Berlin (city-state)
Reichstag Building
How to visit Berlin's Reichstag dome: how the free registration works, how far ahead to book, when to go for the best light, and whether the climb is worth it.
Where
Berlin, Germany
Opening hours
The dome is open daily from 08:00 to midnight, with the last admission at 21:45 (the building closes on a handful of public holidays and for state occasions). Always confirm your date and slot on bundestag.de.
Tickets
Free. There is no charge for the dome or the standard registered visit; you only pay if you choose a paid guided tour or the rooftop restaurant Käfer. A typical commercial Reichstag-and-dome guided walking tour runs about €15–€20 (around £13–£17).
Time needed
About 1–1.5 hours: 30–45 minutes for the spiral dome ramp and audio guide, plus 15–20 minutes for the security and check-in queue even with a confirmed slot.
In short
Visiting Reichstag Building
The Reichstag dome is free, but you cannot just turn up — you must register online with the Bundestag visitors' service in advance, giving every visitor's full name and ID-card or passport number. Registration opens around three months ahead and peak slots vanish, so book before you fly. Allow about an hour to ninety minutes including the airport-style security check, and pick a clear early-evening slot for the best light over the Tiergarten.
How the free registration actually works
The mistake people make is assuming a free landmark means you can wander in. You can’t — the Reichstag is a working parliament, so you have to register online with the Bundestag visitors’ service before you go, entering every visitor’s full name and the number from their ID card or passport. Registration opens around three months ahead and the good early-evening slots disappear quickly; there is a small same-week allocation released at the service centre by the Berlin Pavillon, but it’s a gamble, not a plan. Sort it the moment your dates are fixed and you’ll walk straight to the airport-style security check rather than the standby line.
Book the plain registered dome visit if you just want the view and the free audio guide — it’s all most people need. Pay for a guided tour only if you want the plenary chamber and the building’s history explained, and book the rooftop Käfer restaurant separately if you’d rather have the view over a coffee than queue for the dome on a wet day.
When to book your dome slot — and is it worth it?
Pick an early-evening slot in the warmer months: you spiral up the ramp in daylight, then catch sunset over the Tiergarten and the city lights coming on across the government quarter. The dome stays open to midnight with last admission at 21:45, so a later slot is far calmer than the midday crush. Allow an hour to ninety minutes all in, including fifteen to twenty minutes for security even with a confirmed time.
It’s the rare Berlin headline sight that’s both free and genuinely good, and the Foster dome view beats most of the paid towers in the city. Pair it with a slow loop of the Brandenburg Gate and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, both a few minutes’ walk south, rather than stacking it against Museum Island the same afternoon — the centre rewards doing one cluster properly.
Planning the rest of your trip? See the Berlin city guide.
