Free museums in Berlin
Most of Berlin's history and memorial museums are free on every opening day, while the art museums open free on a few dates or none. The overview of things to do in Berlin covers the paid sights.
Which museums are free in Berlin and when
Memorial and history museums fill the always-free rows, and the art museums appear only with fixed dates.
| Item | Topography of Terror |
|---|---|
| Free? | Always free |
| When / condition | Daily 10:00-20:00 |
| Booking | None |
| Item | Holocaust Memorial Information Centre |
|---|---|
| Free? | Always free |
| When / condition | Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00 |
| Booking | None for individuals |
| Item | Berlin Wall Memorial |
|---|---|
| Free? | Always free |
| When / condition | Exhibitions Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00; grounds daily 8:00-22:00 |
| Booking | None |
| Item | Tränenpalast |
|---|---|
| Free? | Always free |
| When / condition | Tue-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00 |
| Booking | None |
| Item | German Resistance Memorial Center and Silent Heroes |
|---|---|
| Free? | Always free |
| When / condition | Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00 |
| Booking | None |
| Item | Jewish Museum core exhibition |
|---|---|
| Free? | Always free |
| When / condition | Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00; closed 14 Nov and 24 Dec |
| Booking | Time slot advised |
| Item | Museum in der Kulturbrauerei |
|---|---|
| Free? | Always free |
| When / condition | Tue-Sun; parts closed until early Dec |
| Booking | None |
| Item | Hohenschönhausen Memorial exhibitions |
|---|---|
| Free? | Always free |
| When / condition | Daily; prison tours are ticketed |
| Booking | None for the exhibitions |
| Item | Otto Weidt's Workshop for the Blind |
|---|---|
| Free? | Always free |
| When / condition | Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00 |
| Booking | None for individuals |
| Item | Futurium |
|---|---|
| Free? | Always free |
| When / condition | Closed Tuesdays; Skywalk shut until about Mar 2027 |
| Booking | None |
| Item | Humboldt Forum, five zones |
|---|---|
| Free? | Always free |
| When / condition | Wed-Mon 10:30-18:30 |
| Booking | None |
| Item | Neue Nationalgalerie |
|---|---|
| Free? | Free at set times |
| When / condition | First Thursday 16:00-20:00 |
| Booking |
| Item | Deutsches Technikmuseum |
|---|---|
| Free? | Free ticket (book) |
| When / condition | First Friday from 13:00 |
| Booking | Free online ticket |
| Item | Berlinische Galerie |
|---|---|
| Free? | Free at set times |
| When / condition | 5 Dec 2026 and 6 Jan 2027 |
| Booking |
| Item | German Historical Museum, Pei building |
|---|---|
| Free? | Free at set times |
| When / condition | 9 Nov and 3 Dec 2026 |
| Booking | Ticket on site or online |
| Item | Museum Island museums |
|---|---|
| Free? | Not free |
| When / condition | No free day, Sunday or Thursday |
| Booking | Ticket per museum |
| Item | Pergamonmuseum |
|---|---|
| Free? | Not free |
| When / condition | Closed until 4 Jun 2027 |
| Booking | None possible |
| Item | Stasi Museum |
|---|---|
| Free? | Not free |
| When / condition | Ticketed every day |
| Booking | Ticket |
| Item | DDR Museum |
|---|---|
| Free? | Not free |
| When / condition | Ticketed every day |
| Booking | Ticket |
| Item | Humboldt Forum main exhibitions |
|---|---|
| Free? | Not free |
| When / condition | Paid shows and roof terrace |
| Booking | Ticket |
Is there still a Museum Sunday in Berlin?
No, the free first Sunday ended in December 2024. Kulturprojekte Berlin, which organised it across more than 80 museums, records that the final Museum Sunday took place on 1 December 2024 (in German), once the city cut its culture budget. In January 2026 Culture Senator Sarah Wedl-Wilson told the Tagesspiegel she was seeking private sponsors to revive it about once a quarter, yet no date had appeared by November 2026. A one-off free Sunday on 25 October 2026, paid for by a private donation, opened the Brücke-Museum and three neighbours in the south-west.
Single museums now carry the free slots: the Neue Nationalgalerie on the first Thursday from 16:00 to 20:00, the Technikmuseum on the first Friday from 13:00 with a free online ticket, and two set days each at the Berlinische Galerie and the German Historical Museum.
1. Read the record of Gestapo and SS rule at the Topography of Terror
The Topography of Terror stands where the Gestapo, the SS leadership and the Reich Security Main Office had their headquarters, and its documentation centre shows how these offices planned persecution across occupied Europe. Free entry covers the permanent exhibition indoors, the trench display beside a surviving section of the Wall and the open-air site. The centre's opening hours page (in German) gives daily opening from 10:00 to 20:00, with the outdoor areas closing at dusk, so a winter afternoon visit means the indoor rooms only. An audio tour for the permanent exhibition plays on a smartphone, which helps with the dense panels of text and photographs.
- Free: all exhibitions, indoors and outdoors
- Booking: none
- When: daily 10:00-20:00; closed 24 and 31 Dec and 1 Jan
- Station: U6 Kochstrasse; S1, S2, S25, S26 and U2 Potsdamer Platz
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Photo: "Topographie des Terrors April 2022 2" by Kasa Fue (CC BY-SA 4.0).
2. Visit the Information Centre under the Holocaust Memorial
2. Visit the Information Centre under the Holocaust Memorial
Below the field of concrete stelae, the Information Centre documents the murder of Europe's Jews through personal letters, family histories and the names of victims, which gives the abstract memorial above a human scale. The foundation's visitor information lists opening from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, with last admission 45 minutes before closing and no charge for entry. Everyone passes a security check and registered groups go in first, so short waits are possible at busy times. The centre reopened on 1 May 2026 after repair work, and the stelae field stays open around the clock for an evening walk.
- Free: exhibition and stelae field
- Booking: none for individuals
- When: Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00; closed Mondays and 24-26 Dec
- Station: S1, S2, S25, S26 and U5 Brandenburger Tor; U2 Mohrenstrasse
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Photo: "Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe Place of Information 2" by Fluffigkatt (CC BY-SA 4.0).
3. Climb the viewing tower at the Berlin Wall documentation centre
On Bernauer Strasse the Berlin Wall Memorial keeps the only preserved stretch of the border strip, and the documentation centre across the street explains how the Wall cut through houses, streets and families between 1961 and 1989. From its viewing tower the whole strip lies below, with the last ascent at 17:45. The foundation's visitor information (in German) confirms free entry to the grounds and all exhibitions, with the centres open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 and the grounds daily from 8:00 to 22:00. Guided tours cost extra. On Monday 9 November 2026, the anniversary of the fall of the Wall, the centres open specially from 10:00 to 18:00.
- Free: grounds and all exhibitions
- Booking: none (guided tours are paid)
- When: centres Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00; grounds daily 8:00-22:00; closed 24, 25 and 31 Dec
- Station: U8 Bernauer Strasse; S1, S2, S25, S26 Nordbahnhof
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Photo: "150425 Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer Dokumentationszentrum" by Ansgar Koreng (CC BY 3.0 DE).
4. Walk through the border hall at the Tränenpalast
4. Walk through the border hall at the Tränenpalast
The Tränenpalast is the glass departure hall at Friedrichstrasse station where East Berliners said goodbye to relatives heading back to the West, which earned it the name Palace of Tears. Its permanent exhibition follows the crossing step by step, from the queue to passport control, and tells personal stories of separation, escape and reunion. The Haus der Geschichte's Tränenpalast page (in German) states that the museum and all exhibitions are free, with opening from Tuesday to Friday 9:00-18:00 and at weekends 10:00-18:00. Free public tours are also offered, with sign-up at the information desk. The hall stands right beside the station, so it fits easily between other stops in Mitte.
- Free: museum and all exhibitions
- Booking: none; sign up at the desk for free tours
- When: Tue-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00; closed Mondays
- Station: S and U6 Friedrichstrasse
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Photo: "2018-08-09 DE Berlin-Mitte, Tränenpalast (49919100012)" by Paul Korecky (CC BY-SA 2.0).
5. Follow the resistance story at the German Resistance Memorial Center
The German Resistance Memorial Center occupies part of the Bendlerblock, whose courtyard saw the execution of Claus von Stauffenberg and other officers of the 20 July 1944 plot on the night it failed. The permanent exhibition reaches well beyond that plot, covering students, churches, workers' groups and individuals who opposed the regime. Its visitor page (in German) lists free entry, opening from Monday to Friday 9:00-18:00 and at weekends and on holidays 10:00-18:00, and a free audio guide at the desk. The Silent Heroes Memorial Center in the same building tells of people who hid Jews from deportation, with the same free entry and hours.
- Free: permanent exhibitions and audio guide
- Booking: none
- When: Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00; closed 24-26 and 31 Dec and 1 Jan
- Station: bus M29; U1 Kurfürstenstrasse; S1, S2, S25, S26 and U2 Potsdamer Platz
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Photo: "Bendlerblock Berlin Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand August 2009" by Stefan Kemmerling (CC BY-SA 3.0).
6. See the Neue Nationalgalerie free on the first Thursday evening
6. See the Neue Nationalgalerie free on the first Thursday evening
Mies van der Rohe's glass and steel hall reopened in 2021 after restoration and shows changing exhibitions in the upper hall and the 20th-century collection downstairs. Under the Volkswagen Group Art4All programme, the museum's first Thursday rule (in German) has opened every special exhibition and the collection display without charge from 16:00 to 20:00 on the first Thursday of each month since 2 April 2026. The next dates are 5 November and 3 December 2026 and 7 January 2027. Some collection rooms are closed for works, and the Ulay and Abramović exhibition opens on 28 November 2026.
- Free: first Thursday of the month, 16:00-20:00
- When: Tue-Sun, Thursday to 20:00; closed Mondays
- Station: S1, S2, S25, S26 and U2 Potsdamer Platz
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Photo: "Neue Nationalgalerie 2022" by Evgenii Salganik (CC BY-SA 4.0).
More free Berlin from Tourist Office
Free tourist attractions in Berlin
Memorials, parks, the Reichstag dome and lunchtime concerts make up the wider list of free tourist attractions in Berlin.
Each entry gives its booking rule and the nearest station.
Berlin tourist map
The Berlin tourist map marks the main sights, with three Museum Island museums on its walking route through the centre.
A PDF version prints at no cost for a day on foot.
Things to do in Berlin
The overview of things to do in Berlin covers paid highlights such as the TV Tower, the Neues Museum and Charlottenburg Palace.
It also lists unusual museums, including the Stasi Museum and the Berlin Story Bunker.
Museum tickets worth paying for in Berlin
Museum Island, the Gemäldegalerie, Charlottenburg Palace and the Deutschlandmuseum charge admission on every opening day. Their tickets suit a day that mixes memorial sites with the big collections.
7. Explore everyday life in East Germany at the Museum in der Kulturbrauerei
In the brick courtyards of a former brewery in Prenzlauer Berg, the Museum in der Kulturbrauerei shows how people lived in East Germany, with household goods, uniforms, documents and film that turn state rules into daily routines. The Haus der Geschichte, which runs it, keeps the museum and all exhibitions free, with opening from Tuesday to Friday 9:00-18:00 and at weekends 10:00-18:00. Rebuilding work limits parts of the permanent exhibition until early December 2026, so a visit before then shows less than usual. A temporary show on skateboarders before and after the fall of the Wall runs until 4 April 2027.
- Free: museum and all exhibitions
- Booking: none
- When: Tue-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00; closed Mondays
- Station: U2 Eberswalder Strasse
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Photo: "Kulturbrauerei 7866" by Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0).
8. Learn the Cold War story of the Western Allies at the Allied Museum
8. Learn the Cold War story of the Western Allies at the Allied Museum
In the former American sector in Dahlem, the Allied Museum tells the story of the American, British and French forces in West Berlin after 1945, including the airlift of 1948 and 1949. Its visitor page gives free admission and opening from Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-18:00, with closures on 24 and 25 December and from 31 December to 1 January. Going inside the large outdoor exhibits costs extra, and they open in rotation through the day. The museum lies a long way from Mitte, so it pairs best with other sights in the south-west, and a free car park sits beside it.
- Free: museum and exhibitions
- Booking: none
- When: Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00; closed Mondays
- Station: U3 Oskar-Helene-Heim; bus 115 or X83 to AlliiertenMuseum
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Photo: "Hastings TG 503 Alliiertenmuseum" by Fgoeritz (CC BY-SA 4.0).
9. Visit the lakeside villa of the Wannsee Conference
On 20 January 1942 senior Nazi and ministry functionaries met in this villa beside the Wannsee to coordinate the deportation and murder of Europe's Jews, and the permanent exhibition traces that meeting, its preparation and its consequences. The memorial's English visitor pages state that the exhibition and the garden are free of charge and open daily from 10:00 to 18:00. Individual visitors need no booking, while groups of ten or more should register well ahead. The house closes from 24 to 31 December 2026 and from 1 to 4 January 2027, so a holiday visit has to wait until 5 January. The garden runs down to the lake, a quiet place to sit after the exhibition.
- Free: exhibition and garden
- Booking: none for individuals
- When: daily 10:00-18:00; closed 24 Dec 2026 to 4 Jan 2027
- Station: S1, S7 Wannsee, then bus 114
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Photo: "Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz" by Cederskjold (CC BY 4.0).
10. See the exhibitions at the Hohenschönhausen Stasi prison memorial
10. See the exhibitions at the Hohenschönhausen Stasi prison memorial
The Stasi held political prisoners in this remand prison in north-east Berlin until 1989, and two permanent exhibitions in the grounds explain arrest, detention and interrogation in East Germany. The memorial's home page (in German) lists free entry to both: “Inhaftiert in Hohenschönhausen” daily from 10:00 to 18:00 and “In Zwangsgemeinschaft” daily from 10:00 to 16:00. The cell blocks and interrogation rooms are shown only on guided tours, which are ticketed and led by historians and former prisoners, and the public tour times (in German) list several slots a day. The memorial closes from 24 to 26 December and on 31 December and 1 January.
- Free: the two permanent exhibitions
- Booking: none (prison tours are paid)
- When: daily 10:00-18:00 and 10:00-16:00; closed 24-26 and 31 Dec and 1 Jan
- Station: tram M5 Freienwalder Strasse; tram M6 or 16 Genslerstrasse
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Photo: "Clp 20100309 Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Eingang" by Christian Liebscher (CC BY-SA 3.0).
11. Visit Otto Weidt's workshop for the blind near Hackescher Markt
In a courtyard off Rosenthaler Strasse, Otto Weidt ran a brush and broom workshop that employed blind and deaf Jewish workers during the war and hid several of them from the Gestapo. The museum keeps the small rooms where they worked and tells their stories. Its visit page (in German) lists free entry and opening from Monday to Friday 9:00-18:00 and at weekends and on holidays 10:00-18:00. Groups led by freelance guides must phone 30 minutes ahead, and groups over 15 come only through a booked free programme. The Anne Frank Zentrum in the same courtyard charges admission, so it pays to check which door is which.
- Free: museum
- Booking: none for individuals
- When: Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00; closed 24-26 and 31 Dec and 1 Jan
- Station: S3, S5, S7, S9 Hackescher Markt; U8 Weinmeisterstrasse
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Photo: "Museum Blindenwerkstatt Otto Weidt" by Rudolf H. Boettcher (CC BY-SA 4.0).
12. Try the hands-on exhibition at the Futurium
12. Try the hands-on exhibition at the Futurium
Beside the Spree near Hauptbahnhof, the Futurium asks how people might live, work and eat in the coming decades, with interactive stations in the exhibition, a Lab for experiments and a Forum for talks. The house's visitor page (in German) states that entry is free, with workshops and some tours priced separately, and gives opening on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 and on Thursday until 20:00. It closes on Tuesdays. The rooftop Skywalk is shut from 1 November 2026 until about March 2027, so the view over the government quarter has to wait. Groups of more than 15 register in advance at no cost.
- Free: exhibition, Lab and Forum
- Booking: none (groups over 15 register)
- When: Wed-Mon 10:00-18:00, Thursday to 20:00; closed Tuesdays
- Station: S and U5 Hauptbahnhof
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Photo: "FuturiumBerlin2021" by Lear 21 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
13. Walk the free zones of the Humboldt Forum
The rebuilt palace on Schlossplatz charges for its main exhibitions, yet five areas inside stay open to everyone. Its prices and tickets page (in German) names them: the Humboldt brothers display “Einblicke”, the palace cellar with remains of the old building, the Sculpture Hall with original facade figures, the Video Panorama on the site's history and “On Water”, a display on water in Berlin. BERLIN GLOBAL, the ethnological and Asian art collections, the “Agua” show and the rooftop terrace all need tickets. The building opens Wednesday to Monday from 10:30 to 18:30 and closes on Tuesdays and on 24 December.
- Free: five zones inside the building
- Booking: none for the free zones
- When: Wed-Mon 10:30-18:30; closed Tuesdays
- Station: U5 Museumsinsel
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Photo: "Humboldt Forum Skulpturensaal" by Fridolin freudenfett (CC BY-SA 4.0).
14. Book a first Friday ticket at the Deutsches Technikmuseum
14. Book a first Friday ticket at the Deutsches Technikmuseum
The Deutsches Technikmuseum fills former railway buildings in Kreuzberg with locomotives, aircraft, ships and the Science Center Spectrum, and an airlift plane hangs over its roof. On the first Friday of each month, the museum's tickets page (in German) opens entry to everyone from 13:00, provided each visitor books a free “Freier Eintritt am Freitagnachmittag” ticket in the online shop. The next dates are 6 November and 4 December 2026. Some blogs claim free entry every Friday afternoon, but the rule covers the first Friday only. The museum park closes at 16:00 from 3 November to 28 March, and the museum shuts on Mondays.
- Free: first Friday of the month from 13:00
- Booking: free online ticket required
- When: first Friday from 13:00; closed Mondays
- Station: U1, U2 Gleisdreieck; U1, U7 Möckernbrücke
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Photo: "Technikmuseum Berlin 2015 01" by Perituss (CC0 1.0).
15. Catch a free day at the Berlinische Galerie
Berlin's state museum for modern art, photography and architecture shows work made in the city since 1870, in a converted glass warehouse off Alte Jakobstrasse. Its visit page (in German) lists two free days for everyone, 5 December 2026 and 6 January 2027. On the first Wednesday of each month the “Happy Wednesday” offer lowers the price for all visitors, which is a discount and not free entry. The museum opens Wednesday to Monday from 10:00 to 18:00 and closes on Tuesdays. The Jewish Museum, whose core exhibition is free, lies a short walk away for a second stop.
- Free: 5 Dec 2026 and 6 Jan 2027
- When: Wed-Mon 10:00-18:00; closed Tuesdays
- Station: U6 Kochstrasse; U1, U3 Hallesches Tor
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Photo: "2012 Berlinische Galerie Eingang anagoria" by Anagoria (CC BY 3.0).
16. Visit the German Historical Museum's Pei building on a free day
16. Visit the German Historical Museum's Pei building on a free day
The German Historical Museum's baroque Zeughaus and its permanent exhibition on German history are closed for building work, so visits now take place in the Pei building behind it, the glass and stone wing designed by I. M. Pei. The museum's visitor page (in German) gives free entry on 9 November and 3 December 2026, with the Pei building open daily from 10:00 to 18:00. Three temporary exhibitions run there, “Natur und deutsche Geschichte”, “Objekte. Geschichte. Geschichten” and “Umstrittene Verwandtschaft”. The entrance is at Hinter dem Giesshaus 3 rather than on Unter den Linden, and the museum closes on 24 December.
- Free: 9 Nov and 3 Dec 2026
- Booking: ticket on site or online
- When: Pei building daily 10:00-18:00; Zeughaus closed
- Station: U5 Museumsinsel
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Photo: "Historisches Museum Eingang Pei-Bau" by Jo Vert (CC BY-SA 4.0).
17. Spend a day at the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum
About 45 minutes north of Friedrichstrasse by S-Bahn, the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum covers the concentration camp the SS ran from 1936 and the Soviet special camp that followed in 1945, with exhibitions spread across barracks and grounds. The memorial's opening hours and prices page (in German) states that entry to the site and its museums is free, while audio guides and group tours cost extra. From 27 October to 30 March the grounds and exhibitions open daily from 8:30 to 16:30, and the visitor information centre from 8:30 to 17:00. Group tours need booking at least four months ahead, and the booking system is offline until 13 November 2026.
- Free: memorial site and museums
- Booking: none for individuals
- When: daily 8:30-16:30 until 30 Mar
- Station: S1 Oranienburg, then bus 804 or a 20-minute walk
- Checked 4 Nov 2026
Is Museum Island free?
The island is public space, so a walk through the Lustgarten, the colonnades and along the river costs nothing, but every museum on it charges admission on every opening day. SMB ended its free Thursday evenings in 2010, and the island has no free day or free Sunday in November 2026.
| Museum | Status Nov 2026 | Free part |
|---|---|---|
| Pergamonmuseum | Closed; north wing and centre reopen 4 Jun 2027 | None |
| Neues Museum | Open Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00 | None |
| Altes Museum | Open Tue-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00 | None |
| Alte Nationalgalerie | Open Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00 | None |
| Bode-Museum | Open Tue-Sun, Thursday to 20:00 | None |
| James-Simon-Galerie | Open Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00 | No free exhibition; the café also opens outside museum hours |
| Lustgarten and colonnades | Public space | Free to walk around |
The Pergamon Altar returns when the north wing reopens on 4 June 2027, according to the SMB visitor FAQ (in German), and the south wing follows around 2037. Every museum on the island closes on Mondays. The map of Berlin's sights puts the island on a walking route with the Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie.
What is not free
Several museums that appear on free lists charge admission. The Stasi Museum in the former ministry on Normannenstrasse runs mainly on ticket income, and the Anne Frank Zentrum charges adults. The DDR Museum by the Spree is ticketed every day, and only its new GDR Berlin map is handed out at no cost.
Hamburger Bahnhof has no free slot, because the first Thursday evening belongs to the Neue Nationalgalerie, and its own Thursday late opening ends on 1 December 2026. At the Berlinische Galerie, “Happy Wednesday” is a reduced price for everyone rather than free entry. SMB's free Thursday evenings ended on 1 October 2010, and the Technikmuseum's free afternoon covers the first Friday of the month, not every Friday.