Overview

The rating would be five stars but for the difficulties I encountered with the box office. The building itself is accessible and the standard of the music making is outstanding. Because of this and the limited number of wheelchair spaces, you need to book well in advance (I.e. months, not weeks). It is not possible to book wheelchair places on-line or by email but the telephone booking line offers the option of speaking with someone who speaks English. I had an exchange of emails with the box office and emailed them a PDF of documents (with translation into German) proving that wife is a wheelchair user. They said that these were acceptable but when I phoned to book tickets I was told that they were not & that we would have to pay full price.

Transport & Parking

Can't comment on the parking. The nearest S-bahn & U-bahn stations are at Potsdam Platz, & are accessible. They are about 10 minutes' wheel/walk away with busy roads to cross. Buses 200 and M41 stop outside the Philharmonie but are very crowded on concert nights. Buses M29 and M48 stop at Potsdamer Brücke which is about five minutes level wheel/walk from the Philharmonie.

Access

Would be 5 stars if there was an automatic door into the building, but wheelchair users have to rely on other concert goers to open quite heavy doors for them. Once inside, foyer and bars can be accessed, with a ramp alongside the internal steps, and there is a lift up to the seating area for wheelchair users & accompanists. The seating area is spacious, offers an excellent view of the orchestra and has very comfortable chairs for accompanists. There is plenty of leg room. You will probably need to queue for the lift, as it is the only one up to this seating area. We were pleased to see two evac chairs on the landing outside the seating area.

Toilets

There is one accessible loo on the landing immediately adjacent to the wheelchair seating area. It is L-shaped but adequate in size, with grab rails round the loo, a wheelchair accessible washbasin and alarm buttons at a sensible level both by the loo and the washbasin. Be aware that when the queue for the ladies' loo next door builds up some able-bodied people succumb to temptation & use the disabled loo. If you need the loo in the concert interval, don't delay!

Staff

A staff member looks after this seating area and will show you to your space or seat. We did not need her assistance, but she seemed friendly & helpful. She gets 5 stars, as do conductor Sir Simon Rattle, soloist Krystian Zimerman and the members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. I wasn't quite as impressed by the box office staff, for reasons explained above.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

The Berlin Philharmonic is an orchestra with a unique and distinctive sound. If you like classical music, a night at the Philharmonie is a great treat. The building, designed by Hans Scharoun, has a superb acoustic and is impressive both inside and out.

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