Museum Sunday Berlin – what remains after it ended

This page summarises information from the bodies named here. The providers’ own pages are authoritative; times, prices and conditions may change.

The question

Is admission in Berlin still free on the first Sunday of the month – and if not, how can I still visit a museum for free or for little money?

In short: Museum Sunday no longer exists. According to the project website, 1 December 2024 was “the last Museum Sunday” [1]. Some museums have their own rules for free admission; two of them are described below with sources.

What Museum Sunday was

According to Kulturprojekte Berlin (retrieved 06.11.2026), admission was free “on every first Sunday of the month from July 2021 to December 2024”. Museum Sunday “was an initiative of the State of Berlin in cooperation with the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media” and was run together with Kulturprojekte Berlin [2]. The project website sums up: “After 2.2 million visits on 42 Sundays in 81 museums” [1].

Why it ended

According to the project website, funding by the State of Berlin is “no longer planned due to the cuts in the culture budget. Further funding is not available to the Staatliche Museen either.” [1] The page does not name a successor programme.

Steps

1. Treat older information with care. If you still read “first Sunday, free admission” somewhere: according to the project website, the project has “thus ended” [1]. If a museum offers free admission today, that museum’s own rule applies.

2. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin: who gets in for free. According to the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (retrieved 06.11.2026), free admission “on presentation of the corresponding proof” applies, among others, to [3]:

• “children and young people up to their 18th birthday”
• “persons receiving transfer benefits (Bürgergeld, housing benefit, basic income support or benefits under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act)”
• “companions of a severely disabled person who are medically recognised as necessary, provided this is noted in the severely disabled person’s ID card”

According to the source, the general reduction there is “50 per cent”, for example for pupils, students and severely disabled people with a degree of disability of at least 50 [3]. You show your proof “at the museum entrance without being asked” [3]. Also: “Visiting the reading and study rooms of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin is free of charge in principle.” [3]

3. Neue Nationalgalerie: first Thursday of the month. According to the SMB, from 2 April 2026 “admission to the Neue Nationalgalerie is free as part of Volkswagen Group Art4All on every first Thursday from 4 pm to 8 pm” [4]. During this time, according to the source, “all special exhibitions in the upper hall and the collection display on the lower floor are freely accessible” [4]. Whether you need to get a ticket in advance is not stated on this page; check the SMB ticket section.

4. If you receive social benefits: search the “Fairgnügen” portal. The State of Berlin collects free and reduced offers there; according to the portal, the culture category covers “offers for museums, theatre, concerts and much more” [5]. Who is eligible is explained in the guide “Culture on a small budget”.

Next step

Check the museum’s own rules before your visit – for the Staatliche Museen on their page “Ermäßigungen & freier Eintritt” (reductions and free admission): https://www.smb.museum/besuch-planen/ermaessigungen-freier-eintritt/ [3]; if you receive social benefits, also in the Fairgnügen portal: https://fairgnuegen.berlin.de [5]

Sources (in German)