Navigating Berlin’s museums like a pro

Without A-list names like the Louvre or the Uffizi or MoMA, Berlin might not immediately strike you as one of the best museum cities in the world. But on my first visit to the German capital, I realized there are cultural institutions quite literally everywhere: carved out of old train stations and prisons, hidden inside bunkers and Baroque palaces, and occupying purpose-built landmarks by world-famous architects like Daniel Libeskind, Ludwig Mies van de Rohe, and I.M. Pei.

Of course, it’s not hard to see why the city might be museum-mad: Berlin has lived many lives in the past century, from the creative highs of the Weimar Republic to the devastating lows of the Nazi regime, from the societal fractures of the Cold War to the exuberant post-unification era. The result is a cosmopolitan city that is not only willing to contend with its complicated past, but hungry for introspection.

By some counts, there are nearly 200 museums and galleries in Berlin. These seven—which cover everything from antiquities to contemporary art to modern history—offer a cross-section, but they barely scratch the surface of what the city has to offer.

Before you even step foot inside the Neue Nationalgalerie, you’ll see design worth marveling over: The building itself marks the last major project from modernist icon Ludwig Mies van der Rohe before he died in 1969, and it reopened in 2021 after a six-year renovation looking as sleek and cool as ever. Upon entering the space, you’ll find a cavernous entrance hall that often houses special exhibitions, such as oversized video installations. The bulk of the museum, however, is found down one level, where galleries circle the perimeter, offering an encyclopedic but easy-to-navigate survey of modern art that can be easily tackled in two or three hours.

Tip: If you time your visit right, you can explore the main collection and special exhibitions for free on Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m.

Exhaustion level: 5/10

Despite the “new” in its name, this grand collection of prehistoric and Egyptian art opened in 1855, but World War II–era bombings and East German neglect necessitated a decade-long restoration between 1999 and 2009. Neues Museum is part of the UNESCO-designated Museum Island, which also includes the Altes Museum (Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities), the Bode Museum (sculptures, coins, and Byzantine art), the Alte Nationalgalerie (think French Impressionists and German Romantics like Caspar David Friedrich), and the Pergamonmuseum, which recently closed for renovations. If you only have time for one museum, though, make it the Neues, which is home to the ethereally beautiful painted bust of Queen Nefertiti, a Neanderthal skull, and a 2.5-foot-tall conical golden hat that’s estimated at 3,000 years old.

Tip: Tickets for the Neues Museum are reasonable, but you can get access to the entire Museum Island for less than €30—a great deal if you want to spend a (tiring) day museum-hopping.

Exhaustion level: 8/10

When it debuted in 2001, Daniel Libeskind’s immersive museum was unlike anything that had been seen before: a zigzagging titanium-zinc structure with underground passages, slanting floors, concrete “voids,” and sloping walls designed to be deliberately disorienting. The Jewish Museum Berlin offers a highly emotional view of history, aided by a collection of tens of thousands of artworks, religious items, photographs, and more. While exhibits on the rise of Nazism and the Holocaust are appropriately harrowing, this museum is in many ways celebratory, offering a centuries-spanning view of Jewish religious practices and culture and a playful Hall of Fame that features everyone from Jesus to Amy Winehouse.

Tip: If you’re traveling with kids, be sure head across the street to visit ANOHA, a play area dedicated to the story of Noah’s ark with more than 150 animal sculptures made from recycled materials.

Exhaustion level: 8/10

One of the most-visited memorial centers in Germany, the Topography of Terror sits on land once occupied by the headquarters of the SS, the Gestapo, the SD, and the Reich Security Main Office. Today, it’s a place to detail and document the crimes committed by the Nazis, through exhibitions on the party’s seizure of power and later its campaigns of persecution and mass murder. While the original building was largely destroyed by Allied bombings and then later completely demolished, its remnants can be explored through a self-guided walking tour outside, which includes the foundations of the on-site prison and remnants of the Berlin Wall.

Tip: The museum also runs a satellite exhibit called “A Broad Field” at Tempelhofer Park, the city’s former airport, which has since been converted into an expansive green space.

Exhaustion level: 6/10

The division of Berlin into East and West is a topic of fascination for many visitors, and there are countless ways to engage with the history of the Cold War era while you’re in town, including the DDR Museum, the Stasimuseum, the Memorial of the Berlin Wall, the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, and the East Side Gallery. Perhaps the most unique is the Palace of Tears (Tränenpalast), which occupies the old Friedrichstraße railway station, a modernist departure hall for travelers going from East Germany into West Berlin. You’ll learn the personal stories of people who lived through the period of division while following in their footsteps through the passport control and customs booths.

Tip: Because the exhibit is free, it can get a bit crowded at peak times; consider coming early to have the place to yourself.

Exhaustion level: 4/10

The buzziest hot spot in Berlin's Mitte neighborhood is this contemporary photography gallery, the latest outpost of a Swedish chain of museums with locations in Stockholm, New York, Tallinn, and Shanghai. The museum is part of a new complex centered around the Tacheles, a former artists’ squat that was built in 1908 as a department store and later became a Nazi prison. There’s still a bit of grit to be found in the graffiti-covered staircases, but the space is now also home to a café, bakery, bar, and restaurant. Fotografiska doesn't have any permanent exhibitions, so depending on when you visit, you might see self-portraits by Senegalese artist Omar Victor Diop, political works by Iranian photographer Shirin Neshat, or shots from British legend Miles Aldridge.

Tip: Fotografiska stays open until 11 p.m. every night of the week, making it great for a post-dinner, pre-drinks stroll.

Exhaustion level: 4/10

If you let it slip that you’re headed to Berlin, chances are your most well-traveled friend will text you, “Did you snag a reservation at the Sammlung Boros yet?” The private collection of Karen and Christian Boros occupies one of the coolest (and most intimidating) buildings in Berlin: a World War II–era bunker in Mitte with meters-thick concrete walls that’s only accessible on 90-minute, small-group guided tours (in English or German). At time of publication, the current exhibit includes conversation-starting pieces by contemporary luminaries like He Xiangyu, Anna Uddenberg, Ximena Garrido-Lecca, and Klára Hosnedlová.

Tip: The timed-entry tickets sell out lightning-fast, so make this one of the first things you do when you begin planning a trip to the German capital.

Exhaustion level: 6/10