Visit Berlin State Museums – Opening Hours and Tickets

Published on

by Henk Bekker

in Berlin, Germany, N24

Opening hours for the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (state museums) are long but buy tickets and book free timeslot reservations online to skip the lines at the top museums. Many museums are closed on both Monday and Tuesday.

Neues Museum on Museum Island in Berlin

Most of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (national museums and galleries) are open in 2024 but opening hours changed from mid-April 2024 for many of Berlin’s museums. Although tickets may again be bought on-site, it is sensible to buy tickets online in advance and to make free timeslot reservations for any museums where pre-bookings are possible. Time-slot reservations are currently only required for the Neues Museum and major special exhibitions. Opening hours are generally Tuesday (or Wednesday) to Sunday from around 10 am to 6 pm (or 5 pm). Admission is free on the first Sunday of the month but may require free online reservations.

Update 2024: New Berlin Museum Opening Hours

Since mid-April 2024, several top museums in Berlin are closed on both Monday and Tuesday with shorter opening hours on many days. See the latest Berlin museum opening hours for details.

Currently, time-slot reservations are obligatory only for the Neues Museum, but sensible if available for the Alte Nationalgalerie, Gemäldegalerie, Neue Nationalgalerie, Neues Museum, and Das Panorama. (The Pergamon Museum itself is closed until 2027!) Timeslots are released only a few weeks in advance. Buy tickets and make reservations online at GetYourGuide or at SMB.

Online tickets for museums without timeslot reservations are skip-the-line — go directly to the entrance to scan the ticket. Many multiple-museum tickets and passes are again accepted, including Kulturforum, Museumsinsel, and the excellent value 3-day Berlin Museum Pass.

Berlin State Museums Closed in 2024

Although construction and restoration work continues on many Berlin State Museums, during 2024 only the following museums and major permanent exhibition are closed:

The Mshatta facade being packed away to move to a new location in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin
  • The Pergamon Museum is being renovated and the entire building has been closed since October 2023. The Hellenic Hall, Pergamon Altar from a Greek temple, and the Museum of Islamic Art will be the first to reopen in 2027 but the rest may be closed until the mid-2030s. Some Greek statues are displayed in the special Pergamonmuseum. Das Panorama exhibition.
  • The Museum Berggruen is closed until at least 2025.
  • The Deutsches Historisches Museum (German History Museum) is not an SMB museum but still worth noting that the permanent collection is closed until at least 2025 but the IM Pei annex with temporary exhibitions remains open.

Opening Hours on Museum Island Berlin in 2024

The regular opening hours of the traditional museums on Museumsinsel Berlin (Berlin’s Museum Island):

The Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin was inspired by Greek temples

The Ticket Museuminsel gives admission to all these museums for a day, similar benefits are possible with the Berlin Welcome Card Museumsinsel and the 3-day Berlin Museumspass. A small surcharge may be added for a major special exhibition.

Humboldt Forum / Berliner Schloss museums and exhibitions:

  • Most exhibitions in the Humboldt Forum are open from Wednesday to Monday from 10:30 to 18:30 (closing times are often later on Friday and Saturday). The Humboldt Forum museums are thus open on Mondays but closed on Tuesdays. Humboldt Forum museums do not follow other Museum Island opening hours or ticket passes. Admission to the Ethnological and Asian Art museums remains free and without timeslot reservations.

The Friedrichswerdersche Kirche is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00 (18:00 on Saturday and Sunday) — admission is free.

Tickets may be bought online from SMB but buying from GetYourGuide is a lot simpler and cost the same as the official museum website. Timeslot reservations are essential for the Neues Museum and sensible when offered for other museums. Time-slot reservations may be required for special exhibitions and during busy periods.

Opening Hours of Kulturforum / Cultural Forum Museums in Berlin

Kulturforum Museums in Berlin

The opening hours of museums and art collections in the Kulturforum area since April 2024:

  • The Neue Nationalgelerie (New National Gallery) is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm (closing at 8 pm on Thursday).
  • The Gemäldegalerie (Paintings Gallery) is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm.
  • The Kunstgerwerbemuseum (Museum of Decorative Arts), Kupferstichkabinett, Kunstbibliothek, special exhibition spaces are open Wednesday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm.

All these museums are covered by the Ticket Kulturforum and the 3-day Museumspass Berlin. Time-slot reservation tickets are sometimes required for the Neue Nationalgalerie and possibly for the Gemäldegalerie. For other Kulturforum venues, go directly to the gallery entrance to scan online tickets. Reservations may also be required for large special exhibitions.

The Museum of Musical Instruments also shortened its opening hours from mid-April 2024. Opening hours are now Tuesday 9:00 to 13:00, Wednesday to Friday 9:00 to 17:00 (closing at 20:00 on Thursday, and weekends from 10 am to 5 pm. (It is not really an SMB museum but is included in the Kulturforum ticket.)

Opening Hours of Museums in Charlottenburg

The Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm. The Berggruen Museum is closed until at least 2025.

The Museum fĂĽr Fotographie (Photography) near Zoologischer Bahnhof station is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm, closing at 8 pm on Thursday.

Opening Hours of the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin

The Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart – Berlin Museum of Contemporary Art is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm (closing at 8 pm on Thursday) and on weekends from 11 am to 6 pm.

The Hamburger Bahnhof is open for free on the first Thursday evening of each month from 4 pm until 8 pm.

Opening Hours of Best Museums in Dahlem Berlin

The Museum of European Cultures (Europäischer Kulturen) in Berlin-Dahlem is open Wednesday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm and on weekends from 11 am to 6 pm.

The Ethnological and Asian Art museums have closed here and reopened in the Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Schloss on Museum Island in 2021/22.

Opening Hours for Schloss Köpenick near Berlin

Schloss Köpenick is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00 from April to September. In winter, March to October, the collection is open from Thursday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00 from.

More on the Berlin State Museums (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin):

Note new opening times for many Berlin museums since mid-April 2024 — several are now closed on both Monday and Tuesday.

Timeslot reservations are sensible (and sometimes needed in busy periods) for the Alte Nationalgalerie, Gemäldegalerie, Neue Nationalgalerie, Neues Museum, and Pergamon – Das Panorama. (The Pergamon Museum itself is closed until 2027!). Timeslots are released only a few weeks in advance. Online tickets are available from GetYourGuide or SMB.

Many passes and multi-museum tickets offer savings (Kulturforum / Museums Island). Individual museum ticket prices range from €8 to €14 (€20 for special exhibitions). Online tickets are skip-the-line — go directly to the gallery entrance to scan the code.

For more general information on the Berlin State Museums:

News & Temporary Exhibitions in Berlin in 2024 & 2025:

More Museum Reviews and Museum-Specific Information:

Previous Temporary Exhibitions in Berlin Museums:

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