Free Walking Tour Berlin

When: Every day 10am & 12pm every day
Where: The meeting point is in front of the ehemaliges Kaiserliches Postfuhramt Berlin, Oranienburger Straße, 10117 Berlin, Germany, next to the entrance.
Price: Free

Breaking Barriers: Making Berlin Walking Tours Accessible for All

by | Oct 22, 2024 | Original Berlin

Introduction

Bern is a colorful and it is quite enternal to traverse the city on feet. Its history is very colourful, the buildings are splendid, and this totem is unique, so it is a place you definitely should visit. But we must understand that every person should be able to walk and enjoy the offered walking tours without limitations of physical activity. In this blog post we will let you know what you can do to incorporate and be more accessible for every Berlin walking tour.

Accessibility, its significance and its role.

Accessibility is basically the idea of preparing the disabled folks or anyone who has some form of mobility impairment to gain access to common public areas, stores, and attractions. The issue of accessibility for travelers, particularly in relation to their walking tours is one that isn’t only a moral imperative to do but also an economic positive. Making your walking tours more accessible thus make your business more reachable and welcoming, break barriers and make the experience of all your visitors more enjoyable.

It is therefore important to have the following into consideration in designing for accessibility.

1. Paths and Surfaces

First therefore consider the path and surface that is on the trail that you plan to cover when walking. Make sure there is enough space for wheelchair and walker and look for other barriers such as; cracked pavement, potholes or loose stones. Where required consult with local authorities to address any physical structures that may require some modification.

2. Accessible Restrooms

Wheelchair accessible restrooms are a necessity for any good walking tour. Search for the places to visit within your proximity that are easy for wheel chair users and plan to take breaks to use rest rooms. It is ideal to give this data beforehand, and state it specifically to all the participants.

3. Clear Signage and Directions

Make sure that the directions through the walking tour area are well labeled for physical access. This includes provision of instructional signals and signs, distances, and other recognizable points for directionfinding. You may wish to have high contrast between colours and use large font sizes for partially sighted viewers of your maps/brochures etc.

4. Assistive Listening Systems

For participants who are deaf or hard of hearing, consult and provide with hearing aids. These devices boost the voice of the tour guide so that the participants can hear very well. This should be done before the administration of the test in order to notice if they are in good working condition or not and also provide clear guidelines on how to use them.

5. Language Accessibility

Ensure that the facilitation of the walking tours possible for multiple target customers by offering translation into multiple languages and staff interpreter. For the hearing-impaired, guest, or those who do not understand English well, have audio guides or translated text in other languages. This makes its participation as diverse as possible and improves the circumstances for everyone.

6. Flexibility and Accommodation

Consider the nature or type of your participants and their characteristics in the research process. Some of them may take more time to accomplish some part of the tour, some may need a break. Always be willing to compromise and if you can make changes to something, then do so. This may require the diversity of speed of the provided tour or changes of routes for the physically challenged clients.

7. Educate Your Guides

Make your tour guides learn the rights and wrongs regarding the physically challenged and how to handle them. Teach them simple sign language, or offer them tips about what kinds of disability there are and how to communicate with and around the disabled. This helps in making sure that; all the participants must have a positive and a respectable feeling with the other participants.

8. Feedback and Improvement

Learn from participants and ask them to give their opinions on your tours’ accessibility. Feedback is relevant when it comes to defining areas of their strength and weakness so that tours may be relevant for different people, for them it is important to continually develop. To do this, it may be necessary to go an extra step in soliciting feedback via polls, customers’ feedback and even talking to the customers personally in order to make future improvements.

Inspiring Inclusivity

So in enhancing your Berlin walking-tour accessibility you are also empowering the disabled, which is a positive thing that confers towards a constructive revolution in society. Seize the chance and make Berlin amazing for every guest and help any tourist understand the history and uniqueness of this city.

However, let it be understood that making access more effective is not an end in view but a process that goes on indefinitely. Make sure that each of your tour offers is constantly evolving and take any kind of feedback you get to heart. Let’s unite and create a change and start making the world easier and easier for everyone.

Thank you for reading. If you're inspired by the stories of Berlin and want to delve deeper, why not join us on our Free Berlin Walking Tour? It's a wonderful way to immerse yourself in the city's rich history and vibrant culture. We look forward to welcoming you soon.

WHAT TO EXPECT

  • 3.5 hours walking tour
  • Berlin’s major highlights
  • Brandenburg Gate
  • Reichstag and Berlin Wall
  • Historical sites

Free Walking Tour Berlin

When: Every day 10am & 12pm every day
Where: The meeting point is in front of the ehemaliges Kaiserliches Postfuhramt Berlin, Oranienburger Straße, 10117 Berlin, Germany, next to the entrance.
Price: Free