Berlin Cathedral
Berlin Cathedral, the Berliner Dom, was built in 1894–1905 for Kaiser Wilhelm II as the great Protestant church of the Hohenzollerns, a domed and gilded rival to St Peter’s on Museum Island. Burned out in the war and restored only in 1993, it now holds the family’s crypt, reopened in 2026 with 91 burials, a vast Romantic organ, and a walkway round the dome. A ticket costs €15 and covers everything, including the 270 steps to the top.
The Kaiser’s cathedral
There has been a “Dom” in Berlin since 1465, when the chapel of the Elector’s palace became a collegiate church, but never a bishop. The church became Lutheran with the Reformation, then Calvinist under the Hohenzollern electors, and in 1817 a church of the Prussian Union of the two. A modest Baroque cathedral by Johann Boumann was built on the Lustgarten in 1747–50 and remodelled by Schinkel.
For Wilhelm II that was not enough. Julius Raschdorff’s new cathedral, in a lavish neo-Renaissance and Baroque style, replaced it between 1894 and 1905 and was inaugurated on 27 February 1905. On 24 May 1944 a bomb set the dome on fire; the lantern fell and smashed through into the church below. The East German state rebuilt the outside from 1975, demolishing the Memorial Church on the north side and lowering the dome from about 114 to 98 metres. The Sermon Church reopened on 6 June 1993, and the last of the recreated dome mosaics was finished in 2002.
The visitor’s cheat sheet
| Where | Am Lustgarten, 10178 Berlin, on Museum Island; U5 to Museumsinsel, S-Bahn to Hackescher Markt, buses 100 and 300 |
|---|---|
| Opening hours | Monday–Saturday 9am–6pm, Sunday 12 noon–6pm; last admission 5pm. Services, concerts and weddings can close parts of the church |
| Admission | €15, reduced €12, with Berlin WelcomeCard €11; under-18s free with a paying adult. Includes the crypt, museum, dome walk and audio guide; valid for a year |
| Dome walk | 270 steps, no lift; closes in bad weather |
| Tickets | Online on the cathedral’s own ticket shop (recommended), or on site |
| Dress and bags | No very short shorts or skirts or low-cut tops; men remove hats. Bags up to A3 only |
| Photography | Private use only, no flash or tripod; none during services |
| How long | About an hour and a half |
Hours and admission checked against the official site in October 2026. They change; the official site is always the last word.
Check the calendar, and do the dome first. Services, concerts and weddings can close the main church at short notice, so look at the cathedral’s daily calendar before you go. From Monday to Saturday, noon prayers run from 12 to about 12.20, when visitors are asked to sit. The dome walk closes in bad weather, so climb it first if the sky looks uncertain, and arrive before the 5pm last admission.
What to see, in the order you meet it
The Imperial Staircase
The visit begins on the staircase built for the Kaiser and Kaiserin, who used it until 1918. Its walls and ceiling carry thirteen paintings by Albert Hertel of the life of Christ and the parables; five were lost in the war.
The Sermon Church
The main church is a great domed space of marble, gilding and mosaic. The white marble and onyx altar is by Friedrich August Stüler, with Schinkel’s gilded apostle screen in the chancel, and three altar windows of the Nativity, Crucifixion and Resurrection after Anton von Werner. Around the dome stand statues of the reformers Luther, Melanchthon, Zwingli and Calvin, facing four Protestant princes.
The Sauer organ
The organ by Wilhelm Sauer was inaugurated in 1905. With 7,269 pipes and 113 stops it was considered the largest in Germany when it was built, and it is described as the largest Late Romantic organ preserved in its original state.
The Hohenzollern sarcophagi
By the entrance to the Baptismal and Wedding Church stand the gilded sarcophagi of King Frederick I, the first King in Prussia, and his queen Sophie Charlotte, made by Andreas Schlüter. The smaller Baptismal and Wedding Church beyond is used for baptisms and weddings.
The dome walk and the museum
270 steps lead to a walkway round the outside of the dome, about 50 metres up, with views over Museum Island, the TV tower and the rebuilt Berlin Palace. The cathedral museum, on the way up, shows large models of designs for the church that were never built.
The Hohenzollern crypt
Last comes the crypt, one of the most important dynastic burial places in Europe, reopened on 1 March 2026 after years of restoration. It holds 91 coffins and sarcophagi of the Hohenzollerns from the late sixteenth to the early twentieth century, including the Great Elector, now arranged in chronological order, with a new information area.
Tickets and tours
Tickets and tours
Tickets are best bought on the cathedral’s own online shop; they are valid for a year. Short guided tours, free with a ticket, run on some afternoons. Walking tours of Museum Island and central Berlin often include the cathedral.
Tour and hotel links go to GetYourGuide and Booking.com. This site earns nothing from them at present — they are here because they are the quickest way to check what is actually available.
Don’t miss
- The dome walk 270 steps to the views over Museum Island.
- The Hohenzollern crypt Reopened in 2026 with 91 burials.
- The Sauer organ 7,269 pipes, from 1905.
- Schlüter’s sarcophagi For Frederick I and Sophie Charlotte.
- The dome mosaics Finished only in 2002.
Insider tips
Hear the building in use. Sunday services at 10am and 6pm, the monthly Choral Evensong on a Saturday at 6pm and the organ concerts show the cathedral as it was meant to be, full of music. The Sunday morning service also means there is no sightseeing until noon.
Ignore older websites that still give €10 and the old opening times: the price rose to €15 when the crypt reopened in March 2026, and the cathedral is now open 9am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 12 noon to 6pm on Sundays, with last admission at 5pm.
The cathedral is the gateway to Museum Island: the Altes Museum faces it across the Lustgarten, and the Pergamon and Neues Museums are a few minutes away.
Common questions
How much does it cost to visit Berlin Cathedral?
€15, or €12 reduced and €11 with a Berlin WelcomeCard. Under-18s are free with a paying adult, up to four children each. The ticket covers the church, the crypt, the museum, the dome walk and an audio guide, and is valid for a year.
Is the Hohenzollern crypt open?
Yes. It reopened on 1 March 2026 after six years of building work, and it is included in the ticket. It holds 91 burials of the Hohenzollern family, from the late sixteenth to the early twentieth century.
How many steps are there to the dome?
270, up to a walkway around the outside of the dome about 50 metres up. There is no lift to the dome, and it closes in heavy rain, snow, ice or strong wind. Since 2026 a step-free route with lifts covers the main church, the Baptismal and Wedding Church, the crypt and the museum.
What are the opening hours of Berlin Cathedral?
Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm and Sunday 12 noon to 6pm, with last admission at 5pm. Services, concerts and weddings can close parts of the church, so check the cathedral’s daily calendar.
Is Berlin Cathedral really a cathedral?
Not in the usual sense: it has never been the seat of a bishop. It is the Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church of Berlin, a Protestant church, and was the court church of the Hohenzollern kings and emperors.
Can I take a bag into Berlin Cathedral?
Only up to A3 size. Suitcases and large rucksacks are not allowed, and the lockers in the basement are few, so leave big bags at your hotel or the station.
Where to stay and eat nearby
Mitte, around Museum Island and Hackescher Markt, puts you within walking distance of the cathedral, Unter den Linden and the Brandenburg Gate, with plenty of places to eat around Hackescher Markt.
More churches in Germany
- Cologne Cathedral — the Catholic giant of the Rhineland, finished under the Prussian kings in 1880.
- Ulm Minster — the great Protestant church of the south.
- Aachen Cathedral — Charlemagne’s chapel.
- Dresden Frauenkirche — the great Protestant dome of Dresden, two hours away by train.