My first stop in Berlin and on my list of must-visit spots if you're into western art. Located in a museum district (different from museum island), this museum is part of the Kulturforum group of museums*, which is nearby the Berlin Philharmonic and Kammermusikaal concert hall. It's a little more than 10 min walk west from Potsdamer Platz. Tickets are €16, (~$16.50USD currently) and can be purchased online or in-person, and arriving around 2pm on a Friday afternoon the short line took about 10 minutes. You can also purchase one-day tickets to all the museums in the Kulturforum for €4 more which I didn't realize until after the fact or I would've done that. You can't pay the difference to upgrade the ticket. They don't allow larger bags or backpacks so these can be checked for free with a €1 coin (returned upon retrieval of your items) in the lockers in the basement. The main special exhibit when I visited was on the works of Frans Hals. They assembled a large number of works, maybe around 100, including some of his contemporaries and artists coming out of his workshop. The gallery was laid out mostly in chronological order and I greatly appreciated their effort in providing both German and English descriptions for every work. There are many other pieces outside of this exhibit by well-known or lesser-known artists. Some names you may recognize include Rembrandt, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Johannes Vermeer, Titian, Peter Paul Rubens, Albrecht Dürer. I really enjoyed perusing their entire collection! If you take your time I'm sure you could easily spend 5 hours here though I given the time of day I spent around 2.5 hrs. There is a museum cafe available on the second floor accessible from the Kulturforum lobby, and a museum store also adjacent to the lobby. Bathrooms or located in a few diff locations including by the lockers in the basement. Easily reachable by public transportation and some walking, or parking is located in various lots/structures nearby. *consists of: Gemäldegalerie Kunstbibliothek Kunstgewerbemuseum Kupferstichkabinett Neue Nationalgalerie read more

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This museum was awesome and it was fun to take an electric scooter to. My mother and I visited this museum a few months ago and when we got there we ran inside as it was a tad close to closing time. They won't let you take big coats or anything inside the actual museum so I had to rush downstairs to the lockers to put my stuff away. This is one of the coolest museums in Berlin, IMO. They had some paintings that I have been wanting to see for years so it was well worth the trip. They have a TON of paintings and art here, it was overwhelming, in a good way. When I'm in Berlin again, I will definitely be going back. read more

It was a little difficult to find. There's no big sign saying Gemaldgalerie. There is a huge sign saying KULTURFORUM. Go there. As with all museums in Berlin, you have to leave your coats and bags in lockers or at the coat check(gardenrobe). Also in all museums THERE ARE NO DRINKING FOUNTAINS ANYWHERE! This museum had a big Donatello exhibit, many Rubens, and a ton of Renaissance and religious art. We spent about 2 hours there. It was a very good museum. read more

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We visited this museum yesterday and the collection is outstanding. The Dutch Masters paintings didn't do much for me because the colors are so muted, but there are many other paintings whose colors are incredibly vibrant and it's amazing that the colors have held up so well after literally centuries. Also, some of the paintings have gorgeous/elaborate frames. The building is also very physically appealing, for several reasons: (a) It has many skylights. (b) It has a few lovely views of a pretty courtyard from floor-to-ceiling windows. (c) There's an area that has long wooden benches looking out onto the street through the aforementioned large windows, and we took advantage of that quiet room because we were exhausted. read more

This museum seems to be a must-go in Berlin. It was totally recommended by a lot of people to me. And this was for a good reason. This museum is so big and has a lot of big names. It seems to be expensive, but the temporary exhibition "Boticelli" was included. Totally awesome, new and interesting compliation of paintings, that cover the reusage of the venus theme. Big congratz to the curators for this Boticelli thing. In the entry fee is also the free audio guide included. So grab one ;) read more

Gemäldegalerie Berlin - Kunstforum = Eingang - Museums Near Me - Berlin, BE

For me, this is one of the best museums/galleries in Berlin. It has not only huge collections, but also the bests. When I first read it online I wasn't sure if I going to like it or not, but since I love arts and paint time to time, so quickly I decide to give it a try. My first impression of the whole thing is the gallery is huge, while I was there it I was amazed by how many collections they offer there and most of are really good. I started to looking detail to detail, simply just lost count of time. Didn't realized that I already spent hours here until the radio said they were closing. It was simply brilliant! The museum exhibits paintings from between 13-18th centuries of Europe. There are lots a details on each paintings, you can see and feel with the painters, what the world was like for them and how they feel all on their works. The collections here most of them are oil paintings and base on the stories from religious. I also saw some sketches as well they are all very reality and rich. Beside on the ground floor, they also have some collections in the lower floor. I'm not is it always open, but when it does, don't forget to check it out. They also offer audio guide and lockers inside. After all was said and done, I really love this place. For me, coming here just one visit and try to finish everything, that's definitely not possible. I have been here now more than two times and I am sure I will still visit in the future. If you like oil paintings and European culture, this is definitely the place you should go and enjoy. read more

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I think people pass this up for the museum's on Museum Island, but don't! It's a treasure trove of European art, and has some great explanations of the history of Western art. It's a little overwhelming, but the getting lost in the rooms just means you find more stuff. We spent most of a day there. The salad bar in the cafe looks as good as Rick Steves says it is, but we had a great lunch in the cafe outside. And the museum was amazingly uncrowded! read more

What a fantastic place! You can get here using the Hop on Hop Off bus or bus 200- just get off on Symphonie street (the Berlin Symphony hall is across the street from the complex with Gemaldegalerie and the Decorative Arts Museum. ) We stayed several hours here using the audio guide-which is WONDERFUL. It's free- use it until you get so tired you can't walk anymore. Who knew the cucumber was a symbol of being preserved from the sins of the world? And the dragonfly is the devil's darning needle- and an evil insect. I did NOT know this, until I listened closely to my audio tour. You will see an astounding variety of works here- from Italy, the Low Countries, and everywhere else. We saw Raphael, Titian, Van Eyck, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Gainsborough, Hieronymous Bosch, Bruegel, and so many more. It was an amazing trip through the artistic landscape. And the galleries are a lovely temperature- after melting at the Museum Island museums, I was actually a little chilly in the Gemalde Gallery- bring a sweater. It's wonderful, in summer, to be a little cold in Berlin! DO go to the cafe. I had a wonderful pesto pasta there- with delicate fresh leaves of basil, and toasted pine nuts. Delicious. You'd think you'd have to fight the crowds for this place, wouldn't you? But you don't. I don't know why it is so uncrowded, but let's not complain- just savor it. I sat in rooms all by myself, just soaking in the art. And the benches are plentiful and comfortable- and in some corners of the museum they have corner seating arrangements. read more

This museum is large and amazing. I did not have enough time to get to Dutch and German painting but went through the entire Renaissance-Baroque section and it was quite amazing. They have a Caravaggio--amazing and perfectly displayed. The audio guide was okay--1/2 a description of the painting and 1/2 background. They also have a ton of Botticellis and three Raphaels. This is worth a visit especially if you love European art 1300-1800. I wish I had more time but I spent too much time looking at the Caravaggio and they start kicking you out at 5:45. read more

A wonderful and not too crowded art museum. I had only a very limited time to visit the museum, so I had to restrict my visit only to the Netherlandish and German painting till the sixteenth century: the collection is very impressive. Jan Van Eyck and Brueghel, Hans Baldung Grien and Lucas Cranach, Hans Holbein and Petrus Christus. A free audio-guide provides additional information without being disturbing. read more

A very extensive collection of western art -- dozens of rooms full of paintings, though none are particularly well-known. If you have a strong interest in western European portraiture cc. 1400-1900, you will probably find it worth the time and money to traverse the entire museum. Otherwise, I would save your museumgoing energy for Museum Island. read more

This is an update.The following day,I devoted my time at the excellent Gemaldegallerie to sedulously studying and enjoying fine paintings by Northern European Old Masters.These paintings were done in the Late Gothic,Renaissance,and Baroque Periods,Renaissance Period favorites included;Westphalian's"Crucifixion on Altarpiece From Soest,1239 AD,Gothic",Albrecht Durer's"Madonna With Siskin",Hugo Van Goes'"Adoration",Jan Van Eyck's"Madonna in Church",Aelbert Ouwater's"Raising of Lazarus",Lucas Cranach the Elder's"Fountain of Youth",Simon Marmion's"Scenes From Life of Saint Bertin", and,Jean Fouquet's"Etienne Chevalier With Saint Stephan".Baroque Period favorites done mostly by Dutch Masters included;Gerard Van Honthorst's"Liberation of Saint Peter",Pieter Jansz Saendredam's"View into Ambulatory of Saint Bavo in Haarlem",Ludolf Backhuysen's"Choppy Sea With Ships",Govaert Flinck's"Landscape With Bridge",Phillip Koninck's"Dutch Landscape",and Rembrandt's"Moses Smashing Tablets".I appreciated the excellent lighting in this art museum,the helpfulness of its staff,and the fine labelling and explanations of the superb paintings in English as well as German. read more