Shirley asked about Hamburg.
I went to Frankfurt and Munich. I looked at possibly doing Hamburg but did not in the end.
The Hamburg Airport has S bahn service. They claim it is mostly barrier free. They claim their U bahn is barrier free.
I used S bahn in Frankfurt. Basically I positioned myself at the front of where the train would stop. I would give a little wave to the driver then he would come out and get the ramp. I would not have been able to get on or off without their assistance. Checking HVV shows they have variable heights on the S bahn there. Some carriages are 6 cm and some are 16 cm. It says a couple of stations have more restrictions.
https://www.hvv.de/en/mip"As a rule the access height which needs to be negotiated is maximum 6 cm with the newer S-Bahn carriages and with the older ones a maximum of 16 cm. It is only at the stations between Fischbek and Agathenburg (S3) that there are access heights of up to 26 cm. It is not possible to raise the platforms at these stations since they are also use by goods trains with overhanging loads. All S-Bahn trains have ramps and largemulti-purpose compartments. Ramps can in principle only be used at the first doors behind the driver’s cabin. No barrier free boarding is possible at the stations Neukloster, Dollern and Agathenburg.
When you wish to board, wait where the very front of the train will stop, check the indications on the train destination display and the train stopping markings on the stop signs) or the signs on the platforms.
Short trains (3 carriages), full-length trains (6 carriages)) und long trains (9 carriages) have in many cases different stopping points and corresponding stop signs.
When the train comes into the station, signal clearly to the driver.
Our train drivers will then fold out the ramp directly behind the driver’s cabin.
Then you can roll directly into the carriage.
Say where you want to get off as soon as you enter the carriage.
Our drivers will help you in the same way when you get off as when you got on.
If necessary, make contact with our drivers by knocking on the door of the driver’s cabin.
Hamburg Airport can be reached barrier free by S-Bahn. S1 trains split in two in Ohlsdorf station: the first three carriages go to Hamburg Airport, the rear three to Poppenbüttel.
S1 trains reverse direction in Blankenese station, S11 trains in Altona. Please change to the new front of the train there or already take account of the reversal of direction when you board the train. "
For Ubahn:
"All U-Bahn stations which have been converted for barrier free accessibility have partly or completely raised platforms to facilitate boarding. The maximum access height is 5cm. The width of the gap depends on the operative and technical tolerances in the interplay between the carriage and the platform: as a rule this is c. 5 - 11 cm. The boarding area is designated in colour with a chequerboard pattern on the platform and by means of (wheelchair) symbols.
Our tip: always board the train in the designated marked area where you also need to get off again in a raised area of the platform! "
When I was in Munich, it was not 100% within my comfort on the U bahn. One station the gap was wider than I was comfortable with - but that could me being cautious. I just went to the next station.
Another occurrence was one station I got off the lifts to ground level were out of service. Again had to get bac on a train and go to the next station.
There were a few lifts that were out of service throughout Munich. I talked with the van driver heading to the airport there - I had an early AM train and did not want to take S bahn. He kind of joked that Munich commonly has issues with lifts.
Getting around the streets was mostly fine. Due to the older nature of some of the cities - certain parts were cobblestones. Not impossible to traverse but gave my suspension a workout.
Public accessible toilets need a universal key which you can get. You may want to contact them ahead of time.
https://www.cbf-da.de/index.htmlhttps://shop.cbf-da.de/product_info.php ... ucts_id=61https://www.hamburg.com/publicservice/info/11936514/When I was looking at getting one I recall that getting one through the Swiss folks in advance seemed easier. I never did get one and there was one time I really could have used it.
https://www.eurokey.ch/