Berlin for 8 nights

Berlin is a sprawling city with a very large number of sights that can consume a lot of time. I'm a big-time walker, but even I used city transit quite a bit. You can buy a transportation pass separately, with no sightseeing component, if you decide that's best for you.

Sightseeing passes are difficult to evaluate when you've never been to a city. You don't have a good sense of how much of your time will be spent sitting on some form of transportation or walking from place to place; figure on a lot of transportation time in Berlin. You also don't know whether a museum will require an hour or three hours; I found my average time per museum in Berlin to be very high.

I did buy a pass in Berlin (I think it was the Welcome Pass), and it wasn't the right decision for me. I didn't like having to think about getting to the covered attractions during the validity period of the pass, which meant I sometimes had to go to the same part of the city twice, to get to both covered attractions and non-covered attractions. I'm smarter now and realize my time is worth a lot more than a few euros' savings on entry fees. It probably matters quite a bit that I spend a lot more time than average in each museum I go to. Folks who like to flit in and out of museums, focusing on just a few areas, are a lot more likely to save some money with a pass.

The Museumsinseln-Ticket covers only the museums on that island and is available only for a 24-hour period, but it might work for you even if you decide the Welcome Pass would not. I couldn't quickly find that pass via Google, but I didn't spend much time on the effort.

Be sure to read the fine print about whether special exhibitions are included on any pass you are considering. I was really annoyed to discover my Welcome Pass provided no benefit whatsoever at one of the supposedly covered museums, because there happened to be a special exhibition running. I'd have been happy to pay a fee for the exhibition, but that was not possible; I had to pay the full entry fee for museum+exhibition. (This happened back in 2015; I have no idea how the Welcome Card works these days.

Before: be in both cases aware of the zones. AB is within Berlin city limits (inner ring plus light grey on map), ABC is including near Berlin areas (whole map) such as Potsdam and Oranienburg. See network map.

Compare 7-day ticket with Berlin Welcome Card with included discounts. Tip: use filters.

For newbies to Berlin I recommend taking a HoHo bus tour at first day to get a commented overview.

Have a good stay.

How wonderful to have a week +! My visit this past early fall was 5 full days and not long enough!
I agree with acraven. I did get the transportation AB package and 3 day Welcome card, starting to use it on my second full day. I experienced the same - wanting mostly to see Nefertiti, for example (a relatively quick in and out was my plan) the card wasn't accepted and I actually had to pay more, as noted, for the special exhibit I didn't want to tour. It seemed mostly a discount to places like Madame Tussaud's?
But the transportation pass was great. (I didn't venture outside the AB zones. I assume you will, with more time- that seemed convenient and cost-effective.)
I also agree about the distances, I am used to walking, also and although I tried to group my days geographically it was still a lot.
Unrelated, but I highly recommend the Trabi drive near Checkpoint Charlie. It looks cheesy, but for me, a history fan, it was a highlight before tackling the East Side. You are literally immersed in the experience and the guide was excellent - informative and a great sense of humor.
Have a wonderful trip!

Thanks to all of your for your thoughful suggestions. I actually printed out your comments to share with my husband. Like you acraven, we do spend time in the museum. Never liked just running in and out. That is why we scheduled 8 nights.
MarkK, thanks for reminding me of the zones. We will also have the German rail pass, if w need to use it, or see what the cost is if we go. Since we do want to go to Potsdam, the ABC may work.
Bon voyage, I agree with the day limit. We started with our planning on having 5 nights then changed to 7 and finally 8. We also like to just explore neighborhoods and people watching.
We will be going to the Rhine region for 4 nights and Munich for 14 (with many day trips).
So you may be hearing more from me.
Thanks again.
Marie
Thanks again for all your comments.