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Berlin - Museum Pass Berlin, Welcome Card, or WelcomeCard + Museumsinsel?

Posted by (St. Louis, MO) on

We will be in Berlin for three days, and plan to visit most of Rick's recommended highlights (i.e. Reichstag, Pergamon Museum, Neues Museum, DDR Museum, Berlin Cathedral, German History Museum, Museum at Checkpoint Charlie, Jewish Museum, Berlin Underground Tour), and typically use public transit.

Rick's guide mentions the Museum Pass Berlin, Welcome Card, and WelcomeCard+Museumsinsel as options. I find web sites very confusing, and can't determine if they are a good fit for us.

Assuming we a) don't want to wait in long lines, b) plan to use public transit extensively, and c) plan to attend the above museums - which pass (if any) is best for our situation? Thanks!

Posted by
27176 posts

I had a long answer typed and edited, only to find that the hotel Wi-Fi had cut me off, so this second attempt is going to be briefer (probably a good thing).

I bought the Welcome Card and the Museuminseln add-on in 2015. I would not do that again.

  • There were no skip-the-line privileges on Museuminseln, which was the only place I needed them. (I did not get to the German History Museum or the Reichstag.) Someone posted on the forum after my visit that the Museum Pass does allow you to make time-specific reservations, but I haven't looked at that website recently.

  • One of the Museuminseln sites had a special exhibition and a higher-than-usual entry fee while I was there. I was required to pay the full higher fee, not just the difference, so the card was of no value at that site (a bad situation, that).

  • The Pergamon, Neues, DDR and Checkpoint Charlie each took me close to 4 hours. The Jewish Museum was just under three, I think, but I was rushing because it was about to close. I understand the German History is huge. Therefore, I think your target list is extremely aggressive for just a 3-day visit. I admit that I tend to spend a lot of time at museums I visit.

  • Berlin is very spread out. Time spent moving from site to site is time not spent actually inside sites.

  • Have you ever spent 3 days doing essentially nothing but visiting museums and equivalent sites? It is extremely hard on your feet and lower back--much harder than walking around.

  • You may get to Berlin and discover things that interest you more than something on your list. There's just so much to see. For example, I thought the Berlin Wall, the Stasi prison, and the Trauenpalast were all very interesting. The wall exhibit is free. I'm not sure whether the other two are covered by the card (not that I'm suggesting you should substitute them for places you already have listed).

None of the above means that one of the cards wouldn't be useful to you, but I have severe doubts about the Welcome Card + Museuminseln combination, based on my personal experience.

Posted by
4684 posts

In my experience the only places in Berlin with lengthy queues to get in are the Neues and Pergamon Museums, and there is no faster way using a pass.

The Museum Pass Berlin is superb value if you intend to visit a lot of museums, though. The Berlin Welcome Card is probably not worth it.

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