Berlin TV Tower is the tallest building in the city and consists of an observatory and a revolving restaurant.
The viewing platform is 203 meters (666 feet) high and offers beautiful 360-degree views of Berlin.
The locals refer to the Berlin Tower as Berliner Fernsehturm.
In this article, we share everything you must know before booking your Berlin TV Tower ticket.
Top Berlin TV Tower Tickets
Table of contents
- How to get to Berlin TV Tower
- Berlin TV Tower ticket price
- Berlin TV Tower discount
- Berlin TV Tower tickets
- Berlin TV Tower’s opening hours
- Best time to visit Berlin Tower
- Waiting time at TV Tower Berlin
- How long does Berlin Tower take?
- Berlin Television Tower view
- Berlin TV Tower Observatory
- Restaurant in Berlin TV Tower
- TV Tower free with Berlin Welcome Card
How to get to Berlin TV Tower
The Berlin TV Tower is South West of the Alexanderplatz station and North East of a public park called Marx-Engels Forum.
Address: TV-Turm Alexanderplatz, Gastronomiegesellschaft mbH, Panoramastraße 1A, D-10178 Berlin.
It is best to use public transport to get to Berliner Fernsehturm.
By Train
The TV Tower entrance is directly opposite the Train Station Alexanderplatz.
Train Lines S5, S7, S75 or S9 can get you to Alexanderplatz Station.
It would be best if you took the Gontardstrasse exit.
If you are coming from outside the city, you can take trains RE1, RE2, RE7 or RB14.
By Subway
If you plan to take a Subway, you can board Line U2, U5, or U8 and get down at Alexanderplatz Subway station.
From the Subway station, a brisk 4 to 5 minutes walk can get you to the Berlin Tower.
By Bus
Berlin’s bus network consists of 150 day-time and 50+ night-time bus lines.
Metro buses are marked with an M in the front while the night-time buses have an N in the front.
You can reach the TV Tower in Berlin by boarding M48, 100, 200, 248, N5, or N8 line buses.
Tourists tend to love Berlin’s Bus No 100 because it runs through Unter den Linden from Brandenburg Gate to Alexanderplatz, stopping at all the attractions along the way.
You can also get onto the TXL Bus, an Express service that connects Tegel airport and Alexanderplatz.
Note: Berlin Welcome Card can be used to travel in the city’s buses free of cost. It also gets you free entry to numerous Berlin attractions, including the TV Tower.
Parking at Berlin Tower
Parking is available in Hotel Park Inn’s car park, which is 500 meters (less than half a mile) from Berlin Tower.
You can park your car and walk the distance in approximately five minutes. More car parking options
Berlin TV Tower ticket price
Fast View ticket, the most popular Berlin Tower ticket, costs 22.50 Euros for a full adult.
Besides the observatory, if you also want to visit the rotating restaurant in the Berlin Tower, you must buy the Fast View & Window Seat Ticket, which costs 25.50 Euros per person.
All visitors above the age of 15 years pay the full adult price.
Berlin TV Tower discount
At this Berlin Observatory, there are no discounts for seniors.
However, kids between 4 to 14 years of age get a 9.5 Euros discount on both the tickets.
Kids below three years get the maximum discount of 100 percent, and they can walk in for free.
Berlin TV Tower tickets
In this section, we share everything you must know about the Berlin Television Tower tickets.
It is best to book your Fast View Tickets to see just the observatory or the Restaurant reservation tickets (which includes access to the observatory as well) online.
Avoid the crowd
If you miss booking in advance, you can stand in the queue and purchase your Berlin TV Tower ticket at the ticket office in the bottom right corner of the entrance area of the venue.
You can also buy Berliner Fernsehturm tickets from the ticket machines located outside and inside the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz. But expect a queue there as well.
Berlin Tower tickets are timed
When you book your tickets online, you must select the time of your visit and arrive at the entrance at the specified time.
This helps the attraction regulate the flow of tourists.
Which entrance to take?
There are two entrances at the bottom of the TV Tower.
One entrance is for visitors who have already booked their tickets online while the other is for visitors without tickets.
The one without a long queue is the one for online ticket holders.
Ticket printouts
As soon as you make the purchase, the Berlin Tower tickets get emailed to you.
There is no need to take a printout.
On the day of your visit, you can show the ticket in your email, on your smartphone, and walk in.
Fast View TV Tower Berlin ticket
This ticket gets you a hassle-free, fast track entrance to the TV Tower in Berlin.
It helps you skip the infamous Berlin Tower queue at the ticket counter and enter through the priority entrance.
You can even skip the line for the lift and go up to the observatory straight away.
Ticket price
Adult ticket (15+ years): 22.50 Euros
Child ticket (4 to 14 years): 13 Euros
Infant ticket (less than 3 years): Free entry
Fast View + Window Seat Restaurant Ticket
This ticket gets you access to the Berlin TV Tower observatory and a confirmed window seat reservation at the rotating Sphere Restaurant.
The cost of this ticket doesn’t include your food and drinks at the restaurant.
Ticket price
Adult ticket (15+ years): 25.50 Euros
Child ticket (4 to 14 years): 16 Euros
Infant ticket (less than 3 years): Free entry
Berlin TV Tower’s opening hours
From March to October, the Berlin Tower’s Observation deck opens at 9 am and closes at midnight.
From November to February, it remains open for one hour less – starts at 10 am and closes at midnight.
The last entry to the observation platform is at 11.30 pm.
Restaurant Sphere, the Tower’s revolving restaurant, welcomes its first guests at 10 am and closes at midnight.
The last admission to the restaurant is at 11 pm.
Bar 203 starts serving at 9 am and shutters at 11.30 pm every day.
When is the Tower of Berlin closed?
Twice a year, the Berlin Television Tower closes for maintenance work.
In 2021, the dates are 22 March and 15 November.
Interesting Fact: Since the Berlin TV Tower is visible from almost every place in Berlin, it has a unique hashtag on Instagram – #ThatTowerAgain
Best time to visit Berlin Tower
If you want to avoid the crowd, the best time to visit Berlin TV Tower is as soon as they open on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
During the peak season, they open at 9 am and during the winter months at 10 am.
With a Fast View ticket already booked in advance, you will skip the ticket lines and the queue for the lift to reach Berlin’s tallest observatory in minutes.
Since you started early, you can also skip the usual queue for the lifts to get down.
If you want to see the city of Berlin bathed in colorful lights, it is best to be at the TV Tower half 30 to 40 minutes before sunset.
It can get very crowded, but if you have already booked the Fast View Ticket for the sunset time slot, you can skip the lines and get to the observatory in 15 minutes.
Due to Berlin’s location, sunsets can be early in the winter and late in the summer. Berlin’s sunsets times
If you are visiting with kids or elderly, it is better to avoid public holidays, weekends, and school holidays because the Berlin attraction gets very crowded.
Note: On cloudy or rainy days, visibility gets affected, and you won’t be able to see long distances from the observatory. We recommend checking the city’s weather before booking your Berlin TV Tower ticket.
Waiting time at TV Tower Berlin
During non-peak months (October to March), the waiting time at Television Tower Berlin averages 20 minutes.
From April to September, the peak tourist months, the waiting times can go up to two hours as well.
There are four queues at this observatory –
- At the ticket counter to buy the tickets
- At the security check
- At the lifts to go up to the observatory
- At the lifts to get down from the observatory
You can skip the first queue (which is also the longest) by booking your Fast View Berlin Tower ticket or reserving your window seat at the Berlin Tower restaurant in advance.
On the day of your visit, you will get priority entry through the lane reserved for visitors who already have tickets.
After undergoing the security check, you will also skip the line at the lift to go up to the observatory.
Unfortunately, there is no way to skip the queue for the lift to get down from the observatory.
Curse of the ‘timed ticket’
Purchasing your tickets in advance also helps you avoid what we call ‘curse of the timed ticket.’
Let us explain this ‘curse’ in little more detail –
Only 350 tourists are allowed inside Berlin TV Tower at a time, and the timed ticket helps the authorities ensure this limit.
When you buy your tickets at the venue, you may have to wait in the long ticketing queue, and you may also have to wait for your time slot to arrive.
Here is a timeline to help you understand this better:
- You arrive at TV Tower Berlin at 11 am
- After waiting in the ticketing queue for an hour, you finally buy your tickets at 12 noon
- Since all tickets till 1 pm were sold out (remember, only 350 visitors can be inside at any point in time), you get a ticket for the next available slot which is 1.15 pm
- Even though you have your Berlin TV Tower ticket, you still have to hang around at the entrance till 1.15 pm
This additional 1-hour wait is known as the ‘curse of the timed ticket.’
You can avoid the long wait at the ticketing queue and the wait for your time slot to arrive by booking Berlin Television Tower tickets in advance.
Note: If you want nothing to do with the crowd but still want stunning views of Berlin, check out Panoramapunkt, yet another observatory in the city.
How long does Berlin Tower take?
Visitors need at around 45 minutes to explore the Berlin Television Tower and take in the views from its observatory.
Visitors with a reservation at Sphere restaurant end up spending 90 minutes relishing both the stunning views and the food.
There is no upper limit on the time you can spend either at the observatory or the restaurant.
However, if you don’t book your tickets in advance, you must also factor in 20 minutes to two hours of waiting time, depending on the season.
Berlin Television Tower view
Berlin TV Tower’s observation deck is at 203 meters (666 feet), and two visitor elevators carry 12 people each in about 40 seconds to the top.
The observatory has 60 windows offering a panoramic view over the whole of Berlin and the surrounding areas.
Display panels around the observation platform help you identify buildings, parks, and gardens.
The coin-operated telescopes help you zoom in further.
Reichstag Building, Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Olympic Stadium, Museum Island, Potsdamer Platz etc are some of the major landmarks you can see from the Berliner Fernsehturm.
On a clear day, you can see up to Tropical Islands resort, which is around 75 km (47 miles) away.
Berlin TV Tower Observatory
The lifts take you from the bottom of the Tower and open right at the circular Observation deck.
On the outer circle, 60 clear windows offer beautiful views of the city, while the inner circle has visitor facilities such as rest rooms, seating area etc.
Since Bar 203 is also part of the Berlin Tower observatory, it ends up being the highest bar in Berlin.
Restaurant in Berlin TV Tower
Some visitors only go up to the Tower’s observatory while others extend their visit by climbing up 21 steps and stepping into the Berliner Fernsehturm restaurant.
The restaurant is 207 meters (680 feet) above the city and rotates 360 degrees in an hour.
The revolving Sphere restaurant of the Berlin TV Tower is an excellent opportunity to combine culinary pleasure with the city’s 360-degree panoramic views.
It offers both Berlin food as well as international cuisine.
Restaurant reservation
The regular Fast View Ticket costs 22.50 Euros per person and gets you access to the observatory.
For an additional 3 Euros each, you can also confirm a window seat at the Berlin Tower restaurant.
While booking the Fast View + window seat reservation ticket, you select a time slot for your visit.
At the time selected, you can reach the TV Tower in Berlin and explore the observatory after which you can reach the restaurant.
The next vacant table is guaranteed.
Berlin Tower restaurant’s window seat
Here is a layout of the Sphere restaurant to give you a sense of what to expect.
Sphere restaurant’s menu
At the Berlin TV Tower’s restaurant, breakfast menu is served from 10 am to 11.30 am.
Every first Sunday of the month, the restaurant offers a massive breakfast buffet from 9 am to 11.30 am.
Day time menu at the restaurant starts at 11.30 am and goes on till 4.30 pm.
If you plan to have lunch at the TV Tower, the day menu applies.
The evening menu starts at 4.30 pm and goes on till 11.30 pm when the attraction closes.
If you plan to have dinner at the Berlin Radio Tower’s restaurant, you must order from the evening menu.
TV Tower free with Berlin Welcome Card
The Berlin Welcome Card, available as 48-hours, 72-hours, 4-day, 5-day, or 6-day option, offers a cost-effective means to explore Berlin.
Besides TV Tower Berlin, the Berlin Welcome Card also gets you free entry into the Pergamonmuseum, Madame Tussauds Berlin, Sea Life Berlin, the DDR Museum, etc.
As a Welcome Card holding member, you get to skip the long waiting lines and get preferential admission to the TV Tower Berlin.
This discount card also gets you free transport within Berlin.
Sources
# Tv-turm.de
# Wikipedia.org
# Visitberlin.de
# Berlin.de
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