Pergamon Museum, Berlin

Please check what is open and closed before going. This place is a little hard to rate with stars. I went knowing half of it was shut undergoing renovation. The Babylonian and Roman exhibits are wonderful. The Ishtar gate is an amazing thing to see in real life. Museums are hard to rate as it is, but this fact makes it harder. I guess for what was open, it was great. Not a huge museum but very nice, well laid out, and full of cool stuff. Shame half of it is closed- I guess that's an excuse to go back.

Pros: Fascinating exhibitions. Loved the Ishtar gate and the street that lead to it from Babylon. Cons: The size of the museum is way smaller than I've expected. 2 floors that can be easily explored by ~1 hour. Nothing like the Metropolitan museum in NYC. Therefore, I guess that the museum island pass will be a better use for your money if you wish to wander for a couple of hours. Also the Altar temple section is closed due to renovations until 2019...

As of late 2017 half of the museum is closed for renovations. Perhaps worth waiting till they finish. The open half is only 2 floors, 2 themes. It's 12 EUR and kids go free. The queue is massive, better book over internet. I think it may be good idea to take the audio guide device. Everyone is with headphones on. The labels are not always in English. It's not very entertaining for children. They have to use their imagination a lot otherwise boring.

Fascinating and beautiful collection. Constantly reminded not to lean on any walls which aren't part of the exhibition or that I can't hold my coat whilst I walk around - you're forced to wear it or put it in cloakroom. As important as history is, museums are turning into our new holy places bit by bit! Lots of guards. Feels very intimidating.

Usually I don't like sightseeing museums. The museum should offer some special to get my attention. This museum is one of them. I think this is the best opinion to encourage you to get there. Remember to take an audio guide. Btw: number 400 includes a very nice song intro on the beginning.