Berlin Museums - It should come as no surprise that a city like Berlin has much to offer in the way of museums and exhibitions. With such a chaotic and turbulent past, it is only fitting that Berlin has a section called Museum Island.

Museumsinsel (Museum Island) is Berlin’s first and oldest museum complex, dating back to the 1830s. It includes the Altes Museum for classical antiquities, the Museum of Antiquities and Byzantine Art, the Alte Nationalgalerie - Picture Gallery, the Bode Museum, the Neues Museum of Egyptian and pre and early History, and the Pergamon Museum collection of classical antiquities.

Museums in Berlin cover a wide variety of areas, including:

Ancient World and Antiquities
Art Design and Architecture
German History and World War Two
Jewish Culture in Berlin
Transport and Communication
Gay and Lesbian
Theatre and Music

Although there are literally dozens of museums to choose from in Berlin, we have listed below a premium choice of a museum from each of the above categories. These are not meant to be viewed as an exhaustive list. They are merely to help point you in the right direction. Whichever museum you choose to visit in Berlin, you are sure not to be disappointed.

Ägyptisches Museum Berlin (Ancient World and Antiquities)
Schoßstrasse 70, Charlottenburg 14059,
U2 Sophie-Charlotte Platz,
U7 Richard Wagner Platz.
Open: Tue-Fri 10am-6pm,
Sat/Sun 11am-6pm.
Tel: 030 - 34 35 73 11

Altes Museum Berlin (Art Design and Architecture)
Mitte 10178
S3 S4 S6 S9 Hackescher Markt
Open: Tue-Sun 10am-6pm
Admission: varies, depending on current exhibitions
Tel: 030 - 20 90 55 66

German History Museum (German History and World War Two)
Deutsches Historisches Museum
Unter Linden 2
Mitte 10117
S3, S5, S6, S9/U6 Friedrichstrasse
Open: Due to reconstruction the Zeughaus
is closed until 2004. During this time current exhibitions take place at:
Tel: 030 - 20 30 40

New Synagogue/Centrum Judaicum (Jewish Culture in Berlin)
New Synagogue
Oranienburgerstr 28-29,
Mitte 10117
S1, S2 Oranienburger Strasse
Open: Sun-Thurs 10am-6pm, Fri 10am-2pm, from May to August longer opening hours
NB CLOSED on Saturdays and Jewish Holidays
phone: 030 - 88 02 83 16
English available: guided tours Sun 2pm, 4pm - Wed 4pm, call to book first, brochures and exhibition is labelled in English, too

Museum of Transport and Technology (Transport and Communication)
Museum für Verkehr und Technik
Trebbiner Strasse 9
Kreuzberg 10963
Open: Tue-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm
phone: 030 - 25 48 40

Gay Museum Berlin (Gay and Lesbian)
Mehringdamm 61
Kreuzberg 10961
U6, U7 Mehringdamm
Open: Mon-Sun 2pm-6pm, Sat 2pm-7pm, closed on Tuesday
phone: 030 - 69 59 90 50

Museum of Musical Instruments Berlin (Theatre and Music)
Musikinstrumenten Museum
Tiergartenstr 1
Tiergarten 10785
Open: Tue-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat-Sun
phone: 030 - 25 48 11 78