Reichstag in Berlin: entry is free, but you need a slot for the dome

Entry to the Reichstag is free. But you can't just walk in: you need a slot, a passport, and email confirmation. The dome, the lecture from the visitors' gallery, and the plenary session are open to everyone, but spots are limited.

During school holidays, slots are booked up weeks in advance, so it's best to plan your dates early. Below we've put together a step-by-step booking guide, visit formats, security screening rules, and honest catches.

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What to know before your visit

💡 In short:

• Entry to the Reichstag, the dome, and Bundestag sessions is free.
• Booking is mandatory: online through the Bundestag website or in person at the service point near the building.
• Bring your passport or ID card; copies are not accepted.
• Allow one to three hours including security screening.
• Prices and opening hours: 09/2026, verified on the official Bundestag page.

The Reichstag is the building in Berlin, and the Bundestag is the parliament that meets inside it. People often mix up the words in conversation, and that's fine, but you only need one address: Platz der Republik in the city center.

Everything you need for a smooth visit is in the table below, and we verified the details on 12.09.2026 on the Bundestag website.

How to book: online and in person on site

You can book in two ways: online in advance on the Bundestag website or in person at the service point. In-person booking is only for the dome and no earlier than two days before your visit.

Online, you fill out a form and choose a date and time. We checked on 12.09.2026 on the online booking page: the request itself doesn't reserve anything; the booking only appears after confirmation by email, fax, or regular mail, and until that letter arrives, you don't have a slot.

For the request you need:

• first and last name of all participants;
• date of birth of all participants;
• a valid email address.

After that, you just choose one of four formats:

• dome and viewing terrace only;
• dome plus a guided tour of the building;
• dome and a lecture from the visitors' gallery above the plenary chamber;
• dome and attendance at a plenary session, but only on sitting days.

Requests are also accepted by fax and regular mail, but online is still faster, and confirmation arrives by email.

Without a booking, you can only visit the dome and only if there are free spots. The visitor service point (Besucherdienst) is on Platz der Republik right in front of the building (as of: 09/2026, rules for spontaneous visitors). There you show your passport and choose an available slot, and the booking window is short: from two days to two hours before the visit starts. There may be no spots left.

The catch: there are few walk-in slots available on site, and the line at the service point eats up time.

How many days in advance to book a slot

The online form usually opens one to two months before the visit date, and in peak season and during school holidays slots go fast (as of: 09/2026, booking timelines on the Bundestag website). Submit your request as soon as you know your travel dates.

There's no guarantee: your slot may be canceled due to changes in security rules, bad weather, or special events. Before your visit, check your email and the current information on the website, because sometimes the letter arrives a day before your trip.

The catch: if your slot is canceled, you'll have to pick a new time or go to the service point.

What happens at the entrance: security screening

You can't go straight inside; first everyone goes through screening, almost like at an airport.

Near the building there are service containers where they check documents and match them against the booking (as of: 09/2026, admission procedure on the official website). Then you put your bag and jacket on the belt and walk through the scanner.

Check the list of prohibited items in advance: weapons, knives, glass bottles, and lasers are not allowed in the building. Rules change, so check the official website before your trip.

After screening, a staff member leads the group to the entrance, and inside the group enters a glass security lock: the outer door closes, and only then does the inner door open. This is a standard security measure.

Tickets, opening hours, and entry

There are no tickets in the usual sense here: all formats are free, and you won't find any ticket offices or turnstiles (as of: 09/2026, tickets and entry on the Bundestag website). There's nothing to pay; you just need a booking.

The dome and viewing terrace are open every day to a limited number of visitors, and check the exact hours for your date on the dome and terrace page before you go. The schedule changes due to sessions and events.

A full visit takes from one to three hours. The lecture in the gallery lasts about 45 minutes, the building tour about 90 minutes, and you sit in on a session for about an hour (as of 09/2026, program of formats and their duration). You choose your own time in the dome.

The building is fully accessible for people with disabilities: elevators are available, and the dome and terrace are accessible too. Tours run in several languages, and you choose the language when booking, but there is no interpretation during plenary sessions, only the original speech is heard (as of 09/2026, languages in the online form).

Below are three selections of tours in Berlin if you want to add a guided city program to your visit.

Dome: audio guide and panorama of Berlin

Most people come here for the dome. Inside, you walk up a spiral ramp around the glass structure and see the city in 360 degrees (as of 09/2026, description of the dome and terrace).

If you booked a tour or lecture, the dome is usually left for afterwards, and there is no time limit here until closing. You plan your dome visit yourself.

The audio guide is worth taking. It starts automatically when you enter the ramp and explains what you see at that moment. There are versions for the visually impaired and a video version for the deaf.

From the ramp you can see the Berlin TV Tower, Tiergarten, and the bend of the Spree. The panorama is wide, and the city reads like a scale model.

In the center of the dome stands a mirrored cone. It makes for striking photos and works as a reflector: light enters the plenary chamber without glaring at the members of parliament. From the platform at the base of the cone you look down at the blue seats of the plenary chamber. Nearby there is information about the history of the German parliament.

Who it's for: anyone who wants to see Berlin from above without waiting in line at the TV tower. The catch: at sunset and on clear days the ramp gets crowded, and you can only go up with a time slot.

Käfer restaurant on the roof

The Dachgarten-Restaurant by Käfer operates on the terrace. It's a fine dining restaurant with a view of the city, mostly à la carte. Book a table in advance.

© Feinkost Käfer · CC BY-SAPhoto: Feinkost Käfer, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), Wikimedia Commons

The restaurant has a bonus. With a table reservation, you get access to the dome and terrace without a separate visitor services appointment. With a table reservation, the dome is open until midnight, even when regular slots are sold out (as of 09/2026, restaurant website).

The catch: this option works for those who are planning dinner anyway, not as a way to save money.

Lecture, tour, or plenary session

Besides the dome, there are three formats with content. You add each one to your slot when you register.

The lecture takes place from the gallery above the plenary hall: you look down at the chamber while a staff member explains how sessions work, what happens during votes, and where the parliamentary groups sit. You can ask questions at the end, so the format works even without preparation (as of 09/2026, lecture description on the gallery).

The building tour lasts longer. You walk through the halls and hear about the events that took place here, how the architecture is designed, and what parliament does. Groups are small, so book in advance.

Plenary sessions are watched from the same gallery. You listen to debates live and see politicians up close. There is no translation; speeches are in German (as of 09/2026, sessions page).

The session format depends on the schedule. It is only available on sitting days. If you arrive between sessions, choose the lecture or the tour.

Underground passages and traces of history

You can enter the building not only through the main entrance. All the buildings of the parliamentary quarter are connected by underground passages, and that is an experience in itself.

The passages are lit, finished in a modern style, and stretch for hundreds of meters. There is a moving walkway, like in a large airport (as of 09/2026, parliamentary quarter buildings). Metal posts mark where the Berlin Wall once stood, and a remnant of the old brick tunnel became part of the investigation materials after the Reichstag fire in 1933.

In one of the passages stands Christian Boltanski's installation "Archive of German Members of Parliament": thousands of metal boxes with the names of members of German parliaments from 1919 to 1999 (as of 09/2026, Bundestag underground passages). Among the names is Gertrud Bäumer, one of the first women in parliament after women's suffrage was introduced.

The buildings contain rooms for parliamentary groups and committees. In some, every seat has a microphone; in others, the podium is set forward. Some passages lead to administrative buildings, such as Jakob-Kaiser-Haus and Paul-Löbe-Haus. Inside, they look like a modern office. A bridge between the buildings offers a good view of the Spree, but people with a fear of heights will feel uncomfortable there.

Another relic: inscriptions by Soviet soldiers on the walls. In May 1945, soldiers left their names and phrases here when the building was taken (as of 09/2026, Bundestag website). Several sections have been preserved and conserved so that history does not fade away.

You cannot reach these places without a tour: the underground area is open only as part of a visit. Choose a format with a tour if you want to see more than the dome.

What to see around the Reichstag

If you have a spontaneous slot, you still wait at least two hours. That time is not wasted: there are plenty of places within easy walking distance.

• Brandenburg Gate: about three hundred meters from the main entrance, a five-minute walk.
• Tiergarten: a large park just beyond the gate, a good place for a walk before your visit.
• Victory Column: in the western part of the Tiergarten, about two kilometers from the Reichstag.
• Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe: east of the gate, about six hundred meters from the Reichstag.
• Berlin Wall victims' memorials: they stand along the former border right next to the Reichstag.
• Spree riverbank: a walk next to the government quarter.
• Bellevue Palace: the president's residence, on the northern edge of the Tiergarten by the Spree.
• Futurium: a museum about future technologies, near Hauptbahnhof.
• Madame Tussauds: a wax museum on Unter den Linden.

Is it worth going alone

For a solo traveler, this is a good option. On tours and lectures, you will be put in a group with strangers anyway. You will not stand out.

In the dome, you take an audio guide if you want and listen to explanations through headphones. Being alone is not a problem there.

The dome is also a good alternative to the Berlin TV Tower. You get a view of the city from above for free and without a long line. The other formats suit those interested in politics.

Who it's for: those who came alone and want to spend half a day productively. Not for: those looking for a full-day activity: the visit takes from one to three hours.

⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

Is entry to the Reichstag paid?

No. The dome, the viewing terrace, lectures, tours, and plenary sessions are free. You do not pay for entry or registration. You only need money at the rooftop restaurant. Registration is mandatory for all formats (as of 09/2026, visit costs on the Bundestag website).

Do I need to book in advance?

Yes. First you submit a request, then you wait for confirmation from the visitor service: until that email arrives, your slot is not reserved. Bring your passport or ID card, because copies are not accepted and documents are checked at the entrance (as of 09/2026, visitor service online form).

Can I get in without booking?

Yes, but only for the dome and only if there are free spots. The service point stands in front of the building on Platz der Republik, where you can pick a slot in a window from two days to two hours before the visit starts (as of 09/2026, on-site registration in front of the building). On weekends, free spots may run out.

How long does the visit last?

From one to three hours, depending on the format. You can explore the dome without a time limit, as long as you finish before closing (as of 09/2026, how long the lecture and tour last).

What is the difference between the Reichstag and the Bundestag?

The Reichstag is the building in Berlin; the Bundestag is the parliament that sits in it. In everyday speech, the names are often used as synonyms. For you, it means one thing: the place is the same, but the visit formats are different.

In short: what to book

A visit to the Reichstag is not bought; it is planned. First you take a free slot, then you decide what to add. Choose a format that matches your interests and submit your request in advance.

• Want the best view without lectures: take only the dome.
• Interested in politics: add the lecture on the gallery.
• Want to understand the building's history: choose the tour through the halls.
• Arrived spontaneously: first check the service point, then walk around the center.

If you need a hotel in central Berlin, check options near the Reichstag on Trip.com. For city tours and tickets to other attractions, look on GetYourGuide.