🏛️ Berlin museums: where to buy tickets without queues and what is closed until 2027

Berlin has more museums than days in your vacation.

Museum Island, Charlottenburg, Kreuzberg and Spandau share hundreds of collections between them. One building you won't see in 2026: the Pergamon is closed for renovation and will only reopen on June 4, 2027 (as of 09/2026, Pergamonmuseum).

Below are twelve Berlin museums with prices, opening hours and an honest catch. Tickets are cheaper online than at the box office almost everywhere. A good chunk of the list is closed on Mondays, so it's best to plan your days in advance.

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What to know before visiting Berlin museums

💡 In short:

Museum Island, the Jewish Museum and the German Museum of Technology are closed on Mondays.
A day ticket for Museum Island costs 24 € and covers all open buildings (as of 09/2026, Museum Island ticket).
The Pergamon will only reopen on June 4, 2027.
Tickets and opening hours: 09/2026, checked on the official website

Check two things before your trip. Some museums change their schedules and prices, so verify the details on the day of your visit. At most venues, online tickets come with a time slot. With one, you skip the ticket office and go straight to the entrance (as of 09/2026, official museum website).

Museum	Ticket	Hours	Source
Pergamon	closed for renovation	reopening 04.06.2027	smb.museum: Pergamon
Jewish Museum	paid admission	closed Mondays	jmberlin.de
Kulturforum	separate ticket for each museum	Tue-Sun	smb.museum
Museum Berggruen	building closed	collection at Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg	smb.museum: Berggruen
Bode Museum	included in Museum Island ticket	Tue-Sun	smb.museum: Museum Island tickets
DDR Museum	13.50 €	daily 9:00-21:00	DDR Museum: tickets and hours
Schwules Museum	paid admission	check the website	schwulesmuseum.de
Militärhistorisches Museum Gatow	free	Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00	Militärhistorisches Museum Gatow
Museum Island	24 €, reduced 12 €	Tue-Sun	smb.museum: Museum Island
Erotic Museum	check current status	Bahnhof Zoo area	on site
Berlin-Dahlem Museum Center	part of the collections at Humboldt Forum	check the website	smb.museum: Dahlem
German Museum of Technology	paid admission	Tue-Sun, closed Mondays	Deutsches Technikmuseum: tickets

1. Pergamon

Pergamon is closed for renovation. The Pergamon Altar and the north wing will return on June 4, 2027 (as of 09/2026, Pergamon page). The south wing will remain closed longer. If you're going to Berlin in 2026, you won't see the altar or the Ishtar Gate.

What awaits you after reopening: the altar from 160-180 BC, the Market Gate of Miletus, and the Ishtar Gate from Babylon (as of 09/2026, official Staatliche Museen website). The collection is divided into classical, Islamic, and ancient Near Eastern art. The altar friezes were brought from excavations in Pergamon.

Status: closed, reopening June 4, 2027 (as of 09/2026, Pergamon renovation).
What to see instead: if you want classical galleries, go to the Altes Museum and Neues Museum on the same island.
The catch: Berlin's main collection won't be on display until 2027.

2. Jewish Museum

Jewish Museum Berlin: old building and new wing

The Jewish Museum is in Kreuzberg, in a building by Daniel Libeskind. The jagged lines and empty shafts are part of the exhibition here. Inside, you'll find the Holocaust Tower, the Garden of Exile, and three underground axes.

The exhibition tells the story of Jewish history in Germany from the first communities to the Holocaust and the postwar years. Separate rooms are dedicated to people who changed German culture and science. Documents, letters, and personal belongings make the story concrete. In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum hosts lectures, readings, and concerts.

Starting March 2026, the museum is closed on Mondays (as of 09/2026, Jüdisches Museum Berlin). On other days it operates on its regular schedule (as of 09/2026, official museum website).

How to get there: Lindenstraße, near U Hallesches Tor (see map).
Tickets: paid admission, discounts for children and students (as of 09/2026, museum tickets and hours).
Who it's for: anyone who wants to understand 20th-century German history.

3. Kulturforum

Kulturforum plaza with sign and buildings

The Kulturforum brings together several institutions on one square near Potsdamer Platz. Its main museum, the Gemäldegalerie, shows European painting from the 13th to the 18th century (as of 09/2026, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin). Next to it stands the Neue Nationalgalerie with 20th-century art. The Kunstgewerbemuseum, with its decorative arts collection, is also here.

The Kupferstichkabinett holds more than 100,000 works on paper (as of 09/2026, Kupferstichkabinett). The Berliner Philharmonie is home to one of the world's most famous orchestras. The Staatsbibliothek opens its reading rooms to everyone.

Getting there: U and S Potsdamer Platz, then a short walk (see map).
Tickets: each museum requires a separate ticket (as of 09/2026, Kulturforum tickets).
The catch: seeing all the buildings takes a full day.

4. Museum Berggruen

Berggruen Museum: building with dome and statue

The building on Schloßstraße in Charlottenburg is dedicated to a collection of classical modernism. It is one of the largest collections of this kind of art in the world. The collection was donated by the publisher Heinz Berggruen.

The Museum Berggruen is closed for renovation, so part of the collection is on display next door at the Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg (as of 09/2026, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Berggruen)). The core of the collection consists of more than 100 works by Pablo Picasso and around 60 paintings by Paul Klee (as of 09/2026, Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg). Here you can see how Picasso changed his style from his early years to his late paintings.

Status: the building is closed, the collection is hosted by the Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg (as of 09/2026, Berggruen guest exhibition).
Getting there: Schloßstraße 1, near U Sophie-Charlotte-Platz (see map).
The catch: some of the Picasso and Klee galleries are not shown in full.

5. Bode Museum

The Bode Museum stands at the northern tip of Museum Island, by the bridge with the equestrian statue. Inside are the Sculpture Collection, the Museum of Byzantine Art, and the Coin Cabinet. The building was named after the art historian Wilhelm von Bode.

The Coin Cabinet holds around half a million coins (as of 09/2026, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Museum Island)). The wide staircases and marble statues are considered among the city's finest interiors. One room is dedicated to the Roman and Byzantine empires, while the neighboring galleries show sculptures from the early Middle Ages to the 18th century.

Ticket: included in the Museum Island day ticket for €24, reduced €12 (as of 09/2026, Museum Island ticket).
Getting there: S Hackescher Markt or U Friedrichstraße, then walk (see map).
The catch: closed on Mondays along with the other museums on the island.

6. GDR Museum

GDR-era television in the DDR Museum exhibition

The DDR Museum shows everyday life in East Germany. The exhibits here can be touched, opened, and turned. You can sit behind the wheel of a Trabant and peek into a typical apartment.

The museum opened in 2006 on the banks of the Spree, opposite Berlin Cathedral (as of 09/2026, DDR Museum). It runs entirely on revenue from tickets and souvenirs. The exhibition includes clothing, dishes, magazines, and household items. A separate section covers the culture, fashion, and ideology of the GDR.

It's more convenient to buy tickets online: DDR Museum skip-the-line tickets.

Ticket: €13.50, children cheaper (as of 09/2026, DDR Museum tickets).
Hours: daily 9:00-21:00 (as of 09/2026, DDR Museum hours).
Getting there: Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 1, near S Hackescher Markt (see map).
Who it's for: families with children and anyone interested in the GDR.

7. Schwules Museum

Entrance to the Schwules Museum in Berlin with sign

The Schwules Museum in Tiergarten tells the history of LGBTQ people in Germany. It is one of the oldest museums in the world dedicated to this subject. It houses documents, photographs, posters, and personal archives.

The exhibitions cover the life of the community and the persecution under National Socialism. Individual exhibitions focus on the fates of specific people. The museum also has a library and archive for researchers (as of 09/2026, Schwules Museum). The collection grew out of an activist archive.

Address: Lützowstraße 73, near U Kurfürstenstraße (see map).
Ticket and hours: paid admission, schedule depends on the exhibition (as of 09/2026, Schwules Museum visit page).
Who it's for: those interested in LGBTQ history and rights.
Not for: the subject matter is not always suitable for families with young children.

8. Militärhistorisches Museum Gatow

Control tower and aircraft at Gatow Airfield

The Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr is located at the former Gatow airfield in Spandau. Its focus is the history of military aviation and aerial warfare. The museum occupies hangars and a large open-air site.

Planes, helicopters, radars, and air defense systems stand in the hangars and outside, including Soviet equipment (as of 09/2026, Militärhistorisches Museum). Construction of the airfield began in the 1930s. Later, until 1994, it hosted British aviation (as of 09/2026, visit page at gatow.mhmbw.de). Part of the airfield is still operational, so smaller exhibits are kept in hangars.

Cost: admission is free (as of 09/2026, admission at gatow.mhmbw.de).
Hours: Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, tours are sometimes offered on Sundays (as of 09/2026, Gatow Museum hours).
Getting there: Am Flugplatz Gatow, by bus from S Spandau (see map).
The catch: the trip from the center takes about an hour (see map).

9. Museum Island

Colonnade and staircase on Museum Island in Berlin

Museum Island brings together five museums on Spree Island in central Berlin. The complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The collections span six thousand years of history (as of 09/2026, Museum Island museums).

Four buildings are currently open: Altes Museum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, and Bode-Museum. The Pergamon is closed until 2027 (as of 09/2026, Pergamon: reconstruction). A day ticket for 24 € gives access to all open buildings, the reduced ticket costs 12 € (as of 09/2026, Museum Island day ticket). Hours were verified on 09/15/2026 on the museums' official website.

The Altes Museum houses ancient collections, the Neues Museum displays the famous bust of Nefertiti, and the Alte Nationalgalerie holds 19th-century paintings (as of 09/2026, four Museum Island buildings). The island is an easy walk from the Brandenburg Gate or a subway ride to Museumsinsel station (see map).

Timed-entry tickets should be booked in advance: tickets to the museums on Museum Island.

Ticket: €24, reduced €12, valid all day (as of 09/2026, Museum Island combined ticket).
What's open: Altes Museum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Bode-Museum.
Who it's for: for a first introduction to Berlin.

10. Erotic Museum

Erotic Museum building at an intersection in Berlin

The Erotic Museum on Joachimstaler Straße grew out of the first erotic goods shop. It was opened by Beate Uhse, a former stuntwoman and pilot. For her contribution to sex education, she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit.

The exhibition spans several floors: historical artifacts, drawings, dioramas, and private viewing rooms. The area around Zoologischer Garten station still has adult shops and clubs today. The museum's status and opening hours have changed over time, so check them on site before your visit.

Address: Joachimstaler Straße, near U Kurfürstendamm (see map).
Who it's for: adults only.
The catch: it's best to confirm current status and hours in advance.

11. Berlin-Dahlem Museum Center

Facade of the Berlin-Dahlem Museum Center with greenery

In southwest Berlin, on the former Dahlem estate, there is a historic museum site. It used to house collections of Asian, African, American, and Oceanian cultures. Several buildings stand behind the park.

Since 2021, a significant part of these collections has been moved to the Humboldt Forum in the city center (as of 09/2026, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Dahlem)). So before you go, check which exhibitions are currently open.

Address: Lansstraße 8, Dahlem district (see map).
Ticket and hours: check the official website (as of 09/2026, Ethnologisches Museum).

12. German Museum of Technology

Facade of the German Museum of Technology with aircraft on the roof

Deutsches Technikmuseum occupies a block in Kreuzberg. On the roof of the main building sits a C-47 transport plane that flew food into blockaded Berlin in 1948 (as of 09/2026, Deutsches Technikmuseum).

Inside you'll find steam locomotives, airplanes, ships, windmills and watermills, a forge, and a mini brewery. The museum was founded in 1982. You can't see it all in a few hours; people come back twice (as of 09/2026, technikmuseum.berlin pricing page).

Hours: Tue-Fri 9:00-17:30, Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed on Mondays (as of 09/2026, German Museum of Technology hours).
Ticket: paid entry, discounts and a family ticket available; rules changed in March 2026 (as of 09/2026, German Museum of Technology tickets).
Getting there: Trebbiner Straße 9, near U Möckernbrücke (see map).
Who it's for: families with children and technology enthusiasts.

Berlin museums on the map

All twelve museums are marked on the map below. Save it to plan your route by neighborhood.

Museums of Berlin

Places on the map

1Pergamon Museum Closed for renovation until June 4, 2027
2Jewish Museum Berlin Building by Daniel Libeskind, history of Germany's Jews
3Kulturforum Gemäldegalerie, Neue Nationalgalerie and Kunstgewerbemuseum near Potsdamer Platz
4Museum Berggruen Classical modernism, the house is closed, collection at Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg
5Bode Museum Sculpture collection and Coin Cabinet on Museum Island
6DDR Museum Interactive exhibition on everyday life in East Germany
7Schwules Museum History of LGBTQ in Germany, one of the oldest museums on the topic
8Militärhistorisches Museum Gatow Military aviation at a former airfield site, free entry
9Museum Island Five museums on Spree Island, a UNESCO site
10Museum Center Berlin-Dahlem Collections of Asian, African and Oceanic cultures, part moved to the Humboldt Forum
11German Museum of Technology Steam locomotives, planes and windmills in Kreuzberg

Group your visits by neighborhood. Four of the open houses stand next to each other on Museum Island, while the rest are spread across Charlottenburg, Kreuzberg, and Spandau. This will save you travel time and make your route shorter.

Tours and tickets in Berlin

Guided tours, skip-the-line tickets and activities — most offers can be cancelled free of charge.

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⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

How much does a ticket to Berlin museums cost?

Museum Island is the most expensive: a day ticket costs 24 €, reduced 12 € (as of 09/2026, Museum Island tickets). At the DDR Museum an adult ticket costs 13.50 €, and at the Militärhistorisches Museum Gatow admission is free (as of 09/2026, Gatow museum: admission). At most museums, tickets are cheaper online than at the ticket office.

Which Berlin museums are closed in 2026?

The Pergamon is closed for renovation and will reopen on June 4, 2027 (as of 09/2026, Pergamon page on smb.museum). Museum Berggruen is also closed, with part of its collection on display at Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg (as of 09/2026, Berggruen collection). Check the status and opening hours of the other museums on this list on their websites before visiting.

Are Berlin museums open on Mondays?

Some museums are closed on Mondays. The Jewish Museum has been closed on Mondays since March 2026 (as of 09/2026, museum press release). The Museum Island buildings and the German Museum of Technology are also closed. Plan these visits for Tuesday or later.

How do I get to Museum Island?

The fastest way is by S-Bahn to Hackescher Markt station or by U-Bahn to Museumsinsel station (as of 09/2026, how to get to Museum Island). From the Brandenburg Gate it's about a 20-minute walk to the island (per the map). Trams M1 and M2 also stop at Hackescher Markt.

Which Berlin museum is good with kids?

With kids, go to Deutsches Technikmuseum: it has steam locomotives, airplanes, and mills, and you can see the exhibits up close (as of 09/2026, Museum of Technology page). A second option is the DDR Museum, where you're allowed to touch things and sit behind the wheel of a Trabant (as of 09/2026, DDR Museum: visiting). Both museums are best visited in the first half of the day.

In short: what's worth booking

If you're in Berlin for the first time, start with Museum Island: one 24 € ticket opens four buildings (as of 09/2026, Museum Island day ticket). With kids, choose Deutsches Technikmuseum and the DDR Museum. For 20th-century history, the Jewish Museum and Militärhistorisches Museum Gatow are good options.

The choice is simple. For maximum impressions in one day, go to Museum Island. For interactive exhibits, go to the DDR Museum. For a free open-air museum, head to Gatow.

Museum tickets are easier to buy in advance: Berlin museum tickets on Tiqets. For guides and tours, check GetYourGuide.

12 Berlin museums: tickets, opening hours and what changed in 2026