Visit Berlin State Museums in 2026: Opening Hours and Tickets

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. Many museums are again open on Tuesdays.

Most of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (national museums and galleries) are open in 2026 with only smaller ones operating on the shorter hours introduced in 2024. Although it is usually possible to buy tickets on-site, it is sensible to buy tickets online and to make free timeslot reservations for any museums where pre-bookings are possible. Time-slot reservations are currently only required for major special exhibitions.

Opening hours are generally Tuesday (or Wednesday) to Sunday from around 10 am to 6 pm (or 5 pm). Only the Neue Nationalgalerie, Hamburger Bahnhof, and Photography Museum are open on Thursday evenings. Admission is no longer free to Berlin State Museums on the first Sunday of the month.

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 has been closed since October 2023. The Hellenic Hall, Pergamon Altar from a Greek temple, and the Museum of Islamic Art should reopen in 2027, but the rest may be closed until the mid-2030s. Some Greek statues are displayed in the special Pergamonmuseum. Das Panorama exhibition.
• The Museum Berggruen is closed.
• The Deutsches Historisches Museum (German History Museum) is not an SMB museum, but still worth noting that the permanent collection is closed but the IM Pei annex with temporary exhibitions remains open.

Opening Hours on Museum Island Berlin in 2026

The regular opening hours of the traditional museums on Museumsinsel Berlin (Berlin’s Museum Island):

• The Alte National Galerie (Old National Gallery), the Neues Museum (New Museum), the Pergamonmuseum — Das Panorama Exhibition, and the James Simon Galerie are open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm.
• The Altes Museum (Old Museum) and the Bode Museum are open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm (6 pm on Saturday and Sunday).

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.

The Friedrichswerdersche Kirche is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00 (18:00 on Saturday and Sunday) — admission is free.

Tickets may be bought online from SMB, but buying from GetYourGuide is a lot simpler and costs the same as the official museum website.

Timeslot reservations are essential for the Neues Museum and sensible when offered, but are currently only required for major special exhibitions and during peak periods.

Humboldt Forum

Humboldt Forum / Berliner Schloss museums and exhibitions do not follow other Museum Island opening hours or ticket passes:

• Museums and exhibitions in the Humboldt Forum are open from Wednesday to Monday from 10:30 to 18:30 (closing times are often later on Friday and Saturday). The Humboldt Forum museums are thus open on Mondays but closed on Tuesdays.
• Admission to the Ethnological and Asian Art museums is not included in regular Museum Island or museum passes, but only in the Humboldt Forum Ticket. (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:

• The Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery) is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm (closing at 8 pm on Thursday and for some major exhibitions).
• The Gemäldegalerie (Paintings Gallery) and Kupferstichkabinett (Graphic Drawings exhibitions) are open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm.
• The Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Decorative Arts) and Kunstbibliothek are open Wednesday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm.

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. Reservations may also be required for large special exhibitions at the Gemäldegalerie.

The Museum of Musical Instruments is open Tuesday 9:00 to 13:00, Wednesday to Friday 9:00 to 17:00 (closing at 20:00 on Thursday), and weekends from 10 am to 5 pm. (It is not really an SMB museum but is usually covered by the Kulturforum ticket.)

Opening Hours of the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin

The Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart is neither a train station nor in Hamburg, but rather Berlin’s primary Museum of Contemporary Art. It is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm (closing at 8 pm on Thursday) and on weekends from 11 am to 6 pm.

The Hamburger Bahnhof is usually open for free on the first Thursday evening of each month from 4 pm until 8 pm.

Opening Hours of Smaller Berlin State Museums

The smaller Berlin state museums are outside the city center, but the specialized exhibitions are absolutely worth seeing.

Museums in Charlottenburg

• The Museum für Fotographie (Photography) near Zoologischer Bahnhof station is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm, closing at 8 pm on Thursday.
• The Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm.
• The Berggruen Museum is closed – likely to reopen late 2026 or in 2027.

Museums in Dahlem

The Museum of European Cultures (Europäischer Kulturen) in Berlin-Dahlem is open Wednesday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm and on weekends from 11 am to 6 pm.

Schloss Köpenick near Berlin

The decorative art exhibitions in Schloss Köpenick, on the outskirts of Berlin, are open from Wednesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00 from April to September. In winter, from March to October, the collection is open from Thursday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00.

More on the Berlin State Museums (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin):

Timeslot reservations are sensible (and sometimes needed in busy periods) for the Alte Nationalgalerie, Gemäldegalerie, Neue Nationalgalerie, Neues Museum, and Pergamon – Das Panorama. (The Pergamon Museum itself is closed until 2027!). Timeslots are released only a few weeks in advance. Online tickets are available from GetYourGuide, Tiqets, or SMB.

Many passes and multi-museum tickets offer savings (Kulturforum / Museums Island). Individual museum ticket prices range from €8 to €14 (€20 for special exhibitions). Online tickets are skip-the-line — go directly to the gallery entrance to scan the code.

For more general information on the Berlin State Museums:

• Top National Museums and Galleries in Berlin (brief overview)
• Berlin State Museums: What Is Seen Where? (a short description of the collections in the different museums)
• Opening Hours of Berlin State Museums (2026) — most are again open on Tuesdays too.
• Ticket Prices for Berlin State Museums (prices for museums, temporary exhibitions, combination tickets, online time-slot reservations). Buying online from GetYourGuide is easy. Scan tickets with a QR or bar code directly at the entrance — no need to pass by the ticket desk (but pick up the free audio guide before entering).
• Save with the Berlin Museum Pass – 30 museums (including all the SMB museums) in three days for €32 – a fantastic savings deal.
• Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (official website in German & English).

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 is closed until 2027 (some sculptures are on display in Das Panorama), the Museum Berggruen is closed (much of its collection is traveling the world), the permanent collection of the German History Museum (Zeughaus) is closed but temporary exhibitions continue in the Pei Building.
• 2030s: Berlin Modern to share the Museum of 20th-Century Art with the Neue Nationalgalerie on Kulturforum.

More Museum Reviews and Museum-Specific Information:

• Alte Nationalgalerie — 19th-century art.
• Altes Museum — Greek, Etruscan, and Roman art.
• Bode Museum — sculptures from the Middle Ages, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods, Byzantine Art, and coins.
• Ethnological and Asian Art Museums in the Humboldtforum.
• Friedrichswerdersche Kirche (free admission) with a collection of 19th-century German sculptures.
• Gemäldegalerie — German and Dutch Old Masters and Italian paintings.
• Kunstgewerbemuseum (Decorative Arts).
• Musical Instruments Museum near the Berliner Philharmonie.
• Neue Nationalgalerie — 20th-century art.
• Neues Museum — Pre and Early History, Egyptian Collection with bust of Nefertiti.
• Pergamon Museum with Ishtar Gate — the whole Pergamonmuseum is closed from 2023 until 2027. Some Greek sculptures are shown in the
• Pergamon Museum Panorama Exhibition with Asisi panoramic painting and Greek statues.
• Photography — Helmut Newton collection and historic photos.

Previous Temporary Exhibitions in Berlin Museums:

• 2025: Top Special Art Exhibitions in Berlin in 2025 & Top Contemporary Art Exhibitions in the Hamburg Bahnhof.
• 2024: Overview of Top Berlin Exhibitions in 2024, Caspar David Friedrich in the Alte Nationalgalerie, Frans Hals in the Gemäldegalerie, Neue Nationalgalerie (20th-century art), Hamburger Bahnhof Contemporary Art, Kupferstichkabinett (Prints and Drawings), and Photography Museum.
• 2023: Top Special Temporary Exhibitions in 2023 — overview, in the Kulturforum, in the Neue Nationalgalerie, on Museum Island, and the Museum of Photography.
• 2022: Top Special Temporary Exhibitions in 2022 — overview, in the Kulturforum (David Hockney), in the Neue Nationalgalerie, on Museumsinsel, Hamburger Bahnhof contemporary art, and the Museum of Photography.
• 2021: Top Special Temporary Exhibitions in 2021 — including the reopening of the Neue Nationalgalerie, as well as the Ethnological and Asian Art Museums in the Humboldt Forum.
• 2020: Highlights, in Kulturforum, on Museum Island, in the Hamburger Bahnhof, smaller museums, and the opening of the Humboldt Forum.