Natural History Museum Berlin Tickets: Museum für Naturkunde Prices, Hours and Tristan the T. rex
Natural History Museum Berlin tickets cost 11 euros for an adult at the Museum für Naturkunde door, 5 euros for children from 6 and concessions, and 18 euros for a family of up to five. The museum stands on Invalidenstrasse in Mitte, four minutes from its own U-Bahn stop, in a Prussian block that has held natural history since 1889. Behind the public galleries sit roughly 30 million objects. In front of them are the tallest mounted dinosaur skeleton in the world, the Berlin Archaeopteryx and a glass walled room of specimen jars. This guide covers every ticket price and discount, the timed entry slot, opening hours, what is on show now and how to run the visit with children in tow.
About This Experience
Invalidenstrasse 43, Mitte, 10115 Berlin, on the north side of the street between Hauptbahnhof and Nordbahnhof.
U6 to Naturkundemuseum is the closest stop, about 300 m and 4 minutes on foot. Trams M5, M8, M10 and M12 and bus 245 also stop at Naturkundemuseum, and buses 120, 123, 142 and 245 stop at Invalidenpark, also 300 m away. S-Bahn Nordbahnhof (S1, S2) is about 900 m, roughly 12 minutes, and Berlin Hauptbahnhof (S5, S7) about 1,300 m, roughly 17 minutes. The museum has no car park of its own. The nearest paid garages are at the Mercure Hotel, Invalidenstrasse 38 (200 m), and at the H+ Hotel and Rewe, Chausseestrasse 118-120 (350 m). Bike racks are plentiful.
Tuesday to Friday 09:30 to 18:00. Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 10:00 to 18:00. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. Closed every Monday. Holiday hours around Christmas and New Year, and the odd early close for events, are posted on the museum's special opening hours page, and the ticket shop shows no slots on those days.
At the door, adults pay 11 euros, children from 6 and concessions pay 5 euros, and under 6s are free. A family ticket for 2 adults and up to 3 children under 14 is 18 euros, and the small family ticket for 1 adult and up to 2 children is 12 euros. The Museum Pass Berlin gets you in free, and the Berlin WelcomeCard cuts the adult price to 8 euros. There is no monthly free entry day here.
A neoclassical Prussian building opened in 1889 as part of the Humboldt University complex. The east wing stood as a war ruin for decades and was rebuilt in 2010 with a cast concrete replica facade, which you can read plainly from the courtyard side.
The 13.27 m Giraffatitan brancai, Tristan Otto the Tyrannosaurus rex (on show until 30 November 2027), the Berlin Archaeopteryx, the wet collection of specimen jars, Knut the polar bear and Bobby the gorilla.
How Much Are Museum für Naturkunde Berlin Tickets?
An adult ticket to the Museum für Naturkunde costs 11 euros, and children aged 6 to 15 pay 5 euros. The table lists every ticket the museum sells, the discounts that passes give, and the timed ticket you can book below, so you can see which one fits your group before you pick a slot.
| Ticket | Who it covers | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | Visitors aged 16 and over | 11 euros |
| Child or concession | Children from 6, pupils 16+, students, pensioners (with proof) | 5 euros |
| Under 6 | Pre-school children | Free |
| Family | 2 adults with up to 3 children under 14 | 18 euros |
| Small family | 1 adult with up to 2 children under 14 | 12 euros |
| Group | Adults in groups of 10 or more | 8 euros each |
| Group concession | Concessions in groups of 10 or more | 2 euros each |
| Berlin WelcomeCard | Card holder, with ID | 8 euros (concession 2 euros) |
| Museum Pass Berlin | 3-day pass holder, with ID | Free |
| Technikmuseum ticket | 1 companion of a regular Technikmuseum ticket holder, until the end of 2026 | Free |
| Annual pass | Adult, concession, family, mini-family | 35, 23, 65 or 38 euros |
| Timed entrance ticket | One adult, one arrival window, audio guide | $12 |
The timed entrance ticket here is the museum's own ticket, sold through GetYourGuide with the museum listed as the provider, so the price sits about level with the 11 euro door rate. What it adds is a fixed arrival window that skips the ticket desk queue, free cancellation up to 24 hours before, and the audio guide in ten languages. What it lacks is the family rate: two adults with three children pay 18 euros at the museum's own counter or shop, far less than five single tickets.
Passes are the other shortcut. With the Museum Pass Berlin you show the pass and ID at the entrance and walk in, and the WelcomeCard discount works at the desk or in the museum's online shop.
Source: Museum für Naturkunde: plan your visit, Museum für Naturkunde: ticket partnerships.
Check Live Availability & Prices
Entry runs in one hour slots. Weekend and school holiday mornings are the first to fill. Live dates and prices are below.
Which Natural History Museum Ticket to Pick
There is one bookable product and it does one thing well. The online entrance ticket at $12 reserves a one hour arrival window and lets you walk in rather than queue at the desk. It covers the permanent galleries, the dinosaur hall, the wet collection and the mineral rooms, and it holds a 4.6 rating from 3,738 reviews, which is a large enough sample to trust.
You can cancel it free up to 24 hours ahead.
It suits anyone arriving at a weekend, in the Berlin school holidays, or with children who will not tolerate a queue. The maths is simple: the booked slot costs about the same as the 11 euro adult door price, so you pay nothing extra for the certainty. If you are two adults with three children under 14, the 18 euro family ticket at the counter is far cheaper than five separate tickets, and on a quiet Tuesday afternoon the queue you are avoiding barely exists.
Book online for timing, not to save money.
What the ticket does not include is a live guide. There is no live commentary. The museum's digital guide runs free on your phone in 11 languages, with a separate children's version and a German Sign Language version, so bring headphones and load it before you arrive, because the wifi is patchy inside the stone halls.
Two hours is the museum's own suggested visit length, which leaves room to pair this with something else from the best museums in Berlin for families rather than blocking out a whole day.
Natural History Museum Berlin Tickets
The timed entrance ticket, with live pricing and the next available slots.
from $12
Natural History Museum Entrance Ticket
The Museum für Naturkunde holds the tallest mounted dinosaur skeleton in the world, a Brachiosaurus from Tanzania, and the Berlin Archaeopteryx, the best specimen of its kind anywhere…
- World's tallest mounted dinosaur
- The Berlin Archaeopteryx
- Best museum in Berlin for kids
What You'll See
The Dinosaur Hall is why most people come and it earns it. The mounted Giraffatitan brancai, long labelled Brachiosaurus brancai, stands 13.27 m tall and 26.8 m long, the tallest mounted dinosaur skeleton anywhere, excavated on the German Tendaguru expeditions in what is now Tanzania between 1909 and 1913. Tristan Otto, one of the best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons in the world, was found in the Hell Creek Formation in Montana in 2010 and runs about 12 m long and 4 m high, with bone that reads almost black.
He is on loan and is the centrepiece of the special exhibition DINOSAURS! Age of the Giant Lizards, which now runs until 30 November 2027, so he is not part of the standing display and will not be there forever. A Triassic Plateosaurus and a 3D printed Triceratops skull sit alongside him, laying out three geological periods in one room.
The rest of the building is quieter and better than its reputation. The Berlin specimen of Archaeopteryx lithographica, lifted from Solnhofen limestone in 1874 or 1875, is the most complete example known and the first found with a clear skull. It gets called the Mona Lisa of fossils, and the small crowd around its case is the giveaway.
In the rebuilt east wing the wet collection runs behind glass, about a million animals kept in some 80 tonnes of alcohol on steel shelving, one of the most photographed rooms in the city. Then there are the two animals Berlin actually mourned, Knut the polar bear from the 2007 media story and Bobby the gorilla, who died at the zoo in 1935 and is shown with an account of the public grief that followed.
The Giraffatitan brancai in the Dinosaur Hall stands 13.27 m tall, the tallest mounted dinosaur skeleton in the world.
How a Visit Flows
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13:30
Arrive and drop everything
Mornings are the museum's own busiest window, so a booked early afternoon slot is calmer. The cloakroom is free and compulsory for anything larger than A4, and the lockers take a 1 euro coin that comes back. Suitcases cannot be stored at all, so do not come straight from Hauptbahnhof with luggage.
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13:45
Straight into the Dinosaur Hall
Walk past the ticket desk into the big hall before doubling back. Most arrivals drift into the smaller rooms on the left first, which leaves the Giraffatitan and Tristan with breathing space for a while.
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14:30
Archaeopteryx and the fossil rooms
The Berlin Archaeopteryx sits in its own case nearby. Children who are done with dinosaurs by now will keep going for the minerals and the meteorite material, which is the next room adults tend to skip.
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15:15
Coffee before the second half
Cafe MarcAnn's is on site. The galleries are not air conditioned, so on a July or August afternoon this stop matters more than it sounds and the museum itself tells visitors to bring water.
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15:45
The wet collection
The glass walled jar room in the east wing is calmest in the last hour, once the dinosaur crowd has left the building. Give it ten minutes rather than one photograph.
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16:30
Out and onward
Two hours covers the permanent galleries comfortably, three if children linger. Nordbahnhof and the Berlin Wall Memorial are about 12 minutes on foot, and Hamburger Bahnhof is a similar walk the other way.
Know Before You Go
Not suitable for
- Monday arrivals, since the museum is closed every Monday
- Travellers with suitcases, since large luggage cannot be stored anywhere in the building
- Anyone counting on Tristan Otto after 30 November 2027, when the special exhibition he anchors is set to end
What to bring
- Headphones and a charged phone for the free digital guide, loaded before you arrive
- A 1 euro coin for the lockers, refunded when you take your bag back
- Water, especially in summer, because the halls are not air conditioned
- ID for a concession or family claim at the counter
Not allowed
- Bags larger than A4 in the galleries, which go to the compulsory cloakroom first
- Suitcases and large luggage anywhere in the building, including the cloakroom
- Entry more than 30 minutes before closing, since last admission is 17:30
Accessibility, food and parking
- The step-free entrance is to the right of the main door, and a lift or stairlift reaches the cloakrooms, the accessible toilet and the exhibition level
- Seating stands in every gallery, and the audio guide has a German Sign Language version
- Café MarcAnn's on site opens Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00, and you can also bring your own food
- There is no museum car park: use the paid garages at Invalidenstrasse 38 or Chausseestrasse 118-120
Insider Tips
Six things regular visitors do differently from first timers.
- Walk straight into the Dinosaur Hall and double back afterwards, because nearly everyone turns left into the smaller rooms first
- Save the wet collection for the last hour before closing, when the dinosaur crowd has already left through the front
- Aim for a weekday late afternoon slot. Early afternoon and weekend mornings are the crush, and the museum itself points walk-in groups to midday onward
- Two hours really does cover the permanent galleries, so pair it with Hamburger Bahnhof or the Berlin Wall Memorial instead of planning a full day
- Load the free digital guide on your own phone before you go in rather than hunting for an audio unit, since the wifi is weak inside the stone halls
- If the Deutsches Technikmuseum is also on your list, go there first and keep the regular ticket, because until the end of 2026 it brings a companion in here free
Where You're Headed
Natural History Museum Berlin FAQ
How much are Museum für Naturkunde Berlin tickets?
At the door, 11 euros for adults, 5 euros for children from 6 and for concessions, and free for under 6s. The family ticket for 2 adults and up to 3 children under 14 is 18 euros, and the small family ticket for 1 adult and up to 2 children is 12 euros. The timed online entrance ticket is $12 and can be cancelled free up to 24 hours ahead.
What are the opening hours of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin?
Tuesday to Friday 09:30 to 18:00, and Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 10:00 to 18:00. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. The museum is closed every Monday, and holiday hours around Christmas and New Year appear on its special opening hours page.
Is Tristan the T. rex still on display in Berlin?
Yes. Tristan Otto is the centrepiece of the special exhibition DINOSAURS! Age of the Giant Lizards, which runs until 30 November 2027. He is on loan rather than part of the permanent collection, so he leaves when the exhibition closes.
How long do you need at the Natural History Museum Berlin?
The museum suggests two hours, and that is realistic for the permanent galleries. Families who let children work through the dinosaur hall and the mineral rooms at their own speed usually stretch it to three.
Is the Natural History Museum Berlin free on Sundays?
No. Berlin's Museumssonntag scheme, which made many city museums free on the first Sunday of the month, held its final edition on 1 December 2024 and has not returned. Any page still promising free first Sundays here is out of date. Free entry now applies only to under 6s, pre-school children, teachers with school groups, ICOM members, press card holders and carers of severely disabled visitors.
Can I just turn up at the Natural History Museum Berlin without a ticket?
Yes. The ticket desk sells walk-up tickets at 11 euros for adults. The museum recommends a timed slot to skip the desk queue, which matters on weekend and school holiday mornings, so book a timed ticket if you are arriving then.
Is the Museum für Naturkunde included in the Museum Pass Berlin?
Yes. Show the 3-day Museum Pass Berlin and ID at the entrance and you go in free without queuing at the desk. The Berlin WelcomeCard is a discount rather than free entry: adults pay 8 euros instead of 11. A regular Deutsches Technikmuseum ticket also brings one companion in free here until the end of 2026.
Are the exhibits labelled in English?
Yes. Labels are bilingual German and English throughout, and the museum's free digital guide runs on your own phone in 11 languages, with a separate children's version in German and English and a German Sign Language version.
Which U-Bahn stop is the Natural History Museum Berlin?
Naturkundemuseum on the U6, about 300 m and four minutes from the entrance. Trams M5, M8, M10 and M12 and bus 245 use the same stop, and Nordbahnhof on the S1 and S2 is roughly 12 minutes on foot.
Is the Natural History Museum Berlin good for toddlers and young children?
It works best for roughly ages 4 to 12, and the dinosaur hall does most of the work. Pushchairs are allowed throughout the building, so under 4s are easy to bring along even if the labels are lost on them.
What Visitors Say
We (adults + 12 year old) really enjoyed the Natural History Museum and spent several hours there.
Natural History Museum Entrance Ticket
A wide variety of exhibits, including unique skeletons of Giraffatitan, Tyrannosaurus, and others
Natural History Museum Entrance Ticket
A worthwhile museum. Absolutely recommended collection, good presentation of the objects.
Natural History Museum Entrance Ticket
Verified-booking reviews from the GetYourGuide listing, quoted as written (translated by GetYourGuide where the reviewer wrote in another language).