Berlin has some world class museums and art galleries and excellent temporary art exhibitions. Here are our selected highlights for 2007.
Temporary exhibitions are given in italics! Museum names in German are in brackets.
Monday closing: the state-run museums, galleries and palaces, marked * below, are always closed on Mondays - unless the Monday is a public holiday!

Please note: the information below is regularly updated but opening times can change, often at very short notice.

* Old National Gallery (Alte Nationalgalerie)
Outstanding collection of C19th art - in particular the German Romantics such as Friedrich, Schinkel and Blechen. Museum Island, Tues-Sun 10am-6pm, Thurs 'til 10pm. Entry € 8, discount € 4 (free Thurs 6pm-10pm). S-Bahn Hackescher Markt.
Note: we pass this imposing building and the Old Museum below on our » Discover Berlin tour (tour 1).

* New National Gallery (Neue Nationalgalerie)
This Mies van der Rohe-designed gallery integrates works from its collection into the special exhibitions held here. Selected exhibitions: 5th June - 3rd Oct. 2006: Berlin-Tokyo – Art of Two Cities; Entry € 10, discount € 5; 1st June - 7th Oct. 2007: The Met in Berlin. Kulturforum-Potsdamer Strasse. 50, Tues/Wed/Fri- 10am-6pm, Thurs 10am-10pm, Sat/Sun 11am-6pm. U- or S-Bahn Potsdamer Platz; Bus M29 or 200. Entry € 12, discount € 6.

* Picture Gallery (Gemäldegalerie)
One of the world's finest collections of C13th-18th European art; includes works by van Eyck, Bruegel, Dürer and Rembrandt, with a special exhibition in 2006 to mark the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth (4th Aug – 5th Nov 2006: Entry € 16, discount € 10). Matthaikirchplatz 4/6. Tues-Sun 10am-6pm, Thurs 'til 10pm. U- or S-Bahn Potsdamer Platz. Entry € 8, discount € 4 (free Thurs 6pm-10pm)

* Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum for the Present (Museum für Gegenwart)
Contemporary art gems on show in a former railway station, supplemented in 2004 with revolving exhibitions from the enormous Flick collection. Invalidenstrasse 50-51, Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 11am-6pm. S-Bahn Lehrter Bhf. Entry € 8, discount € 4

* Charlottenburg Palace - New Wing (Neuer Flügel)
Permanent collection of paintings, including works acquired by Frederick the Great, and curiosities, such as Frederick's snuff box collection! Spandauerdamm 20-24, Tues-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm, last admission 5pm. Bus 109 or 145. Entry € 7, discount € 5.

* Helmut Newton - Museum for Photography
Months before he died in 2004, Newton agreed to donate his world-famous photo collection to his home town of Berlin. Jebensstrasse 2 (next to Zoo Station). Tues-Sun 10am-6pm, Thurs 'til 10pm. Entry € 6, discount € 3.

Pergamon Museum (Pergamonmuseum)
A stunning collection. See the Pergamon Altar (2nd century BC), a masterpiece of Hellenistic Art. Also the Market Gate of Miletus, an outstanding example of Roman architecture and the awe-inspiring Babylonian Ishtar Gate. We point out this museum on our » Discover Berlin tour (tour 1). Museum Island - Am Kupfergraben. S-Bahn Friedrichstr. Mon-Sun 10am-6pm, Thurs 10am-10pm. Entry € 8, discount € 4 (free Thurs 6pm-10pm)
Tip: note that this is one of the few city-run museums which is open on Mondays!

Egyptian Museum (Ägyptisches Museum)
Star exhibit of the Egyptian collection is the 3,340 year old bust of Nefertiti, discovered in Amarna in 1912 and on exhibition in Berlin since the 1920s. Since the summer of 2005, a selection of works, including Nefertiti, has been on display in the upper level of the Old Museum. On the ground floor, there is also an outstanding collection of antiquities, including one of the few surviving original ancient Greek bronzes, the "Praying Boy".
Architecturally, the Old Museum is one of the finest examples of Neo-Classicism in the city (admire it on the » Discover Berlin tour (tour 1)). Museum Island - Lustgarten. S-Bahn Hackescher Markt or Bus 100/200. Open 7 days a week 10am-6pm, Thurs 'til 10pm. Entry € 8, discount € 4 (free Thurs 6pm-10pm)
Tip: note that this is one of the few city-run museums which is open on Mondays!

Wall Museum at Checkpoint Charlie (Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie)
Some brilliant exhibits to do with daring escapes over the Wall. Can get crowded so visit early or late in the day. We finish our » Discover Berlin tour (tour 1) close to this museum. Friedrichstrasse 43-45, daily (incl. Mondays) 9am-10pm. U-Bahn Kochstrasse U6. Entry € 9.50, discount € 5.50.

* Berlin Wall Documentation Center (Dokumentationszentrum Berliner Mauer)
The Documentation Center has excellent exhibits. It is located on the north side of the city opposite the official Wall Memorial (which has been strongly criticized by victims groups for its lack of realism). One can also visit the poignant Chapel of Reconciliation, located nearby in the former Death Strip and built on the site of the church of the same name which was dynamited by the East Germans in 1985. Documentation Center, Bernauer Strasse 111, Tues-Sun 10am-6pm (5pm Nov. thru' March). U-Bahn Bernauerstr. U8. Free admission.

Jewish Museum (Jüdisches Museum Berlin)
This Daniel Libeskind-designed museum is an extraordinary work of sculpture in its own right, incorporating void spaces to represent the loss of artifacts by the destruction of the community in the 1940s. However, the troubled architecture houses a very positive exhibit about the rich contribution of German Jewry to German society over centuries. This museum is a short walk from the end of our » Discover Berlin tour (tour 1). Lindenstrasse 9-14. U-Bahn Kochstr. U8. Daily 10am-8pm (Mon ’til 10pm). Entry € 5, discount € 2.50.

German Historical Museum (Deutsches Historiches Museum)
New historical exhibition in the Zeughaus charting the highs and lows of 2000 years of German history. Special exhibitions in the breath-taking Pei-Bau designed by Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei. » See the Zeughaus on our Discover Berlin walk (tour 1).
Selected special exhibitions: 8th Aug. – 10th Dec 2006: Holy Roman Empire 962-1806; 26th Jan – 15th Apr. 2007: Art and Propaganda. Unter den Linden 2. Bus 100/200. daily (incl. Mondays) 10am-6pm. Entry € 4 up to 18 yr olds, free.

* Documentation Center, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas)
The Documentation Center is hiding under the south-east corner of the memorial (that is, the corner furthest from the Brandenburg Gate!). It charts the history of the Holocaust and has moving exhibits showing, for example, how family groups from all over Europe were destroyed by Nazi persecution and genocide. All texts are well translated into English and audio guides are available in other languages. In summer, go early or late to avoid long lines. Cora-Berliner-Str. 1. S-Bahn Unter den Linden or Bus 100/200. Tues-Sun 10am-8pm (last admissions 7.15), free admission. Note: the Memorial itself is open 24 hours a day; we walk through it on our » Discover Berlin tour (tour 1).

Wannsee Conference Villa (Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz)
In 1942 senior Nazis met in this villa to agree how to implement "The Final Solution" - the policy to deport and murder the European Jews. A booklet in English is available to guide you through the exhibition here. Am Grossen Wannsee 56-58, daily 10am-6pm (closed public holidays). Take S-Bahn or RE train to Wannsee - then bus 114 to "Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz" stop. Free admission.

* Museum Berlin-Karlshorst
This unprepossessing building was where the unconditional surrender was signed in May 1945 following the total defeat of Germany in World War 2. The room where the signing took place is unchanged since 1945, whereas the rest of the exhibit is a sanitized look at German-Russian relations in the 20th Century. Good exhibit outdoors of tank and artillery pieces. Zwieselerstr. 4, Tues-Sun 10am-6pm. S-Bahn Karlshorst S3, take exit marked "Treskowallee-Rheinstrasse" and walk to far end of Rheinstrasse. Free admission.

Olympic Stadium (Olympia-Stadion)
Built for the 1936 Olympics, the stadium was completely rebuilt in time for the soccer World Cup 2006 Olympischer Platz, Charlottenburg. Daily 10am-7pm (till 8pm August). U-Bahn Olympia-Stadion U2; or S-Bahn Olympiastadion S7 or S75. Entry € 3, Under 18 yr olds € 2.

Bell Tower, Olympic Stadium (Glockenturm)
Wonderful views of the whole Stadium complex from the viewing platform; enjoy the new historical exhibit underneath, part of which is in the "Langemarck Halle", a war memorial dedicated by the Nazis soon after the Olympics was held in 1936. All texts in English. Open April thru' Oct., 9am-6pm. S-Bahn Pichelsberg S7 or S75. Entry € 3.50.

* German Museum of Technology (Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin)
New aeronautics and shipping departments opened last year, making this an even bigger attraction, especially for families with children. Trebbiner Strasse 9, U-Bahn Gleisdreieck Tue-Fri: 9am - 5.30pm; Sat/Sun: 10am-6pm (closed Mondays) Entry € 4.50, discount € 2.50

AND lastly, one for the boys!
Loxx Model Railway (Modelleisenbahn-Ausstellung)
See one of the largest train sets in the world! You can have fun recognizing parts of Berlin's topography which are integrated into this 1:87 scale train set; park husbands/partners here while you get on with the serious shopping nearby! Meinekestr. 24, east end of Ku'damm. Daily 10-6pm. € 7.50, kids € 2-4.