Museum Island Berlin for Residents: Five Museums on One Island

This guide is for international residents of Berlin, with or without children, who want to treat Museumsinsel Berlin (Museum Island) as somewhere they return to, not a place they tick off once. It covers which museums are on the island, what you can still see while the Pergamonmuseum is closed for renovation, what is on now, and how to plan tickets and calmer visits.

• The five museums on the island
• What is open while the Pergamonmuseum is renovated
• Current exhibitions to plan around
• What works for children and what suits adults
• Tickets, opening hours and quieter visits
• FAQ

The five museums on the island

Museumsinsel Berlin is run by the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (the National Museums in Berlin), and its official Museumsinsel page brings together the programmes of the museums on the island. Once you live here, the most useful thing to know is that these are five separate museums with very different characters. Trying to “do” the island in one afternoon usually leaves you tired and with a blur of marble.

• Altes Museum (literally “Old Museum”): its current exhibition presents it as Berlin’s first museum, and it is the place for antiquity.
• Neues Museum (“New Museum”): home of the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung (Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection), and currently the busiest building for temporary shows.
• Alte Nationalgalerie (“Old National Gallery”): painting and sculpture, with a current exhibition and a family offer built around the Impressionists.
• Bode-Museum: sculpture, coins from the Münzkabinett (coin cabinet) and several small, focused displays.
• Pergamonmuseum: home of the Antikensammlung (Collection of Classical Antiquities), the Vorderasiatisches Museum (Museum of the Ancient Near East) and the Museum für Islamische Kunst (Museum of Islamic Art). It is currently closed for a major refurbishment.

If you live in Berlin, think of the island as five separate outings. One museum per visit, or one museum plus a single exhibition, makes each trip easy to plan and leaves you wanting to come back.

What is open while the Pergamonmuseum is renovated

The Pergamonmuseum’s official page states clearly what is open: “Pergamonmuseum. Das Panorama”. This is a separate venue showing “PERGAMON. Masterpieces from the Ancient Metropolis with a 360°-Panorama by Yadegar Asisi”, and it runs until further notice. If you have friends visiting who ask about the Pergamon Altar, this is the realistic option for now.

The same page has a section on the refurbishment, covering the building work and what happens to the objects while it goes on. The museum also says that group tours at the Pergamonmuseum from June 2027 are now available to book. That tells you group bookings are open for that period. It is not an official reopening date for individual visitors, so check the refurbishment page before you plan around it.

In the meantime, you can explore the collection from home. The museum offers films, podcasts and virtual tours, as well as a detailed 3D scan of the Pergamon Altar, including the Gigantomachy frieze. Its blog, “Museum and the City”, carries stories from the Pergamonmuseum, but these are in German only.

Current exhibitions to plan around

Temporary exhibitions give residents a reason to come back. The Museumsinsel page currently lists the following. Each has fixed dates, which you can check on its exhibition page before you go.

• Bode-Museum: the first public showing of the official portrait of former Chancellor Angela Merkel. There is also a collection intervention on the 250th anniversary of US independence, “The Baptismal Font from Siena” (on the history, restoration and reinstallation of a plaster cast model) and “Plain Talk: About the History of the Bode-Museum”.
• Neues Museum: “100 Years of the Dictionary of the Egyptian Language”, “Destiny in the Stars: The Beginnings of the Zodiac”, “Dioscuri: The Given Day” and “The Crown of Kerch: Treasures from the Dawn of European History”.
• Alte Nationalgalerie: “Scandal! Hermione von Preuschen and the ‘Mors Imperator'”.
• Altes Museum: “Founded on Antiquity: Berlin’s First Museum”.

The Museumsinsel pages also list “Focus on Schinkel: A Look at His Life and Work” at the Friedrichswerdersche Kirche (Friedrichswerder Church), which runs until further notice.

Several of these shows run until further notice, so there is no rush. Others have closing dates, so look at the full list of current exhibitions on the Museumsinsel page and see which ones end soonest. A simple habit is to check that page at the start of each season and pick one or two shows.

What works for children and what suits adults

For families, the Museumsinsel page has a section called “For Children and Families”, and its current feature is “Discover the Impressionists!”, which is linked to the Alte Nationalgalerie. Paintings work well with younger children because you can stop at a few pictures and talk about them, without a long walk through cases of objects. The Pergamon panorama is another good choice for school-age children, because the 360° format makes the ancient city easy to picture.

The Neues Museum’s zodiac exhibition is built around the round celestial image from Dendera. Children who like stars and stories often enjoy it, though the official pages do not give an age recommendation. The pages do not say which exhibitions are aimed at children, so if you are unsure, read the exhibition page or ask at the museum.

Some offers are aimed at adults. The Museumsinsel news section mentions a symposium, “Provenance and Asian Art: Sharing Stories, Building Connections”, from 11 to 13 November 2026 on Museumsinsel Berlin. There are also bookable guided tours, including group tours of the Bode-Museum. The smaller Bode-Museum displays, such as the plaster cast restoration and the history of the building, suit adults who prefer depth to a long list of highlights.

Tickets, opening hours and quieter visits

The official pages used for this guide do not give ticket prices, opening hours, booking rules or addresses, so I will not guess them. The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin website has the current details for each museum. The city portal’s museums directory on berlin.de also lists Berlin museums with addresses, entrance fees, opening hours and public transport information. That makes it a handy second source when you are planning a route.

The official pages also do not say which days or times are quieter. Berlin.de publishes a list of Berlin’s most visited museums, based on figures from the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation’s Institute for Museum Research. Use it as a rough guide to which buildings are likely to be busy, and plan accordingly. A focused visit to a smaller exhibition, such as the Bode-Museum displays, generally feels calmer than heading for the best-known highlights.

If you have a choice, aim for the exhibitions that run until further notice when friends are in town. Save the shows with closing dates for your own quieter outings.

FAQ

Is the Pergamonmuseum open?

The main Pergamonmuseum is closed for a major refurbishment. The official page states that “Pergamonmuseum. Das Panorama” is open. It shows a 360° panorama by Yadegar Asisi together with original works from the ancient city of Pergamon.

When does the Pergamonmuseum reopen?

The official page does not give a reopening date for individual visitors. It does say that group tours at the Pergamonmuseum from June 2027 are now available to book. Check the refurbishment page on the museum’s website for updates.

Is Museum Island good for children?

Yes, if you choose carefully. The Museumsinsel page has a “For Children and Families” section, currently featuring “Discover the Impressionists!”. The Pergamon panorama also works well for school-age children. The official pages do not give age limits.

How much are tickets and when are the museums open?

The official pages used for this guide do not state prices or opening hours. Check the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin website for each museum, or the berlin.de museums directory, which lists entrance fees, opening hours and public transport.

Official sources: smb.museum · smb.museum · berlin.de

Last checked: 10 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Prices, opening hours and programmes change; the venue’s own site always has the current details.