One of the world's most important collections of ancient Egyptian art, featuring the bust of Nefertiti in the Neues Museum on Berlin's Museum Island.
June 6, 2026 – December 31, 2026
Archival pieces in the Mythological Room tell how Adolf Erman and his team compiled the Dictionary of the Egyptian Language in the Neues Museum from 1897 onward; its first volume appeared in 1926.
March 21, 2026 – January 10, 2027
From Babylonia via Egypt to Greece and Rome: the exhibition shows how the zodiac emerged in antiquity and why it still shapes astronomy and astrology today.
April 12, 2025 – March 14, 2027
Contemporary paintings by Michael Müller on the myth of the twins Castor and Pollux in the historic staircase hall of the Neues Museum.
The collection's roots go back to the Kunstkammer (cabinet of art and curiosities) of the Electors of Brandenburg. 1828 is regarded as the founding year of the independent department: King Friedrich Wilhelm III had acquired the collection of the Italian Giuseppe Passalacqua and appointed him its first director. The Prussian expedition led by Karl Richard Lepsius in the 1840s brought major additions; its finds were given specially painted galleries in the newly built Neues Museum.
In the early 20th century, Ludwig Borchardt excavated at Tell el-Amarna in Middle Egypt, funded by the Berlin entrepreneur and patron James Simon. In 1912, the bust of Nefertiti came to light in the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose; Simon donated it to the museums in 1920, and it has been on public display since 1924. After World War II, the collection was divided: one part remained in the eastern half of the city on Museum Island, while the other was shown from 1967 in the Stüler Building opposite Charlottenburg Palace.
After reunification, the reunited collection was temporarily housed in the Altes Museum in 2005 before returning in 2009 to the rebuilt Neues Museum. There it presents four millennia of ancient Egyptian and Nubian culture across three floors – royal portraits, burial chambers, figures of gods and everyday objects. With texts in numerous languages and scripts from pharaonic Egypt to late antiquity, the Papyrus Collection ranks among the great holdings of its kind and is studied worldwide through online databases.
| Adults | €14 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €7School students, apprentices, university students, volunteer service participants, jobseekers receiving ALG I (unemployment benefit) and people with a severe disability rating (GdB) of 50 or more (proof required in each case) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Children and young people up to their 18th birthday get free admission (free ticket at the ticket desk or online). |
| Seniors | –No senior discount. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €7companion free · Reduced admission from a disability rating (GdB) of 50; a companion recognized by a doctor as necessary is admitted free if noted on the severe disability ID (Schwerbehindertenausweis). |
| Students & apprentices | €7University and school students receive a 50% discount; admission is free for registered university classes and school class visits. |
| Groups (10+ people) | –Groups of 10 or more must register at least two weeks in advance. Admission at the individual price plus a €10 registration fee per group (or subgroup); groups of 25 or more are split. |
| Families | –No family ticket; children and young people under 18 get free admission. |
The Neues Museum ticket applies (€14, reduced €7, audio guide included). Museum Island ticket (area ticket): €24, reduced €12, valid for one day at all museums of the Staatliche Museen on Museum Island. Museum Pass Berlin (3 days): €32, reduced €16. Basic, Classic and Classic Plus annual passes. Free admission for groups including recipients of Bürgergeld (basic income support), housing benefit, basic social security or benefits under the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG), and ICOM members.
According to the Staatliche Museen, the Neues Museum is fully wheelchair-accessible; access via the James-Simon-Galerie, accessible restrooms according to the floor plan. Free audio guide in Easy German (Leichte Sprache) with 16 stops through the Egyptian Museum, developed with capito Berlin. Loan wheelchairs available on request in advance from the info service (030 266424242). Only trained assistance dogs are allowed.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|
The collection is shown in the Neues Museum: family program “Ägypten ganz nah” (Egypt up close) and the “folge dem Skarabäus” (follow the scarab) search game, family workshops (e.g., “Das Erwachen des Osiris” – The Awakening of Osiris) and “Mit Paul und Scheri durch das Museum” activity booklets for children aged 8 and up. Baby changing table according to the Neues Museum floor plan. Under the house rules of the Staatliche Museen, certain strollers may have to be swapped for strollers provided by the museum; children may not be carried in back carriers or on shoulders.
Museumsinsel
U5 Museumsinsel; S-Bahn Friedrichstraße or Hackescher Markt; tram to Am Kupfergraben or Hackescher Markt; bus to U Museumsinsel.
No on-site parking at the museum.
The Staatliche Museen do not list any parking and recommend arriving by public transport or bicycle.
Facilities of the Neues Museum: Allegretto Café (Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00), Walther König bookstore, cloakrooms and lockers in the James-Simon-Galerie, which also houses the Café & Restaurant Cu29. School programs on sarcophagi, pharaohs and hieroglyphs.
Up to 150 guests.
Rooms in the Neues Museum can be rented outside opening hours via Museum&Location (standing receptions in the foyer for up to 150 people, dinners by the grand staircase for up to 50 people).
Inquiries & details| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography is generally allowed; commercial photography requires permission, and restrictions apply in some exhibitions. |
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