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MUSEUMSINSEL

East of the Deutsches Historisches Museum, the sculpture-studded Schlossbrücke (Palace Bridge; Map) leads to the little Spree island where Berlin’s settlement began in the 13th century. Its northern half, Museumsinsel (Museum Island), is a fabulous treasure trove of art, sculptures and objects spread across five museums. A Unesco World Heritage Site since 1999, the complex is undergoing a major update masterminded by British architect David Chipperfield. It will link four of the five museums by a subterranean walkway and add a colonnaded modern central entrance. For a preview, visit www.museumsinsel-berlin.de.

Separate tickets are available for each museum or you can buy a day pass (valid at all except the Neues Museum) for €12 (concession €6). Admission is free if you’re under 16 and for everyone during the last four hours on Thursday.

Alte Nationalgalerie

A Greek-temple building by August Stüler is an elegant backdrop for the exquisite collection of 19th-century European art at the Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery; Map; 2090 5577; Bodestrasse 1-3; adult/concession €8/4; 10am-6pm Tue, Wed & Fri-Sun, 10am-10pm Thu). Drawcards include Caspar David Friedrich’s mystical landscapes, sensitive portraits by Max Liebermann and the light-hearted canvasses of Monet and Renoir.

Pergamonmuseum

An Aladdin’s cave of treasures from ancient worlds, the Pergamonmuseum (Map; 2090 5555; Am Kupfergraben; adult/concession incl audioguide €12/6; 10am-6pm Fri-Wed, 10am-10pm Thu) is the one museum in Berlin that should not be missed. A feast of classical Greek, Babylonian, Roman, Islamic and Middle Eastern art and architecture, it will amaze and enlighten you. The Pergamon unites three major collections, each with its own signature sights, which are described on the excellent audioguide. Note that some sections may be closed while the museum is undergoing renovation over the next five years.

The undisputed highlight of the Collection of Classical Antiquities is, of course, the museum’s namesake, the Pergamon Altar (165 BC) from today’s Turkey. It’s a gargantuan raised marble shrine surrounded by a vivid frieze of the gods doing battle with the giants. The next room is dominated by the immense Market Gate of Miletus (2nd century AD), a masterpiece of Roman architecture. Pass through it and enter another culture and century: Babylon during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II (604–562 BC). You’re now in the Museum of Near Eastern Antiquities where top billing goes to the radiantly blue and ochre Ishtar Gate. The strutting lions, horses, and dragons are so striking that you can almost hear the roaring and fanfare.

Upstairs, in the Museum of Islamic Art, standouts include the fortress-like 8th-century caliph’s palace from Mshatta in today’s Jordan, and the Aleppo Room from 17th-century Syria with its richly painted, wood-panelled walls.

Altes Museum

Karl Friedrich Schinkel pulled out all the stops for the 1830 Altes Museum (Map; 2090 5577; Am Lustgarten; adult/concession €8/4; 10am-6pm Fri-Wed, 10am-10pm Thu). An architectural highlight is the Pantheon-inspired rotunda, which displays a prized collection of Greek and Roman art and sculpture. As part of the Museumsinsel update, it is scheduled for restoration and may be fully or partly closed in the coming years.

Bodemuseum

On the northern tip of Museumsinsel, this mighty museum (Map; 2090 5577; Monbijou-brücke; adult/concession €8/4; 10am-6pm Fri-Wed, 10am-10pm Thu), in a neobaroque edifice by Ernst von Ihne, houses Byzantine art, a coin collection, old paintings and, most importantly, European sculpture from the Middle Ages to the 18th century. Look out for masterpieces by Tilmann Riemenschneider, Donatello, Giovanni Pisano and Ignaz Günther.

Neues Museum

After 10 years and €200 million, the reconstructed Neues Museum (New Museum; Map; 2090 5555; www.smb.spk-berlin.de; adult/concession €10/5; 10am-6pm Sun-Wed, 10am-8pm Thu-Sat) finally opened in October