Free Things to Do in Berlin: What Is Still Free in 2026
Last updated: October 2026
Intro
The Reichstag dome, the East Side Gallery, the Topography of Terror, the Berlin Wall Memorial and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe all cost nothing in 2026. Several things older lists still recommend do not. The Humboldt Forum now charges €9 per exhibition, the Pergamon Museum is shut until June 2027, the Reichstag dome is closed from 19 to 30 October, and the main building of the German Historical Museum is closed for works. Everything below was checked in October 2026.
Ciceru's self-guided walk, Berlin Through the Ages, costs €7 and runs 4 km in about 2 hours, with a story and a quiz question at each of its 11 stops and a free 500 MB global eSIM. It starts at the Wappenbrunnen and follows Unter den Linden to the Brandenburg Gate, past several places on this list.
⚡ Quick answer
- Best free sights: the Reichstag dome (free, but you must register online), the East Side Gallery, the Berlin Wall Memorial and the Topography of Terror
- Free every open day: Topography of Terror, Berlin Wall Memorial, German Resistance Memorial Centre, Tränenpalast and the Holocaust memorial's information centre
- Not free any more: the Humboldt Forum's main exhibitions (€9 each) and Teufelsberg (€12)
- Closed: the Pergamon Museum until 4 June 2027, the German Historical Museum's Zeughaus until at least mid-2027, the Reichstag dome from 19 to 30 October 2026
- Free days: Museum Island and other state museums on the first Sunday of each month, the German Historical Museum on 9 November and 3 December
🚫 What is not free or not open
Pergamon Museum. 📍 Museum Island. Closed for renovation, with the north wing and central building due to reopen on 4 June 2027. The Pergamon Altar is not on show until then. The separate Pergamon Panorama next door is open, but it is ticketed.
Humboldt Forum. 📍 Schlossplatz. Entry to the ethnological and Asian art collections stopped being free in October 2025. The forum's own price page lists €9 per exhibition, and the roof terrace is €3. Under-19s go free. A few areas are still free, covered below.
German Historical Museum. 📍 Unter den Linden 2. The Zeughaus and its permanent exhibition on German history are closed for building work, expected to run to mid-2027, with roughly another year to install the new display. The Pei building behind it is open daily, 🕐 10:00 to 18:00 (closed 15 October and 24 December), for €7.
Teufelsberg. 📍 Teufelsseechaussee 10. The former listening station and its graffiti cost €12 (€10 reduced), 🕐 11:00 to 20:00 daily, last entry 19:00. For a free view over the city, use the Reichstag dome instead.
Reichstag dome. Free, but shut from 19 to 30 October 2026 for maintenance. The roof terrace stays open.
🏛️ Power, politics and the old centre
1. Reichstag dome and roof terrace. 📍 Platz der Republik 🕐 slots every 15 minutes, last entry 21:45. Free, but registration is compulsory, online only on the Bundestag's site. Bring a passport or ID card (age 16 and over); copies are not accepted. If you have not booked, the service centre on Platz der Republik can sometimes fit you in, but only with at least two hours' notice before the slot and only if places remain. The dome is also closed on 24 December and after 16:00 on 31 December. The restaurant on top is separate and costs money.
2. Brandenburg Gate. 📍 Pariser Platz. A public square, so no ticket and no opening hours. The Tiergarten park starts just behind it, also free.
3. Neue Wache. 📍 Unter den Linden 4. The memorial building has been free to enter, and a visit takes about five minutes, so it works as a stop between the Gate and Museum Island. Check the opening hours before you go.
4. Bebelplatz. 📍 Unter den Linden. A glass pane set into the cobbles shows empty shelves underground, a memorial to the book burning on this square in 1933. Free and open at all hours.
🧱 The Wall and the Cold War
5. Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. 📍 Cora-Berliner-Strasse 1. The field of concrete blocks is open 24 hours and free. The underground information centre is also free, 🕐 Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00, last entry 45 minutes before closing, closed Mondays and 24 to 26 December. Expect a security check. Allow an hour for the exhibition.
6. Topography of Terror. 📍 Niederkirchnerstrasse 8 🕐 daily 10:00 to 20:00, outdoor areas until dusk. Free. This is the site of the Gestapo and SS headquarters, now a documentation centre, with a stretch of the Wall alongside. It is closed on 24 and 31 December and 1 January.
7. Berlin Wall Memorial. 📍 Bernauer Strasse 111 to 119 🕐 outdoor exhibition daily 08:00 to 22:00, visitor centre and documentation centre Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00. All exhibitions are free, and the observation tower takes last visitors at 17:45. Guided tours start at €5 (€3 reduced). It is the best place to see where the border ran. The centres are closed on 24, 25 and 31 December.
8. East Side Gallery. 📍 Mühlenstrasse, 1.3 km of painted Wall 🕐 open around the clock. Free to walk. The foundation's info point at Mühlenstrasse 73 is open daily 10:00 to 17:00, and its guided tours cost €5 (€3 reduced). Go early or after dark if you want fewer people between you and the paintings.
9. Tränenpalast. 📍 Reichstagufer 17, at Friedrichstrasse station 🕐 Tuesday to Friday 09:00 to 18:00, weekends 10:00 to 18:00. Free. This was the departure hall where East Berliners said goodbye to visitors from the West, and it is now an exhibition on the divided city. Hours can change, so check the venue's page.
10. German Resistance Memorial Centre. 📍 Stauffenbergstrasse 13 to 14 🕐 Monday to Friday 09:00 to 18:00, weekends and holidays 10:00 to 18:00. Free, with free guides in several languages. A free public tour in German and English runs on the third Sunday of the month at 15:00. Closed 24 to 26 December, 31 December and 1 January.
🖼️ Museums that cost nothing, sometimes
11. Humboldt Forum free areas. 📍 Schlossplatz 🕐 Wednesday to Monday 10:30 to 18:30, closed Tuesdays. The exhibition "Insights. The Humboldt Brothers", the Palace Cellar, the Sculpture Hall and the Video Panorama are free. The main exhibitions are the ones that charge.
12. Museum Sunday. 🕐 first Sunday of every month. Many state museums, including those on Museum Island, are free. Depending on the museum you need a free day ticket or a free time slot, booked through museumssonntag.berlin. The next dates are 1 November and 6 December. A normal day on Museum Island otherwise costs €24 for the combined ticket.
13. German Historical Museum free days. 📍 Pei building, entrance at Hinter dem Gießhaus 3. Entry is free on 9 November and 3 December 2026. Otherwise a single ticket is €7.
🌳 Free outdoors
14. Tempelhofer Feld. 📍 Columbiadamm 10 🕐 October 07:00 to 19:00, November 07:00 to 18:00, December 07:30 to 17:00. Free. A runway the size of a small town, 303 hectares, with skaters, kites, allotments and nesting skylarks. It is a good place for a free sunset, but the opening hours shrink fast in autumn, so check them before you head out.
15. Mauerpark on a Sunday. 📍 where Prenzlauer Berg meets Wedding, on the old border strip 🕐 flea market Sundays 09:00 to 18:00. Karaoke in the stone amphitheatre is free and starts around 15:00, weather permitting. Browsing costs nothing, and the food stalls and beer are where the money goes.
📅 Free days calendar
- Every day: Reichstag dome (booked), Brandenburg Gate, Neue Wache, Bebelplatz, the Memorial field, East Side Gallery, Tempelhofer Feld, Topography of Terror
- Tuesday to Sunday: Wall Memorial documentation centre, Holocaust memorial information centre, Tränenpalast
- First Sunday of the month: Museum Island and other state museums
- 9 November and 3 December: German Historical Museum, Pei building
- Sundays: Mauerpark flea market and karaoke
💶 Worth paying for
If you pay for one thing, make it a Humboldt Forum exhibition at €9, since the building sits on the route between the Reichstag and Museum Island. For the full three-day cost, see Berlin on a budget.
❓ FAQ
Is the Reichstag dome free?
Yes, but you must register online first and show photo ID on the day. It is closed from 19 to 30 October 2026, though the roof terrace stays open.
Is the Humboldt Forum free?
Not any more. Entry to the main exhibitions was free until October 2025, and the forum now charges €9 per exhibition. A few areas, such as the Sculpture Hall and Palace Cellar, are free.
Is the Pergamon Museum open?
No. It is closed for renovation and due to reopen on 4 June 2027. The Pergamon Panorama next door is open but ticketed.
✅ Before you go
Book the Reichstag dome before you fly, and check each site's own page the week you travel, since Berlin's memorials change their hours around public holidays. For the wider picture, start with Berlin Explained, and for getting between these sites, see Getting Around Berlin. Ciceru's Berlin Through the Ages walk passes the Humboldt Forum, Neue Wache, Bebelplatz, the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust memorial and the Reichstag, with a story and a quiz question at each stop.
