How to get to Gemaldegalerie

Hi,

If you are in Berlin for a few hours during which you want to see the Gemäldegalerie before going to Lutherstadt Wittenberg, then use the German Rail Pass on the S-Bahn. Be sure to indicate the specific date and month on the Pass. Chances are that it won't be checked on the S-Bahn, but you don't want to gamble with that. When you board the ICE train at Berlin Hbf for Wittenberg, your Pass will checked soon after the train is en route.

Keep in mind that if you take the U-Bahn in Berlin, the Pass is not accepted, only on the S-Bahn is that the case. You'll have to buy a separate ticket for the U-Bahn.

It depends. The S-Bahn does not run N-S at Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Depending on where you are coming from, you may be on a train that also stops at Friedrichstrasse in central Berlin. If you are, you can get off at Friedrichstrasse and get the S-Bahn (the north-south line which runs in subway at this point) from there to Potsdamer Platz, which is the nearest station to the Gemaeldegalerie.

If your train only stops at Hauptbahnhof, the only train service from there towards the Gemaeldegalerie is the U55 U-Bahn, which only runs as far as Brandenberger Tor station, from where you get the S-Bahn to Potsdamer Platz. However, it will be much more convenient to get the M41 bus direct from Hauptbahnhof to Potsdamer Platz. The stop is in the bus station just outside the northern main exit from Hauptbahnhof (in the opposite direction to the Reichstag). You can get a single ticket on the bus.

Once you are at Potsdamer Platz, you need to either walk or get the bus to the Gemaeldegalerie. Either take the 200 to the Philharmonie stop, or the M48 or M85 to Kulturforum. Either way, it will be two stops.

There are luggage lockers at both Hauptbahnhof and Friedrichstrasse stations, and I suggest you leave your heavy luggage there. There will be a cloakroom at the Gemaeldegalerie, but museum cloakrooms in Europe will often NOT accept heavy luggage.

The best way from Brandenburg Gate to the Gemaldegalerie is to walk. We did this walk in August and it took us about 15mins and we did not rush. You'd have already arrived in the time it takes you to find the bus stop then wait for the bus. We used Google Maps and got very simple and straightforward walking directions. Look it up there. Enjoy your trip!

Thank you everyone! That helps greatly!

One other thing - some trains running through Berlin from north to south actually stop at Potsdamer Platz which would be most convenient of all. I don't believe Potsdamer Platz has luggage lockers, though.