Rainy day · Berlin · Germany
8 things to do in Berlin when it rains
Indoor sights that make a wet day feel planned rather than lost.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Christian Wolf ( www.c-w-design.de ), CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Quick answer
Start with Museum Island, Neues Museum and Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 15–19 hours across 4 areas; 2 are free. January is usually the wettest month, with about 10 rainy days.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 2
- Time to see them all
- 15–19 hours
- Areas
- Mitte, Museum Island and Kreuzberg
Berlin on a rainy day
Museum · Mitte
1.Museum Island
A Museum Island day ticket covering several museums pays off if you visit two or more.
- Time needed
- Half a day to a full day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Museum Island
2.Neues Museum
Book a time slot and see Nefertiti early; photography is not allowed in her domed room.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Historic site · Mitte
3.Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Walk into the centre of the field, then visit the free Information Centre beneath it; do not climb or jump on the slabs.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Religious site · Museum Island
4.Berlin Cathedral
Climb the dome walkway late in the day for the light on the TV Tower and the Spree.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- Views
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Kreuzberg
5.Topography of Terror
Allow at least 90 minutes; the indoor exhibition is text-heavy but among the clearest histories of the period.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Kreuzberg
6.Jewish Museum Berlin
Walk the underground axes first to understand the building, then visit the main exhibition upstairs.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Art
Palace · Charlottenburg
7.Charlottenburg Palace
If time is short, see the New Wing and spend the rest of the visit in the gardens.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Architecture
- Outdoors
- Rainy day
Museum · Mitte
8.Museum für Naturkunde
Use the Jurascopes, binocular viewers that bring the dinosaur skeletons to life.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
- History
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Mitte | Museum Island, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and Museum für Naturkunde | Half a day to a full day + 1–1.5 hours + 2 hours |
| Museum Island | Neues Museum and Berlin Cathedral | 2 hours + 1–1.5 hours |
| Kreuzberg | Topography of Terror and Jewish Museum Berlin | 1.5–2 hours + 2–3 hours |
| Charlottenburg | Charlottenburg Palace | 2–3 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 2 free, 3 low cost, 3 mid-priced. Book ahead for Neues Museum. The longest visit is Museum Island; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Neues Museum: Timed tickets are recommended, especially at weekends.
How to fit them into 5 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Mitte): Museum Island, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Mitte): Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe → Museum für Naturkunde, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Museum Island): Neues Museum → Berlin Cathedral, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Kreuzberg): Topography of Terror → Jewish Museum Berlin, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 5 (Charlottenburg): Charlottenburg Palace, at least 2 hours.
The wettest months
- January: highs of 3°C (37°F), about 10 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cold, dark and grey with occasional snow; museums and clubs are the main draw, and hotel prices are low.
- December: highs of 4°C (39°F), about 10 rainy days, moderate crowds. Cold and festive, with dozens of Christmas markets; New Year's Eve is loud with fireworks across the city.
- July: highs of 25°C (77°F), about 9 rainy days, very busy crowds. Warmest month, with swimming in the lakes and thunderstorms on hot afternoons.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Mitte — The historic centre: Unter den Linden, Museum Island and the Hackesche Höfe courtyards
- Kreuzberg — Turkish-German heritage, canal-side cafés, street art and late bars
- Charlottenburg — West Berlin elegance: the Kurfürstendamm, grand apartments and a royal palace
More of Berlin
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Berlin?
Museum Island. Five museums share this UNESCO-listed island in the Spree: the Altes Museum with Greek and Roman antiquities, the Alte Nationalgalerie with 19th-century painting including Caspar David Friedrich, the Bode Museum with sculpture and coins, and the Neues Museum, all linked by the James Simon Gallery visitor centre by David Chipperfield.
+Which of these are free in Berlin?
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and Topography of Terror.