Opening hours for the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (state museums) are long, but buy tickets and book free timeslot reservations online to skip the lines at the top museums. Most museums are again open on Tuesdays.
The larger and most popular national museums and galleries of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin are open Tuesday to Sunday from around 10 am to 6 pm (or 5 pm). Smaller museums are also closed on Tuesdays. The Humboldt Forum museums are open on Mondays but closed on Tuesdays. In 2026, only the Neue Nationalgalerie, Hamburger Bahnhof, and Photography Museum are open on Thursday evenings. Although it is possible to buy tickets on-site, buying tickets online skips the lines and saves time. Time-slot reservations are currently only required (and possible) for major special exhibitions.
Berlin State Museum Opening Hours: Quick Guide
- Top Museums: Open 10:00 to 18:00, Tuesday to Sunday
- Open on Monday: Humboldt Forum, closed on Tuesday
- Open Thursday Evening: Neue Nationalgalerie, Hamburger Bahnhof, Photography
- Reservations: Time-slot tickets only required (or possible) for top special exhibitions
- Best Times to Visit (weekdays): directly at opening time, or enter after 15:00
- Best Times to Visit (weekends): enter between 11:00 and 13:00
- Top Tip: visit smaller museums when famous museums are crowded
- Save Time: buy tickets online and go directly to the entrance
- Save Money: use day tickets (Museum Island / Kulturforum), Welcome Cards, or the Berlin Museum Pass.
→ See also Best Berlin Museum Tickets and Passes for more savings options and deals.
Save with Berlin Museum Passes
| Pass | Best For |
|---|---|
| Museum Island Ticket | 1 day |
| Berlin Museum Pass | 3 days |
| Welcome Card | Transport + museums |
| Kulturforum Pass | Art museums |
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Museum Island · Kulturforum · Humboldt Forum · Hamburger Bahnhof · Smaller Museums
Berlin State Museums Closed in 2026
Although construction and restoration work continue on many Berlin State Museums, during 2026 only the following museums and major permanent exhibitions are closed:
- The Pergamon Museum remains closed in 2026, but the Hellenic Hall, Pergamon Altar from a Greek temple, and the Museum of Islamic Art should reopen on 4 June 2027. Currently, some Greek statues are displayed in the special Pergamon Das Panorama exhibition.
- The Museum Berggruen is closed.
- The Deutsches Historisches Museum (German History Museum) is closed, but the IM Pei annex with temporary exhibitions remains open.
- The Museum of Musical Instruments (Kulturforum) will have shorter hours for most of 2026.
Opening Hours on Museum Island Berlin in 2026
The regular opening hours of the traditional museums on Museumsinsel Berlin (Berlin’s Museum Island):
| Museum Island Museums: | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Neues Museum (New Museum) | Tue–Sun 10–18 | |
| Pergamonmuseum. Das Panorama Exhibition | Tue–Sun 10–18 | |
| Pergamon Museum | Closed | Reopen 4 June 2027 |
| Altes Museum (Old Museum) | Tue–Sun 10–17 | 18 on weekends |
| Alte National Galerie (Old National Gallery) | Tue–Sun 10–18 | Reserve for top exhibitions |
| Bode Museum | Tue–Sun 10–17 | 18 on weekends |
| Friedrichswerdersche Kirche | Wed–Sun 10–17 | 18 on weekends |
The Ticket Museuminsel gives admission to all these museums for a day; similar benefits are possible with the Berlin Welcome Card Museumsinsel and the 3-day Berlin Museumspass. A small surcharge may be added for major special exhibitions.
Buying tickets online from GetYourGuide is a lot simpler and costs the same as the official museum website SMB. Tickets are also sold at all museums.
Timeslot reservations are only required (and possible) for major special exhibitions and during peak periods. Reservations are free, so if available, make them.
Humboldt Forum
Humboldt Forum / Berliner Schloss museums and exhibitions do not follow other Museum Island opening hours or ticket passes:
| Humboldt Forum Museums | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Humboldt Forum (Berliner Schloss) | Wed–Mon 10:30–18:30 | Some areas up to midnight |
| Ethnologisches Museum (Ethnology) | Wed–Mon 10:30–18:30 | |
| Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Asian Art) | Wed–Mon 10:30–18:30 |
- Admission to the Ethnological and Asian Art museums is not included in regular Museum Island tickets or passes, but only in the Humboldt Forum Ticket and Museum Pass Berlin. (It is no longer free.)
Opening Hours of Kulturforum Museums and Galleries in Berlin in 2026
The opening hours of museums and art collections in the Kulturforum area in 2026:
| Kulturforum Museums & Galleries | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gemäldegalerie (Paintings Gallery) | Tue–Sun 10–18 | |
| Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery) | Tue–Sun 10–18 | 20 on Thursday Reserve for top exhibitions |
| Kupferstichkabinett (Graphic Drawings) | Tue–Sun 10–18 | |
| Kunstbibliothek (Art Library) | Wed–Fri 10–17 Sat-Sun 11-18 | |
| Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Decorative Arts) | Wed–Fri 10–17 Sat-Sun 11-18 | |
| Musikinstrumenten-Museum (Musical Instruments) | Wed 13-17 Thu-Fr 13-20 Sat-Sun 10-17 | From Nov 2026: Tue 9-13 Wed&Fri 9-17 Thu 9-20 Sat-Sun 10-17 |
All these museums are covered by the Kulturforum day ticket and the 3-day Museumspass Berlin. Time-slot reservation tickets are sometimes required for the Neue Nationalgalerie and possibly for the Gemäldegalerie. For other Kulturforum venues, go directly to the gallery entrance to scan online tickets.
The Museum of Musical Instruments is not really an SMB museum, but admission is covered by the Kulturforum ticket. Best time to visit: most Fridays at 18:00 when guides answer questions and play instruments.
Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin Visiting Hours
| Berlin State Museums | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart (Berlin Museum of Contemporary Art) | Tue–Sun 10–18 | 20 on Thursday |
The Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart is neither a train station nor in Hamburg, but rather Berlin’s primary Museum of Contemporary Art. How much of the huge complex is used at any given time depends on the specific temporary exhibition.
The Hamburger Bahnhof ticket prices also depend on the special exhibitions on the visiting day.
Smaller Berlin State Museums
The smaller Berlin state museums are outside the city center, but the specialized exhibitions are absolutely worth seeing.
| Smaller Berlin State Museums & Galleries | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Museum für Fotographie (Photography) | Tue–Sun 11–19 | 20 on Thursday near Zoologischer Bahnhof station |
| Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg | Wed–Sun 11–18 | near Schloss Charlottenhof |
| Berggruen Museum | Closed in 2026 | near Schloss Charlottenhof |
| Museum für Europäischer Kulturen (European Cultures ) | Wed–Fri 10–17 Sat-Sun 11-18 | in Dahlem |
| Schloss Köpenick | Wed-Sun 11-17 | October to March: Thu-Sun 11-17 |
The smaller Berlin State Museums receive far fewer visitors than the large museums on Museum Island and in Kulturforum. However, the Museum für Fotografie (Photography) is very close to Zoologischer Bahnhof station and easy to visit.
The two small specialized collections of the Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg (surrealist art) and Berggruen Museum (classical modern, e.g., Picasso and Klee) are easily seen when visiting the popular Schloss Charlottenburg.
It is harder to get excited about the Museum of European Cultures in Dahlem (southwest Berlin) or the decorative art exhibitions in Schloss Köpenick, on the outskirts of the city in southeast Berlin. Few tourists ever venture this far, and both remain a fairly low priority when visiting Berlin.
More on the Berlin State Museums (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin):
News & Temporary Exhibitions in Berlin in 2026:
- 2026: Top Special Art Exhibitions at Kulturforum and Special Museumsinsel Exhibitions (Alte Nationalgalerie).
- Museums Closed in 2026:
- The Pergamon Museum (until mid-2027); Das Panorama is open.
- The Museum Berggruen(much of its collection is traveling the world)
- The permanent collection of the German History Museum (Zeughaus); temporary exhibitions continue in the Pei Building.
- 2027: Reopening of the Pergamon Museum with the Pergamon Altar (4 June 2027), reopening of the Museum Berggruen
- 2030s: Berlin Modern to share the Museum of 20th-Century Art with the Neue Nationalgalerie on Kulturforum.
Berlin State Museum Basics:
- Top National Museums and Galleries (brief overview)
- Berlin State Museums: What Is Seen Where?
- Opening Hours (2026)
- Ticket Prices (Buy tickets from GetYourGuide or SMB)
- Save with the Berlin Museum Pass & Berlin Welcome Cards
- Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (official website in German & English)