10 Best Museums in Berlin

The East Side Gallery is a heritage-protected landmark on the longest surviving section of the Berlin Wall. The striking memorial, which spans just under a mile along Mühlenstraße in the Friedrichshain district near the Spree River in central Berlin, features a series of restored murals evoking peace, hope and freedom in a post-Cold War era.

It’s not surprising that the East Side Gallery, the longest permanent open-air gallery in the world, attracts 3 million visitors annually. It's home to 100 works by artists from 20 different countries, including the graffiti painting 'My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love', also known as 'Fraternal Kiss', by Russian artist Dmitri Vrubel and 'Wall Jumper' by Gabriel Heimler.

The Topography of Terror takes visitors through darker times of German history. Set on the former site of Gestapo headquarters, Nazi operations and central command station on Niederkirchnerstrasses in the Mitte district, the indoor and outdoor history museum is one of the most visited sites in Berlin.

More than a million people visit the Topography of Terror each year. Permanent exhibitions, such as 'Topography of Terror, Gestapo, SS and Reich Security Main Office', delve into the organisations and their activities during World War II. Another exhibition, 'Berlin 1933-1945', highlights socialism and its impact on the capital city with a display of photos and other artefacts.

The Pergamonmuseum boasts 3 world-class museums across its 3-wing complex on Museum Island in the historic centre of Berlin. Part of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the complex houses the Antikensammlung (the Collection of Classical Antiquities), Vorderasiatisches Museum (Museum of the Ancient Near East) and the Museum für Islamische Kunst (Museum of Islamic Art).

Visitors to the Pergamonmuseum will find rare antiquities and archaeological finds. Highlights of the collection include the Hellenistic masterpiece Pergamon Altar, the Roman Market Gate of Miletus, the 6th-century Ishtar Gate of Babylon and the Mshatta Facade, among other extraordinary artefacts.

The DDR Museum invites visitors to travel back to former East Germany via educational and engaging exhibits. Set in the centre of Berlin along the Spree River, this attraction features historical sources, objects, images and displays falling under the themes of Public Life, State and Ideology and Life in a Tower Block, which includes a fully furnished, reconstructed flat full of objects.

Visitors to the DDR Museum explore what it was like to live in the German Democratic Republic, a communist state that existed from 1949 to 1990. Among the highlights of the permanent collection are a drive simulation in a Trabant P601 car, Stasi surveillance objects and a collection of more than 130 restored motorbikes, scooters, sidecars and mopeds.

The German Museum of Technology (Deutsches Technikmuseum) captivates curious minds with exciting exhibitions and a collection of historical technical artefacts. Since opening in 1982, the museum, set on the historic site of the Gleisdreieck transport hub and the Anhalter freight yard, continues to showcase the evolution of technology, spanning science, communications, transportation, energy and other fascinating areas.

Along with exhibitions such as 'Man on the Road - On the Road with Cars' at the German Museum of Technology, visitors will encounter windmills, 40 railway cars and a brewery. Also part of the complex is the neighbouring Science Centre Spectrum with 150 fun experiments to discover. The museum is about 2.5 miles southeast of the city centre.

The Jewish Museum Berlin explores Judaism from the Middle Ages to present-day Germany. Located in the Kreuzberg district, the largest Jewish museum in Europe spans 3 buildings, including a stunning architectural masterpiece resembling the Star of David by American architect Daniel Liebeskind, a historical baroque palace and the adjacent ANOHA children’s museum.

Ever since the Jewish Museum Berlin opened in 2001, the cultural gem has continued to shed light on the Jewish experience in Germany and beyond with evolving exhibitions and rich programming. The hallmark permanent collection, 'Jewish History and Present in Germany', touches on important cultural elements, including the Torah, music, art and commandments.

The German Spy Museum (Deutsches Spionagemuseum) provides a fascinating look into all things espionage, which has a stronghold in the capital city of Berlin. Founded by former journalist Franz-Michael Günther, this unique destination at Leipziger Platz, about 1.5 miles from the city centre, takes you on a fascinating journey of secret agents and covert activities using state-of-the-art technology.

The moment you step inside the German Spy Museum, you can see what it’s like to live a double life. From undercover operations to elaborate techniques, interactive installations and gadgets, there is a lot of intelligence. Hands-on activities include a room where you find listening devices planted by the KGB, a laser maze and a cryptography code-cracking challenge.

The Hamburger Bahnhof, once the terminus of the Berlin-Hamburg Railway, is now home to one of the world’s most significant collections of art from the 1950s to the modern day. On the Invalidenstrasse in the Moabit district, the former train station in a Neoclassical-style building houses the Museum für Gegenwart, a must-visit destination for art lovers.

As part of the Berlin National Gallery, the Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart boasts an array of vibrant works from paintings to photos, sculptures and other media. Walking through the galleries, visitors will encounter works by such internationally renowned artists as Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and Anselm Kiefer, to name a few.

The German Historical Museum (Deutsches Historisches Museum) draws in visitors from across the globe with its comprehensive holdings highlighting the history and culture of Germany. Set in the Mitte district, the national historical museum boasts more than 1 million objects in its vast collection.

Originally founded on the 750th-anniversary celebration of Berlin, the German Historical Museum (Deutsches Historisches Museum) is ever-evolving. Exhibitions are constantly changing and have included such offerings as 'Angela Merkel Portraits 1991-2021' and 'Richard Wagner and the German Feeling'.

The Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery) offers an impressive collection of works from 19th-century European masters. Set in the historic centre of Berlin on Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the museum is in a restored neoclassical style building. Long before it came into fruition, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia envisioned a “sanctuary for art and science.

Visitors to the Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery) today get to see a captivating collection of works, ranging from Impressionism to Realism. Notable pieces include Adolph Menzel’s painting ‘The Balcony Room’, ‘In Summer’ by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and the oil painting ‘Monk by the Sea' by German artist Caspar David Friedrich.