Looking for a wheelchair accessible hotel in Berlin, Germany? Look no further than The Circus Hotel, an excellent boutique hotel that offers cosy comfort and stylish design with great accessibility in the vibrant heart of Berlin Mitte. I recently stayed at The Circus Hotel in one of the wheelchair accessible hotel rooms for five nights, and I’m now excited to share my review.
Here’s what you can expect when you stay at The Circus Hotel, Berlin
Where is The Circus Hotel located?
The Circus Hotel is a boutique, design-focused hotel located on Rosenthaler Platz in the vibrant heart of Berlin Mitte. Its prime location provides easy access to the city’s attractions and public transportation. Just a short walk away are Alexanderplatz, Museum Island, and the Berlin Wall Memorial. The lively neighbourhood is filled with various boutiques, bars, and restaurants.
Arriving at The Circus Hotel is accessible by multiple modes of public transport. However, we decided to travel to and from the airport by taxi instead. The taxi journey takes about 40 to 50 minutes and costs around 66 euros.
Since this was our first visit to Berlin, we weren’t sure about the availability of wheelchair accessible taxis. I emailed the hotel in advance to enquire about booking a taxi with a ramp or lift, so I could stay in my wheelchair.
The hotel responded promptly and quickly arranged both airport journeys. They recommended the taxi company Space Cab – Luisenstadt Taxi GmbH, and their phone number is 030/694 10 90.
You can even see the Berlin TV Tower from the hotel entrance, which was a pretty cool surprise to see as soon as we got out of the taxi. You may be able to spot the Berlin TV Tower in the photo above.
Hotel Entrance, Welcome & Check-in
The main entrance to The Circus Hotel has a step, but there is a wheelchair accessible door to the right. I appreciated that this entrance is not a side or back door, which is often the case with many older buildings.
The Circus Hotel have ensured disabled guests aren’t an afterthought, allowing them easy access to and from the hotel via the front of the building. We pressed the buzzer to request access, but after checking in, we could come and go as we pleased using our room keycard to open the door. This system was straightforward, and we enjoyed having direct access to the lift from this entrance.
Once inside the wheelchair accessible door, you will find a small metal ramp leading to the hotel’s ground floor, where the reception, bar, and social area are located. The tranquil garden courtyard can also be accessed via this corridor.
Entering the hotel, we were immediately impressed by its laidback vibe and trendy design, which gave the space a unique yet cosy and calm atmosphere.
We received a warm welcome from the friendly staff. The reception area had two desks, one of which was lowered and the perfect height for me to roll up to and comfortably speak to the staff during the check-in process.
Directly opposite the reception is an accessible toilet and the lift to the rooms. I liked the “beam me up” neon sign above the lift doors, the black and white wallpaper walls and overall design of the hotel.
Wheelchair Accessible Hotel Room at The Circus Hotel
There are two wheelchair-accessible rooms at The Circus Hotel. Our wheelchair accessible room was located on the third floor (room number 311) and quickly became our retreat for five comfortable and relaxing nights after a day of sightseeing.
The room was cosy and spacious, featuring nice amenities and accessibility features that made moving around easy. The open layout provided plenty of space to manoeuvre without feeling cramped.
The bed was super comfy! So much so that I didn’t need to use my travel air mattress, which I usually rely on when staying in hotels. The Circus Hotel’s mattresses are amazing, and I enjoyed great, pain-free sleep each night. It was such a relief! We were so comfortable that we didn’t want to get out of bed in the mornings.
Plus, another great thing about the beds was the pillow menu, where you can choose from several different types of pillows. We picked a lovely ergonomic head pillow similar to what we use at home, and it was fantastic! You can’t beat a good head pillow.
The bed height was around 20 inches with clearance underneath, which could accommodate a mobile hoist.
Wall-mounted lamps were placed on each side of the bed along with power outlets, lighting controls, USB ports, and blackout blind controls. There were also small wall-mounted shelves on either side to keep the floor clear.
The room featured an ‘open wardrobe’ with hangers and a full-length mirror.
Opposite the bed was a desk facing the window— the perfect spot for doing my hair and makeup with daylight streaming through. I had to swing my footplates out to the side to allow me to get closer to the desk, but that worked fine for me.
The room had a smart TV with mostly German channels, though it did include BBC News. Unfortunately, we couldn’t figure out how to use the smart features for streaming, but I think that was more a user error on our part rather than a problem with the TV.
There was a kettle provided with a selection of tea and coffee, as well as a collection of books about Berlin.
Unlike most hotels I have stayed at, which usually have carpet, the Circus Hotel had beautiful dark oak flooring, which I found easier to move around in my wheelchair. I have friends who are manual wheelchair users who would also appreciate the wood flooring over carpet.
The curtains in our wheelchair accessible room at The Circus Hotel were excellent at blocking out light, so we felt it wasn’t necessary to lower the blackout window blinds. However, one of the curtains closest to the bed could be a little difficult to reach for non-ambulant wheelchair users due to the bed’s position, but I’ve fed this back to the hotel.
Our room had a great view of Rosenthaler Platz, and we could also see the hotel’s sister property, The Circus Hostel, from our window (see photo below).
Wheelchair Accessible Bathroom at The Circus Hotel
The bathroom in our wheelchair accessible room had a sliding pocket door, which was a great space-saving feature.
I was impressed by the overall size of the bathroom, featuring a spacious roll-in shower with a wall-mounted shower seat. The handheld showerhead and water controls were positioned within reach of the shower seat. It’s worth noting that the shower area had a very small metal threshold lip.
The toilet was located on the opposite side of the bathroom, separated from the shower area by a wall. It had two pull-down grab bars and a toilet roll holder within easy reach. An emergency cord was situated at the back of the toilet, but it was tied up when we arrived, so we untied it.
If you’ve read my hotel reviews before, you know that I often struggle with hotel bathroom sinks due to them being too small and too low. So I was really pleased to find that the sink in our room at The Circus Hotel was a roll-under design, allowing me to easily roll under and use it. The sink bowl was shallow, which I found much easier to use due to my limited reach.
There was a large wall mirror above the sink and a small shaving mirror that were both positioned a bit too high for me to see myself. I typically bring a small travel mirror with me anyway, so I used that instead. I provided this feedback to the hotel’s management, which will be used for planning future improvements to the rooms.
The bathroom also had lovely skincare and haircare products by MALIN+GOETZ, which smelled amazing. There was also a hairdryer, so you don’t need to bring your own.
A frosted glass design on the bathroom window provided privacy without losing daylight. Its design had clouds and sunshine along with a German quote – “Det is’n Wetter – in’ne armere Jejend wurden se zwee draus machen”.
Dining at The Circus Hotel
We enjoyed a lovely breakfast of pancakes and oyster mushrooms with beetroot waffles at Lost My Voice situated on the ground floor of the hotel. This cosy lounge is also a perfect spot to enjoy drinks in the evening or in the beautiful leafy courtyard at The Circus Hotel.
There are plenty of restaurants and takeaway options in the vicinity of The Circus Hotel. One evening, we went for Detroit deep-dish pizza from Fergy, located just below the hotel, and took it back to our room. It was so good. We also had a lovely Italian meal at La Cantina, which is just around the corner from the hotel.
Personalised Berlin Itinerary Planner
Planning an itinerary of things to see and do in a new city can be overwhelming. I always appreciate getting advice from locals, as that’s when you often discover hidden gems and learn about things to avoid.
So, I was excited to find out that The Circus Hotel offers a free personal itinerary service to help you explore Berlin like a local. I filled out the online form on their website and selected the options that matched my interests.
The events manager, Carmen, contacted me almost immediately, informing me that she would reach out to the suggested businesses to confirm the accessibility of the locations before making recommendations.
A few days later, Carmen provided me with a detailed list of things to do in Berlin, which included options for food, outdoor markets and parks, history, modern art, landmarks, the Berlin Wall, and some random and quirky attractions.
Having used this service, I can recommend the Circus Hotel itinerary planner.
I also suggest checking out the tours and activities offered by The Circus Hotel. Whether you’re interested in live entertainment, hangout parties, or discovering the history and culture of Berlin, there is something for everyone. Some of the parties and karaoke nights take place at The Circus Hostel, which is across the road from the Circus Hotel.
Book a stay at The Circus Hotel
For more information, visit The Circus Hotel’s website. Although there isn’t currently a dedicated section about wheelchair accessible rooms on their website, I have shared this feedback with the team, and they are actively working on adding this information. In the meantime, I hope my review of The Circus Hotel has been helpful and inspires you to book your stay for your trip to Berlin.
To book your stay in a wheelchair accessible room and to discuss any specific requirements you may have, I recommend emailing the hotel at info@circus-berlin.de. All the staff I have spoken with have been very friendly and helpful. I don’t get anything in return, but please feel free to mention that you heard about the hotel from ‘Simply Emma.’
Final Thoughts on The Circus Hotel
The Circus Hotel is an excellent, wheelchair accessible hotel in Berlin. From the warm atmosphere and accessibility features to the friendly staff and convenient location, it was the perfect base for exploring Berlin as a wheelchair user. We always looked forward to returning to our room to rest and relax after a day of sightseeing.
It’s rare for me to find a hotel bed that doesn’t cause painful, sleepless nights, but the Circus Hotel beds were amazing and incredibly comfortable.
Our five-night stay was fantastic, and I highly recommend The Circus Hotel to anyone searching for a stylish and wheelchair accessible hotel in Berlin.
Read all about our time in Berlin, including wheelchair accessible things to do in Berlin below.
I look forward to sharing more wheelchair accessile trips with you in future blog posts, so be sure to subscribe to join the Simply Emma community and be updated with new posts. If you found this post or my other posts helpful, and would like to support my work, please consider buying me a coffee? You can also follow me on social media at the links below.
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Disclaimer: Our stay at The Circus Hotel was partially complimentary during our visit to Berlin. As always, all views and opinions in this post are my own and are 100% honest.
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