SarahDieser Post ist auch auf deutsch verfügbar: “Futurium Berlin – Die Zukunft ist instagrammable!”
Are you looking for things to do in Berlin? Then you might be interested about a new attraction that we visited last weekend: the Futurium Berlin!
Most people who visit Berlin only think about Berlin’s past – the 3rd Reich, the GDR and the separation of the city. And we have to admit that there’s a lot of history in Berlin. In fact, we think that Berlin is the city with the most unique (and mostly dark) history in the world.
But Berlin is not only about the past! It’s also a vibrant, modern metropolis. As you might know, Markus was born in Berlin and we moved here several years ago. And even though we are often off somewhere in the world, we also spend a lot of our time here.
So when Markus heard about a new museum dedicated to the future opening in Berlin, he was immediately intrigued. And finally, last weekend, we found the time to visit the Futurium Berlin!
Futurium Berlin is only open for less than two months now – but we think it will be a “must-see” on most Berlin bucket lists soon! So let us tell you all about Berlin’s newest (and FREE!) attraction!
Table of Contents
Pin this for later!
What is the Futurium Berlin?
The Futurium Berlin is a museum dedicated to the future. It’s all about how our future might look like – environmentally, technically and from a society perspective! The main question is “how do we want to live in the future?”
Futurium Berlin was opened on the 5th of September 2019 and it’s completely for free! Yes, you heard that right! We have been to a fair share of future/technology/science museums around the world (like the Art Science Center in Singapore) and none of them was for free. But Futurium Berlin actually is.
And don’t let this fool yourself: it’s at least as cool as many of these museums that we have seen around the world!
Click here to get to the English website of Futurium Berlin!
Location of Futurium Berlin
Futurium Berlin is located in the very heart of Berlin – between the Hauptbahnhof (main station), the Charité University Medicine Berlin and the Bundestag!
There are two entrances, but the North Entrance was closed when we visited this weekend!
How to get to Futurium Berlin
Thanks to its central location, it’s really easy to get to Futurium Berlin by public transportation. Just take any of the various trains that run to Hauptbahnhof (main station) and take the exit towards Washingtonplatz. From there on it’s only a few meters to Futurium Berlin (3 minutes walk)
Alternatively, you can also walk over from U train station Bundestag – it’s around 5 minutes from there.
Should you arrive by car, you can try to find a parking space in Margarete-Steffin-Straße. We’ve been lucky on Sunday afternoon but we wouldn’t bet on it. Parking is only for free on Sunday anyway, so it’s likely best to use the parking garage of Hauptbahnhof instead (P1, 2,70€ per hour) during the week.
Opening times of Futurium Berlin
Futurium Berlin is open every day except Tuesdays from 10 am to 6 pm. On Thursday, you can even visit until 8 pm!
- Mon: 10 am – 6 pm
- Tue: closed
- Wed: 10 am – 6 pm
- Thu: 10 am – 8 am
- Fri-Sun: 10 am – 6pm
As mentioned already, Futurium Berlin is entirely for free and you don’t need to get any tickets to get in. You can book guided tours in German and English for entire groups though on the website (50€ per group, up to 10 people)
About Futurium Berlin and its three levels
The Futurium Berlin is located in a newly built glass building and has three floors above the ground and one below. The museum part is divided into two main parts: the Future Lab (basement) and the Future exhibition (Level 1+2).
Ground floor of Futurium Berlin
The ground floor is where you will enter Futurium Berlin. You will find a pretty cool museum shop here (and we would NORMALLY never call a museum shop cool!).
You will also find lockers of various sizes here that are free to use. You have to insert 1€ but you’ll get it back once you return the keys!
And if your phone is running out of battery because you snapped too many photos from the outside, there are free chargers for your phone here too!
Once you have stored your luggage, plugged in your phone (and maybe used the bathrooms), let’s have a look at the exhibitions itself!
The Future Lab
We first went down to the “Future Lab” (located in the basement) which is the “hands-on” part of Futurium Berlin. There are a lot of exhibitions here that can be touched or tested.
You will find 3D printers here as well as an “election booth” that analyses your face and tells you which party you are most likely to vote based on big data analysis. The “election booth” was fun to use but it didn’t seem to be really accurate as it guessed both me and Markus wrong (although, not TERRIBLY wrong…
Some of the exhibits were quite artsy as well and we weren’t 100% sure about the meaning of all of them. (We probably missed a sign explaining it though).
The Future Exhibition
The bigger part of the Futurium Berlin is actually the Future Exhibition on the first floor (and a small part on the second).
There are different areas that deal with technology of the future, energy, and environmental questions as well as biological aspects (such as orthesis, genetic testing and possible treatments of the future) and social questions (such as surveillance and data usage).
Futurium Berlin is an interactive museum – which is actually pretty cool! When you enter, you should first grab a wristband with a little chip.
You can use this wristband on two different types of exhibits: Polls and Information points. For polls, they describe a short situation and you can then choose between three answers by scanning your wristband.
For “information points”, you can also scan your wristband whenever you think a topic is interesting and you would like to know more about it.
After you have walked through the entire exhibition of Futurium Berlin, you can ascend to the second level (the “skybridge”) where you can print “your future”.
After your visit, you can also enter the code online on the website of Futurium Berlin and read more about the topics that you were interested in. All of that is entirely for free as well!
What we really liked about the Futurium Berlin
We absolutely enjoyed our visit and we think you should put Futurium Berlin on your Berlin visit list for sure!
One of the things that we thought was really cool was the interactive part with the wristband. There were lots of exhibits where the wristband really sparked a discussion between Markus and me and we loved that!
Also, we love the look of the museum – both from the inside as well as outside. Futurium Berlin is modern, it’s artsy and futuristic – and in a balanced way.
Futurium Berlin is also suited for people of all ages – from little children to adults and elderly people. Exhibits come with a mixture of videos, audio comments, and written text in both German and English.
And there were a lot of staff members around that you could ask questions when you were unsure about something!
And after all – it’s a free museum in an easy to reach location. You’ll even have a great view of the Bundestag from the first floor. So what are you waiting for?!
About the criticism about Futurium Berlin
We were surprised to find quite some negative reports by Berlin press about Futurium Berlin (Berliner Zeitung, in German / Deutschlandfunkkultur, in German). And we feel like most of it is absolutely not fair and thus we wanted to mention this briefly.
Most of the criticism is about architecture and how it would not be modern. We completely don’t get this as we think this building looks cool, modern and very futuristic to us.
Some criticism is also about not being environmentally friendly enough (despite the whole roof being covered in photovoltaic and having a biomass heating power plant). To us, it does not make sense to complain about not having plants on the rooftop on the one hand while at the same time complaining that Futurium Berlin would not produce enough energy on its own. You can’t have plants AND photovoltaic on one rooftop!
It’s a bit of a “typical German thing” to complain about everything. Some people apparently want the building to be green and overgrown with plants. While we definitely like that style, we think that this is narrow-minded.
While environmental change is one of the most pressing questions of our future – it is not the ONLY topic. And the Futurium Berlin is not a museum about the environmental future only – it’s about a variety of topics that are super important for the future of humanity. Reducing the questions about our future to “only” environmental topics would not do this vision justice.
What are your opinions on that? Please let us know in the comments what you think of the aesthetic of the Futurium Berlin! Do you like it? Would you prefer it being green and overgrown with plants?
Futurium Berlin for Instagrammers
As you may know, I am quite active on Instagram (@fernwehsarah) and I have already written some guides about “instagrammable” places around the world.
Related: The ultimate Instagram travel bucket list – most instaworthy places around the world
And if you are a bit like me, you always look for some insta-worthy places to snap a shot when traveling.
And for sure Futurium Berlin is one of these highly instagrammable places in Berlin! It looks awesome from the inside as well as the outside – during day time and at night!
It’s possible that there’s a long queue of people “ruining” your shot in front of the entrance. If that’s the case: go around the building! The north entrance might be closed and offers just as cool shots as the main (south) entrance – without the crowds!
Futurium Berlin’s own Instagram Account (@futuriumd) is rather small at the moment – but make sure to tag them in your picture anyway!
Hashtags that you can use along with are #futurium and #futuriumberlin. Also, check my guide on hashtags for European cities to find some other Berlin hashtags!
Related: Best Instagram hashtags for European cities
FAQ about Futurium Berlin
There are a few topics that you might be wondering about that we have not yet covered or that we wanted to repeat to make it easier for you. Please let me know if you have any further questions by commenting on this article or writing an email to [email protected] !
Is this museum suitable for children?
Absolutely! In fact, there were so many families with kids of all ages that we first were unsure if it’s for adults AT ALL (which, for sure, it is!)
Is Futurium Berlin accessible / suited for people with handicaps?
Yes, it is! All floors of Futurium Berlin can be reached via elevator and there are no necessary steps inside the building.
Also, lots of attractions have audio stations which would also make this museum interesting to visually impaired people. There’s also a tactile overview table.
More about accessibility can be found on the website of Futurium Berlin too: Information about accessibility
Is there a cloakroom and/or luggage storage?
Yes, there are lockers of various sizes on the ground floor of Futurium Berlin. And you only need to put in 1 € to use them which you will get back after returning the key!
Other things to do in Berlin close to Futurium Berlin
Well, if you are already at Berlin Mitte, you would be a fool not to continue your visit – the Bundeskanzleramt, the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate are all within a few minutes walk of Futurium Berlin!
There are a lot of other free things to do in Berlin – and then there are some other awesome (paid) museums, tours, and activities.
Read: Explore Berlin’s underground with a bunker tour
And since you are close to the main station, you can also hop on any S or U train to take you to Alexanderplatz, East Side Gallery or Gendarmenmarkt. Or hop on the S1/2/25 and do a Berlin underground tour!
Where to stay near Futurium Berlin
Choosing where to stay in Berlin for your visit is probably one of the most difficult questions. Berlin’s attractions are spread across the city and all the neighborhoods have very different vibes.
If you are in Berlin for a short time only and you want to stay close to Futurium Berlin, there are a few options around:
- Midrange: Meininger Hotel
- Luxury: Steigenberger Hotel am Kanzleramt
There’s no real budget accommodation directly at Berlin Hauptbahnhof – however, you can reach Alexanderplatz within a short train ride. And at Alexanderplatz, you will find a bunch of budget options.
How did you like this post about Futurium Berlin?
How did you like this article? Let us know in the comments below!
And if you have not yet subscribed to our newsletter – how about doing this now?
We promise that we won’t spam you – but you will always be the first to know about our next destination guides. Or our Instagram, Blogging and Social Media tips if you are interested in these topics.
Plus, you will get access to our exclusive and free tribe area! That’s where we share lots of invaluable additional content with you – like our hashtag list for Instagram or a packing list for world travelers!
Pinning is sexy!
