Is the Berlin WelcomeCard Worth It? An Honest Verdict and How to Get the Most Out of It
Is it worth it?
- Worth itYes for the Museum Island version (€62, 72 hours) if you'll visit several Museum Island museums and ride the U-Bahn.
- Skip itNo for the standard card if you want free entry. It gives discounts, not free entry.
- Skip itNo for Museum Island alone. Its own day ticket is €24.
- From €28.50
- Public transport
- Museum Island version
What is The Berlin WelcomeCard?
The Berlin WelcomeCard is public transport plus discounts at 170+ sights. A Museum Island version (from €62 for 72 hours) adds free entry to the Museum Island museums.
Berlin is big and spread out, so the U-Bahn and S-Bahn are where this card earns its keep; the Museum Island version adds the city's best museums.
The seller advertises savings of up to 50% (on partner discounts) compared with buying each ticket separately. Realistic for the Museum Island version on a museum-heavy trip.
- Price
- From €28.50
- Museum Island version
- From €62
- Transport
- AB zones (ABC option)
- Sights
- Discounts
How to get the most value out of The Berlin WelcomeCard
Compare the card with transport tickets; on the Museum Island version, add the €24 island day ticket.
| Don't | Do this instead |
|---|---|
| Plan Museum Island for a Monday | The Museum Island museums close on Mondays. |
| Buy the AB card for the airport | BER airport and Potsdam are in zone C. Take the ABC version. |
| Expect the main Pergamon Museum | It's closed for renovation; the Pergamonmuseum Panorama (€14) is open. |
| Turn up at the TV Tower at sunset without a slot | Sunset is the busiest time and slots sell out. Book a dated ticket (from €20) for a clear weekday morning. |
| Pay the Museum Island price for teenagers | Under-18s get into the Neues Museum free, so a Museum Island card for them is wasted money. |
| Visit Berlin Cathedral during a service | Tourist visits pause for services and events. Go on a weekday morning; Mondays and Wednesdays are quietest in our data. |
| Do Museum Island and the Reichstag on one day | Museum Island alone fills a day. Book the Reichstag dome separately (free, booking required). |
| Take the AB card to BER | The airport is in zone C. Buy ABC. |
| Head to the Neues Museum without checking how busy it is | Check the Neues Museum's live crowd level on beatthecrowd.co first. If it's busy, do another Berlin sight on your pass and come back later. |
Before you set off for the Neues Museum, check how busy it is right now on beatthecrowd.co. An hour in a queue is an hour of your pass gone.
Check live crowds in Berlin →Who The Berlin WelcomeCard is for
Good fit
- You'll use the U-Bahn and S-Bahn a lot
- Museum lovers, with the Museum Island version
- Arriving at BER and heading to Potsdam: take the ABC card
Skip it if
- You want free entry everywhere
- You'll walk or cycle
- Museum Island alone: its €24 day ticket is cheaper
- Under-18s: Museum Island's museums are free for them
- From €28.50
- Public transport
- Museum Island version
What the pass covers
The card gives public transport and discounts at 170+ sights and restaurants; the Museum Island version adds free entry there.
- Museum Island has its own €24 day ticket for every museum on the island. The €62 card only beats it if you also need three days of transport or a second museum day.
- Nefertiti is in the Neues Museum (€14). See her first, at 10 am, before the room fills.
- The TV Tower (from €20) and Berlin Cathedral (from €15) are discounted, not free, on either version.
The big sights
- Museum Island museumsExtra costFree on the Museum Island version only; €24 day ticket otherwise.
- Neues MuseumExtra cost€14 on its own.
- Pergamonmuseum PanoramaExtra costAbout €14 on its own. Free on the Museum Island version while the main Pergamonmuseum is closed.
- Berlin TV TowerExtra costFrom €20; discounted on the card.
- Berlin CathedralExtra costFrom €15. Not on the Museum Island ticket; check the WelcomeCard partner list for the current discount.
- DDR MuseumExtra costA private museum, so it's not on the Museum Island ticket or the Museum Pass Berlin.
- From €28.50
- Public transport
- Museum Island version
Pass vs individual tickets
Compare the card with the transport tickets you'd buy anyway. For the Museum Island version, add the €24 Museum Island day ticket.
What the big sights cost on their own
| Attraction | Adult ticket bought separately |
|---|---|
| Museum Island day ticket (all museums) | €24 |
| Neues Museum | €14 |
| Berlin TV Tower | From €20 |
| Berlin Cathedral | From €15 |
| WelcomeCard Museum Island, 72 hours | From €62 |
- From €28.50
- Public transport
- Museum Island version
Fine print
- Transport
- AB zones; ABC (BER airport and Potsdam) costs more.
- Closures
- Museum Island museums close on Mondays.
- Refunds
- No refunds or exchanges once bought, and unused discounts aren't refunded (official terms).
Is it safe? Where people lose money
- Reassuring: The Berlin WelcomeCard is official, from visitBerlin.
- Reassuring: Refunds: No refunds or exchanges once bought, and unused discounts aren't refunded (official terms).
- Watch out: Museum Island closes on Mondays.
Where people lose money
| Don't | Do this instead |
|---|---|
| Buy the standard card for free entry | It only gives discounts. |
| Pay for the Pergamon | The main museum is closed; only the Panorama (€14) is open. |
| Queue at the Neues Museum at peak time | Check beatthecrowd.co for the Neues Museum's quiet hours before you go. |
Queuing is the easiest way to lose value in Berlin. Check which sights are quiet right now on beatthecrowd.co, starting with the Neues Museum.
Check live crowds in Berlin →- From €28.50
- Public transport
- Museum Island version
Alternatives
€32 for three days of entry to 30+ museums, including all of Museum Island, without transport.
Planning your order and avoiding queues is the simplest way to get full value: see how busy Berlin’s attractions are right now →
- From €28.50
- Public transport
- Museum Island version
FAQs
Is the Berlin WelcomeCard worth it?
+
The Museum Island version (from €62) is, if you'll visit several museums there and ride public transport. The standard card gives discounts, not free entry.
Does it include the airport?
+
Only the ABC version; BER airport is in zone C.
How much is it?
+
From €28.50; the Museum Island version from €62 for 72 hours.
Is the Museum Island version better than the €24 Museum Island ticket?
+
Only if you need the transport too. The €24 ticket gets you into every museum on the island for one day; the €62 card adds 72 hours of U-Bahn and S-Bahn.
Does the Berlin WelcomeCard include the TV Tower?
+
It gives a discount, not free entry. Standard TV Tower tickets start at €20 and need a dated time slot.