Charlottenburg Palace (Schloss Charlottenburg), west of central Berlin, is the largest surviving Hohenzollern residence in the city. Built from 1695 as a summer residence for Sophie Charlotte, wife of Elector Frederick III, who became King Frederick I, it took her name after the queen's death in 1705, as did the surrounding district. Frederick the Great had a new wing, the Neuer Flügel, added between 1740 and 1746; badly damaged in the Second World War, the palace was restored over more than twenty years. The Old Palace (Altes Schloss) and the New Wing (Neuer Flügel) are open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 17:30 from April to October; each wing costs €12, the charlottenburg+ combined ticket €19. Allow half a day for both wings and the gardens, which are free to enter.
Highlights
The main courtyard and the dome
From Spandauer Damm, the main courtyard opens onto the façade of the Old Palace and its domed tower, crowned by a gilded statue of Fortuna. In the centre stands the equestrian statue of the Great Elector, the work of the sculptor Andreas Schlüter.
The Old Palace
The Baroque state apartments, built around 1700 for Sophie Charlotte and Frederick I, include the Porcelain Cabinet, the palace chapel and Frederick I's bedchamber. The Silver Vault (Silberkammer) displays the Hohenzollern table silver, and a permanent exhibition introduces the Prussian royal dynasty.
The New Wing and the Golden Gallery
The wing built for Frederick the Great houses two Rococo festival halls, the Golden Gallery and the White Hall, as well as a collection of 18th-century French painting with canvases by Antoine Watteau. You can also see the apartments of Frederick William II, decorated in Chinese, Etruscan and Neoclassical styles, and Queen Luise's bedchamber.
The palace gardens
Sophie Charlotte had them laid out in the French style from 1695 by Siméon Godeau, a pupil of André Le Nôtre, the gardener of Versailles; they were later partly reshaped into an English-style landscape garden. The parterre in front of the north façade leads towards the carp pond and the Spree. Entry is free, daily from 8:00 until dusk.
The Mausoleum
Frederick William III had it built in 1810 as a temple for Queen Luise, who died young, to plans by Heinrich Gentz advised by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The queen's tomb effigy by Christian Daniel Rauch is a major work of 19th-century German sculpture; Emperor William I lies in the same hall. Open from April to October, Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:30; €3 (reduced €2).
The New Pavilion
This pavilion by Schinkel, built in 1824-1825, presents Berlin art of the early 19th century: paintings by Caspar David Friedrich, Karl Blechen and Eduard Gaertner, and sculptures by Christian Daniel Rauch. It opens only on Sundays from April to October, from 10:00 to 17:30; €8 (reduced €6). The Belvedere, built in 1788 by Carl Gotthard Langhans and housing a collection of KPM porcelain, is closed until further notice.
Opening hours and prices
Old Palace and New Wing: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 17:30 from April to October and from 10:00 to 16:30 from November to March, last entry 30 minutes before closing; closed on Mondays and on 24 and 25 December, open from 10:00 to 14:00 on 31 December. Ticket per wing €12 (reduced €8). charlottenburg+ ticket €19 (reduced €14), valid for one day for one visit to each open building on the estate; family version €45 for 2 adults and up to 4 children under 18. Gardens free.
Infos pratiques
Tips
If you visit both wings, the charlottenburg+ ticket costs less than two separate tickets; from April to October it also includes the Mausoleum and, on Sundays, the New Pavilion. Before your visit, download the free SANSSOUCI app, which offers a tour in 10 languages, including English. The cloakroom is free, but suitcases and large bags are not accepted for security reasons. Prices checked in October 2026.
How to get there
Spandauer Damm 10-22, 14059 Berlin. Bus M45 and 309 to the Schloss Charlottenburg stop, or bus M45 and 109 to Luisenplatz/Schloss Charlottenburg, a few minutes' walk from the entrance. U-Bahn U7 to Richard-Wagner-Platz, about 10 minutes' walk; U-Bahn U2 to Sophie-Charlotte-Platz, or S-Bahn to Westend (Ringbahn), about 15 minutes' walk. Paid parking on site.
Opening hours
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