Top 100 best museums in Berlin

What used to be the headquarters of the Gestapo until 1945 is now an architectural complex which holds the evidence of Nazi crimes. There are three permanent exhibitions in Topography of Terror that you can explore and a number of temporary ones. All information is provided both in German and Englis

The Pergamon Museum in Berlin is one of the largest museums in Germany. The museum showcases some of the world's most important collections of historical artifacts and art. The museum's collections are divided into three main thematic sections. The most iconic one is the Antiquity Collection, which

The Fernsehturm, or television tower, is a prominent landmark located in the heart of Berlin. Its proximity to Alexanderplatz square makes it easily accessible for tourists. The tower serves as a symbol of the city and can be seen from the city center and some suburbs.

After being severely damaged during the war, this Neues Museum (re)opened its doors to the public in 2009. It now shows huge collections of Egyptian art, prehistoric objects, and classical antiquities. One of the highlights of the museum is the bust of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti. The Neues Museum

Opened in 2001, the Jewish Museum in Berlin ranks among the largest ones of its kind in Europe. Visitors can learn more about the history of German Jews from medieval settlements to the modern age and experience the history of Germany from the perspective of the Jewish minority. The museum consists

The Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin (German Museum of Technology Berlin) is one of the largest engineering museums in the world, with an exhibition area of ​​approximately 50,000 m². The exhibition includes: vintage cars, airplanes, trains, ships, electromagnetic coils, coffers, jewelry, machines, co

Opened in 1987, as part of the celebration of 750 years since the founding of Berlin, the German Historical Museum follows the long history of the German nation, as well as that of entire Europe. The museum is located in two main buildings, one modernist, other Baroque, which were erected some 250 y

Artworks dating back to the 13th - 18th centuries are on display in the Gemäldegalerie, housed in a fairly modern-looking building. Some of the highlights include works by Michelangelo, Rembrandt, and Botticelli. The museum's collections are arranged in a chronological order, making it quite easy to

The Natural History Museum in Berlin (Museum für Naturkunde) is housed in a building erected between 1883 and 1889. With a collection of more than 60 million objects, it is one of the largest natural history museums in the world. A highlight in the Natural History Musuem in Berlin is the world's lar

The Palace of Tears (Tränenpalast) is the former train station and a crossing place between East and West Germany. Citizens from the west part of the country were allowed to travel and this was the place where they said their goodbyes to their friends and family in the east. After the fall of the Be

Köpenick Palace is a unique baroque palace that is surrounded by water. It was built by the Hohenzollern electors of Brandenburg and is located on an island in the Dahme river. This location adds to the charm and beauty of the palace, making it a picturesque spot for visitors.

Opened in 1844, the Berlin Zoological Garden is Germany's oldest and best-known animal park. More than 1500 different species make it an educative place to visit. The Zoo has many unique animals, including polar bears, pandas, and penguins and it organizes engaging shows and feedings. Due to its lim

Opened in 2003, the Classic Remise Berlin center is packed with vintage cars. You can see showrooms, shop for spare parts or take a tour and learn about the origins of this facility. The total area of ​​the Classic Remise Berlin is approximately 12,000 m². In the Classic Remise there are 88 setting

The DDR Museum is an authentic and interactive museum devoted to the daily life in former East Germany (DDR). It is divided into three main areas: Public Life, State and Ideology, and Life in a Tower Block. You can see a typical DDR living room, try on usual DDR clothes, use an original typewriter o

Reminiscent of an ancient Greek temple and a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site, the Old National Gallery (Alte Nationalgalerie) in Berlin houses a huge collection of art of various styles and movements. The collection contains works of the Neoclassical and Romantic movements (by artists such as

The Tierpark Berlin is a zoo in Berlin which covers an area of ​​160 hectares, making it the largest landscape zoo in Europe. With around 10,000 animals of around 1000 species, it is also one of the most species-rich zoos. It includes the Freianlagen for ungulates; an accommodation for mountain anim

Dedicated to East Germany's secret police and housed in its former headquarters, the Stasi Museum in Berlin will inform you about state surveillance. The collection of the museum includes spy equipment and visitors can explore unchanged offices, and learn about the establishment of the Ministry of S

Despite its romantic setting by the lake, the Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz has witnessed a dreadful part of German history. The so-called "Final Solution", the deportation and mass murder of European Jews, was put into motion in this villa in 1942. As a reminder of these horrible acts, it has been tur

The Samurai Museum Berlin is a unique institution that houses a private collection of artifacts and art objects related to the Japanese warrior class. This collection belongs to Peter Janssen, a construction entrepreneur. The museum offers a rare opportunity to explore the rich history and culture of the Samurai, making it a fascinating destination for those interested in Japanese history and culture.

Madame Tussauds Berlin is wax museum named after its founder, Marie Tussaud, who made the first figures herself. Madame Tussauds museums can be found all over the world. The museums display wax doppelgangers of well known historical figures, artists, scientists and philosophers as well as celebritie

Operating since 1999, the interactive museum Story of Berlin presents the history of Berlin. Learn how people lived in different eras of the city's history. You can also take a guided tour through a nuclear bomb shelter from the Cold War. The museum is located inside the Kudamm Karree shopping mall.

The immersive history experience! Travel through 2000 years of German history: sneak round a castle, operate Gutenberg’s printing press, dance in the roaring 20s and see the ruins of Berlin after WW2. Finish in the 1990s on a Berlin S-Bahn. THEA Award Winner 2024

Situated in a converted air-raid shelter, Sammlung Boros is a private collection that contains more than 500 works of contemporary art - including pieces by Damian Hirst. The bunker can be accessed only in small groups with a guide - the visit has to be booked in advance.

The Aquarium Berlin It is one of the largest aquariums in Germany. It is located in Berlin and was built in 1913 as part of the Zoological Garden complex in Berlin. Since its opening, the Aquarium Zoo has been classified among the public aquariums with the greatest biodiversity in the world. More th

Museum Berggruen in Berlin is a museum with a collection of modern art classics, called the Berggruen collection, named after the art collector Heinz Berggruen. At the heart of the collection are the more than 100 works by Pablo Picasso and more than 60 paintings by Paul Klee. Henri Matisse is repre

The Berlin Film Museum or Museum of Film and Television Berlin is one of the six film museums in Germany. The entire history of German film is shown in the museum from the 18th century to the present. Furthermore, German actress Marlene Dietrich occupies a special place in the museum and it features

The Martin-Gropius-Bau, previously used as a museum for applied art, is an exhibition building and art hall in Berlin. The building is intended for large exhibitions with a temporary character, but also the presentation of archaeological collections, linking these to current issues and discourses. U

The Computerspielemuseum is an interactive museum where you can learn about the history of computer games in an engaging way. The Computerspielemuseum in Berlin is the very first museum dedicated to video games in Europe. There are also some retro arcade machines, including classics such as Donkey K

The James Simon Gallery is a visitor center and art gallery situated in a central location on Museum Island in Berlin, Germany. It is nestled between the reconstructed Neues Museum and the Kupfergraben arm of the Spree river. This strategic location makes it easily accessible and a convenient starting point for exploring the rich cultural heritage of Museum Island.

The Museum in der Kulturbrauerei in Berlin shows the permanent exhibition "Everyday life in the GDR", using objects, documents, film and sound examples to illustrate the tension between the expectations of the political system and the real living conditions. The exhibition is divided into four main

Discover new technologies in an interactive way in the Game Science Center in Berlin. This entertaining museum is packed with playful exhibitions which are both fun and educative. Experience the future, try virtual reality and enjoy loads of games. Suitable for all ages.

Built in 1904, the Bode Museum is housed in a historical building and holds collections of ancient art, items from the Byzantine and Gothic eras and the world's largest numismatic collection. After being known as the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum up until 1956, the museum was renamed after its curator -

The Bundeswehr Museum of Military History – Berlin-Gatow Airfield is a military history museum of the German Air Force Luftwaffe at a former Luftwaffe and Royal Air Force (RAF) airfield, RAF Gatow. It is one of the German military's largest military history museums and mainly focuses on the history

The German Resistance Memorial Centre is a memorial, museum with a permanent exhibition and research center in Berlin that is dedicated to German resistance to Nazism, occupying three floors of one of the Bendlerblock buildings. It was at the Bendlerblock in the inner courtyard where members of the

The German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst is a museum that is devoted to German-Soviet and German-Russian relations. The museum is housed in the historical venue of the unconditional surrender of the German armed forces in 1945, where it illustrates the history of German-Soviet relations from 1917

The Berlin Musical Instrument Museum (Musikinstrumenten-Museum, or MIM) is a museum with a collection of around 3500 musical instruments. It is housed in a small building behind the Philharmonie. In 1902 the museum acquired more than 1400 instruments from the private collection of the Belgian notary

located in a former industrial hall, the Berlinische Galerie exhibits works from the Berliner Sezession, such as Max Liebermann, Lovis Corinth and Lesser Ury, Eastern European Avant-garde, such as Naum Gabo and El Lissitzky, New Objectivity, such as Otto Dix, George Grosz, Christian Schad and Hannah

Who was the first spy? Did you know that drones were used in World War Two? Which secret service had the best codes? What is the difference between a honey-trap and the Romeo method? Who knows more about you – the Stasi, the NSA, Facebook or Miles and More? The German Spy Museum charts the history o

The Liebermann-Villa am Wannsee is the summer house of Max Liebermann, who was a German painter and printmaker of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany. It is located directly at the shores of Lake Wannsee. Since 2006 the Liebermann Villa is accessi

The Anne Frank Zentrum is the German partner organization of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. Its permanent exhibition "All about Anne" invites audiences to explore Anne Frank's life and her diary as a way to personalize the history of the Holocaust. Interactive learning installations encourage vi

The exhibition venue for photography and visual media shows works by renowned artists, promotes emerging talent and accompanies children, youths and adults on their journeys of discovery through our visual culture.

The Kathe Kollwitz Museum in Berlin houses the biggest collection of the German artist Kathe Kollwitz. The building itself used to be a residential villa but got partially destroyed during WWII and reopened as the Kathe Kollwitz Museum in 1986. Kathe Kollwitz is one of the most influential artists i

The Berlin Story Museum houses three floors of exhibitions that provide you with a concise overview of the history of Berlin. You will see period photographs, films, and other artefacts. As a part of a guided tour, you can access an authentic air raid shelter dating back to the World War II.

The Brohan Museum is a small museum in Berlin that is housed in a late-neoclassical building. The collection was compiled by Karl H. Bröhan, who collected works of art belonging to Art Nouveau and Art Deco. The artists of the Berlin Sezession movement in particular are well represented. The museum a

Over 1300 meters long, this is the longest still-standing section of the Berlin Wall - one of the most prominent symbols of the division of Europe by the Iron Curtain after the Second World War. With over 100 open-air paintings, The Wall Museum East Side Gallery is said to commemorate the gaining of

The Brücke Museum is a museum in Berlin located in the area of Berlin-Dahlem, in the vicinity of the former workshop of the sculptor Arno Breker. The collection consists of contemporary art with works by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and others. The museum holds around 400 paintings and sculptures and sever

With more than 450 original exhibits, Dali - The Exhibition at Potsdamer Platz offers an insight into Dalí’s oeuvre and into the virtuosity and mastership in almost every technique. The museum features an overview of his graphic works, but also shows work portfolios, illustrated books, sculptures, m

The Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart is a museum of contemporary art in Berlin that is located in a former railway station called the Hamburger Bahnhof. The Hamburger Bahnhof collection is part of the modern art collection of the Nationalgalerie. The collection includes works by Joseph Beuys

The Allied Museum is a museum in Berlin that documents the involvement of Western powers, the Allies (the United States, Britain and France) in Germany and Berlin between 1945 and 1994. The museum mainly shows the political and military history of the Cold War, illustrating the lives of the soldiers

The Berlin Museum of Medical History (Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum, BMM) is known for its pathological-anatomical collection, a cultural and medical historical significant collection of wet and dry specimens. A highlight are the 40 of the original 3300 specimens of the anatomist Johann Gottli

The Forum Willy Brandt Berlin is a location for historical education and political information in Berlin that has an exhibition on Willy Brandt and the political developments of the 20th century. He was a German statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1964 to 19

SEA LIFE Berlin is an aquarium where you can see marine animals living in various environments making use of modern technologies. Your aquarium visit ends at The AquaDom which is the largest, freestanding cylindrical aquarium in the world. It consists of an acrylic glass container 16 meters high and

Designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, this building is one of the finest examples of the Neoclassical Architecture in Berlin. Being fully dedicated to classical antiquity, the Altes Museum houses several thousands of historically and culturally important artefacts. Its chronologically divided areas i

The Museum für Fotografie (The Photography Museum Berlin) is a museum in Berlin dedicated to photography. The museum is also home to the Helmut Newton Foundation photo collection, dedicated to the work of German-Australian photographer Helmut Newton. It has changing exhibitions of work by Newton. Th

The Museum for Communication Berlin (Museum für Kommunikation Berlin) traces the history of communication and projects the possible future as well. One section of the exhibition is dedicated to the history of transport - displaying historical carriages and coaches. You will learn interesting facts a

The Kupferstichkabinett, also known as the Museum of Prints and Drawings, is situated in Berlin, Germany. It forms part of the Berlin State Museums and is located in the Kulturforum on Potsdamer Platz. This location is easily accessible and is a significant cultural hub in the city.

The Neue Nationalgalerie is the Berlin art museum of the twentieth century with an art collection from classical and modern to the art of the sixties. The museum is located at the Kulturforum. The museum building with its square shape was designed by the famous functionalist architect Ludwig Mies va

The Deutscher Dom is an old German Protestant church on the south side of the Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin. The building with a five-leaf shape, designed by Martin Grünberg, was built in 1708 by Giovanni Simonetti. In 1785 a tower with a dome was added that resembles that of the Französischer Dom. The c

The Trabi Museum in Berlin is a museum dedicated to this iconic car that tells you everything you ever wanted to know about the car, and you can even take a Trabant safari through the city. The musuem is located at Checkpoint Charlie and holds and exhibits a collection of classic Trabants, including

The Knoblauch House (Knoblauchhaus) in Berlin is a museum on the Biedermeier style. The former residential house of the Knoblauch family is is one of the few 18th-century Berlin town houses remaining at the original location. Needlemaster Johann Christian Knoblauch bought the property in 1759. After

Berlin Wall Museum (Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie) is a historical museum in Berlin that tells the story of the struggle for human rights. The museum is located on Checkpoint Charlie - a line, along with a house for the border guard, which used to mark the borders between the Eastern and Western

The Kunstgewerbemuseum is the Museum of Applied Art of Berlin. The headquarters is part of the Kulturforum Berlin and is part of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. The museum shows the development of arts and crafts in Europe from the Middle Ages to the present. All style periods are represented with

The Blackbox Cold War Museum in Berlin features an exhibition housed inside a black, box-shaped building at Checkpoint Charlie. The museum is dedicated to the Cold War and features authentic exhibits and 16 media stations with film excerpts and interviews, relating to topics such as rearmament, host

The Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg Museum (Collection Scharf-Gerstenberg) in Berlin shows art from French romanticism to surrealism, housed in Stülerbau-Ost (Eastern Stüler Building). The collection includes paintings, graphics and sculptures from the Stiftung Sammlung Dieter Scharf zur Erinnerung an O

Named after the famous Berlin painter Max Liebermann (a German painter and printmaker and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany), who lived here from 1892 to 1935, the building has been home to the Brandenburg Tor Foundation since 2000. It is dedicated to aesthetic education, org

The Museum chronicles the product culture of the 20th & 21st centuries, a culture marked by mass production & industrial manufacturing. At the core of our institution is the archive of the Deutsche Werkbund. Founded in 1907, this group of German artists, designers & manufacturers was one of the lead

The Ephraim-Palais is a Rococo edifice originally constructed in 1766 (and extensively reconstructed in 1987) in Berlin that served as a residential and a commercial place in the past. Nowadays, it houses a museum dedicated to history and culture of Berlin as well as exclusive presentations of objec

The Museum Otto Weidt is dedicated to Otto Weidt and his workshop for the blind and deaf, whom he tried to protect from persecution. Visitors can explore authentic rooms of the workshop where Jewish workers used to produce brooms and brushes. This place served also as a hiding place for some of the

The KW Institute for Contemporary Art is a contemporary art center in Berlin’s Mitte District that was founded in the early 1990s. It is a center for the introduction of recent developments in national and international contemporary culture. The museum has no permanent collections, only temporary on

The Zeiss Major Planetarium in Berlin was opened in 1987 and is one of the largest modern stellar theatres in Europe. The dome has a diameter of 23 metres and is equipped with a Carl Zeiss AG Universarium IX planetarium projector, as well as 100 slide projectors, a laser show installation and sound

The 1. Berliner DDR-Motorradmuseum (1st Berlin DDR Motorcycle Museum) is a museum for two-wheelers from the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in Berlin, located under the S-Bahn arches at Alexanderplatz. More than 140 motorcycles, scooters and mopeds of the manufacturers MZ, Simson and IWL (almost th

The Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin is Germany's national exhibition center for modern non-European art. Art exhibitions, concerts, dance and theater performances and lectures on non-European art are held here. It was originally a conference hall, donated by the United States. The building was

The Märkisches Museum in Berlin presents a variety of objects on the culture and history of Berlin. The permanent exhibition „Here is Berlin!“ invites you to take a walk through Berlin's streets and neighborhoods, where visitors experience how Berlin has changed over the centuries. „Ask your city!“

The Domäne Dahlem (Domain Dahlem) is the historic manor of the former village Dahlem. It is an open-air museum for agricultural and food culture with an ecological focus in the southwest of Berlin. Agriculture has been practiced here for more than 800 years. The museum features the Culinarium which

The Museum Pankow is a museum with two sites: Prenzlauer Allee and Heynstraße. Location Heynstraße is the former home of the manufacturer Fritz Heyn and features an exhibition on upper-middle class living in 1900, still with many decorations and furniture in their original state. The decoration and

The Hemp Museum Berlin (Hanf Museum Berlin) is the only museum in Germany that houses a permanent exhibition on the hemp plant. The exhibition covers approximately 250 m² and depicts everything related to hemp. The harvest and the processing of hemp are described from a historical point of view, in

The Georg Kolbe Museum in Berlin is a museum with a focus on classical modernism and contemporary art. It is housed in the former studio house of the German figure sculptor Georg Kolbe (1877-1947) and was opened in 1950. The museum and museum garden feature the Georg Kolbe sculpture collection. Furt

The Planetarium am Insulaner with its magnificent artificial starry sky can be found at the foot of the hill of the same name. Here, visitors can experience 360-degree shows, astronomical live lectures, radio plays, readings, music shows and children's programs. At the Wilhelm Foerster Observatory (