Experience the best of Altes Museum

Visit Berlin’s Altes Museum on Museum Island to explore a stunning collection of ancient sculptures, vases, and coins from Greece and Rome. Book your Altes Museum tickets for an immersive historical journey today.

Loved by over 54 million guests worldwide

Pro tips to help you make a pick

The grand rotunda can be crowded later in the day, but arriving right when it opens (10am) lets you experience it in near silence. This is the best time for photography, as the natural light from the dome is soft and diffused.

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About Altes Museum

Designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel and opened in 1830, the Altes Museum was Prussia’s first public museum, setting a precedent for making art and history accessible to all. Its halls are filled with marble statesmen, bronze athletes, and painted pottery, each revealing the ancient world's myths, politics, and daily life. From grand statues that once stood in temples to gold jewelry worn by Etruscan nobility, the museum offers a glimpse into the artistry and ambition of civilizations long gone.

AddressBodestraße 1-3, 10178 Berlin, Germany

Also known asOld Museum

Year opened1830

Founded byKarl Friedrich Schinkel

Visitors per year204000

Expected wait time - Standard30-60 mins (Peak), 0-30 mins (Off Peak)

Did you know?

Opened in 1830, the Altes Museum was designed solely for fine art and antiquities, while natural history and ethnographic artifacts were placed elsewhere. This separation reflected Enlightenment-era ideals, which sought to separate ‘high culture’ from the study of nature and anthropology.

Why visit Altes Museum?

Marvel at its breathtaking rotunda

As you step into the museum, you're greeted by the stunning Rotunda, an awe-inspiring space modeled after the ancient Pantheon in Rome. The circular hall, crowned with a glass dome, is lined with towering Corinthian columns and classical statues, setting the stage for the artistic grandeur within.

See Egyptian royal portraits

While the famous bust of Nefertiti is housed in the neighboring Neues Museum, the Altes Museum holds a remarkable collection of Egyptian art, including portraits of her contemporaries. The hauntingly lifelike bust of Queen Cleopatra VII, carved in black basalt, reveals the artistic mastery of Ptolemaic sculptors and offers a rare glimpse into the face of the last pharaoh of Egypt.

Walk through the Roman Hall of Busts

The Altes Museum offers an immersive step into the Roman world with its Hall of Busts (Büste-Saal), a long, stately room lined with the visages of emperors, generals, and philosophers. The sheer presence of these finely chiseled marble figures—some with stern gazes, others with subtle smirks—offers a strikingly lifelike glimpse into the personalities and power of ancient Rome’s elites.

Experience the oldest museum on Museum Island

Designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel and opened in 1830, the Altes Museum is not just a home for antiquities but a historical monument in its own right. Its neoclassical facade, inspired by Greek temples, represents one of the earliest examples of museum architecture dedicated to public education and remains a masterpiece of Berlin’s cultural heritage.

Plan your visit

Main entrance

The Altes Museum faces the Lustgarten, directly across from Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom). Its main entrance, marked by a grand colonnade and prominent inscriptions, is easy to spot. Look for the Pantheon-inspired rotunda and the bronze equestrian statue of Frederick William IV nearby. Inside, the entrance leads straight into the impressive central rotunda, setting the tone for your exploration of ancient art.