Funkturm Berlin

Built in 1926 for Berlin's first radio exhibition, the Funkturm's slender steel-lattice silhouette has led to comparisons with a miniature Eiffel Tower, and it still functions as a broadcasting mast today. An elevator whisks visitors up to an observation platform with views stretching over western Berlin, including the nearby ICC convention center, and reviewers consistently note it's a more affordable and less crowded alternative to the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz. Tickets need to be booked online, a detail more than one visitor mentions learning the hard way. Best timed for early evening, it rewards those willing to venture slightly off the main tourist track into Westend.