deonca

I'm making my first visit to Berlin very soon, from Feb 21-24. Want to make the most of my limited time, while keeping the budget in check, so I'm looking at the various city and museum passes available.

The current Museum Island situation has me confused, however. I know that part of the Pergamon Museum is being renovated, and as a result, the museum website is now recommending purchasing a timed entry ticket to avoid long lines. You can book any time slot at half hour intervals. (Same goes for the Neues Museum - you can book timed entry there too.) That's the straightforward part.

Sure I could book these entry tickets separately and pay 12 euros each (or 11 euros each buying online). But I'm all about value, so I'd much rather buy the Museum Island Pass, which sells for 18 euros (17 online), or better yet, the Museum Pass which sells for 24 euros and includes other museums I want to visit, such as Gemaldegalerie, Jewish Museum, and Berggruen. Not saying I'll have time to visit all those museums, but it's nice to have the option.

The problem is that with the Museum Island ticket, there is no option to buy timed entry tickets to Pergamon and Neues Museums. You cannot bypass the line. The museum site says as much. So what should I do? I try to plan my trips to avoid downtime, and I'd hate to end up in a situation where I have to stand in line at Pergamon for 2 hours.

Has anyone been to Museum Island lately? Did you encounter any lineups? (I'm just looking at the available entry blocks for upcoming dates at the island museums, and I must say that virtually all time slots are available. Which means that either it's quiet at these museums right now, or that people aren't making use of this booking option and are showing up expecting to go right in...and instead getting stuck in lines. I just don't want that to be me.)

Sorry for long-winded question but I do want to get this clarified before my trip. Many thanks!

One other question - if I do end up buying timed entry tickets for Pergamon and Neues Museums, how far apart should the times be? Would Pergamon be a 60, 90 or 120 minute visit in its current state? I wouldn't say I normally breeze through museums, nor do I have to read every single info board about every piece of art. I get through museums at 'average' pace...

Cheers.

Phil

Deonca:

Go for the 3-day pass @ 24€! It is a tremendous value.

As to the timed entry tickets for the Pergamon Museum and the Neues Museum: I checked the smb website. As a holder of the 3-day pass you are entitled to free time-slot tickets. You can get them at the same time you buy the pass.

Unfortunately, the website states this only in its German version.

You will be safe, enjoy your trip and the museum pass.

Hope this helps

Phil.

Phil

Deonca:

Additional tips:

I would reckon 1 to 2 hours per Museum. In my case, it depends on the crowding of the several places, how long i stay inside. Early mornings are generally best. At any rate all of these museums are so rich that you might spend hours on end...

Get your ticket at the Bode Museum at the very north end of the Museum Island; it is generally the least crowded one and next to the Pergamon Museum.

Hope this helps

Phil.

deonca

Thanks for your info Phil, you've been very helpful! I'm relieved to hear that I'll be able to get time slot tickets with my 3 day pass. Everything I've read in guidebooks tells me that the pass is a great value, so I really want to pick it up. Can't believe I missed that vital bit of info. I thought I'd scoured every bit of that SMB site. But being in German I can see how it might have been missed, in spite of my many trips though Bing and Google translate!