A masterpiece of organic architecture, Hans Scharoun's 1963 iconic, honey-coloured concert venue is the home base of the prestigious Berliner Philharmoniker. The auditorium feels like the inside of a finely crafted instrument and boasts supreme acoustics and excellent sight lines from every seat.
It's an imposing yet intimate hall with terraced and angled 'vineyard' seating wrapped around a central orchestra stage. One-hour tours (in German and English, no reservations needed) meet at the artists' entrance across the parking lot facing Potsdamer Strasse and cover the architecture and acoustics of the buildings as well as the history of the orchestra. The adjacent Kammermusiksaal, also based on a design by Scharoun, is essentially a more compact riff on the Philharmonie.