deposit is released within a few business days; the supplier debits any damage cost from the deposit before refunding. Disputes over damage charges are uncommon for routine wear but worth the photo evidence at delivery.

Book at least a few days in advance, especially in tourist high season (May to September) and during major Berlin events (Berlinale in February, ITB in March, Christmas markets in December) when demand peaks at the smaller suppliers. For a multi-week rental of an electric chair or scooter, book two to three weeks ahead.

Match the equipment to the city. A wide road scooter is overkill for the older Mitte side streets and overkill for the U-Bahn ramps; a small portable scooter or a power chair handles the cobbled stretches in Prenzlauer Berg, BVG bus ramps, and S-Bahn boarding better. A 75 to 80 cm overall chair width clears most BVG bus ramps and accessible-taxi van ramps without trouble.

Keep the supplier's 24-hour number on your phone. Battery failure, a punctured tyre, or a broken brake on a Saturday night is best fixed by the supplier sending a replacement, not by improvising. Specialist suppliers usually run a 24-hour breakdown line as part of the rental.

If your insurance (travel or domestic) covers mobility equipment, bring the policy. Some travel-insurance products include damage-and-theft cover for rented equipment, which can replace the supplier's optional insurance.

Charge electric chairs and scooters overnight at the hotel. Most modern chargers handle 230 V German outlets natively; UK and US travellers need a Type C, F, or hybrid adapter. The charger usually has an LED that turns green at full charge; a typical full charge is 6 to 8 hours.

We could not confirm a single fully-recommended Berlin mobility-equipment supplier from visitBerlin or any other primary public source. Suppliers come and go, pricing changes frequently, and stock varies by season. The pricing bands cited on this page are the bands we have seen across multiple Berlin suppliers in 2025 and early 2026; they are indicative, not a quote.

Specific same-day delivery cut-offs, exact deposit amounts, exact insurance excesses, and exact driver-waiting-time policies vary by supplier. Get the specifics in writing from the supplier you book with before paying the deposit. If a quote feels unusually low, ask explicitly what is included and what is extra, especially the BER airport-delivery, after-hours, and damage-deposit components.