There are so many museums in Berlin that they have their own Island!
Berlin has around 170 museums – so you’d need to stay a while to visit them all. If you’re short on time, I suggest going to the Museum Island.
The world-famous Museum Island is made up of five museums presenting a panorama of art and history, from ancient cultures to nineteenth-century paintings.
While I was in Berlin, I had a lot of free time so I was able to visit the famous five. Entry fees can be expensive especially if you want to visit more than one. I would recommend getting the 3-Day Museum Pass to save some money.
The Pergamon museum is the most popular out of the five and was my personal favourite. On my visit there was some construction as the Museum Island is getting an upgrade, the refurbishment of the museum is ongoing until 2025.
The Museum is truly breathtaking and has an array of amazing discoveries of artefacts that have been gathered from Iran, Asia Minor, Egypt and the Caucasus. the main highlights for me that you will want to see for yourself is monuments such as the 17 meters high Roman Market Gate of Miletus, the Ishtar Gate, and the Mschatta Façade.
2. Bode-Museum
the Bode-Museum brings together works from different eras. During your visit, you can explore the Sculpture Gallery, the Museum of Byzantine Art and the coin collection.
Not only are the exhibitions impressive, but the building is also stunning and worth a visit whether you intend on going inside or not.
3. Neues Museum
The Neues Museum brings together unusual objects spread across three major historical collections – The Egyptian Museum, the Papyrus Collection, the Museum of Prehistory and Early History, and the Collection of Classical Antiquities.
The museum contains around 9,000 historical exhibits. The main attraction of the Neues Museum is undoubtedly the Nefertiti Bust, this is not to be missed! It is showcased alone in the domed hall in the north of the building. This Museum is truly impressive and one that won’t forget.
The Atle shows paintings and sculptures from the neoclassical period through Romanticism, Impressionist and early modernist art. The collection includes works by artists such as Caspar David Friedrich, Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, Auguste Renoir and Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The gallery is also home to Johann Gottfried Schadow’s Princesses Luise and Friederike, regarded as the most beautiful sculpture by a Prussian artist.
The museum is great if you want to marvel at famous works of art and architecture from 19th century Europe.
5. Altes Museum
The Altes Museum was the first museum built on the Museum Island. It holds fascinating works of the Romans, Greeks and Etruscans. Its a great museum to marvel at small treasures such as vases and jewellery to larger pieces of art and sculptures.
For me the highlights were the statue of the ‘Berlin goddess‘, the ‘praying boy‘, the ‘amphora of the Berlin painter‘ and the throned goddess from Taranto. Like all the museums this one should be on your list!
For more information on the 3-DAY Museum Pass Click Here.
Morgan’s blog 