Which Museum Island Berlin ticket should you buy, and what does each one actually cover?
Museum Island is the northern tip of the Spree island in Mitte, five state museums built between 1830 and 1930 and listed as UNESCO World Heritage since 1999. Almost everyone arrives at the ticket desk without knowing whether they want a single house, the one day island ticket, a three day pass or the transport bundle, and the answer changes depending on how many museums you will realistically walk through. This guide sets the options side by side with what each one costs and covers, and is straight about the fact that the Pergamonmuseum itself has been closed since October 2023.
About This Experience
James-Simon-Galerie, Bodestrasse 1-3, Mitte, 10178 Berlin. Every island ticket is collected or scanned here, whichever museum you are heading into.
U5 to Museumsinsel leaves you about 2 minutes from the entrance. S3, S5, S7 and S9 to Hackescher Markt is roughly 8 minutes on foot over the Spree, and Friedrichstrasse about 10. Trams M1 and 12 stop at Am Kupfergraben beside the Panorama; M4, M5 and M6 stop at Hackescher Markt. A bus stop called U Museumsinsel sits directly outside.
Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie and Pergamonmuseum. Das Panorama run Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00. Altes Museum and Bode-Museum run Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 17:00 and weekends 10:00 to 18:00. Closed every Monday, with reduced hours on public holidays. There is no regular late evening opening on the island as of July 2026.
The Bereichskarte Museumsinsel, the one day area ticket at the door, is 24 euros or 12 euros concession. Single houses run 12 to 14 euros. Museum Pass Berlin is 32 euros, 16 euros concession, covering more than 30 museums across three consecutive days. Concession is 50 percent for students, trainees, jobseekers and visitors with a disability rating of 50 percent or more. Under 18s enter free but still need a ticket issued at the counter or booked online.
Five museums on a sandbank in the river, entered since 2019 through David Chipperfield's colonnaded James-Simon-Galerie, which holds the ticket desks upstairs and the shop, cloakroom, lockers and toilets on the mezzanine below.
Nefertiti alone in the North Dome Room of the Neues Museum, Schinkel's Rotunda in the Altes Museum, the Alte Nationalgalerie's Caspar David Friedrich and Menzel rooms, and the Bode-Museum's Basilica of Italian sculpture.
Check Live Availability & Prices
Island tickets sell in fixed day slots rather than timed entries for the permanent collections, so availability is mostly a question of which date you want. Prices below are live.
Which Museum Island Ticket to Pick
Start with the number of museums you will actually enter, because that single figure decides everything else. One house at the door is 12 to 14 euros, so a single visit needs no pass at all. Two or more and the one day area ticket makes sense: the Bereichskarte is 24 euros at the counter and covers the Altes Museum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Bode-Museum, Friedrichswerdersche Kirche, PETRI Berlin and the Pergamon Panorama on the same day.
The bookable version, the Museum Island Multiple Museum Entry Ticket at $27, is the same access sold ahead of time with a 4.4 rating from 3,279 travelers, and the reason to take it is the ticket holder line rather than the counter queue in July and August.
If your museum plans run past the island, compare against the two longer passes. Museum Pass Berlin is 32 euros for three consecutive days across more than 30 Berlin museums, which beats the island ticket the moment you add the Gemäldegalerie or the Hamburger Bahnhof. The Berlin WelcomeCard Museum Island, sold here at $71 and rated 4.4 from 1,020 travelers, is a different animal: 62 euros for zones AB or 67 euros for ABC at source, three days, bundling unlimited public transport and city-wide discounts with the six island venues.
It only wins if you are riding the U-Bahn and S-Bahn hard. If you are staying in Mitte and walking, the transport half is money you will not use.
Guiding is a separate decision from admission, and worth keeping separate in your budget. The Museum Island & City Palace Walking Tour at $18, rated 4.7 from 58 travelers, stays outdoors for an hour and explains how five museums and a rebuilt palace ended up on one sandbank; done before you buy anything, it makes the ticket choice easier. At the other end, the private Bode, Panorama and Neues Museum tour is $456 for the group with a 5 rating from only 3 travelers, which is a private art historian's day rate rather than an entry fee, sensible for a family of four or five and hard to justify for two.
Whichever you land on, cross-check the opening days first in our full guide to the best museums in Berlin, because a Monday arrival closes every door on the island.
Museum Island Tickets and Tours
The four products below cover the same island in very different ways: day admission, a three day transport and museum bundle, an hour of outdoor context, and a private guide inside the houses.
from $27 Museum Island Multiple Museum Entry Ticket
- All open island museums
- Cheaper than separate tickets
- One day, one ticket
from $71 Berlin WelcomeCard: Museum Island & Public Transport
- Museums plus transport
- 3 to 6-day versions
- City-wide discounts
from $18 Museum Island & City Palace Walking Tour
- One hour, outdoors
- Island & Humboldt Forum context
- Do it before you buy tickets
from $456 Private Museum Island Tour: Bode, Pergamon & Neues
- Private art historian
- Three island museums
- Your own pace
Side by Side
| Ticket | Duration | Price | Book | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Island day ticket | One day | $27 | Check | 4.4 (3,279) | Two or more museums in a single day |
| WelcomeCard | 3 to 6 days | $71 | Check | 4.4 (1,020) | Museum-hopping across zones by U-Bahn |
| Island walking tour | 1 hour | $18 | Check | 4.7 (58) | Context outdoors before you buy entry |
| Private island tour | Half day | $456 | Check | 5.0 (3) | Groups wanting a private art historian |
What You'll See
The island opens with Karl Friedrich Schinkel's Altes Museum of 1830, whose double height Rotunda, ringed with Roman statues, was modelled on the Pantheon and still stops most people at the top of the stairs. Behind it the Neues Museum holds the bust of Nefertiti alone in the North Dome Room, the one object almost everybody comes for. The Alte Nationalgalerie carries the 19th century collection, Caspar David Friedrich and Adolph Menzel with a room of French Impressionists, and the Bode-Museum at the northern point holds the Basilica hall of Italian sculpture and the Munzkabinett, one of the largest coin collections anywhere.
The Pergamonmuseum is shut. It closed fully in October 2023, the north wing and the Pergamon Altar are due back on 4 June 2027, and the south wing with the Ishtar Gate is not expected before the 2030s. What remains open is the separate rotunda across the Kupfergraben, Pergamonmuseum.
Das Panorama, holding Yadegar Asisi's 360 degree view of the ancient city. Below ground the Archaeological Promenade was conceived as a basement walkway linking four of the five houses. Outside, the Lustgarten and the Berliner Dom face the Altes Museum steps, and the Colonnade Courtyard behind the Neues Museum is the quietest bench on the island.
How a Visit Flows
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09:50
Arrive before opening
Come up from U5 Museumsinsel or walk over from Hackescher Markt and stand at the James-Simon-Galerie a few minutes before 10:00. The first hour is the emptiest part of the day at every house.
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10:00
Tickets and cloakroom
Ticket desks are on the upper floor, shop, lockers, cloakroom and toilets on the mezzanine below. Online holders scan and skip the counter line. Under 18s still collect a free ticket here.
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10:15
Neues Museum first
If you only manage one house, make it this one. Nefertiti sits alone in the North Dome Room, and she is far easier to stand in front of at 10:15 than at 14:00.
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12:00
Coffee at the Bode
Walk to the northern tip. The Bode-Museum cafe sits in the domed hall with river views and is the better of the island's cafes.
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13:00
A second museum
Alte Nationalgalerie for 19th century painting, Altes Museum for the Rotunda and the antiquities, Bode-Museum for sculpture. Two museums properly seen is a realistic full day; five is a route march.
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16:00
The Panorama and the Lustgarten
Cross the Kupfergraben to the Panorama rotunda, then finish on the Lustgarten lawn opposite the Berliner Dom. Remember the Altes Museum and Bode-Museum shut at 17:00 on weekdays.
Know Before You Go
Not suitable for
- Monday arrivals, when every house on the island is closed
- Anyone booking specifically to see the Ishtar Gate or the Market Gate of Miletus, which are sealed inside the closed Pergamonmuseum
- Visitors with only two hours who want to sample all five museums rather than choose one
What to bring
- Your ticket on the phone; vouchers are accepted on screen and do not need printing
- Photo ID or a student card if you booked a concession rate
- A coin or small note habit for the lockers, and shoes for several hours on stone floors
- A refillable water bottle, since the walk between the northern and southern houses adds up
Not allowed
- Large bags and backpacks in the galleries; they go to the cloakroom or lockers below the ticket hall
- Flash photography and tripods in the permanent collections
- Food and drink inside the exhibition rooms
Insider Tips
Six things regular visitors work out on their second trip to the island.
- Turn up a few minutes before the 10:00 opening. The first hour is the emptiest at every house, and the gap widens through the afternoon.
- The Bode-Museum cafe, in the domed hall with river views, is the pick of the island's cafes.
- With time for one museum only, take the Neues Museum for Nefertiti rather than skimming all five.
- Skip any listing that still promises the Ishtar Gate or the Market Gate of Miletus. Those rooms have been sealed since 2023 and some operators have not rewritten their copy.
- There is no free first Sunday to plan around. Berlin's Museumssonntag ran for the last time on 1 December 2024 and no longer exists.
- In high season book the Neues Museum and Bode-Museum a week or two ahead; the online ticket holder line moves far faster than the counter queue.
Where You're Headed
Museum Island Berlin Tickets FAQ
How much is a Museum Island Berlin ticket?
The Bereichskarte Museumsinsel, the one day area ticket, is 24 euros at the door and 12 euros concession. A single house costs 12 to 14 euros. Bought ahead as the Museum Island Multiple Museum Entry Ticket it is $27, which buys the same access plus a shorter line at the entrance.
What does the Bereichskarte Museumsinsel include?
One day of entry to the Altes Museum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Bode-Museum, Friedrichswerdersche Kirche, PETRI Berlin and Pergamonmuseum. Das Panorama. You can move between them freely on that date. It does not cover museums off the island, and it does not include the closed Pergamonmuseum building itself.
Is the Museum Pass Berlin worth it for three days?
At 32 euros, 16 euros concession, for more than 30 museums across three consecutive days, it pays for itself as soon as you add anything beyond the island, such as the Gemäldegalerie or the Hamburger Bahnhof. If your entire plan is one day on Museum Island, the 24 euro area ticket is the cheaper choice.
What is the difference between the Museum Island ticket and the Berlin WelcomeCard Museum Island?
The island ticket is museum admission for one day. The WelcomeCard is a three day bundle of free public transport plus entry to the six Museum Island venues plus city-wide discounts, at 62 euros for zones AB or 67 euros for ABC, sold here at $71. Take it if you will be riding transport across the city; skip it if you are staying in Mitte and walking.
Which Museum Island museums are open in 2026?
The Altes Museum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Bode-Museum and Pergamonmuseum. Das Panorama are open. The Pergamonmuseum itself has been closed for refurbishment since October 2023; its north wing and the Pergamon Altar reopen on 4 June 2027, and the south wing with the Ishtar Gate is not expected before the 2030s. The Neues Museum also closes 15 to 17 March 2027 for maintenance.
Do children need a ticket for Museum Island?
Under 18s enter free, but they still need a ticket. Collect it at the counter in the James-Simon-Galerie or book a free one online with the rest of your group so everyone scans through together.
How long do you need to see Museum Island?
Plan on two museums for a full day, roughly two hours each with a break between them. Five houses in one day is a route march rather than a visit. If you only have a morning, take the Neues Museum and the Panorama and leave the rest.
Are Berlin museums still free on the first Sunday of the month?
No. Berlin's Museumssonntag scheme ran for the last time on 1 December 2024 and was cut with the city culture budget. Older blog posts and forum threads still mention it, but there is no free Sunday admission to plan around.
What Visitors Say
We bought the day ticket ahead and walked straight past the counter queue at 10:00. Two museums, Neues and Alte Nationalgalerie, and we were done by three. Trying for all of them would have been silly.
Nobody told us the Pergamonmuseum was shut until we were standing outside it. The Panorama across the canal is good, but go in knowing that is what you are getting.
The one hour outdoor walk before we bought entry was the best 18 dollars of the trip. Once you understand why the palace and the museums sit where they do, the buildings make sense.