Museum · Berlin · Updated on 1 November 2026.

Old Museum in Berlin

Old Museum is a museum in Berlin, Germany. This place has an audio tour of about 2 minutes, in English or Dutch. 25 of the 50 well-known points of interest nearby are within 1 km. Within 610 m you'll find a bench, a public toilet, a bike pump and a water point.

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The story

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Audio tour · Old Museum

2:12

You're standing at the Altes Museum, on Museum Island in the heart of Berlin. Look at that long row of columns across the front. There are eighteen of them, in the Ionic style, and together they make one of the best-known façades of German Neoclassicism. Karl Friedrich Schinkel designed the building for King Frederick William the Third of Prussia. It opened in 1830, back then as the Royal Museum.

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Opening hours and admission

Opening hours: Mo off; Tu-Fr 10:00-17:00; Sa-Su 10:00-18:00; PH 10:00-18:00; Dec 24 off; Dec 31 off
Admission: Paid
Wheelchair: Accessible
Visitors: 253,000 a year (2017)

Source: OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.

Photos

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons. In the app you add your own photo when you are there.

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Photo: VitVit · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

Old Museum in Berlin: a museum of classical antiquity

The Altes Museum is a museum about classical antiquity. Inside you can see art and objects from that period, including a collection and a treasury. Part of the Berlin coin cabinet is also on display here, and temporary exhibitions are held upstairs. The museum opened in 1830 and was meant for ordinary citizens. You will find it on Am Lustgarten, on Museumeiland in the heart of Berlin. The Museum Humboldt Forum is a 316-metre walk away, and Hackescher Markt is 464 metres away.

What you can see at the Old Museum in Berlin

The front of the building is a long row of 18 columns, which together form the facade of the central building on the museum island. The square in front of it is the Lustgarten, and from there you can see the whole façade well. Once you step inside, you reach the rotunda, the heart of the building. This round hall refers to the Pantheon in Rome. The paintings in the rotunda were restored in 1982 according to the design of Karl Friedrich Schinkel, the architect of the museum.

The History of the Old Museum

The Old Museum was designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel on the orders of the king. It opened in 1830 as the Koninklijk Museum. Schinkel saw the building as part of a whole. Around the Lustgarten stood the palace for secular power, the Zeughaus for the army and the Dom for faith. The museum was placed in the north, for art and science. In 1845 the Neues Museum next door was finished, and from then on this building was called the Old Museum. Since 1904 it has shown only art from classical antiquity. Shortly before the end of the war, a tanker truck exploded in front of the building. It was badly damaged, and the wall paintings by Schinkel in the hall were largely lost. After the war, it was the first museum on the island to be restored. Since 1999, it has been on a world heritage list, along with the rest of the museum island in Berlin.

Tickets and accessibility at the Altes Museum

Entry to the Altes Museum is paid, so you will need tickets. Arrange them before you set off. The museum is wheelchair accessible, so you can go in by wheelchair. Inside, there is also a toilet that you can use with a wheelchair, which is useful if you plan to stay in the museum for a while. Before you leave, check the official museum website for the current opening times and prices. These can change, especially when there is a temporary exhibition.

Benches, toilets and water nearby

Benches near the Altes Museum are easy to find. The nearest one is 72 metres away, by the Lustgarten, and there are 265 benches within 500 metres. The nearest public toilet is 84 metres away, at Am Lustgarten. It is always open and wheelchair accessible, but it takes coins, so bring some small change. There are 4 public toilets within 500 metres. The nearest bike pump is 239 metres away, at Schloßplatz, and it is free to use. It is the only bike pump within 500 metres. There is no drinking water at the Altes Museum, as there are no water taps within 500 metres. The nearest water tap is 712 metres away, at Gendarmenmarkt, so fill your bottle before you head to the museum.

Walking and more to see near the Old Museum

After your visit, you can carry on exploring central Berlin on foot. From the museum, it is 738 metres to the Berliner Fernsehturm, an attraction you can spot from a long way off. Checkpoint Charlie is 1,454 metres away and the Brandenburg Gate is 1,474 metres. These 2 spots are close together, so you can easily combine them in a single walk. The Humboldt Forum and Hackescher Markt both have an audio story in the Outdoor Pitstop app, as do the Fernsehturm, Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate. This way, you can hear more about what you are looking at along the way. There is also an audio story about the Old Museum itself. It lasts 2 minutes and you can listen to it on the spot in the app. So switch on your phone at a quiet moment, for example while you are standing on the square in front of the museum.

Facilities near Old Museum

The nearest pitstop of each kind within 1 km, as the crow flies. No honesty box within 1 km.

Well-known points of interest nearby

50 well-known points of interest nearby, those with an audio tour first. 25 of the 50 well-known points of interest nearby are within 1 km.

AttractionAudio story · 2 min

Berlin Cathedral · 160 m

Photo: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 deView the photo on Wikimedia Commons

MuseumAudio story · 2 min

Humboldt Forum · 320 m

Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

AttractionAudio story · 2 min

Hackescher Markt · 460 m

AttractionAudio story · 2 min

Fernsehturm Berlin · 740 m

Photo: L-BBE · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

AttractionAudio story · 2 min

Gendarmenmarkt · 790 m

Photo: Christoph Matthias Siebenborn · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

Hear the story of Berlin Cathedral on the spot with the app

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Also within walking distance

The 10 nearest points of interest with a story, within 2 km.

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Walks within 2 km

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Cycle routes within 5 km

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Frequently asked questions

What is the Old Museum in Berlin?

The Old Museum is an archaeological museum in Berlin, opened in 1830 and designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Since 1904 it has displayed only art from classical antiquity, the Antikensammlung.

Which museums are on the Museum Island?

The Old Museum and the Neues Museum are on the Museum Island. The Neues Museum was completed in 1845, next to the Old Museum.

Are there benches near the Old Museum in Berlin?

Yes, the nearest bench is 72 metres from the Old Museum, by the Lustgarten. Within 500 metres there are 265 benches.

Is there a toilet at the Old Museum in Berlin?

Yes, inside the museum there is a wheelchair-accessible toilet. The nearest public toilet is 84 metres away, at Am Lustgarten. It is always open and you pay with coins.

Where can I get drinking water near the Old Museum in Berlin?

The nearest drinking water point is 712 metres from the Old Museum, at the Gendarmenmarkt. There is no drinking water point within 500 metres.

Is the Old Museum in Berlin wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the Old Museum is wheelchair accessible, including the toilet inside. Admission is paid.

Nearby

More well-known points of interest nearby

Old Museum in Berlin

The story

Opening hours and admission

Photos

Old Museum in Berlin: a museum of classical antiquity

What you can see at the Old Museum in Berlin

The History of the Old Museum

Tickets and accessibility at the Altes Museum

Benches, toilets and water nearby

Walking and more to see near the Old Museum

Facilities near Old Museum

Well-known points of interest nearby

Berlin Cathedral · 160 m

Humboldt Forum · 320 m

Hackescher Markt · 460 m

Fernsehturm Berlin · 740 m

Gendarmenmarkt · 790 m

Also within walking distance

Walks within 2 km

Cycle routes within 5 km

Explore further

More in Berlin

More points of interest

Frequently asked questions

Nearby

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