Best for
History and royal architecture enthusiasts, garden lovers
Time needed
2–4 hours including the gardens
Worth it?
Yes — Berlin's best surviving royal palace, with genuinely lovely free gardens
Skip if
You're very short on time and have to prioritise central sights instead
About Charlottenburg Palace
Built starting in 1695 as a summer residence for Sophie Charlotte, wife of the future King Friedrich I of Prussia, Charlottenburg Palace grew over the following century from a modest country house into the largest and grandest surviving royal palace in Berlin — the city's closest equivalent to Versailles, both in scale and in the fact that its formal gardens were explicitly modelled on the French style.
Sophie Charlotte herself was an unusually intellectual figure for her position, a friend and correspondent of philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, and the palace's original design reflected her interests as much as royal ceremony — though later Prussian monarchs steadily expanded it with additions reflecting their own tastes, including the domed New Wing added under Frederick the Great, whose lavish Golden Gallery is one of the finest Rococo interiors in Germany.
Read the full storyShow less
The interiors mix genuine period furnishings, porcelain collections and paintings across the Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical styles the palace passed through during its century-plus construction, while the palace gardens — free to enter separately from the paid interiors — stretch back from the building in formal French parterres before transitioning to an English-style landscape park further from the palace, complete with a mausoleum and the smaller New Pavilion building.
A combined charlottenburg+ ticket covers the Old Palace, New Wing, Mausoleum and New Pavilion in one purchase; the gardens themselves cost nothing and are worth a visit even for travellers who skip the paid interiors entirely.
What to See: Highlights
- 1The Golden Gallery, one of Germany's finest Rococo interiors
- 2Formal French-style gardens transitioning to an English landscape park
- 3Berlin's largest surviving royal palace complex
- 4The Mausoleum and New Pavilion buildings within the grounds
- 5Free garden access even without a palace interior ticket
Skip the Queue — Book Tickets Online
Same admission, instant confirmation. Compare prices across platforms.
Affiliate disclosure — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Insider Tips
The gardens are free — worth a visit even if you skip the paid interiors
The charlottenburg+ combined ticket covers all the paid buildings on the grounds
Go on a weekday morning to avoid the busiest tour-group hours
It's outside the historic centre — budget transit time from Mitte
Combine with a walk through the landscape park to the Belvedere teahouse
Book a Guided Tour
Get the most from your visit with a local expert guide.
Affiliate disclosure — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Getting There
Spandauer Damm 20-24, 14059 Berlin
Open in Google Maps →- 1Bus 109 or M45 to Schloss Charlottenburg, or U-Bahn Richard-Wagner-Platz (U7), then a 10-minute walk.
Where to stay
Hotels in Berlin
Compare prices across hundreds of hotels near this attraction — from budget hostels to luxury stays. Free cancellation on most rooms.
Affiliate disclosure — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Powered by Booking.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before you visit.
Is Charlottenburg Palace worth visiting?+−
How long does a visit to Charlottenburg Palace take?+−
Who is Charlottenburg Palace best for?+−
Do I need to book tickets in advance for Charlottenburg Palace?+−
Is Charlottenburg Palace included with the Berlin city pass?+−
Should You Visit?
Visit if...
- You enjoy Baroque and Rococo royal interiors
- You want a formal garden walk modelled on Versailles
- You have a half-day free to venture outside central Berlin
- You're interested in Prussian royal history
Skip if...
- You're on a tight one- or two-day itinerary focused on central Mitte
- Royal palace interiors don't especially interest you
- You've already seen a comparable Baroque palace elsewhere recently
Ready to Book Your Visit?
More to See in Berlin
Story of Berlin
An interactive walk through 800 years of Berlin history in 23 themed exhibition rooms, ending with a guided tour through a genuine Cold War nuclear bunker beneath a Kurfürstendamm shopping mall.
Museum für Fotografie (Helmut Newton Foundation)
A neoclassical former officers' casino near Zoo Station holding the Helmut Newton Foundation's provocative fashion photography alongside the Kunstbibliothek's broader historic photography collection.
Brücke Museum
The world's only museum dedicated entirely to Die Brücke, the pioneering German Expressionist group — set in a quiet, purpose-built 1967 building in the leafy Dahlem district.