Museum Island

Museum Island is a UNESCO ensemble of five great museums crowded onto an island in the river Spree, the cultural heart of Berlin. Together they hold treasures spanning millennia, from the monumental ancient architecture of the Pergamon Museum and the painted bust of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti in the Neues Museum to old master paintings and classical antiquities, a concentration of world heritage rare anywhere.

Highlights

• The Pergamon Museum - the monumental ancient altars and gates (completely closed to visitors since October 2023; the north wing is expected to reopen in 2027).
• The bust of Nefertiti - the famous painted queen in the Neues Museum.
• The Old National Gallery - the nineteenth-century paintings.
• The Berlin Cathedral - the great domed cathedral beside the island.

When to go

Year-round; indoor museums, ideal in poor weather. Note that the Pergamon Museum has been completely closed to visitors since October 2023 for a renovation expected to keep most of it shut until at least 2037, with only its north wing expected to reopen in 2027, so check what is open before planning around it.

Before you go

The star Pergamon Museum is completely closed for a long renovation, so check what is open before you go. Seeing all five museums is too much for one visit, so pick your priorities. A combined ticket and booking ahead help with the popular ones.

Nearby

The Berlin Cathedral and the Lustgarten are beside the island; Unter den Linden is alongside.