Bode Museum

The Bode Museum (Bode-Museum) sits at the northern tip of Berlin's Museum Island, a striking neo-Baroque building with a green dome rising above the River Spree. It holds the Sculpture Collection, the Museum of Byzantine Art, and the Coin Cabinet. If you are wondering which Museum Island museum is worth visiting if you love sculpture, medieval altarpieces, and coins, this one is the answer, and it is also part of the UNESCO-listed Museum Island ensemble.

A museum named after its first director

Architect Ernst von Ihne built the museum between 1897/98 and 1904 in the neo-Baroque style. It opened on October 18, 1904 as the Kaiser Friedrich Museum and was renamed in honor of its founding director Wilhelm von Bode on March 1, 1956. The facade is Silesian sandstone, and the dome is about 39.5 meters (130 feet) tall. After a renovation costing about 152 million euros, the building reopened in October 2006. It has about 25,000 square meters of floor area and 66 exhibition rooms.

What to see

• Sculpture Collection: works from late antiquity to the 18th century, in grand galleries
• Museum of Byzantine Art: art from Byzantium and the eastern Mediterranean
• Coin Cabinet: more than 500,000 objects in total, with about 4,000 coins and medals on display
• Tiepolo Cabinet: 22 grisaille frescoes from 1759, destroyed in the war and reconstructed from a single black-and-white photograph
• The building itself: the domed hall and staircase are highlights

In 2017, the roughly 100-kilogram gold coin "Big Maple Leaf" was stolen from the Coin Cabinet. The culprits were convicted in 2020.

Planning your visit

Plan two to three hours; if you only want the highlights, 90 minutes is enough. Weekday mornings are quieter than weekends.

Tickets and opening hours (as of October 2026)

According to the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the museum is closed on Mondays. It is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Holiday hours differ, and according to Museumsportal Berlin the museum is closed on December 24 and 31. The Museum Island ticket costs 24 euros and is valid for one day for all houses on Museum Island. Visitors under 18 enter free but need a free ticket. Students, trainees, and certain other groups pay half price. According to Museumsportal Berlin, a single admission costs 14 euros (7 euros reduced); check the current price on the museum website. Time-slot tickets are needed only for major special exhibitions.

Getting there and accessibility

The museum is on Am Kupfergraben, with the entrance via Monbijoubrücke (10178 Berlin). Take the U-Bahn or S-Bahn to Friedrichstraße, or the S-Bahn to Hackescher Markt; trams and buses stop nearby, including U Museumsinsel. A single ticket in Berlin's AB fare zone covers the trip, and the Deutschlandticket is valid on local transport. Parking in Mitte is difficult.

The operator describes the museum as partially wheelchair accessible.

Nearby

• Museum Island with the Pergamon Museum, Neues Museum, and Altes Museum
• Alte Nationalgalerie and James-Simon-Galerie
• Berlin Cathedral and the Lustgarten
• Hackesche Höfe courtyards within walking distance