Tourist Attractions & Monuments Berlin

Timetable

In Berlin, many museums are closed on Mondays, with the exception of a few like the Neues Museum, which are open all week, often between 10am and 6pm. On Thursdays, the National Museums hold their nocturne, staying open until 8pm. Some museums can be very busy on long weekends.

Closing of the Pergamon Museum. Berlin's most famous museum, considered one of the most important archaeological museums in the world, is closed for major renovations until 2037.

To be booked

It is possible (and advisable) to book a time slot for certain museums or attractions. On the National Museums website (www.smb.museum) or at your local tourist office, you can buy your ticket and at the same time reserve a time slot - Zeitfenster in German, time slot in English - for the museums on the Museum Island. This service is free of charge, and will save you hours of waiting in line. The same applies to the Television Tower (Fernsehturm), which is also very busy. On the other hand, the Fast View Ticket is more expensive than the ticket you can pick up on the spot after waiting in line.

Combined tickets for the Berlin and Potsdam castles can be found on the official website: www.spsg.de. They also allow you to book an entry time for Charlottenburg Palace and Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam.

Visits to the Reichstag dome are free of charge, but must be booked in advance. Book well in advance of your trip on the Bundestag website (www.bundestag.de/fr/visite), ideally at least two weeks in advance. Alternatively, once you're there, try your luck at the info booth opposite the Parliament building.

Budget & Tips

There are several tourist offers that allow you to save money at the entrance to the city's museums and attractions. The Welcome Card combines a ticket for public transport with a whole host of discounts. It's great if you want to visit the TV Tower or take a sightseeing bus tour, but it's significantly more expensive than public transport tickets. Prices vary according to validity period and zone (www.berlin-welcomecard.de/fr). For two days in zones A and B, it costs €26.90. For six ABC days (including Potsdam), it costs €59.90, compared with €52.70 for 7 days of public transport without discounts. Do the math by comparing the list of discounts with your To-do-List.

When it comes to visiting the city's major museums, there's - in our opinion - nothing better than the Museumspass. For three consecutive days, this €32 pass (€16 concessions) opens the doors of 30 museums, including the Museum Island, the Jewish Museum, the Museum of German History and many more. You'll quickly get your money's worth. For the best possible organization, check the opening days - but watch out for Mondays!

Many places dedicated to the preservation of memory are freely accessible in Berlin: such as the Topography of Terrors exhibition or the memorials to the victims of Nazism.

Main events

Depending on the season you come to Berlin, you are likely to do very different activities. Winter is cold and gray in Berlin. The temperatures don't lend themselves well to long walks in the city and you'll soon be heading for the museum. In the summer, the long sunny days are an invitation to stroll and relax on the terrace or to run around to make sure you don't miss out on any of the exceptional cultural and festive offerings.

Occasionally, the city center of Berlin is partially closed off, for example because of the marathon or a state visit.

Guided tours

Every day, young guides offer 2-hour Free Tours (no fixed price, just a tip of sorts) in English and Spanish, useful for discovering the city for the first time (www.neweuropetours.eu/sandemans-tours/berlin/). For a guided tour in English, go to Pariser Platz at 9am, 10am, 11am, 2pm or 4pm. They start the tour not far from Brandenburger Tor station, and you'll recognize them by their red umbrellas. For an original tour of the city, we recommend the Berliner Unterwelten (www.berliner-unterwelten.de/fr), an association that opens the doors of Berlin's underground passages. They offer three themed tours in French!

Tourist traps

Don't jump at the first tourist ticket that comes along. The Berlin tourist office Visitberlin is very "pushy". Take the time to see if the discounts offered are worthwhile for your stay. The Welcome Card does not include discounts for the famous Museum Island or the Gemäldegalerie.