Discover Berlin, Germany's capital of cool and freedom
With the opportunity to fly direct from Toronto to Berlin, it’s now easier for clients to say ‘guten tag’ to Germany’s vibrant capital city.
Jhadyd Gonzalez, national sales manager for Air Transat, noted that the new summer service features nonstop flights from Toronto on Sundays and Thursdays, and from Berlin on Mondays and Fridays. Plus, a joint venture with Porter Airlines allows Canadians to easily connect from other cities.
“Air Transat is the only Canadian airline with direct flights from Toronto to Berlin,” Gonzalez shared. “So you want to do a long weekend? It’s possible because it’s a night flight. We leave from here at 9:05 at night so you can work on Thursday and take a long weekend.”
Gonzalez pointed out that the reservations are going really well, with the potential of the route being offered year-round if the demand is strong enought.
“From the airline perspective, Berlin remains one of Europes most visited cities,” Gonzalez said.
Berlin, the city of freedom
In Toronto to celebrate the new lift connectivity and to keep Berlin top of mind for Canadians, Burkhard Kieker, managing director of Visit Berlin, said the city represents freedom.
“Berlin is the city of freedom, it’s the city which brought down the dictatorship without one shot fired, without one dead, no blood, nothing. Even in this day it’s a very important, very interesting message,” he said.
Notably, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, he said another kind of freedom emerged — the freedom to be yourself.
“We’re a very tolerant city,” he said. “If you like to dress like a zebra and go to the subway and ride around, nobody will even take notice of you. So not only political but also the freedom of lifestyle in Berlin.”
Known as the capital of cool, the city embraces both its past and present. While some cities may shy away from its dark side, Kieker said Berlin believes in showcasing it and doesn’t cover up its bullet holes.
“Berlin has been the cool capital of Europe, as being a focal point for history. If you want to experience the history of the 20th century for the good, for the bad, you’re absolutely right in Berlin,” he said. “In the Brandenburg Gate and at Museum Island, you still see the bullet holes of the Second World War… Berlin as a city of history has to show its wounds.”
Interestingly, Kieker used to be a journalist and was on location for the fall of the Berlin Wall at a lesser known boarder crossing by the Spree river when the doors swung open.
“Fortunately or unfortunately, I was the first guy [they met] on the West. I had I would say 500 hugs that night and I had a blue leather jacket on and every body was crying, I was crying, I said welcome, welcome, welcome, I gave away all my Deutsche Marks so that they could take a taxi, which they didn’t need because the taxis went for free… In the morning I looked at my leather jacket and it had a white ring — these were the dried tears of the people.”
Full of history, travellers can take part in bunker tours, visit museums like the Topography of Terror, a museum built on land once occupied by the Nazi regime where the GeStaPo secret police headquarters was, and see former sections of the Wall like the East Side Gallery, the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall, as well as photos of the creative ways people attempted to cross the border by hiding in luggages or in between carseat cushions.
“It all happened in Berlin, not only good things, also very, very bad things and we are open to that, we show our history and say, ‘hey, have a look, the Germans have changed a lot,’” he noted.
Meanwhile, his personal favourite spot in the city is Tempelhof Airport, which has now been transformed into a large public park.
“We made a big park out of it, 4,000 hectares, you can skate on runway, it’s my favourite spot, second largest building after the Pentagon. You can walk on the roof and have a drink.”
Another big draw is the dome and roof terrace of the Reichstag Building, which is known for its unique blend of old and new architecture.
Along with the new flight, Kieker pointed out that Canadians can consider going to Germany as a great alternative to the U.S.
“Our hearts and gates are open to you,” he noted before sharing a Berlin campaign video for Canada of a beaver wearing a Canadian Maple Leaf t-shirt embracing a bear wearing a Berlin top, which he said was very popular on their Instagram account. “By the way, the Germans don’t want to go to the U.S. either.”
Berlin welcomed 51,000 Canadians in 2024, staying an average of three nights.
“But I think there’s a lot of opportunity,” he added.
