The Neues Museum on Berlin’s UNESCO-listed Museum Island houses the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection and the Museum of Prehistory and Early History under one roof. Most visitors come for one face: the 3,300-year-old painted limestone bust of Queen Nefertiti.
Friedrich August Stüler designed the building, which opened in 1855. Bombing in the Second World War left it in ruins, and David Chipperfield’s restoration reopened it in 2009. His design pairs bare brick and scarred plaster with surviving frescoes, so the building’s history stays visible. Nefertiti, excavated at Amarna in 1912, sits alone beneath the North Dome, where photography is forbidden. Other standouts include the Berlin Gold Hat, a Bronze Age ceremonial cone, and Heinrich Schliemann’s Trojan antiquities. Visitors can also explore Amarna-period portrait heads and mummy coffins. Around 9,000 objects fill four floors (visitBerlin).
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
Book a timed-entry ticket online through the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin website, especially for summer weekends and school holidays. To reach Nefertiti before tour groups arrive, come at opening on a weekday or in the last two hours before closing. Opening hours change seasonally, so confirm them on the official site. Allow at least two to three hours. Families can borrow audio guides to keep children engaged. The U5 stop Museumsinsel and S-Bahn Hackescher Markt are both a short walk away. The Altes Museum, Berlin Cathedral, and the James-Simon-Galerie sit next door.
