Alexanderplatz and the TV Tower

Popular meeting place with an iconic history
Noteworthy for: The city's most famous meeting point is the World Time Clock (1969) in the south corner, which even keeps tabs on Tijuana.

Word to the wise: This is not a destination in itself, but you'll find yourself here regardless, on route to the other sights and attractions nearby.
This vast and dreary concrete plaza was once the architectural showpiece of the GDR, developed to compete with its Western counterparts as a centre of commerce. It might not be the most beautiful place in the city, but it plays an important part in the history of Berlin. As the key location for demonstrations, it was here the November 1989 protest took place, which began the cataclysmic force to bring down the Iron Curtain just five days later. Over one million east Berliners stood here bravely in defiance of the dictatorship of the GDR.

Now more transport hub than sight in itself, the only real thing to see is the TV Tower, the Fernsehturm. The tallest building in Germany, you can shoot up a lift in the middle for fantastic views over Berlin from the observation deck, restaurants and bar.