Experience museum at Frankfurt's Hauptwache: blind guides lead small groups through the completely lightless exhibition “Dialogue in the Dark”.
September 1, 2026 – October 31, 2026
For Czechia, the guest country of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the first lightless room of Dialog im Dunkeln becomes the Bohemian Forest for two months; blind guides convey it through sounds, scents and tactile objects.
The Dialogmuseum is based on the exhibition concept “Dialogue in the Dark”, which was developed in the late 1980s and first shown in Frankfurt in 1989: sighted people experience everyday situations in complete darkness while being guided by blind people – a deliberate reversal of roles.
The Frankfurt Dialogmuseum was founded as a permanent venue in 2005. It sees itself as an experience museum, an inclusive business and a social enterprise that enables encounters between people with and without disabilities and makes topics such as blindness, diversity and inclusion tangible. It is run by a non-profit limited company.
In September 2021, the museum opened its new location in the heart of the city centre, on the underground B level of the Hauptwache station. At its core is the lightless route with several themed rooms and a DunkelBar (dark bar), where the group chats with the guide at the end. There is also a KlangRaum (sound room) for audio installations, sensory stations in the foyer, a dark seminar room and workshops for schools and companies.
| Adults | €17 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €13School pupils aged 14 and over, trainees, students, pensioners, severely disabled persons with a degree of disability (GdB) of 50 or more and companions with the B marker, volunteer service participants, holders of the Ehrenamtskarte Hessen, the Frankfurt-Pass or the Jugendleiterkarte, ICOM/DMB members |
| Children & teens | €9Children's price up to and including age 13; recommended from age 7 or from 2nd grade. |
| Seniors | €13Reduced price for pensioners. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €13From a degree of disability (GdB) of 50; a companion with the B marker also pays the reduced price, trained participation assistants free of charge. |
| Students & apprentices | €13 |
| Groups | –Groups and school classes book bindingly via the form on the website; accompanying adults of school classes €9. |
| Happy Hour / special price adults | €16Reduced €12, children €8 |
| Birthday special (birthday child only) | €9Child €7; with ID |
| KlangRaum | €3Only on site at the ticket desk |
| The Dark Classroom (per person) | €9Flat rate of €144 for fewer than 17 people |
Holders of the KUFTI card (Kultur- und Freizeitticket Frankfurt) free of charge; if you do not show up, the regular price is due. Tickets cannot be cancelled or rebooked. Bring about €5 in cash for drinks at the DunkelBar.
Certified with “Reisen für Alle” (Travel for All). Step-free rooms; lift from the street to the B level at Biebergasse 7, lifts also from the U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations. Wheelchair users go through the exhibition in the museum's own manual wheelchair with an additional guide (electric wheelchairs not permitted); advance registration via the booking line. Tactile floor guidance system, tactile model of the museum, magnifiers to borrow, lockers with Braille numbers. Tours in plain language and for deaf and hard-of-hearing guests on request; no induction loop. Assistance dogs are not allowed in the dark rooms. Public disabled parking spaces include Börsenstraße 7, Roßmarkt 13 and An der Hauptwache.
Great for kids & familiesRecommended for ages 7+
The museum recommends a visit from age 7; younger children can come along as a family as long as no child is left alone in the foyer. Sensory stations for touching, hearing and smelling in the foyer. Birthday special and parties on request; changing table in the multi-purpose washroom.
Hauptwache
U-Bahn lines U1–U3 and U6–U8 and S-Bahn lines S1–S6, S8 and S9 to Hauptwache; the museum is located on the B level of the station.
No on-site parking at the museum.
No car park of its own. Nearest multi-storey car parks: Hauptwache (access via Kornmarkt), Börse (Börsenstraße) and Goetheplatz, each with disabled parking spaces; according to the museum a few minutes' walk away.
Entrance on the B level, Passage 10, right next to the escalators from Roßmarkt. Step-free access via the lift at Biebergasse 7. Bicycle parking at the Hauptwache.
Get directionsDunkelBar as part of the tour (drinks for cash). Lockers in the foyer (€1 coin or deposit token). Outside food may not be consumed.
Bright workshop rooms with equipment and the foyer for company events, seminars and private celebrations (birthdays, hen and stag parties, Christmas parties); catering and tasting in the dark on request.
Inquiries & details| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | no |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Smartphones and all devices that emit light are prohibited in the dark exhibition. |
| Good to know | Every tour (max. 8 people) is accompanied by a blind or visually impaired guide. Tours are in German (about B2-level knowledge required); English and other languages only on request via the booking line. Use the toilets before the tour – anyone who leaves the exhibition cannot return. |
