Discover Berlin's Museum Island!

Discover Berlin’s Museum Island

Feeling overwhelmed by the sheer range of museums on Museum Island? This tour is the perfect introduction – ideal for both visitors to Berlin and locals alike!

From Germany’s first purpose-built museum to the spectacular renovations of the post-reunification era, Museum Island is far more than just a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s a place where history and culture intertwine in a unique way – and along the way, you'll also gain insights into Berlin’s broader urban and historical development.

This tour is designed for everyone – not just art or museum lovers. If you're interested in Berlin, history, or simply fascinating places, you’ll feel right at home.

We’ll explore Museum Island mostly outdoors, with a few stops inside entrance halls and courtyards of selected museums. There, you’ll get background information on the architecture and collections. If desired, we can also plan a short coffee break at one of the museum cafés.

Our tour begins at the entrance of the Bode Museum at the northern tip of the island. From there, we continue past the Pergamon Panorama to the (currently closed) Pergamon Museum – with plenty of insights into its history and ongoing renovations.
We then make our way to the Zeughaus on Unter den Linden, now home to the German Historical Museum. On the way, we visit the Neue Wache and the Friedrichswerder Church, followed by a stop at the Humboldt Forum – the reconstructed Berlin Palace.
From there, we pass the Berlin Cathedral, stroll through the Lustgarten, and arrive at the Altes Museum – Germany’s first building constructed explicitly to serve as a museum. We end our walk with the beautiful colonnaded courtyard (Kolonnadenhof), the Alte Nationalgalerie, the Neues Museum, and the James Simon Gallery.

Throughout the tour, we explore how museums have helped shape cultural and political developments over the centuries – and how different political regimes have used them to express specific worldviews.
Discover a Berlin treasure: This tour will open up a part of the city that’s just as enriching for locals as it is for visitors – and might just change the way you see museums forever.