Best Museums Berlin
One of the main reasons to visit Berlin are its cultural spaces and wonderful museums, if you want to know more about the best and most interesting ones, read on!
Berlin | ©SusaTom
When planning a trip to Berlin you will find a city full of activities and impressive places; art galleries, cultural spaces and historical museums are an essential part of the city. Below, I share with you my favorite list of museums, while you walk through the Jewish quarter, stroll through the Turkish quarter or take a cruise on the waters of the Spree, dedicate to know those exhibition spaces that most catch your attention.
1. New Berlin Museum
Established in 1855, the New Berlin Museum is located on Museum Island itself and is another must-see gem on any visit to Berlin. In addition to the fantastic collection of ancient Egyptian art, you'll find artifacts from many other civilizations. Pay attention to the building's own architecture in neoclassical and Renaissance style.
What you will find in this museum
You should visit the New Berlin Museum (or Neues Museum) for the wonderful collection of ancient Egyptian art and the impressive collection of Papyri you will find here. Possibly the most famous work of the collection is the wonderful Bust of Nefertiti made of limestone and plaster and discovered in 1912, it represents the perfect features of the ancient Egyptian queen.
Details of interest
- How to get there: Located at Genthiner Straße, 38; the nearest metro station is Friedrichstraße, line 6.
- Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily; extended hours until 8 p.m. on Thursdays.
- Admission fee: The adult admission ticket costs around €12.
2. DDR Museum
The DDR Museum is one of the smallest and most curious exhibition spaces that you can find in Berlin; it is a museum dedicated to the former German Democratic Republic where objects of daily life are exposed as well as the impositions to the lifestyle of the Germans who lived under the communist regime. If you are interested in the most recent history and politics of this country, from 1949 to 1990, you cannot miss this visit.
What you will find in this museum
All kinds of objects and curiosities ranging from medicines, reconstruction of living spaces, cars of the time and explanations of how the communist regime handled aspects such as advertising. The best part of the museum is the collection of clothing of the time.
Details of interest
- How to get there: It is located at Karl-Liebknecht-Straße, 1. You can get there using the Berlin intercity train or the city bus.
- Opening hours: The exhibition is open daily from 10 am to 8 pm.
- Admission fee: The adult admission ticket costs approximately €10.
3. Checkpoint Charlie Wall Museum
Known as the Wall Museum is one of those peculiar spaces that you can only find in Berlin. A museum dedicated to the Berlin Wall but mainly to the most important of the border crossings that united East Berlin with West Berlin. It began as a small collection of everyday objects but later was compiled a wide selection to get what we have today.
What you will find in this museum
The exhibition is divided into exhibits, which in turn are made up of photos and documents that narrate historical facts and the most unusual successful escape attempts that were recorded over the years. Although the museum is very interesting, it can appear to be a bit cluttered, so it is a good idea to visit it when there are not many tourists.
Details of interest
- How to get there: Located at Friedrichstraße, 43; Kochstraße is the nearest metro station.
- Opening hours: The exhibition is open to the public daily from 9 am to 10 pm.
- Admission fee: The adult admission ticket costs around €15.
4. Hamburger Bahnhof Museum
The former Hamburg Railway Station built in 1847 in neoclassical style, was remodeled to become a museum in 1996. Hamburger Bahnhof is located in the center of Berlin and is a necessary stop for all lovers of contemporary art, in addition to paintings, drawings and silkscreen prints are exhibited.
What you will find in this museum
A space designed mainly for contemporary art lovers, the museum has a section dedicated to the works of the artist Andy Warhol, a prominent artist of the Pop Art movement that gained great popularity in the 1960s.
Details of interest
- How to get there: The building is located at Invalidenstraße, 50-51; the easiest way to get there is by using the city subway. The nearest stop is Zinnowitzer Straße.
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday the museum is open to the public from 10 am to 6 pm; Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 6 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 6 pm.
- Admission fee: The entrance ticket costs approximately 14€ per person.
5. Berggruen Museum
Also known as the Berggruen Collection, this important museum is part of the National Gallery of Berlin and concentrates one of the most important private collections focused on modern art in the world with cubist, surrealist and postmodernist paintings.
What you will find in this museum
The largest and most interesting collection of modern art in Berlin. However, the most interesting part of the museum is the one that presents the life, work and evolution of Pablo Picasso, with a collection of more than 100 works from his beginnings in 1897 until his death in 1972. In addition to Picasso's collection you will find paintings by Henri Matisse, Paul Klee and other talents of the time.
Details of interest
- How to get there: Schloßstraße, 1; if you arrive by Berlin subway you will find two stations nearby, Richard-Wagner-Platz station, taking line 7 and Sophie-Charlotte-Platz taking line 2.
- Opening hours: On Mondays the museum is closed; from Tuesday to Friday the opening hours are from 10 am to 6 pm; on weekends from 11 am to 6 pm.
- Admission fee: The entrance ticket for adults is available from 10 €.
6. Jewish Museum Berlin.
The largest Jewish Museum in Europe is located in the city of Berlin with art installations to everyday objects allegorical to the Jews in Germany. The current structure was inaugurated in 2001 and designed by the talented architect Daniel Libeskind; it is one of the most outstanding works of the deconstructivist style, so it is worth a visit to the area to admire its beautiful modern facade.
What you will find in this museum
The Jewish Museum in Berlin is a place where you can learn about the history of the Jewish people in Germany, from the Middle Ages to the present century. You will find all the history and culture of this people documented through different collections, resulting in a real enjoyment for history lovers.
Details of interest
- How to get there: Located in Kreuzberg, the nearest subway station is Kochstraße, 10 minutes away.
- Hours: Open to the public daily from 10 am to 7 pm.
- Admission fee: Access to the permanent exhibition is free. If you want to visit any of the temporary collections you will have to pay a ticket of approximately 8 €.
7. German Museum of Technology
The former Anhalter Bahnhof railway station was destroyed during World War II and rebuilt in 1982 to house an extensive collection of technology mainly from the last century, thus giving birth to the German Museum of Technology.
The Museum's collection includes an extensive railway collection with various models of locomotives and steam trains; an extensive aeronautical collection with numerous aircraft models from different eras and finally a collection of computers with really old models.
What you will find in this museum
Numerous experiments and demonstrations are carried out in the place, most of them focused on didactic learning through play. If you visit Berlin with children, you can not miss a trip to this space.
Interesting details
- How to get there: The museum is located at Trebbiner Straße, 9. The nearest metro stations are Möckernbrücke and Gleisdreieck.
- Opening hours: The museum is closed on Mondays, from Tuesday to Friday from 9 am to 5.30 pm and on weekends from 10 am to 6 pm.
- Admission fee: The adult admission ticket is available from 8 €.
8. Alte Nationalgalerie
The Old National Gallery of Berlin is a beautiful neoclassical building with the appearance of a Roman temple built in 1876. Loaded with history and art is considered the birthplace of some of the most important and influential artistic movements of recent historical periods. It is an essential visit for lovers of the plastic arts.
What you will find in this museum
It is the ideal place to admire the paintings of Adolph Menzel. Some of the essential spaces in a visit to the National Gallery of Berlin is the atrium adorned with statues, where works of German Roman painters and talented exponents of French impressionism are exhibited.
Details of interest
- How to get there: The museum is located at Bodestraße 1-3; you can get there using the Berlin subway, the nearest stop is Friedrichstraße.
- Hours: Closed on Mondays, the museum is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm.
- Admission fee: From 10 € the adult ticket.
9. Bode Museum
The Bode Museum was originally built between 1898 and 1904 under the rule of Emperor Wilhelm II; the bombings of World War II seriously affected the building which was completely renovated following the original designs of the neo-baroque style imposed by its creator.
An impressive museum of sculptural art that is located on the Museum Island on the banks of the Spree.
What you will find in this museum
The largest and most impressive collection of sculptures in the world is exhibited in the rooms of the Bode Museum, the fabulous creations range from medieval times to the end of the 18th century, including historical treasures from the Byzantine era.
Details of interest
- How to get there: Located at Bodestraße, 1; the nearest metro station is Friedrichstraße, line 6.
- Hours: The museum is closed on Mondays, from Tuesday to Sunday it is open to the public from 10 am to 6 pm; on Saturdays extended hours until 8 pm.
- Admission fee: From 10 € adult ticket.
10. Pergamon Museum
Considered one of the must-see museums in Berlin, the famous Pergamon Museum is located in what is known as the Museum Island, a complex that includes some of the most important cultural hotspots of the capital. It was built in 1910 with the intention of housing works of classical art ranging from antiquities of the Islamic East to the Greeks; it is therefore the most visited museum in the city, but beware: this museum is currently closed for works, so you will have to wait for its reopening to visit it.
What you will find in this museum
When we talk about the Pergamon Museum the jewel in the crown is undoubtedly the majestic Altar of Zeus in Pergamon, a religious monument of ancient Greece with more than 2000 years old. Discovered by Carl Humann during excavations of the ancient acropolis of Pergamon, the imposing structure was brought in parts to Germany in 1871 and reconstructed for the public's enjoyment.
Save on museums by using the Berlin Pass
The Berlin Pass is a tool designed for the hundreds of thousands of tourists who pass through the city every year. It is a special card that allows them to visit highly touristic destinations and other activities such as the Berlin sightseeing bus. The passes, designed for two or three days, vary in time of use and are a great way to save money if you organize your itinerary to make the most of your time.
The Berlin Pass covers some 50 attractions and on Museum Island alone you can visit free of charge: the Old National Gallery, the Museum of Antiquities, the Bode Museum, the New Museum and the Pergamon Museum. The best part? No need to wait in line!