In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The Reichstag dome is free with a registration (dates in the current and following month, or a place at the service centre), the Holocaust Memorial’s Field of Stelae is open 24 hours, and the Topography of Terror is free daily, 10:00 to 20:00. The Berlin Wall Memorial and the East Side Gallery are free, and so is the Jewish Museum’s core exhibition. The information centre under the Holocaust Memorial, the Jewish Museum and the Wall Memorial’s two centres are closed on Mondays. Five Humboldt Forum exhibitions are free and the Humboldt Forum is closed on Tuesdays. Tempelhofer Feld is a free park. Or book a tour: the Explore Berlin walking tourad is from €16.25, and the Reichstag tourad from €16 includes the dome registration.
The free list at a glance
| Sight | Free | The rule | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reichstag dome | Yes | Register first; passport or ID | 19 to 30 October 2026 |
| Brandenburg Gate | Yes | Open air; events can close the square | Never |
| Holocaust Memorial | Yes | The centre has a security queue and a luggage limit | Centre on Mondays |
| Topography of Terror | Yes | None | 24 and 31 December, 1 January |
| Berlin Wall Memorial | Yes | The centres close earlier than the outdoor exhibition | Centres on Mondays |
| East Side Gallery | Yes | The museum beside it is private and paid | Never |
| Jewish Museum, core exhibition | Yes | A free time slot is recommended | Mondays |
| Humboldt Forum, five exhibitions | Yes | The main exhibitions are €9 | Tuesdays |
| Hohenschönhausen, exhibitions | Yes | The prison is seen only on a €9 tour | 24 to 26 December, 31 December, 1 January |
| Tempelhofer Feld | Yes | Hours change by month | Never |
The government quarter on foot
The Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial and the Topography of Terror lie along one line, and Checkpoint Charlie is at the end of it. The first four are free.
Reichstag dome
Free with a registration · dome closed 19 to 30 October 2026
The dome and roof terrace are free, but only with a registration. The Bundestag’s online form takes dates in the current and following month, and the service centre on Platz der Republik issues same-day places if any are free, at least two hours ahead. Everyone aged 16 and over shows a passport or national ID card. Reichstag dome tickets has the routes and the closures.
Brandenburg Gate
Free · open air · Pariser Platz
The Gate has no entry and no hours. It was built from 1788 to 1791, and the Quadriga on top dates from 1793. The square is closed for events such as the New Year’s Eve party.
Holocaust Memorial
Free · Field of Stelae open 24 hours · information centre closed Mondays
The Field of Stelae needs no ticket and is open day and night. The information centre beneath it is free, open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, with a security gate and a wait. Bags over 55 x 40 x 20 cm are not taken in. Holocaust Memorial Berlin has the rules.
Topography of Terror
Free · daily 10:00 to 20:00 · Niederkirchnerstraße 8
The Topography of Terror stands on the site of the Gestapo and SS headquarters, with exhibitions indoors and in a trench outside. The outdoor areas stay open until dusk. It is closed on 24 and 31 December and 1 January. See best museums in Berlin.
Tours worth paying for
Free tours are tip-based, and the paid ones below have a fixed price. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.
Explore Berlin walking tour
From €16.25 · 3 hours · 2,674 reviews
Explore Berlin: See All The Iconic Sights & Some Hidden Gemsad walks through the main sights: the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie and a piece of the Wall, according to its listing.
Reichstag, dome and government district tour
From €16 · 2.5 hours · 21,463 reviews
Berlin: Reichstag, Dome and Government District Guided Tourad includes the dome registration, so it is the way in when the form has no dates. The Reichstag page has the detail.
The Wall and the Cold War
Berlin Wall Memorial
Free · outdoors daily 8:00 to 22:00 · centres closed Mondays
The 1.4 km outdoor exhibition on Bernauer Straße is open every day. The Visitor Centre, the Documentation Centre and the viewing tower are open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00. Guided tours are €5. See Berlin Wall Memorial.
East Side Gallery
Free · open around the clock · Mühlenstraße
1.3 km of the Wall painted by 118 artists. The “Wall Museum” beside it is a private museum at €12.50. See East Side Gallery.
Checkpoint Charlie
Free to see · outdoor exhibition free
The corner is free, with a free temporary outdoor exhibition by the Stiftung Berliner Mauer. The Mauermuseum (€18.50) and the asisi panorama (€14) are paid and private. See Checkpoint Charlie.
Hohenschönhausen’s exhibitions
Free · daily 10:00 to 18:00
The exhibitions at the Hohenschönhausen Memorial are free to visit. The former prison is seen only on a guided tour, in English daily at 10:40, 12:40 and 14:40 for €9. See the Stasi Museum and Hohenschönhausen.
Museums with free parts
Jewish Museum, core exhibition
Free · closed Mondays · Lindenstraße
The core exhibition is free for everyone, with a free time-slot ticket recommended up to six weeks ahead. It is closed on Mondays, on Saturday 14 November and on Thursday 24 December 2026. Temporary exhibitions in the Old Building are €10. See best museums in Berlin.
Humboldt Forum, five exhibitions
Free · closed Tuesdays · Schlossplatz
“Insights. The Humboldt Brothers”, the Palace Cellar, the Sculpture Hall, the Video Panorama and “On Water: WasserWissen in Berlin” need no exhibition ticket. The main exhibitions are €9.
Neue Nationalgalerie, first Thursday
Free · first Thursday of the month, 16:00 to 20:00
The Neue Nationalgalerie is free on the first Thursday of every month from 16:00 to 20:00. Children and young people up to 18 are free at all State Museums of Berlin, including Museum Island, with a free ticket from the desk or online.
Tempelhofer Feld
Free · hours change by month
The former airfield is now a park, run by Grün Berlin. Hours by month:
| Month | Hours |
|---|---|
| January | 7:30 to 17:00 |
| February | 7:00 to 18:00 |
| March | 6:00 to 19:00 |
| April | 6:00 to 20:30 |
| May | 6:00 to 21:30 from 1 to 15 May, then 6:00 to 22:00 |
| June and July | 6:00 to 23:00 |
| August | 6:00 to 22:30 |
| September | 6:30 to 21:30 |
| October | 7:00 to 19:00 |
| November | 7:00 to 18:00 |
| December | 7:30 to 17:00 |
The airport building beside it is entered only on a paid tour, closed on Tuesdays: see best museums in Berlin.
A runway on the Tempelhofer Feld. Photo: Leonhard Lenz, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
Free walking tours and a free memorial out of town
- Tip-based walking tours. SANDEMANs runs a free tour of about two hours that starts in front of the Starbucks at the Brandenburg Gate and finishes at Checkpoint Charlie. There is no fixed price: you reward your guide at the end. Berlin walking tours compares the free and paid tours.
- Sachsenhausen Memorial. Entry is free. It is a day trip by S-Bahn: see the Sachsenhausen Memorial.
Most of the Christmas markets are free to enter from late November: see Berlin Christmas markets 2026. What to book before you go to Berlin has the closed days for every sight, and Museum Pass or WelcomeCard says when a paid card beats the free list. 3 days in Berlin strings the free sights into days. To stay near the free sights, see hotels near the Brandenburg Gate and where to stay in Berlin. The House of the Wannsee Conference is free too, and the parks at Sanssouci in Potsdam cost nothing: see day trips from Berlin. Free tip-based walks are on Berlin walking tours, and Berlin public transport has the fares for getting between them.
Common questions
What can I do in Berlin for free?
Visit the Reichstag dome with a free registration, the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial and its information centre, the Topography of Terror, the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße, the East Side Gallery, the Jewish Museum's core exhibition, five exhibitions at the Humboldt Forum and Tempelhofer Feld. Hohenschönhausen's exhibitions are free too.
Is the Reichstag dome really free?
Yes, but only with a registration on the Bundestag's form, which takes dates in the current and following month, or a place issued at the service centre in front of the building, if any are free. The dome is closed 19 to 30 October 2026.
Which free sights are closed on Mondays?
The Holocaust Memorial's information centre, the Jewish Museum and the two centres of the Berlin Wall Memorial. The Field of Stelae, the Topography of Terror, the Wall Memorial's outdoor exhibition, the East Side Gallery and Tempelhofer Feld are open.
Are children free at Berlin museums?
Children and young people up to 18 are free at the State Museums of Berlin, including the Museum Island museums, but still need a free ticket from the desk or online. Under 19 are free at the Humboldt Forum, and under 18 at the Jewish Museum's temporary exhibitions.
Are there free walking tours in Berlin?
Yes, tip-based ones. SANDEMANs runs a free tour of about two hours that starts in front of the Starbucks at the Brandenburg Gate and finishes at Checkpoint Charlie, with no fixed price: you reward your guide at the end.
Is there a free day for Berlin's museums?
The Neue Nationalgalerie is free on the first Thursday of the month from 16:00 to 20:00. The Topography of Terror and the Jewish Museum's core exhibition are free every day they are open.
