München wheelchair accessibility guide

If you have two days, anchor the first day on the Altstadt (the medieval core around Marienplatz with the Neues Rathaus, the Frauenkirche, the Viktualienmarkt) and the second on the Residenz and the Englischer Garten. Pick a hotel inside the inner ring road, ideally within a short walk of an U-Bahn station, for the shortest transfers to the headline sights.

Marienplatz and the immediate Altstadt are largely paved with smooth flat stones and tarmac. The pedestrianised Kaufingerstraße and Neuhauser Straße that connect Marienplatz with Karlsplatz are flat and predictable for manual chair users. The Englischer Garten paths are mostly compacted gravel that rolls comfortably in dry weather.

For the third day, Schloss Nymphenburg is the headline palace day trip, around 5 kilometres north-west of the centre with a tram link and reserved disabled parking. The Deutsches Museum on the Isar island is a full day on its own; BMW Welt and BMW Museum at the Olympiapark are another full day pair.

Schloss Nymphenburg: the summer residence of the Bavarian electors and kings, with a step-free side entrance left of the main door and a lift to the upper-floor exhibition. The Bavarian Palace Administration tariff grants disabled visitors the reduced admission against the disability ID, and the registered companion enters free with Merkzeichen B on the German disability pass (Schwerbehindertenausweis).

Residenz München: the city-centre Wittelsbach palace complex with the Residenzmuseum, the Cuvilliés-Theater, and the Schatzkammer. The main museum lift (157 x 147 cm interior, 99 cm door) reaches all the main-tour exhibition floors. The Schatzkammer and the Nibelungensäle are not wheelchair-accessible. Same Bavarian Palace Administration tariff as Nymphenburg.

Deutsches Museum: the world's largest science and technology museum on the Isar island, with all of its new permanent exhibitions step-free and reachable by barrier-free lifts. The German disability pass (Schwerbehindertenausweis) category is 9 € (the published day ticket for the reduced category), and the companion enters free with the Merkzeichen B note on the ID.

BMW Welt and BMW Museum: the brand-experience complex and the corporate museum at the Olympiapark. BMW Welt entry is free of charge for everyone; the BMW Museum charges a separate admission with a reduced category for disabled visitors and free entry for the companion. The complex was purpose-built with seven lifts and an accessible underground car park with twelve dedicated bays.

Marienplatz and the Neues Rathaus: the square at the centre of the Altstadt and the neo-Gothic city hall with its viewing tower. The tower is reached by a lift in the tower entrance area, with the viewing platform on the 9th floor. The Glockenspiel plays daily at 11 and 12, and additionally at 5 pm from March to October. Companions of visitors with the Merkzeichen B mark join the tower tour free of charge.

The Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund (MVV) is the regional transport authority covering the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram, and bus network. Every one of the 100 U-Bahn stations in the network is step-free, and around 85 percent of the 150 S-Bahn stations are step-free as well. Most trams and buses are low-floor; the front and centre doors have a folding ramp deployed by the driver on request.

The German disability pass (Schwerbehindertenausweis) gives free travel across the whole MVV network if the card carries the orange-green coloured field and a valid transit stamp (Wertmarke) (annual or half-year value stamp). If the card additionally carries the Merkzeichen B mark, the registered companion travels free of charge without a separate transit stamp (Wertmarke). Visitors with a German card use it directly; visitors with an equivalent EU disability ID can confirm acceptance at the MVV customer centre at Munich Hauptbahnhof before travelling.

Accessible taxis are bookable through the Munich Taxi central dispatch (089 21610) with a longer lead time than for a standard cab. The vehicle is normally a side-loading or rear-loading van that fits one wheelchair user plus up to three companions. Book the airport transfer and any late-evening run an hour or two ahead.

For Munich Airport (MUC), the PRM (Passenger with Reduced Mobility) assistance is bookable through your airline at least 48 hours before the published departure time, free of charge under EC Regulation 1107/2006. The airport publishes a PRM email contact and a 24-hour information line for advance enquiries.

Bring two things to every venue: photo ID, and a recognised disability card. German disability pass (Schwerbehindertenausweis) holders use the card directly. Visitors substitute the European Disability Card or their home-country disability ID; a recent doctor's letter on letterhead is a useful backup for venues that are less familiar with foreign cards.

The disability-discounts page is the single side-by-side reference for Munich venues: which sights apply the Bavarian Palace Administration tariff, which apply the disabled visitors 9 € reduced category, which are free of charge, and what the Merkzeichen B companion policy is at each site.