Berlin WW2 ToursReichstag Dome Visit: How to Get In and What Happened Here
A Reichstag dome visit is free, but only with advance registration on the Bundestag website, and this page explains how that works. It also covers the building's own history: the fire of 27 February 1933, the parliament's move to the Kroll Opera House, the Battle of Berlin in 1945 and the Soviet graffiti kept in the restoration. If you would rather see the Reichstag with a guide, the WW2 walking tours compared on Berlin WW2 tours stop outside it, and one ends directly in front of the building.
The Reichstag building and its dome seen from the lawn on Platz der Republik. Photo: Jakob0000, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quick answer Reichstag dome visit in brief
A Reichstag dome visit is free of charge, but every visitor must register in advance on the Bundestag website with the names and dates of birth of everyone in the group. On the day you bring the confirmation and a passport or ID. Registration opens three months ahead and slots run every 15 minutes, according to secondary sources.
Key takeaways
- Registration is mandatory and costs nothing. The steps are in the table below, and the WW2 walks on Berlin WW2 tours stay outside the building.
- The 2-hour Third Reich and Cold War walk stops at the Reichstag for 15 to 16 minutes on a $27 tour.
- For more time on the Nazi period, see the 3-hour Hitler and WWII walk at $19.66.
- Pair the dome with nearby sites using the walking distances in this guide and the Berlin WW2 itinerary.
How to Get Into the Dome
The dome and the terrace below it can only be entered with prior registration. There are no tickets sold on site for a dome visit.
Registration Step by Step
Registration is a form on the Bundestag website, not a booking platform. You submit it with the names and dates of birth of every person in your group, so have passports or ID cards to hand when you fill it in. Registration opens three months ahead, and during busy periods slots go quickly.
Slots run every 15 minutes from 08:00 to 21:30, per a secondary source. Each visitor must bring the confirmation and a passport or ID, and security checks everyone at the entrance. The visit costs nothing at any stage.
If the online slots are gone, the rooftop restaurant Käfer is open daily from 09:00 to 23:00, and a reservation includes dome access. Käfer guests arrive at the security checkpoint 15 minutes before the reservation. Confirm current hours and closures on bundestag.de before you travel.
| Step | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1. Register online | On the Bundestag website, free of charge. Registration opens three months ahead of the visit date. |
| 2. What you give | The name and date of birth of every visitor in your group. |
| 3. What you bring | The registration confirmation and a passport or ID for each visitor. Security screening at the entrance. |
| 4. Cost | Free. No ticket is purchased on site. |
| 5. Slots | Every 15 minutes from 08:00 to 21:30 per a secondary source. Confirm hours and closures on bundestag.de. |
| 6. Alternative | A reservation at the Käfer rooftop restaurant, open daily 09:00 to 23:00, includes dome access. |
Opening Hours and Guided Options
Secondary sources list the dome and terrace open from 08:00 to midnight, with last entry given as 21:45 in one source and 22:00 in another, so check the current figure on bundestag.de. The Bundestag also offers free 90-minute guided tours of the art and architecture of the building when parliament is not sitting, and booking is required for those. A stop at the Soviet graffiti is part of most guided tours of the building, per a secondary source.
Nearly three million people visit the building every year.
- Dome and terrace: open 08:00 to midnight per secondary sources, last entry 21:45 or 22:00 depending on the source
- Free 90-minute art and architecture tours run when parliament is not sitting, booking required
- The Soviet graffiti stop is part of most guided tours inside the building
- Confirm everything on bundestag.de, the only authoritative source
Sources: Bundestag visitor service details via secondary source, Käfer rooftop restaurant
The Reichstag in 1933 and 1945
The building that visitors see today carries the marks of two turning points: the fire of 1933 and the Battle of Berlin in 1945.
The Building Before the Fire
Paul Wallot designed the Reichstag. Its foundation stone was laid on 9 June 1884 and construction ran to 1894, at a cost of 24 million gold marks. The inscription 'Dem deutschen Volke', to the German people, was added in 1916.
- Architect: Paul Wallot
- Foundation stone: 9 June 1884, completion 1894
- Cost: 24 million gold marks
- 'Dem deutschen Volke' inscription added in 1916
The Fire of 27 February 1933
The Reichstag burned on the night of 27-28 February 1933 after an arson attack. After the fire the Nazi government moved parliament to the Kroll Opera House, which served as parliament for 12 years.
1945: The Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin ran from 16 April to 2 May 1945. Yevgeny Khaldei took his flag photograph at the Reichstag on 2 May 1945, the day General Weidling oversaw the surrender of Berlin. Soviet soldiers left graffiti on the walls in 1945.
Germany surrendered at Karlshorst on 8 May 1945, 9 May in Soviet records. Soviet casualties in the battle were 361,367 including 81,116 dead or missing, against German military dead of 92,000-100,000 and about 125,000 civilian dead.
The Graffiti You See Today
When Norman Foster rebuilt the Reichstag between 1995 and 1999, part of the Soviet graffiti was preserved. A stop at the graffiti is part of most guided tours of the building, per a secondary source. Before Foster's work, the building had been restored in 1961-1971 under Paul Baumgarten, and Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the whole structure in fabric in 1995 as a temporary artwork.
Foster was asked to include a dome on 21 June 1994, and the Bundestag first met in the rebuilt building on 19 April 1999.
- Soviet graffiti from 1945 was preserved in the 1995-1999 restoration
- Part of most guided tours of the building, per a secondary source
- Foster rebuilt the Reichstag 1995-1999 with the glass dome
- Bundestag first met in the rebuilt building on 19 April 1999
Sources: Reichstag building, Wikipedia, Battle of Berlin, Wikipedia
Let's Explore the Reichstag Building in Berlin
DW Travel inside the Reichstag and up the glass dome. Third-party video by DW Travel. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.
Seeing It on a WW2 Walk
None of the bookable WW2 walking tours in Berlin go up the dome. They show you the building from outside and put its history into context, and the dome visit is always your own separate registration.
Tours That Stop at the Reichstag
These walks in this comparison include the Reichstag among their stops. A short entry point is the 2-hour Third Reich and Cold War walk at $27, which starts at the Brandenburg Gate and stops at the Reichstag for 15 to 16 minutes and also visits the Soviet War Memorial, Hitler's Bunker site and the Topography of Terror. If you want more time on the Nazi period, the 3-hour Hitler and WWII walking tour costs $19.66 and walks from Hitler's bunker site and Wilhelmstrasse to the Reichstag, with groups capped at 25.
For a fuller afternoon, the half-day Third Reich walk costs $22.91, runs 4 hours and ends in front of the Reichstag. Its listing names an AB zone transport ticket of about €3.80 as an extra you buy yourself, because it uses a short city train ride.
| Tour | Price | Duration | Reichstag stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-hour Third Reich and Cold War walk | $27 | 2 hours | 15 to 16 minutes |
| 3-hour Hitler and WWII walk | $19.66 | 3 hours | Reichstag among the stops |
| Half-day Third Reich walk | $22.91 | 4 hours | The walk ends in front of the building |
| Beers and Battlefields walk | $78 | 3.5 hours | Reichstag among the battle sites |
Combining a Walk with Your Dome Slot
The Reichstag sits close to the other government-quarter sites, so a dome slot pairs easily with a walk. The Brandenburg Gate is about 291 m away, roughly a 4-minute walk, and the Holocaust Memorial is about 610 m, roughly 8 minutes on foot. The Beers and Battlefields walk at $78 takes in the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate and Moltke Bridge as Battle of Berlin sites and adds beer tastings at three bars.
It is for adults only, guests must be 18 and bring ID. All of these tours are walks, and none of them includes dome access, hotel pickup or transport tickets. Book your dome registration yourself, then book the walk that fits around it.
- Brandenburg Gate to Reichstag: about 291 m, about 4 minutes on foot
- Reichstag to Holocaust Memorial: about 610 m, about 8 minutes
- No WW2 walking tour includes dome access
- The Beers and Battlefields walk is 18+ and requires ID
One Memorial Nearby
On the north side of Straße des 17. Juni, within sight of the Reichstag, stands the Soviet War Memorial in the Tiergarten, unveiled on 11 November 1945 with two T-34 tanks and two ML-20 howitzers. It commemorates about 80,000 Soviet soldiers killed in the Battle of Berlin, and more than 2,000 are buried there.
It is covered with the city's other Soviet memorials in the guide to the Soviet War Memorial Berlin.
Sources: Berlin WW2 tours, Soviet War Memorial Tiergarten, Wikipedia)
Looking up through the steel and glass of the Reichstag dome. Photo: Ank Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A Guided Visit with the Dome Included
The dome itself is free with registration. If you would rather not register yourself, a guided tour of the government district that includes the dome visit can be booked.
Government District Tour and Reichstag Dome
The table gives the listing's price and rating for a guided walk through the government district that ends with a visit to the Reichstag dome. The seller handles the registration, and the price is confirmed at checkout.
| Tour | Price on the listing | Rating | Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government district tour and Reichstag dome visit | from $16.86 | 4.2 from 91 reviews | Book the tour |
Questions About the Reichstag Dome Visit
How do I book the Reichstag dome?
You do not buy a ticket, you register in advance on the Bundestag website with the names and dates of birth of everyone in your group, and registration opens three months ahead. On the day you bring the confirmation and a passport or ID. The walks compared on Berlin WW2 tours cannot register for you.
Is the Reichstag dome visit free?
Yes, the dome and terrace visit is free of charge, and there is nothing to pay at the entrance either. The only money involved is for a rooftop restaurant reservation, which includes dome access, or for the WW2 walking tours that stop outside the building for $19.66 to $78.
Is the Reichstag building still standing?
Yes. The original building of 1894 survived the fire of 27 February 1933 and the 1945 battle, was restored in 1961-1971 and rebuilt by Norman Foster from 1995 to 1999 with the glass dome. The Bundestag first met in the rebuilt building on 19 April 1999, and you can read the full story in the history section above.
Is the Reichstag dome worth visiting?
It is free, and the building below it carries the preserved Soviet graffiti from 1945 and the memory of the 1933 fire. Nearly three million people visit every year, so register early. If you want the outside of the building explained first, the historian-led small-group walk covers the Reichstag among nine sites.
Can a WW2 tour take me inside the Reichstag or up the dome?
No. Every bookable walk, including the 4-hour half-day walk that ends in front of the Reichstag, does not include dome access. The dome visit is always your own registration on the Bundestag website.
How far is the Reichstag from the Brandenburg Gate?
About 291 m, roughly a 4-minute walk, and the Holocaust Memorial is about 610 m from the Reichstag, roughly 8 minutes on foot. That makes the Reichstag easy to fold into any central Berlin day, as shown in the Berlin WW2 itinerary.