Elbphilharmonie

Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron set a crown of wave-shaped glass on top of a 1963 dockside warehouse. It was a hugely political build: started at 77 million euros, finished in 2017 at 866 million – and ever since the city's defining landmark. The 8-second curved escalator from the brick base up into the Plaza is mandatory. The Plaza, 37 meters up, is free to enter (book tickets ahead, only leftover tickets are issued on site) and gives a 360-degree view over the harbor, the Speicherstadt and the HafenCity. The Great Hall, with its vineyard-style seating wrapped around the stage and Yasuhisa Toyota's acoustic walls, is considered one of the finest concert halls in the world – performances often sell out months in advance, though it is still worth trying the official last-minute lottery. Practical tip: visit the Plaza in the late afternoon, when the light tips over the harbor, then walk down Kaistraße for a sundowner at the Magellan-Terrassen. Getting there: U-Bahn U4 to Überseequartier, or ferry line 72 from Landungsbrücken to the 'Elbphilharmonie' stop – the loveliest approach in the city, costs only the standard HVV fare and throws in the iconic view of the building from the water. If you can't get into the Great Hall, book one of the in-house Backstage tours or catch a concert in the smaller Kaistudio inside the base.