Description: Fernsehturm is the German for Berlin and this one in Berlin, standing at 368 metres high, is germany's tallest building. It was constructed in the 60s by the then German Democratic Republic as a symbol of Berlin and it has achieved that status as it is probably one of the most visited places in the city (after the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie). Located just off Alexanderplatz, it is easily seen from pretty much anywhere in the city.
From the outside, the tower is pretty striking. I personally thought it was also pretty ugly as it is basically a huge metal dome on the top of a huge metal stick. It looks like one of those 80s disco balls. Apparently when the sun shines on it the reflection forms a crucifix. I didn't know this before I visited, but thought it was interesting all the same.
We visited the Fernsehturm in December because we thought it would give us some good views of the many surrounding Christmas markets and we weren't disappointed. We visited at night because we wanted to see all of the markets lit up and, if you want to avoid massive queues, you'd probably be wise to do the same.
When you go to the tower, you have to queue up for a ticket. Tickets are 11 euros for adults and 7 for children. There are special discounts for groups. Once you've got your ticket, you are given a time to return. The wait can be up to an hour, which would be pretty inconvenient I imagine, but we didn't have to wait because we went up in the evening. I quite enjoyed the fact that it was so quiet, we pretty much had the run of the place apart from a handful of other visitors. It was lovely.
At the top of the tower is a revolving restaurant, which revolves once every thirty minutes. I thought this was a great amount of time because we got a couple of rotations whilst we were up there having a drink and had plenty of chance to see everything in the surrounding area.
I'd definitely recommend a visit to the tower as the views are really quite fantastic and I'd recommend going in the evening because the city does look very pretty all lit up at night.
Close