My favorite museum on the island. It has the famous gates that are a must see. It sold out for…read morethe day and there was a line at opening so get your tickets ahead online and put them in your smartphone wallet. They have a nice cafe with some good cakes and pastries. I recommend packing a picnic since the food options are limited in the area.

This is the most popular museum on the island, but I was not bowled over considering the wait. BIG…read moreHINT reserve your ticket time slot ahead of time. Even if you buy a multi-pass you still have to reserve a time of visit. The big appeal is the Roman entryway/Courtyard and castle facade. Sometimes you have to see for yourself what all the hype is about. One of the wings is closed and some of the Greek sculptures are on display at a separate building.

Here are some tips as this museum is surprisingly massive/overwhelming…read more 1. They offer student discounts even without ID. 2. For additional 5€ they have audio guides. You can do the museum without an audio guide I guess if you want to stand around and read endlessly or if you're already very familiar with this particular history. But the guides offer quick 1-3min explanations of select physical pieces. 3. If you really have time to kill, they have an additional exhibit on more current events on the floor leading to the bathrooms. 4. Chairs are all around for you to rest and you'll need it lol. 5. You need to exist threw the gift shop, of course. But you'll need to return the audio guides at the entrance so leaving and going back where you came from outside. Seems like an oversight that should be corrected.

I drove my rental car through Checkpoint Charlie several times in the early 1980's passing to the…read moreother side to hang out with friends I'd made on my first visit to East Berlin. The lines were sometimes long, and always slow...the East German guards searched the car on the way in for contraband they didn't want entering and then later that day when leaving passing mirrors underneath the car to make sure you weren't smuggling out a friend. The guards were always somber, stern and strict so it was always fun to try to get them to smile, typically without success. It's interesting now to see the area all opened up as it used to be a zig-zag maze of road blocks to keep the cars from moving too fast and busting through. The Galerie does a great job of showing what it was like back in the day!

AMAZING!!! Took 2 hours to get through the museum. Very hands on so good for families or something…read moreto do on a rainy day. If in Berlin don't leave without stopping here. Avoid Sundays if you can, it gets fairly busy and crowded.

What a beautiful museum with all kinds of displays. Most description cards are in German and…read moreEnglish. Allow at least 3-4 hours. They have a nice cafe too.

Free admission. Located in the old SS headquarters. Sections of the original Berlin Wall is here…read moreand you learn the history of the building and the horrific things that occurred during this time frame. This is a sad but educational museum. The hanging displays outside will take a good 2 hours to read and digest. Make sure to find the start and work your way forward, I started at the wrong end. Then after you finish outside go inside the museum to learn more. If you don't like to read, audio tours are available. I learned a lot about Siemens and VW involvement during this era. Shocking! Bathrooms: downstairs and very clean Facility: very clean We came in the winter, it was very cold so dress appropriately.

This is one of several museums in Berlin focusing on the history leading up to, during and post the…read moreHolocaust, World War II, the Nazi atrocities committed against Jews, minorities, LGBTQ and disabled peoples. The museum is located on land that used to be a former gestapo headquarters, along a long section of the Berlin Wall still standing in the city center, now outfitted with exhibits related to the museum as well. The interior of the museum consists of a chronological installation of the rise of Nazism, the both a subversive and swift movement that resulted in mass persecution, incarceration and annihilation of millions of people. They took a lot of care to include photos, images of documents, charts and diagrams of different elements of the Nazi movement, the main perpetrators of atrocities, while also highlighting the lives of those affected, suffering, and killed. The atmosphere inside was somber, though in a way hopeful--if you visit a location like this, (hopefully) you came to respect and learn, be saddened and moved by the past, and be compelled to stand for never again allowing this to happen.* It's terrific that this museum is open 10-8pm daily, and is free of charge. It shows commitment to being accessible and sharing this important story. Audio guides available in different languages. Almost all the displays were in both German and English. Bathrooms available downstairs, there is a library and education center downstairs as well. *I hope this also moves people to take a look at what's going on in the world thru different lenses and perspectives, as there are currently many injustices and oppressive practices less publicized by or more quickly cycled out of the American media. I hope this also prompts individuals to ask whether their own beliefs and actions could result in causing prejudice, hatred or mistreatment toward others not like themselves, and be more accepting of others.

Urban Nation is an amazing place for art lover…read more I"ve been here couple times and never got bored or disappointed. The gallery offer many amazing works from different artists. I love most the style they presented and great to get some new inspiration. It is free to visit and they usually change each exhibition between 1-3 months period of time. So visitors can have more time for the exhibition they interested at. They also paint the wall of the building outside time to time, very cool and camera ready.

Great museum that has an amazing art- graffiti/street art style…read moreInteresting stories behind pieces You can make some pretty cool photos there And the best part that it's free!

I always have the need to visit the modern art museums when I'm traveling. I'm curious to see what…read moreis being shown around the world. I decided to visit this one even though it involved an exhibit by Yoko Ono. The building looks like a simple, square building from the exterior. You go downstairs to purchase tickets. It cost $20 Euro. I had to drink all my water. No water bottles allowed around the art exhibits. I checked out the Yoko Ono "experience" first. You know, observer as artist. The audience partakes in taping pieces of broken white ceramic pieces and placing them on a white shelf to be observed. I did not participate. There are exhibits on the first floor and basement levels. More artwork than what I expected. They have a great collection of old and modern art. Many statues outside to observe. They set aside one door to enter and exit. I finished my visit with the interactive installation on the first floor. It had instructions posted before you could enter. The instructions were to take off your shoes and walk through slowly. It was one of those feelings where you actually do become a little disorientated and claustrophobic. My favorite piece.

The is one of the truly great art museums. I mean, it is really-really good…read more Like many museums the exhibits here are in a constant state of flux. Thus, there are always new art-viewing experiences to be had. The art in this museum is housed in a very beautiful, architecturally well-designed, structure. It is quite nice to simply stand outside and view. Plus, there is a lot of outdoor space around this museum. So, you can sit back and take in the day either before you go inside or afterwords. In terms of the interior gallery space, this museum is broken up into numerous rooms. The art is nicely separated by artist or by school of art. It is really a nice experience walking from room to room, taking in the various forms of art and artist that is offered. There is also a very nice curated outdoor art space associated with this museum. There you will see nice sculptures and the like. Overall, this is one of my favorite Art Spots in Berlin. Great Museum showing Great Works of Art!

Overview: Great Egyptian exhibits, some interesting additional exhibits. If you love history or…read moremuseums, this is a must see in Berlin. Number one reason to visit the Neues Museum is the Egyptian exhibits including seeing the original Queen Nefertiti. Beyond the fantastic Egyptian exhibits, there are many additional excellent artifacts and exhibits including a German medieval gold hat (which was also a celestial calendar), a contemporaneous coin showing an image of Charlemagne, and much more. In some parts of the museum we encountered displays there were broken and displays that were simply empty. Time budget: 3-4 hours minimum Overall cleanliness: excellent Bathroom cleanliness: excellent WiFi: some areas had free WiFi, but it was spotty Unique gripe: At the Nefertiti exhibit, photographs near the exhibit were prohibited. Visitors had to stand about 20 to 25 feet away from the exhibit to take photos. Very odd. Misc: No water fountains or bottle filling stations.

Their website needs work. Maybe it is the English side that is bad, but the website makes it…read moredifficult to find the hours of this museum. The website was also very vague about the Pergamum Museum being closed for 10 years for renovations! This is located on Museum island in the heart of Berlin. We walked here on a freezing cold day. We did not have tickets before hand. We arrived to the main entrance and were told NO, we needed to buy tickets in the side entrance. So we walked to the side. We entered and we were told NO, go downstairs. So we went downstairs to the same door that is the main entrance but we had to go around? Who knows, just be prepared to be confused by the signs and the docents. There are three people at the counter. 1 is for information only. 2 is the tickets only. 3 is audio guide only. I can see in the peak of summer that reservations and pre-paid is a good idea. We waited in line for roughly 6 minutes before we purchased our tickets. They try to do the upsell, but the only museum we wanted to see the Pergamum museum is closed for 10 years for renovations! They were not happy that museum is closed as well. Coat check: There is a free coat check. The lady will give you a number and just return it to get your coat. This museum is worth the money and the visit. There is quite a lot of Egyptian art on display that it can be overwhelming. The highlight is Nefertiti bust. She is quite beautiful to look at, but the museum does not allow photos of close. You have to be in the hallway where it is very difficult to get a photo because all the tourists are stopping and staring at her. Here are 3 tips: 1. Use a camera with a telephoto lens to zoom in and capture her 2. Rest your iPhone on the sign to keep it steady to get a great photos 3. If you have a young child, have them go and stand next to her, the docents are really nice and will make the tourists stop to allow the parents to snap a photo of their child and that is your opportunity to get a good photo too. You also learn a great deal about the Copper, Bronze and other ages and history of Germany. Bathrooms: very clean and free

Very interesting museum, but its inside a small location. They did a good job packing it with…read moreinformation, but many of the exhibits require you to open doors or slides to get the descriptions. If its packed full of people, then it gets super awkward trying to look over people's shoulders, etc. But, the history is super fascinating, and the displays are a look into the life of a GDR citizen, which has disappeared once the wall came down. Cool stuff, but go on a less busy day to get the full vibe out of the place.

Open 9am to 9pm daily, 365 days a year, this museum is small but a fun, interactive and educational…read moreexperience featuring the history, culture, and daily lives of people during the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR) (or in English--German Democratic Republic, GDR). I arrived on a Sunday evening around 7:30pm, and stayed almost until they closed at 9pm. That proved a good time to go since there were only about a dozen other visitors in the museum in that duration. Tickets are €13.50 for full price, €8.00 for discounted tickets for students, disabled, military in service or veterans, and recipients of certain unemployment benefits + 7% VAT. Kids under 6 are free. Tickets are available online or in person; when I was there, there wasn't a line. Inside the museum isn't large, kinda like the size of a large retail store. They really pack it in with tons of information about the life and times of people living during the East German socialist era. From providing background on the political shift post WWII, there's information on how social and economic policies affected everyday transactions--commuting to work, grocery store purchases, print/audio/film media, school courses and extracurriculars, vocations, community events and organizations, military service and leisure activities. They do this with a gamut of interactive displays--there are countless cupboards and drawers that can be opened to display descriptions and memorabilia from that era, or other hands-on elements. Anything from replicated excerpts of magazines and newspapers, recreated canned food labels, audio recordings of propaganda, history on the government officials, to the toys children used to play with, recipes for commonly eaten food, etc... The recreation of a DDR apartment with different rooms--foyer, living room, dining and kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, plus a couple full sized cars that you can sit in--really helps to rewind the clock for visitors to comprehend how life was like. Would definitely recommend a visit! I left feeling very creatively educated on DDR times. Gift shop and bathrooms are available. Parking is available via nearby structure, also reachable by public transit S/U-bahn, bus or tram.

Way too expensive for the small exhibition. Not too spectacular illusions. The vortex is kinda dope…read morethough.

The Eastside Gallery is a MUST STOP when visiting the Hauptstadt Berlin…read more If only to come see the mural "My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love" by Dmitri Vrubel. Recently, Berlin foodie stop Curry 61 did a funny parody, see photos. This section of the former Berlin Wall, has over a hundred mural on this lone remaining section on Mühlenstraße along the Spree River.

East Side Gallery is not really what is commonly thought of as an, "Art Gallery." What it is, is a…read morelong section of wall where various artist exhibit their work by creating one of their pieces on the wall. Yes, it is a little bit strange. East Side Gallery is a really a very long wall. There are a lot of artists that have their work showing on this wall. Just like beauty in in the eye of the beholder, so is art. Some of the work along this wall is very good. Others, not so much. All this being said, it is an interesting concept. And, it is something that you should see if you are in Berlin. Just don't get your hopes up to experience something truly revolutionary or cutting edge. Remember, it's just a wall with a bunch of paintings on it.