4.5 the Alte Nationalgalerie is a key museum in Berlin art exhibition landscape, focusing on…read more18-19th century European painting and sculpture, and based on the crowds on the day I was there, is very popular with visitors. With conceptualization beginning in the 1830-40s, the basis of the collection began with a bequeathment of 262 works from banker Joachim Heinrich William Wagener upon his passing in 1862. The building was completed in 1876 at the direction of King Frederick William IV of Prussia based on original designs in a Neoclassical style by Friedrich August Stüler, which after his death were completed by Johann Heinrich Strack. During WWII, much of Museumsinsel was damaged by bombing, with holdings displaced between East and West Germany, and the museum's collections only reunited after the 1990 fall of the Berlin Wall. Restorations began then and continued thru the 90s, reopening in 2001 to the public. Their permanent collections include Friedrich, Cézanne, Renoir, Manet, Monet, von Menzel, Liebermann, etc. You could quickly walk thru the entire 2.5 floors in about 45 minutes though if you want to listen to more of the descriptions and background for some pieces via the free audio guide provided you could easily spend 2.5 hours here. I do wish for the pieces without audio guide that there was more info provided outside the name of the work, artist, year of completion, and method of acquisition. Tickets are €12 regular adult, €6 discounted for student/seniors/patrons with disabilities, either online in advance or in person. Also available is a single museum island day pass (24 hours) for €24, a Berlin Museum Pass for €32 exists which allows admission over 3 days to 30 museums around Berlin, or different options of the Berlin Welcome card (varied prices). Separately, admission is free the first Sunday of each month, though be forewarned the lines are long. I waited over an hour to enter here in October, though the wait was only 10-15 minutes at other museums. Tickets are distributed on site only for free Sundays. Normal hours are Tue - Sun: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, closed Mondays. Note: The museum building has elevators though is not entirely mobility-handicap accessible due to the split-level construction of part of the galleries.

What a great art museum. And I finally got to see some of Caspar David Friedrich's work in person…read more My mom and I went here a few months ago as one of our main points of interests in Berlin and it didn't disappoint. It's also in a really nice area known as Museum Island where there are a ton of other museums in walking distance. This museum has so many paintings and sculptures, you could spend a whole day seeing everything. This is a great museum that I would love to visit again.

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.

Despite being a pain to get to, this modern gallery is well worth a visit; the art starts before…read moreyou even get in the building with a couple of cool external installations. Inside, the lower atrium contains the larger contemporary installations such as a to scale blow-up tank and the frame of a house's plumbing system (more exciting than it sounds - I promise). There's are a few rooms off the main hall for mainly audio and visual installations, and the gallery upstairs traces some of the strands that have led to the development of modern art. Overall, the lighting and whitewash provide the artists with a good neutral canvas. Thankfully, the art, whilst modern, is not too abstract to be enjoyed by armchair enthusiasts - although I'm not sure how often the exhibitions last. There are the obligatory cafe and shop too for when you are all cultured out.

Berlinische Galerie came highly recommended by my friend who lives in Berlin. As I did research I…read morelearned that this gallery/museum has an extensive collection of DADA artist. I am a fan of the DADA art movement and coming here was amazing. My favorite lady DADAist Hannah Höch was amongst some of my favorite dadaist and seeing her work in person and her DADA dolls that I have only seen in books was amazing. The Prussian Angel was also a highlight for me. There is a permanent collection on the art movement happing in Berlin in the 1800 - 1980.. The other rooms of the gallery feature some amazing artist and installations. This place is amazing..

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!

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

My first stop in Berlin and on my list of must-visit spots if you're into western art. Located in a…read moremuseum 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

This museum was awesome and it was fun to take an electric scooter to…read more 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.

Overpriced at 14 euros. Only go if you are especially interested in religious sculptures and…read morestatues. There are 3 or 4 interesting paintings, though. Don't waste your time; go to the Gemaldegalerie instead! You'll get all the religious art you want there, but the collection of paintings is incredible!

To be honest, this museum was much more appealing from the outside than the inside. The building…read moreitself is gorgeous. The items inside...pretty boring. Given the option between this museum and one with modern art, or a science and history museum, I'd go with modern art and science. The cafe there is nice, so that was a plus.

This area is museums galore. There are so many to visit, hang out in front of, and where one has…read morethe opportunity to enjoy beautiful, historical architecture. Families, locals and tourists, just hang out and enjoy the afternoon sun sitting around this area. There are buskers with either their violins or guitars playing their instruments, along with people creating large bubbles from a couple rods in their hands. Saturday, there was an art market where artists sold their artwork. I saw paintings, ceramics, jewelry, and prints at reasonable prices. I bought three small cat prints and a magnet from original paintings. No room for a painting in my suitcase, unfortunately. If I was a local, I would have.

A beautiful area housing 5 incredible museums. In the first Sunday of each month they have free…read moreadmission to all five!! It does get crowded for this reason but everyone is respectful and patient. At first I was nervous because they ask you to check in all of your belongings at the front including all coats, jackets, purses and bags but they were organized and bags seemed secure. Just outside of the island you're surrounded by landmarks and beautiful architecture. There is a flee market on one side selling books, art, and clothes and on the other end there are food stalls with bratwurst, drinks, and snacks. They had just wrapped up a marathon where the course runs right in front of the museums when I arrived. Great area to walk around and explore!

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!

I came here about a month ago for the David Bowie exhibit. It was amazing. Of course it's too late…read moreto pass this tidbit along to help someone, but I purchased my tickets ahead of time online. I really suggest doing that, as the line when I came out was incredibly long. So in case anyone reading this who's planning to visit the exhibit in another city, plan ahead. It was sooo crowded. Of course it was to be expected; it was August in Berlin and anyone who knows anything about Bowie wanted to see it. The only downside to this is sometimes it took ages to be able to see something because of the people crowding around something. Another bummer was not being able to take any photographs, but most of this stuff is online anyway (e.g. with the costumes, you can just look at the man himself online wearing it) so it wasn't a huge deal. But it was such an amazing experience to be able to see this stuff up close. Reading his handwritten lyrics and other tidbits Bowie wrote along the way to stardom was such an experience. The tour went in chronological order, enabling you to see his childhood and even having memorabilia from this period. It had everything and was an in-depth look at his entire life up to now, and I really recommend seeing it if it goes to a city near you.

As my friend had stated this museum is a hit or miss. First off I came to see the Johannes Itten…read moreand Paul Klee exhibit called "COSMOS OF COLOR". I had purchased tickets online before I even arrived to Germany. The exhibit was amazing but the rest of the exhibits within the museum was disappointing. If you buy a ticket online for an exhibit mind you will only be able to see that exhibit and will need to purchase another ticket to enter the other exhibits. If you are a fan of the Bauhaus then trust me when I say that the name "GROPIUS" is simply part of the museums name. There was nothing on the Bauhaus here other than the Klee and Itten exhibit. For more on the Bauhaus be sure to visit the Bauhaus Archiv and a two hour train ride away is the Stiftung Bauhaus in Dessau. I went and it was amazing. http://www.bauhaus.de http://bauhaus-online.de/en/stiftung-bauhaus-dessau