Is it hard to find restrooms (public restrooms) in Germany?

Question

Especially Berlin and Munich. Don't laugh. This is a serious question, especially when travelling with elderly ppl who have to go to the restroom every hour (or more often). Thanks.

Answer 1

No, they are pretty much everywhere.  Be aware that you may have to pay 50 euro cents to use the restroom at some places.  Along the major roads you may pay the 50 euro cents but you get a ticket you can use at the reststop store and redeem 50 cents back.  Germany also had some of the cleanest restrooms I have seen across Europe.

Answer 2

No not at all where ever you see a sign that says WC those are bathrooms.  usually public ones cost  a small amount of money, not sure what it is not with the Euro.

Plus most coffee shops and restaurants have them as well. Just remember those two letters.

WC!!

Answer 3

I'm not laughing, no. Most restaurants charge 50 eurocents to use their restroom; at railway stations, it might even be a euro ore one euro and fifty. But restrooms are usually neat and clean, so it's worth the price. I don't know how you plan to travel, but on trains, there's execellent toilet service; most trains have a toilet for the physically handicapped. On small railway stations, however, you might find that there are no restrooms, but usually, there's a restaurant nearby where you can ask.

Wulf is right, as ever, but don't just remember the WC, but also the 00 (double-zero); it's the German abbreviation for the l00.

Answer 4

HI,

in Munich it is quite easy to find real public restrooms.

They are scattered around the city on the streets (i.e. in front of Theresienwiese) or in almost every big underground station.

Mostly they are free, but sometimes you have to pay. Paid ones tend to be much cleaner than free ones.

If you are "touristing" you have additionally the possibility to use restrooms in department stores, restaurants, bars, museums, etc.

Answer 5

I live in Munich, and I have never seen a place where you  would have to pay 1 Euro or more to use a bathroom.

In fact, the only places I ever had to pay (50 cents) for using the bathroom was along the autobahn when travelling through  the countries or to other countries.

Bars and Restaurants have bathrooms, and although it is only for guests, they will not kick you out if you go in there to use it. Especially not with elderly people.

Eac subway station has a bathroom too, but those are not very clean. So I do not recommend those.

Malls also have bathrooms but I have never had to pay for them. I have to say it has been a while since I used a bathroom in the mall, so I do not know if that has changed or how clean they are.

All in all, I doubt you would have any problem finding a bathroom in Munich.

Answer 6

I live in Munich direct next to the "Englischer Garten."  What most people said is true.  McDonalds, bars, clubs and restrants have toilets.  Many stores...  Kaufmans on Marienplatz, many stores in the area between Marienplatz and Karlsplatz (Stachus) do not have toilets.  If you're just strolling in the city and you need a toilet, sometimes you just have to go to the toilets in the S-Bahn stations, (Stachus) (Marienplatz).  Hauptbahnhof has the best restrooms, but you have to pay.  Like said, clubs and bars have restrooms, but if you're just in the city, and traveling with older people, some of those clubs and bars may not be desired to go into with them.

Berlin--I'm not sure.  But I image the situation is similiar.

Answer 7

if you don't get any help here try to google WC (water closet- their term for bathrooms) and see if that helps

Answer 8

No problem at all. Compared with the US, where finding a public restroom can become a nightmare, that sort of business is easily done in Germany. Most public places have public loos, and it is always a good idea to hunt for restrooms in large department stores or clothes shops.

Be careful with restaurants - especially in busy tourist areas, the owners may charge you a small fee if you are not a customer.

Answer 9

The public restrooms in Berlin are very clean as they are run by a private company. To use them you pay 50 cents.

And all the big department stores and shopping malls have got toilets, too... So, I wouldn't worry about Berlin.

Answer 10

It´s true what the others wrote :

No problem in the shopping centers and in the department shops. But you have to pay often 50 cents.

The pubs, cafes and restaurants allow the visit to the toilet only for guests.

The restrooms may be a problem in smaller cities (my father had had a problem like that after a surgery) and he lives in a smaller city. There he had sometimes problems to go to the restroom.

But I think you can manage it in Berlin and Munich.

Some private managed restrooms charge 1 Euro or more.

Answer 11

I figur.ed out that in smaller cities you could try at the city hall (Rathaus) or library (Bibliothek or Bücherei), they usually have public restrooms. And during their opening hours, most movie theaters have a restroom in the lobby - officially for customers only, but usually it is okay. And then there is always almost a McDonalds, BurgerKing i.e.

Answer 12

The larger department stores and malls have bathrooms.  Most of them have an attendant, so they are relatively clean, and you are expected to give the attendant a tip (50 cents).  Most restaurants and cafes have signs saying that restrooms are for customers only.  The public restrooms that are run by the city are usually pretty nasty, at least here where I live.