Flights from 23. June until 1. September, 2018.

Although the first written record of Berlin does not appear until the thirteenth century, few cities in the world have been as written about as much as Berlin in the last century. This is in part because of Germany's role in history and in part because of the role played by the country in the post-war period. In the aftermath of the tragedy of the Second World War the city of Berlin was divided between two countries. It remained divided from 1949 until 1990, and for most of this period was also physically divided by the notorious Berlin Wall. With the fall of the wall in 1989, shortly followed by the reunification of Germany, Berlin was once again able to live freely and fully.

Berlin is the heart of the burgeoning German economy: not a place for thinking small. Charlottenburg Palace, magnificent avenues such as Unter der Linden and Straße des 17. Juni, the imposing Reichstag, today the seat of the German parliament, the famous Brandenburg Gate, great squares such as Potsdamer Platz and Alexanderplatz – all of this points to the confidence and the broad vision of Berlin's builders. No less visionary were the builders who designed the Olympic stadium and the futuristic House of the Cultures of the World, which is particularly impressive when floodlit at night, or those who planned the museum quarter on Museum Island, in the river Spree, and established the Galerie Nordenhake, one of the top art galleries in the world. Berlin is also home to wide parks, the German State Opera, with its rich programme, and culture of every kind – from mass culture to the famous Berlin alternative scene – and of course the annual Berlin Marathon, where world records fall…