Planetarium Berlin: 2 English shows, 13 dates, €24 for two
Planetarium Berlin: two seats cost €24, and only 2 regular shows run fully in English, on 13 dates to 28 Dec. Domes, observing nights, prices. Checked Oct 2026.
Planetarium Berlin, the public foundation behind the city’s stargazing, runs two public domes and two public observatories, and a standard show costs €12 a seat, so €24 for two. Only two of its regular science shows run fully in English, on 13 dates between now and 28 December.
That last number is easy to miss. Plenty of shows offer an English audio guide, but almost all of them keep a live part in German. We read the foundation’s programme for the rest of 2026, counted what is really in English, and worked out what an evening for two costs at each place.
The short version
- Go to the Zeiss-Großplanetarium in Prenzlauer Berg for the big dome: 23 metres across, 307 seats.
- Go to the Archenhold-Sternwarte in Treptower Park for a real telescope and a free museum.
- Book Starry Night or Encounters in the Milky Way if you need English. Do not book “Starry hour”, which is German only.
- Music and laser shows need no language at all and cost €16 a seat.
- Skip the Planetarium am Insulaner: it has been closed since July 2023, with no reopening date.
Contents
- The four sites side by side
- The English shows, and the trap
- Zeiss-Großplanetarium
- Archenhold-Sternwarte
- Wilhelm-Foerster-Sternwarte
- Going with someone
- What we would skip
- FAQ
Planetarium Berlin: the four sites side by side
All four belong to the Stiftung Planetarium Berlin and share one price list, dated 1 January 2026. The column that decides it for most people is the last one: what two adults pay for a normal evening.
| Site | What you get | Getting there | Fully English? | Two adults |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zeiss-Großplanetarium, Prenzlauer Allee 80 | Big dome, 307 seats, shows, music, cinema | S-Bahn Prenzlauer Allee | Yes, two shows | €24 show, €32 music show |
| Archenhold-Sternwarte, Alt-Treptow 1 | Small dome, giant 1896 telescope, free museum | S-Bahn Plänterwald, 12 min walk | Yes, on 3 dates | €24 tour, show or observing night |
| Wilhelm-Foerster-Sternwarte, Insulaner hill | Observing nights only, Fri and Sat | S-Bahn Priesterweg, 15 min walk | No | €24 observing night |
| Planetarium am Insulaner | Closed since 9 July 2023 | – | – | – |
Our pick for a first visit is the Zeiss dome, because it has the most dates and both English shows. Pick the Archenhold when one of you cares more about a real telescope than a projected sky.
The English shows, and the trap
Selected shows at the Zeiss-Großplanetarium can be followed through a rented audio guide (€10 deposit per person, cash only). The catch is on the event pages: Black Holes keeps a 25-minute live part in German, Dark Universe 35 minutes, Aurora 30. You will sit through a German presenter for a large part of the hour.
Two shows avoid that. Starry Night is the English version of the live-hosted Sternstunde. Encounters in the Milky Way is narrated by Pedro Pascal and includes a 30-minute live part in English. Both run 60 minutes, are for ages 12 and up and cost €12. These are all their dates to the end of the year:
| Date | Show | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 23 Oct | Starry Night | Zeiss | 18:30 |
| Fri 30 Oct | Encounters in the Milky Way | Zeiss | 17:00 |
| Fri 6 Nov | Encounters in the Milky Way | Zeiss | 17:00 |
| Fri 13 Nov | Encounters in the Milky Way | Zeiss | 17:00 |
| Fri 13 Nov | Starry Night | Archenhold | 18:30 |
| Sat 14 Nov | Starry Night | Zeiss | 18:15 |
| Sun 22 Nov | Encounters in the Milky Way | Archenhold | 16:30 |
| Sat 28 Nov | Starry Night | Zeiss | 18:15 |
| Fri 4 Dec | Encounters in the Milky Way | Zeiss | 17:00 |
| Sat 12 Dec | Starry Night | Zeiss | 17:45 |
| Sat 19 Dec | Starry Night | Archenhold | 17:00 |
| Tue 22 Dec | Starry Night | Zeiss | 18:30 |
| Mon 28 Dec | Encounters in the Milky Way | Zeiss | 18:30 |
The trap: the English website translates the German Sternstunde as “Starry hour”, and that page says the programme is only available in German. Book “Starry Night”, not “Starry hour”. If neither date works, the music and laser shows are a safe fallback, because no language is needed. If you want English on a screen rather than a dome, our guide to English cinema in Berlin has ten cinemas.
Thirteen English dates, and every one is better with two seats. Pick a date from the table, post it on MITRA with the dome and the start time, and someone who also wants to see Berlin’s sky can ask to come along. Get MITRA on Google Play · Download on the App Store
Zeiss-Großplanetarium: the big dome
Opened in October 1987, modernised between 2014 and 2016, listed as a monument in 2025. The inner dome is 23 metres across and the hall seats 307. It is the only site with the music and laser programme: Imagine Dragons: Dimensional Voyager is new since 1 October (€16, 50 minutes, ages 12+), alongside Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon (ages 16+) and Queen Heaven.
Two cheap extras. The hands-on exhibition in the foyer is free. And from Thursday to Sunday between 15:00 and 19:00, the Kaffee-Kuchen-Kosmos-Kombi gets you a selected show, cake and a coffee or tea for €16, just €4 more than the show alone. The café also pours a beer brewed for the planetarium, sold only there.
Archenhold-Sternwarte: the real telescope
Germany’s oldest and largest public observatory sits at the edge of Treptower Park. Its Great Refractor of 1896 has a 21-metre focal length and, the foundation says, is the longest fully movable lens telescope in the world. Einstein gave his first public lecture on general relativity in its hall in 1915.
The museum is free. The guided tour that shows you the refractor costs €12 and runs on weekends at 15:00 and 16:30, in German. The observing night, Nacht auf der Sternwarte, runs Thursday to Saturday at 20:00 and 22:00 for €12. It lasts 90 minutes, partly outdoors or in unheated rooms, so dress warm. In bad weather it moves inside, to the planetarium or the Einstein hall. Treptower Park is also a good start for an evening; our winter in Berlin guide has what else to do once it is dark by five.
Wilhelm-Foerster-Sternwarte: nights only
On the Insulaner hill in Schöneberg, open only for events. Observing nights run Friday and Saturday at 20:00 and 22:00, 90 minutes, €12. They go ahead in any weather: under cloud the telescope is pointed at the city, in rain the dome stays shut and the talk turns to the instruments. The path up the hill takes about seven minutes and is not lit, so bring a torch.
Going with someone
A dome is a good place for a first plan with someone new. You sit side by side and look up, which takes the pressure off talking for an hour. Then there is something to talk about afterwards. Meet at the box office at least 30 minutes early, because reserved tickets must be collected by then and nobody gets in once the show has started.
The pair that goes more than once should look at the annual pass: €99 for two people. At €24 per joint visit, four visits cost €96 and the fifth would cost €120, so the pass wins from the fifth visit. It covers science shows, lectures and observing nights, not cinema or music shows. For more evening ideas for two, see rainy day activities in Berlin.
What we would skip
The Planetarium am Insulaner. It still has its own page on the foundation’s site, but it closed on 9 July 2023 to become an education centre, with no reopening date. An audio-guide show if neither of you speaks German, unless you are happy with a long German live part (35 minutes in Dark Universe). The Wilhelm-Foerster-Sternwarte with a wheelchair: it is not accessible, while the Zeiss has a lift and four wheelchair places.
How we chose these
We listed every venue the Stiftung Planetarium Berlin runs and read each one’s German and English pages, the 2026 price list and the event schedule to 31 December. Where the English page was older than the German one, we followed the German. We left out Helleum II, a youth research centre for school pupils whose rooftop telescope is not open to the public.
A €24 evening under a 23-metre dome still needs a second person. MITRA lets you post the show you want to see in Berlin and find someone to share the row with. Get MITRA on Google Play · Download on the App Store
FAQ
How much is a planetarium ticket in Berlin?
A standard science show, tour or observing night costs €12, or €8 reduced, so €24 for two adults. Music and laser shows cost €16, or €12 reduced. Concerts are priced separately.
Are there planetarium shows in English in Berlin?
Yes, two regular science shows run fully in English: Starry Night and Encounters in the Milky Way, on 13 dates between 23 October and 28 December 2026 at the Zeiss-Großplanetarium and the Archenhold-Sternwarte. Several other shows at the Zeiss-Großplanetarium offer an English audio guide but keep a live part in German.
Is the Planetarium am Insulaner open?
No. It has been closed since 9 July 2023 and is being turned into an education centre, with no reopening date. The Wilhelm-Foerster-Sternwarte on the same hill is open for observing nights on Fridays and Saturdays.
Can I look through a real telescope in Berlin?
Yes. The Archenhold-Sternwarte holds observing nights Thursday to Saturday at 20:00 and 22:00, and the Wilhelm-Foerster-Sternwarte on Fridays and Saturdays at 20:00 and 22:00. Both cost €12 and last 90 minutes.
Can I arrive late to a planetarium show?
No. For safety reasons nobody is let in once a show has started, and reserved tickets must be collected at least 30 minutes before the start.
Is the annual pass worth it for two?
From the fifth joint visit. The two-person pass costs €99 and a standard visit for two costs €24, so four visits cost €96 and five cost €120. It does not cover cinema or music shows.
Want to keep reading?
- Berlin Museum Pass: €32 vs €61 in day tickets
- Free museums in Berlin: 11 open, €0 day plan
- Best views in Berlin: 9 viewpoints, €0 to €20
- Berlin events in November 2026: 14 with prices
- Things to do alone in Berlin
- Concerts in Berlin 2027: 26 big acts, from €45
Berlin’s sky is mostly orange glow and cloud from November on. Under a dome it is clear every night, and the seat next to you does not have to stay empty.
Sources
Every price and date checked on the foundation’s own site on 20 October 2026.
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/sites/default/files/2025-12/2026-01-01_Entgeltordnung.pdf
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/zeiss-grossplanetarium
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/archenhold-sternwarte
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/wilhelm-foerster-sternwarte
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/planetarium-am-insulaner
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/veranstaltungen/starry-night
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/veranstaltungen/encounters-milky-way
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/en/events/starry-hour
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/audioguides
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/veranstaltungen/schwarze-loecher
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/veranstaltungen/imagine-dragons-dimensional-voyager
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/veranstaltungen/nacht-auf-der-sternwarte
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/veranstaltungen/fuehrung-archenhold-sternwarte
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/veranstaltungen/beobachtungsnacht-auf-der-wilhelm-foerster-sternwarte
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/cosmo-kitchen
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/jahreskarte
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/faq-haeufig-gestellte-fragen
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/barrierefreiheit
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/jugendforschungszentrum-helleum-2
- https://www.planetarium.berlin/rest_event_dates?_format=json
