Checkpoint Charlie

Infamous symbol of the divided Berlin
Word to the wise: Don't be fooled by the many hawkers operating here, offering 'genuine' Checkpoint Charlie mementoes – they're all fake.

A former Berlin icon, Checkpoint Charlie remains one of the city's most visited sites, despite the fact that nothing remains of any of the original structures. The infamous watchtower on the East side was demolished in 2000, and the huge billboard declaring "You are leaving the American Sector" is a copy. Even the cabin itself was taken away to a new home at the Allied Museum in Dahlem.
History buffs can spend a few hours in the "Haus am Checkpoint Charlie", a museum on Friedrichstrasse which chronicles the crossing point's history. Souvenir hunters, meanwhile, can have fun with the pretend American and Russian soldiers who 'patrol' the site but beware, taking their photograph isn't free.

Possibly the most interesting part of this spot is the simple line of pebbles that mark where the Checkpoint used to stand – a poignant reminder of the city's former divisions.