Alexanderplatz

Alexanderplatz is the former East German city-centre, now a pedestrianised zone with excellent shopping opportunities and good food.

TravelCurious Tip

As you walk around, look out for the differences in architecture between buildings built under the Communists and the other that have sprung up after subsequent government investment: the styles make for quite a contrast.

Metropolitan

Alexanderplatz, colloquially referred to as Alex by Berliners, is a park in former East Germany near the Fernsehturm, the enormous TV tower which has become the ultimate civic emblem of the country. Nearly every metro stops at U or S-bahn Alexanderplatz, so it’s incredibly easy to get to for lunch, or to enjoy its well-provisioned shopping district.

Alexanderplatz has a fun, relaxed city vibe - it’s a place where true Berliners come to sit, drink a few Pilsener and enjoy the bands and performers who move about the park.


A show of power

In the Cold War Alexanderplatz was essentially the East German city-centre. The construction of a huge tower was as much a political play as a reflection of the revolutionary broadcasting technology being introduced worldwide. It has an austere, futuristic appearance and, importantly to the East Germans, was visible from almost everywhere in Berlin. It dominates the skyline in a city with few other high-rise buildings, the main financial centre remaining in Frankfurt. It was a message to the capitalist world, a statement of intent, a display of power.

Alex’s heyday was the 1920s, when together with Potsdamer Platz it was at the heart of Berlin's nightlife, inspiring the 1929 novel Berlin Alexanderplatz, a classic of the interwar period.

Nearby Attractions

See all attractions in Berlin
St Mary's Church
A Protestant church founded during Berlin’s medieval urban expansion in 1250.
German Beer
Simple, traditional, and perfectly balanced, with clean, wholesome flavours, beers like Schneider-Weisse and Augustiner Helles are the product of 800 years of brewing history.
Fernsehturm
A TV tower in central Berlin, Fernsehturm towers 368 metres over the city.
Rotes Rathaus
Home to Berlin’s political bodies, the Red Town Hall (Rotes Rathaus) is easily recognisable by its vivid red brick exterior.
Currywurst
Famous traditional German fast food invented after WWII, consisting of hot pork sausage cut into slices and seasoned with curry sauce.
Block of Women
East Berlin sculptor Ingeborg Hunzinger carved this monument in a Rosenstrasse square to pay tribute to the non-Jewish women who peacefully protested in 1943 against the deportation of their Jewish husbands.

Related Tours

Berlin in a Day: Private Full-Day Highlights Tour

Explore the very best of Berlin on this full-day private tour of the German Capital including the majestic buildings on Museum Island, the moving memorials to the Holocaust, many haunting reminders of World War 2, as well as the bustling food market near the iconic East Side Gallery commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall. 


On your private tour you will:

  • Walk to the historic Reichstag Building part of the German parliament and stop at the iconic Brandenburg Gate – a symbol of the might of the Prussian Empire;
  • Explore the moving monuments and memorials to the horrors of the Second World War, including the Holocaust Memorial, dedicated to the Murdered Jews of Europe; Hitler’s last Bunker, the New Reich Chancellery - Hitler’s office, and walk past several important government buildings including the impressive Bundesrat to the ‘topography of terror’ a free museum where the SS Headquarters once stood; 
  • Arrive at the remains of the Berlin Wall where you’ll learn about life behind ‘the iron curtain’ and stop at Checkpoint Charlie the strict crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Soviet era;  
  • Visit the Gendarmenmarkt, arguably the most beautiful square in Berlin home to three architectural gems: the Berlin Concert Hall, and the French and German cathedrals;
  • Wander into the stunning Bebelplatz with its impressive neo-classical buildings including the Berlin State Opera, Humboldt University buildings, and St. Hedwig’s Cathedral - and hear about the infamous Nazi book burning that happened here;
  • Enjoy a stroll around Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site and majestic home to the five prestigious museums including the Pergamon, Berlin Cathedral and the City Palace; 
  • Explore the East Side of Berlin, beginning with the East Side Gallery the longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall decorated with famous political murals; 
  • Admire the now iconic Oberbaumbrücke bridge, a symbol of Berlin’s modern-day unity that connects boroughs the East-West boroughs of Friedrichshain and trendy Kreuzberg that were previously divided by the Wall;
  • Discover the vibrant Markthalle Neun - a vast iron latticed indoor bustling food market - enjoy the smells of delicious street food and the many multi-ethnic delicacies on offer; 
  • Head to the Treehouse on the Wall - built into the Wall along no man’s land by Turkish migrant Osman Kalin in the early 1980s with scraps of wood and metal, it remains a potent symbol of the city’s reunification;
  • Take the train towards the hub that is Alexanderplatz and your tour ends with tickets to Berlin’s TV Tower, where you will enjoy spectacular views across the whole city. 


Explore the beautiful and buzzing Berlin with an expert private guide on this immersive full-day tour of Germany’s capital city.


Today Berlin is famous for its majestic neo-Baroque architecture, especially on the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Museum Island. You’ll learn about the city’s history from medieval times when it was founded in the 13th Century, through to becoming the heart of the powerful Prussian Empire, later the centre of Hitler’s war machine, then a city divided by the infamous Berlin Wall during the Cold War years to a thriving, modern capital. 


The city doesn’t shy away from its dark past. You will see many moving memorials to the Holocaust, including the Holocaust Memorial and the copper “stumbling stones” commemorating Jews who were taken from their homes and deported to the camps. You will also see the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, and later in the day explore the iconic East Side Gallery.  


Today Berlin has overcome its complicated past and is a thriving metropolis, famous for its alternative fashion, music, film, theatre, dance, art, and digital scene. It has also become a melting pot of multiculturalism which is reflected in its diverse multi-ethnic cuisine.   


The Best of Berlin Highlights: Private Half-Day Walking Tour

Berlin is renowned for its turbulent 20th-century history, the Holocaust, and its division between East and West in the aftermath of World War Two by the infamous Berlin Wall. Today, Berlin is a thriving urban metropolis famous for its traditional, contemporary, and alternative music, art, and culture, its many museums and historic monuments, and its delicious, multi-ethnic food scene. Discover the highlights of Berlin on a fascinating private half-day tour of the vibrant German capital city with an expert private guide. 


On your private tour, you will:

  • See the historic Reichstag Building part of the German parliament and learn about its political significance over the past one hundred years; 
  • Stop at the iconic Brandenburg Gate – one of the great symbols of Berlin and the Prussian Empire of the 19th Century;
  • Explore 17th Street where you will come across the moving Holocaust Memorial, dedicated to the Murdered Jews of Europe; 
  • See the Führerbunker, part of an underground air raid shelter complex it was Hitler’s last Bunker located near the New Reich Chancellery which was Hitler’s office; 
  • See the remains of the Berlin Wall where you’ll learn about life behind ‘the iron curtain’ and stop at Checkpoint Charlie the strict crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Soviet era;  
  • Visit the Gendarmenmarkt, arguably the most beautiful square in Berlin home to three architectural gems: the Berlin Concert Hall, and the French and German cathedrals; admire the central statue of the poet Friedrich Schiller;
  • Wander into the stunning Bebelplatz with its impressive neo-classical buildings including the Berlin State Opera, Humboldt University buildings, and St. Hedwig’s Cathedral, and learn of the terrible, infamous Nazi book burnings that happened here;
  • See the New Guardhouse, a memorial to all the victims of war and tyranny; 
  • Enjoy a stroll around the truly majestic Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to the Pergamon Museum, the Bode Museum, the Neues Museum, the Alte Nationalgalerie, and the Altes Museum;
  • Admire Berlin Cathedral, also on the island, with its imperial domes built in the Renaissance-Baroque revival style;
  • Stroll by the imposing City Palace that now houses the prestigious Humboldtforum Museum dedicated to the history of human art and culture; 
  • Walking towards Alexanderplatz, the central transport hub of Mitte you’ll pass by the Marx-Engels-Forum a small public park, the Neptunbrunnen or Fountain of Neptune, and St Mary’s Church - the oldest church in the city dating back to the medieval period;
  • End your tour with tickets to the Berlin TV Tower Observation Deck for amazing views of the city.


Explore the beautiful city of Berlin with an expert private guide on this immersive half-day highlights tour of the major sites and a few hidden gems of Germany’s capital. Berlin has a long history dating back to the medieval period; it is a city that has weathered many storms, been humbled, and overcome much tragedy and adversity - especially during the tumultuous 20th century.

The city commemorates the dark days of the Holocaust and the division between East and West with moving monuments and memorials throughout the city - and your guide will show you the extraordinarily emotional Holocaust Memorial as well as what remains of the infamous Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie.  


Berlin is also famous for its majestic architecture, housing some true political, cultural, and historic treasures from the parliament buildings, to the Opera House to the prestigious museums, palace, and cathedral on Museum Island - designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

You’ll learn all about Berlin’s incredible journey from medieval times, to becoming the centre of the formidable Prussian empire, its decimation after the First World War, the rise of Hitler, the uncertain years of the Cold War, and the triumphant falling of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Today Berlin has overcome its dark past and is a thriving, urban city famous for its alternative fashion, music, film, theatre, dance, art, and digital scene. It has also become a melting pot of multiculturalism reflected in its diverse multi-ethnic cuisine.

Your tour ends with a spectacular view from atop the TV Tower Observation deck from where you can admire the city's stunning architecture and skyline.


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