Our selection for 2010/11 of Berlin’s best museums and art galleries. Those marked * below are closed Mondays, except on public holidays (5th April and 24th May 2010).

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 € 10, discount € 5. See this imposing building 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. Kulturforum-Potsdamer Str. 50, Tues/Wed/Fri- 10am-6pm, Thurs 10am-10pm, Sat/Sun 11am-6pm. Entry € 10, discount € 5

* Picture Gallery (Gemäldegalerie)
One of the world's finest collections of C13th-18th European art; includes works by van Eyck, Bruegel, Dürer and Rembrandt. Matthaikirchplatz 4/6, Tues-Sun 10am-6pm, Thurs 'til 10pm. Entry € 8, discount € 4.

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

* Charlottenburg Palace - New Wing (Neuer Flügel)
Permanent collection of paintings, including works by Watteau acquired by Frederick the Great. Spandauerdamm 20-24, Wed-Mon 10am-6pm (5pm, Nov thru’ March). Note: closed Tuesdays! Entry €6, discount €5.

If you join the » Discover Berlin walk, we walk you past all three of the museum buildings below:

Pergamon Museum (Pergamonmuseum)
A stunning collection: see the Pergamon Altar, a masterpiece of Hellenistic Art; and the awe-inspiring Babylonian Ishtar Gate. Museum Island - Am Kupfergraben, daily (incl. Mondays) 10am-6pm, Thurs 'til 10pm. Entry € 8, discount € 4

New Museum (Neues Museum)
Home of the Egyptian collection, with its star exhibit, the 3,340 year old Bust of Nefertiti; take time to explore other gems in this newly reconstructed museum, also housing the Museum of Prehistory. Bodestrasse 1-3, Museum Island. Sun-Wed 10am-6pm, Thurs-Sat 10am-8pm. Entry € 10, discount € 5. Avoid a line by buying a time-slot ticket over the phone on (+49 30) 266 424242 OR on line: www.neues-museum.de

Old Museum (Altes Museum)
This masterpiece of neo-classicism contains the high quality antiquities collection. Museum Island – Lustgarten, daily (incl. Mondays)10am-6pm, Thurs 'til 10pm. Entry € 8, discount € 4.

Wall Museum at Checkpoint Charlie (Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie)
Amazing escape stories BUT poorly presented, so go 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. Entry € 12.50, discount € 7.50.

* Berlin Wall Documentation Center (Dokumentationszentrum Berliner Mauer)
Opposite the official Wall Memorial, the Center has an excellent photo collection on the building of the Wall. The poignant Chapel of Reconciliation in the former Death Strip is nearby. Explore this area with us on our »  “Nest of Spies” tour (tour 6). Docu. Center, Bernauer Strasse 111, Tues-Sun 10am-6pm (5pm Nov. thru' Mar.). Free admission.

Jewish Museum (Jüdisches Museum Berlin)
This Daniel Libeskind-designed museum is an extraordinary work of sculpture in its own right; the exhibit presents 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, daily 10am-8pm (Mon ’til 10pm). Entry € 5, discount (incl seniors) € 2.50

German Historical Museum (Deutsches Historiches Museum)
Excellent 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). Unter den Linden 2. Bus 100/200. daily (incl. Mondays) 10am-6pm. Entry € 5 up to 18 yr olds, free.

* Documentation Center, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas)
The Information Center charts the history of the Holocaust, with moving exhibits showing, for example, how family groups from all over Europe were destroyed by Nazi persecution and genocide. 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).

Topography of Terror (Topographie des Terrors)
Site of the SS and Gestapo (secret police) headquarters, now a permanent memorial to the victims of the Nazis. Permanent photographic exhibition supplemented with temporary exhibitions. We walk you through this site on our »  Third Reich tour (tour 2). Niederkirchnerstr. 8. Daily incl. Mondays, 10am-8pm (closes at dusk in winter). 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 9am-7pm (till 8pm 1st June thru’ 15th Sept; till 4pm in winter). U-Bahn Olympia-Stadion U2; or S-Bahn Olympiastadion S5 or S75. Entry € 4, discount € 3.

Bell Tower, Olympic Stadium (Glockenturm)
Wonderful views of the whole Stadium complex from the viewing platform; excellent 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 27th March – early Nov., 9am-6pm, S-Bahn Pichelsberg S5 or S75. Entry € 3.50