Berlin, Germany

It was the evening of November 9, 1989. With no advance notice, an announcement was made by the East German government that GDR citizens were now free to visit West Germany for the first time since 1961. Those who made their way to the Berlin Wall found that, to their amazement, the gates were open and the guard towers unmanned. Streams of Germans from both sides of the Wall poured through the gates; in the weeks that followed, ebullient crowds chipped away at the hated Wall until almost all of it was gone. 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of fall of the Berlin Wall, and the celebrations and events promise to be both moving and raucous. Be there to commemorate this historic event, when nearly 8 miles of the Wall's original course will be recreated with thousands of helium balloons that, at a climactic moment, will be released by 10,000 volunteers as a symbol of unity. Also tour revitalized East Berlin, or just party—Wall or none, Berlin has always known how to do that. There are few cities in the world as hip, as fun, and as welcoming as Berlin . It's also surprisingly affordable; while the average hotel room rate is €127 in Paris and €139 in London, Berlin's average room rate is only €82.