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.

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.

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.

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.

Topography of Terror is an indoor and outdoor history museum that was built on the site of former…read moreNazi (e.g., SS and Gestapo) buildings. The museum includes permanent and special exhibitions. My husband and I had hired a private guide for a city-wide tour, but I believe that admission to this museum is free. Here, we visited mostly the outdoor exhibit, which included the remains of Nazi buildings and part of the Berlin Wall. Fifteen stations had informational panels with photos and descriptions of events between 1933 and 1945. Text described the economic crisis and the rise of the Nazi Party in the 1920s; the registration and persecution of Jews, Gypsies, the disabled, and other demographic groups; the Allied air attacks in 1943; and the surrender of Berlin in 1945. Being on the same ground as Nazis were decades ago was an educational experience. According to the informational panels, construction of the Berlin wall began in 1961, and it reached 150 kilometers in length. It was intended to prevent the crossing of refugees from East Germany into West Germany. I felt very interested in seeing the concrete with holes, rebar, and graffiti. I hope that when people visit this museum, they learn to accept different groups of people and to oppose all forms of prejudice and discrimination.

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.

We thoroughly enjoyed this trip. It offered a lot of information about Anne, her family, and other…read morepeople they knew. We loved that it was interactive. You could select photo panels that you felt were most important to display for visitors who come after you. We also loved the writing/drawing interactive prompts, prompting visitors to write letters to the future, make memorials, and report antisemitism. The audio provided in your native language in videos was very much appreciated, and it was helpful to use as you walked through. Multiple people could listen at once, or you could listen alone without bothering anyone else with the audio tool provided. I highly recommend visiting this museum for reflection on the stolen life of this child, Anne Frank, and to reflect on what is happening in our own countries and lives now.

Nice little museum hidden in an eclectic alleyway up on the third floor. The alleyway walls are…read morecovered with murals, with a lovely mural of Anne Frank in front of the museum entrance. Provides a timeline of Anne's life on one side with a timeline of happenings in Germany on the opposite wall. At the time of our visit, they had facsimiles of the diary and her baby book on loan from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. There are additional interactive displays, and a movie, if you have the extra time to spend. Admission is 5 Euros for adults. Note they do have a student rate, although the rate wasn't posted.

I love museums, but this museum is pathetic…read more The main history museum is closed, and only one odd display called " the road, not taken" is open in the more modern building. We made the mistake of purchasing combo tickets for both the history component and the nature component of the museum. The nature component of the museum is simply one of the worst, most logical, and pathetic museums I've ever encountered. Until the big history museum is reopened, simply skip " the road, not taken" and visit the topography of terror. The topography of terror presented much deeper history and it's free. Cost for both museums was €10 per person. Coat check and bag storage is on the ground floor. No cost for coat check and bag storage. Clean restrooms on ground floor. A water bottle filling station is available on the ground floor but no water fountains. Be sure to bring your own water bottle. Free Wi-Fi available

This is a lovely building. It is 5 euros per person if you want to do both exhibits. The main…read moreexhibit is not worth 2.5 euros, it should be free because it is disjointed and odd. 1star but the potato display was the best! Skip that exhibit and do The roads not Taken exhibit if you want an overview of German history and even then I would almost say skip it. 3 stars. Free WiFi, toilets are clean, and coat check available.

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!

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!

Ridiculously well done. Tightly packed well curated exhibits redolent with human-interestread more

I finally made it to Zeiss planetarium after years of passing by but never actually visiting…read more We came here for a show about the planets with our son. It was a bit different than I expected (a lot of talking and Q&A with kids, as opposed to a show where you sit back and watch some narration), but he seemed to enjoy it. The facilities are nice and the projector is cool! I would like to see another show here, but perhaps one that's a little more "advanced" and for enjoyment more than school groups.

A nice way to pass some time & also learn something :) I took my friends son ( 6 years old) and he…read morereally liked it. The program was appropriate for the age group, and I even found myself picking up some new knowledge! He wants to go back for the planet program and I will gladly take him there again.