Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie, Friedrichstraße

The famous Cold War crossing; a quick photo stop

Hours

Street site, always open

Tickets

Free (nearby museums charge separately)

Address

Friedrichstraße at the corner of Zimmerstraße

This was the US Army crossing where foreigners and diplomats passed between East and West Berlin, famous for the 1961 photos of US and Soviet tanks facing off. The hut and sandbags in the road today are replicas, and big portraits of an American and a Soviet soldier hang over the street. Plenty of reviewers find the souvenir shops and fast food around it a letdown, but the open-air panels and the Wall line in the pavement are worth a look. The Topography of Terror is five minutes away, so pair them.