In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The memorial on Bernauer Straße is free. The outdoor exhibition is open daily, 8:00 to 22:00, along 1.4 km of the former border strip. The Visitor Centre, the Documentation Centre and the viewing tower are open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, and closed on Mondays. Start at the Visitor Centre, at Bernauer Straße 119. A guided tour is €5. It is not the Mauermuseum at Checkpoint Charlie, a private museum at €18.50. Take the S-Bahn to Nordbahnhof or the U8 to Bernauer Straße. Or book a tour: the Wall Tour: Fates, Love Stories and Heroesad is from €25.
The memorial
The Stiftung Berliner Mauer runs the memorial and describes it on its visitor information page. The Wall on Bernauer Straße was one part of the 155 km of border installations around West Berlin. Admission to every exhibition is free.
| Part | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor exhibition on the memorial grounds | Along Bernauer Straße, 1.4 km | Daily 8:00 to 22:00 |
| Visitor Centre | Bernauer Straße 119 | Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00 |
| Documentation Centre | Bernauer Straße 111 | Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00 |
| Viewing tower, Documentation Centre | Bernauer Straße 111 | Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00; last ascent 17:45 |
| “Border and Ghost Stations in Divided Berlin” | Nordbahnhof station | The station’s opening hours |
- Closed Mondays: both centres and the tower. The outdoor exhibition is open.
- Public holidays: 24, 25 and 31 December 2026 are closed, and 26 December 2026 and 1 January 2027 are open 12:00 to 18:00. On 9 November 2026, the anniversary of the fall of the Wall, the centres are open 10:00 to 18:00.
- The film room in the Visitor Centre can be closed for internal events. Phone +49 30 213085-123 to check.
The Wall on the memorial grounds at Bernauer Straße, with a watchtower and the viewing tower behind. Photo: Gerd Danigel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Tours and guides
| Offer | Price |
|---|---|
| Public guided tour | €5 (€3 reduced) |
| Guided tour of more than 90 minutes | €7 (€4 reduced) |
| Workshop | €12 (€8 reduced) |
| Children under 7 | Free |
The foundation also offers a guide for a phone, to follow the history of Bernauer Straße without a guide, on its site.
Tours worth paying for
The memorial’s own tours are €5 and its exhibitions are free, so a paid tour is for a guide across the whole city rather than for Bernauer Straße. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.
Wall Tour: fates, love stories and heroes
From €25 · 2 hours · 796 reviews
Berlin: Wall Tour – Fates, Love Stories, and Heroesad is a guided walk along the original route of the Berlin Wall, with the Soviet-era sites where history was made and the moments that led to its fall.
Third Reich and Cold War walking tour
From €16.73 · 2 hours · 9,926 reviews
Berlin: Third Reich & Cold War 2 Hour Guided Walking Tourad is run by Insider Tour Berlin in English and German. It starts at the Brandenburg Gate and ends at Checkpoint Charlie, and includes a section of the Berlin Wall about 200 m long. Cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund.
What to see
The core area is about 500 m, from Gartenstraße to Strelitzer Straße.
The Chapel of Reconciliation on the memorial grounds. Photo: Ansgar Koreng, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 DE.
- The Visitor Centre, Bernauer Straße 119. An introductory film on the Wall and the computer animation “Walled In”, made by Deutsche Welle, are on the upper floor.
- The outdoor exhibition. It follows the line of the border strip along Bernauer Straße, with the Chapel of Reconciliation and the Window of Remembrance among its elements.
- The Documentation Centre and the tower, Bernauer Straße 111, for the permanent exhibition and a view over the strip. The last ascent is at 17:45.
- Nordbahnhof station, for the “Border and Ghost Stations in Divided Berlin” exhibition.
The Documentation Centre and its viewing tower on Bernauer Straße. Photo: Ansgar Koreng, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 DE.
What to skip: the Mauermuseum at Checkpoint Charlie if you have been here. Bernauer Straße is free and shows the line of the Wall itself.
Getting there
- S-Bahn: S1, S2, S25 or S26 to Nordbahnhof.
- U-Bahn: U8 to Bernauer Straße, or U6 to Naturkundemuseum.
- Tram and bus: tram M10 to Nordbahnhof, or bus 247 to Nordbahnhof/Gartenstraße.
- Wheelchairs: the Visitor Centre and the Documentation Centre are barrier-free, and wheelchairs can be borrowed at the Visitor Centre desk for free.
Konnopke’s Imbiss, the currywurst stand under the U2 viaduct, is a short ride away: see currywurst and döner in Berlin. The East Side Gallery shows the murals and Checkpoint Charlie the crossing. The Stasi Museum and Hohenschönhausen cover the secret police, and the DDR Museum shows daily life. What to book before you go to Berlin has the closed days for every sight, and free things to do in Berlin lists what else costs nothing. 3 days in Berlin places the Wall around the closed Mondays. The Berlin underground tours include Under the Berlin Wall, held on Bernauer Straße, and Berlin walking tours lists the Wall walks and bike tours.
Common questions
Is the Berlin Wall Memorial free?
Yes. Admission to all the exhibitions on Bernauer Straße is free, indoors and outdoors. Guided tours are €5 (€3 reduced), tours of more than 90 minutes are €7 (€4), and workshops are €12.
When is the Berlin Wall Memorial open?
The outdoor exhibition on the memorial grounds is open every day from 8:00 to 22:00. The Visitor Centre at Bernauer Straße 119 and the Documentation Centre at Bernauer Straße 111 are open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, and closed on Mondays.
How long is the outdoor exhibition?
It runs 1.4 km along Bernauer Straße, mostly barrier-free. The core area, from Gartenstraße to Strelitzer Straße, is about 500 m.
Where do I start at the Berlin Wall Memorial?
At the Visitor Centre, Bernauer Straße 119. An introductory film on the Wall and an animation called Walled In are on the upper floor. It also has information on the memorial grounds and other Wall sites in Berlin.
Is the Wall Memorial the same as the Checkpoint Charlie museum?
No. The Mauermuseum at Checkpoint Charlie is a private museum with its own €18.50 ticket, and the Wall Museum at the East Side Gallery is also private. The Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße is run by the Stiftung Berliner Mauer, and is free.
How do I get to the Berlin Wall Memorial?
By S-Bahn S1, S2, S25 or S26 to Nordbahnhof, by U8 to Bernauer Straße, by U6 to Naturkundemuseum, by tram M10 to Nordbahnhof or by bus 247 to Nordbahnhof/Gartenstraße.
