Beware that you won't receive the student discount unless your student ID has an expiration date! The ID's issued by my university don't have one and, because of that, they refused to allow entry for €6 and instead charged us regular admission for €12. The museum felt overpriced as several items within its collection are replicas (the originals are in the British Museum, which is free for all) and there was extensive construction that closed off some parts of the building. However, the Ishtar gates and the Miletus gates were amazing to view and the best part of the museum. Unless you're truly fascinated by Middle Eastern or Greek culture and structures, I'm not sure that this would be worth a long wait in line. read more

I saw this museum listed as the number one attraction in a Lonely Planet guide book, and I honestly have no idea what they were thinking. If you're a tourist trying to cram as much into your trip as possible, skip this. We waited in line for about 30 minutes, it was hot, we were tired...but heard it was great, so in we went. It's interesting, but only if you're super into Mesopotamian and Sumerian (etc) history. If not, meh. The audio guide is helpful but way too wordy and way too long for each room. You'll get bored of what you're looking at way before the lady is done rambling on. It's two stories of rocks and little trinkets. Oh, and most of it is plaster reproductions, so don't get too excited. read more

A lot of cool old stuff but the staff kinda sucks. I showed my student ID to get the student discount and they didn't honor it. Note to other students: you need your class schedule or they won't honor the discount. I was really looking forward to visiting this museum and one person ruined my entire visit. read more

I lived in Berlin for months, and this was by far my favorite thing I did while there. The processional gate into Baylon, the market gate and of course the Pergamon Altar were just breathtaking. The audio guides (in tons of languages) are included in the price of admission, and you get to set the pace of your tour by choosing the number of the thing you're looking at. I think you could spend an entire day standing small next to so many large and life altering artifacts. You learn so much about history and incredible civilizations that came before us. A must see. read more

The Altar is inaccessible. Pity. And Mondays are a bit tricky, only two of the island museums are open. read more

Pergamonmuseum - Traveling in time. The doctor - Museums Near Me - Berlin, BE

Rather boring museum houses grand structures from Greece, Egypt and the Middle East. You'll also see paintings, artifacts and sculptures. Like me, if this is not your thing, it is quite a bore. Luckily, it's not that large so not too much time is needed. I found the €12 entrance fee a bit much but you may enjoy it. read more

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Good: - This museum features beautiful life-size reconstructions of Pergamon Altar, Ishtar Gate and Market Gate of Miletus. History and/or architecture buffs could easily spend hours here. - Lockers for jackets! Not so Good: - During the construction, the entrance to the museum was not very easy to find. Note: Do allocate a full day or two to visit the museums on Museum Island. We only had enough time to visit 1 museum during our short stay but wished we had more time to visit other museums. Berlin WelcomeCard offers a great deal for those interested in museum hopping. read more

Astonishing Museum - I first saw it in 1987, when it was in the East German section of Berlin. It stunned me so much, I went to Turkey the following year to visit the actual site in Bergamo, a few hours bus from Izmir. I went back to the museum this week and it still holds its impact. One of the great things to see and experience in life. the exhibits are all in excellent condition - for me as a choreographer, it was like attending a really strong, beautiful dance. The physicality and majesty stun me. DO NOT MISS read more

Student price is zero with valid idea showing your are under 18. This review is based on the museum during the renovation (as many other reviewers have given the reviews of the museum when it is fully open) It is pricey considering the Reconstruction. There is about 1/3 of the museum left for your to view. The gates, mythology relief, Roman marketplace entrance, and Islam section are what is left. Considering how much is missing, I thought the admission price was steep. I would also allot only an hour with this renovation if you like (but not love Ancient history). If you have only time for one museum this trip. I'm not sure I would make it this one while it is under renovation. read more

Just like Goldilock's proverbial 3rd bowl of porridge, this museum is just right! I love its size, layout, mixture of large items that awe and the select number of small items that fascinate and intrigue. Too many museums pack their walls from floor to ceiling with items such that it becomes overwhelming to take in. The Pergamon vast space and select exhibits lets you take in the piece and feel as if you are "there" and not just a latter day spectator. The Pergamon Alter was amazing, and the Market Gate, Assyrian Palace, and Ishtar Gate from ancient Babylon were all showstoppers. These grand items are truly unique and so cool to see that you get lost in their humongous scope and beauty. Once you're done with these jaw droppers, you can move on to see a nice variety of incredible mosaics, fine statuary, and gorgeous friezes. A Berlin must-see! read more

The Pergamon is a really interesting museum, heavy on European and middle eastern exhibits. Although many of the most popular exhibits are closed right now (Feb. 2016) for massive remodeling project that will be ongoing for the next few years, there was still plenty to see. We spent about a half day here, moving through the museum at a leisurely pace. One important tip: There can sometimes be very long lines just to get in - but if you purchase tickets online (same price as at the door) then you can set an entry time and walk right up. That's really nice when you're trying to plan your day/timing. Also, the other museums just near the pergamon are super cool to look at from the outside - without even spending any money to get in. Plan a little bit of time to walk all around 'museum island' to see all the cool buildings, and the Berlin Cathedral less than a block away. read more

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This museum is the embodiment of awesome. It is here you must come if you want to see HUGE OLD stuff. It's EUR8 a throw or EUR12 for all the museums on Museum Island, which is a pretty good deal if you've got the time to see them all. (alternatively rock up on Thursdays after 6pm and it's free). Even the walk up to the entrance is mighty impressive as the museum flanks you and it gets more massive and imposing the closer you get. Once inside you can use the free cloakroom and the free toilet so you can explore the museum unburdened. You're given a free audio tour guide which I really liked. I did the highlights option and then pottered about getting information on specific things I liked the look of by typing in the relevant number on my little pad. The eponymous exhibition the altar and frieze of Pergamon - will take your breath away. It's sheer size is matched by the incredible beauty and talent exhibited. When you think it was made thousands of years ago it becomes even more mind-smashingly great. The other amazing thing is the Babylonian exhibit. They could only fit the first gate of Babylon in because the second is too huge for the museum. The processional way is wonderful, especially considering the colours have been preserved, it feels magic and I wanted to sing 'A Whole New World' while waltzing down it. read more

The Pergamon is incredibly impressive as you walk into the first hall. However, it's mostly downhill from there. As many pop albums are front-loaded with the hit singles, this is a front-loaded museum. The further in you go, the less impressive it becomes. It's also not very big, so if you're not in the mood to really study every artifact, you can easily see the entire museum in less than two hours. They do give you some rather good audio guides though, which if you had the time, you could probably listen to for days. Almost every artifact seems to have 10 minutes of audio. Also, like I said, the impressive stuff is very very impressive, so overall a pretty decent museum. read more

Nice museum. The big draw the Pergamon altar. They have the tried to recreate the altar with steps which are not the original of course. The other exhibits of architecture are good too. Unless you really know what you are looking at I would recommend an audio guide. My player did not work so that part was a waste of money. Would have given 5 stars other than that. I would not recommend this to kids. They may be bored. No hands on exhibits. read more

We tried to book our tickets online, but after the first page all the pages are solely in German so it was too daunting for us to figure it all out. As it turns out, that worked in our favor as we planned to visit on our first day in Berlin, but our flight missed a connection and we never even made it to town that day. So after our walking tour of Berlin, we made our way over to Museum Island. On Saturdays and Sundays there is an amazing flea market in and around the Bode Museum that you really should make the effort to see. Lots of books, steins, antiques, and in another section lots of new, artistic items (paintings, clothing/scarves, and crazy things like intense close up photos of your iris done as you wait!) When we finally located the Pergamon, there was definitely a line. Fortunately most of it was under a roof, so you won't be standing in the blazing sun (or in our case a light drizzle). They let like 20-25 people in at once, and wait until they all process their tickets, then let another group in. We waited about 30 minutes before we made it in (we got in line about 2pm). My children are in college, and so we tried to get the student discounted rate - you must present a student ID for that to work (although when my son handed the clerk his Penn State ID you could tell she had no idea what he was giving her). The audio guide is free with admission, and truly worth it. You walk up to an exhibit and punch in the number of the exhibit and it starts to play. It really helps you to appreciate what you are looking at. One note - we were wearing windbreakers because it had been rainy, and my son got hot and took his off when he was walking around. The guards stopped him and said either he had to wear it or take it back to the entrance to check it in at the coat check. So keep that in mind. Lots of places to sit in this museum, which after a long day of walking was truly appreciated. Definitely check this out! read more

I agree that the museum itself is part of the impression made on the visitor. The displays are done in such a way as to best allow for the impact of the ancient artifacts and yet allow easy access to them for viewing. Several months after visiting the museum I can still recall the expanses and the distribution of the items. There is almost too much to take in during a single visit and if one happens to go at a busy time, there are definitely too many people. Not that having lots of people go to museums is EVER a bad thing! It's hard to say whether the Ishtar gate or the Miletus market gate was more impressive, because they are both very different. One does clearly get the sense that the weight of history is felt in this space and should be taken seriously always. By that I mean that the ancient past has so much presence in the Pergamon Museum and is presented in all of its majesty, so that even the less aesthetically inclined will have to take away a new respect for what the cultures of other eras created. The three main departments - Classical Antiquities, Ancient Near East, and islamic Art - combine to achieve this effect. Not to be forgotten is the history of the museum itself, with the damage done by air attacks in WWII and the distribution of artifacts in other places. read more

Very impressive museum. Being able to see entire structures, full size is great, and unique for a museum. Unfortunately when i visited half of the museum was closed, though, and I don't think I'll get a chance to visit again any time soon... read more

Several of these exhibits would be worth the cost of admission by themselves. The structures are awe inspiring. Not necessarily a piece of German history, but a wonderful museum. Buy tickets online to avoid the queue. There is a shipping container that claims to have museum island tickets, but then the window says, "no Pergamon museum tickets". This threw me off, and then the person working the ticket booth was a rude and unhelpful. read more

Pergamon sehen und dann ausgehen! The altar is pretty cool but once you have seen it the museum is not worth much. I think it´s a bit boring.... read more

try as hard as I did, but I didn't see anything about Gozer the Gozerian in the ancient Middle East section here. someone should alert the Ghostbusters. Berlin has a small island devoted to museums. how cool is that? the Pergamon showcases art, architecture, statues, and other artifacts from the ages. it's actually split into 3 subdivision museums: - ancient Greece and Rome - ancient Middle East (Babylonian, Sumerian, Assyrian) - classical Islamic art (Ottoman Empire, North Africa, Muslim Spain, Mughal India) I would recommend you set aside at least 2 hours for this museum and strap on a good pair of shoes - there is a lot of stuff on display and plenty of photo opportunities, and it's a very popular museum, so whether you go early or late won't really matter too much, there'll be a crowd. luckily, there are plenty of little seating areas. I particularly liked the recreated Roman villa courtyard with statues, fountains, and a reflecting pool. the Ishtar Gate and the Pergamon Altar are both ginormous. admission is 8 Euro, less with a discount. once a week (Thursdays) it's free. read more

Politics and controversy aside, the Pergamon houses some amazing architectural pieces under one roof. The collection is the closest that many of us will be able to get to the art of Greece, Syria, and other ancient civilizations, especially since visiting the countries from which most of the collection comes is a dangerous proposition these days. read more

This was the museum I really wanted to see on Museum Island. I had gotten the Berlin Pass so I could enter most of the major sites and museums in Berlin as part of the pass. The statues of the Greek gods & godessess were my favorite and all of the artifacts in there were impressive. This trip is inspiring me to make a trip to Rome as soon as I can! It is just amazing to see the reconstruction of these ancient artifacts in this massive space. The crowds of tourists were a bit much though... read more

I find this museum offensive. They stole entire sections of historic buildings. For example, there's an entire section of the Acropolis floor and whole walls from the Pergamon. Everyone oohs and ahhs, but it's the equivalent to taking the entire Jefferson Memorial and plopping it down in Berlin. It does not belong there. To take more than a modicum of such structures diminishes their overall significance. This museum does it at an offensive and excessive level. You're a museum. Take a few jewels or busts to display; how about some arrowheads (those are always plentiful). Use them for the purpose of educating the public; to expand their minds to relics they would not see otherwise. But leave the structures/buildings/monuments alone. They are out of context in your museum, and I shutter to think what's left of them in their natural habitat. read more

My friend and I came here very hungover, starved, severly sleep deprived and still mustered up the energy to look around here for HOURS. This place is an incredible site for anyone who is even slightly interested in history, and if not, it will pique your interest. The frieze, ishtar gate, and market of miletus can not be delivered in photographs. It is certainly one of those museums that must be seen in person because of the ornate detail and immense size of the pieces here. When in Berlin, Pergamon is a win. read more

This place has huge sections of historic buildings and the walls. Definitely a must see. I spent about 2-3 hours looking at the whole museum. The tickets were about 12 euro. They also gave me a free headset to listen to the audio tour. You have to give it back before you leave. read more

What is British museum for London so is Pergamon museum for Berlin. It´s amazing place with huge spaces and great artefacts. It´s definitely must see place. Even if you are a not a fan of ancient world, you will be after visiting this place. read more

A real beauty, and Berlin's most recognisable monument, together with the TV tower and the victory column. Worth a visit day and night.

Absolutely amazing place. Not without controversy, I mean the Pergamon Altar & the Ishtar Gate are INSIDE the Museum. No trip to Berlin is complete without visiting the place. read more

Greatest museum in the world. Museum built around a temple that is several thousand years old. Without places like this, this amazing architecture would be left to decay. read more

Aside from the fact that it's consistently a bajillion degrees in here, overcrowded and stuffy, ya just can't miss it.

World-class museum focusing on ancient civilizations. The Ishtar Gate of Babylon is essentially rebuilt inside the compound, which is the centerpiece of the collection. Huge interior stairway atrium with glass room provides some relaxing and sitting space after an easy 2+ hour walk through the variety of exhibits. Thorough information placards abound in English. Highly recommended. read more

The Pergamon Museum in Berlin is one of the most beautiful antiquity museums of the world. It accommodates the frieze of the Pergamon Altar, the Market Gate of Miletus and the Ishtar Gate with the Processional Way of Babylon. I love to sit on the altar's stairs viewing at the details of the frieze. Enyoying the lovely blue of the Babylonian tiles I try to imagine what kind of people the Babylonians once might have been. read more

Pergamonmuseum - Museums Near Me - Berlin, BE

The Pergamon Museum is on the smaller side, (it took us just a couple of hours to complete) but has a great collection of Middle Eastern and Islamic art. A whole wing is currently under construction so we weren't able to experience the whole museum. They offer headphone tours in multiple languages. The highlight for us was the "Ishtar Gate" which was composed of brilliant glazed blue bricks and it made you imagine what it must have been like to have seen it in it's original glory. If you are not into Middle Eastern or Islamic Art then perhaps a visit to this museum is not for you. read more

Very cool museum, easy in and out, but watch out! Half of it is closed at the moment.

Hands down the best history museum I've visited, ancient or modern. I've been twice now, and both times been hugely impressed by the exhibits - even if you aren't that interested in classical civilisation or ancient history it's still absolutely worth seeing. The babylonian gates and the Roman Market gate in particular are stunning. A little pricey at 12€ per person for entry, but worth doing at least once - and totally free for under 18s! read more

So very frustrating. Knew that the Pergamon altar was closed for renovations but decided to go anyways because of the great recommendations. However, when I arrived, there was no discount for the main exhibit being closed. Compare this to the Alte in Munich which slashed their rates in half to compensate for some of the exhibits being closed for renovations. I proceeded to the counter and ordered a student ticket like I've done on all my travels. When I passed over my student ID card, I was told "This is not a valid student ID. 12 euro." I was confused, apparently you can pay $25 to get an "ISIC" card to get student discounts...I've traveled to Italy, France, England, Scotland, Ireland, all over the US, Canada...and never once have been told that I need to pay for a student identification card to prove I'm a student. I told him that this card was accepted at every other museum and he smugly replied "We are not every other museum." Well, if you're going to rip off college students and not recognize other university's identification cards, I will take my money elsewhere. Absolutely ridiculous and so rude. If the main exhibit had been open, I probably would have forked over the extra 6 euros but cannot support such a business. read more