Swimming, picnicking, boating or strolling – bright sunshine lured people in Berlin outside on Pentecost Sunday.

A few seats remained empty on the decks of excursion boats on the Spree, and some of the passengers protected themselves from the sun with umbrellas. Tables in beer gardens and cafés were popular.

In the Mauerpark in Prenzlauer Berg, a number of visitors crowded the stands of the flea market or lazed in the sun. Tourists were drawn to sights such as the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag building or Checkpoint Charlie.

After the corona-related restrictions worldwide in the past two years, numerous people used the long weekend for a short trip to Berlin.

According to the Berlin tourism association Visit Berlin, the hotels in the capital reported “good to very good occupancy” for the holidays. Individual houses are fully booked.

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“Berlin tourism is on the right track, people are being drawn back to our city,” said Visit Berlin boss Burkhard Kieker. Museums and gastronomy also benefited from this. Kieker also expects that many people will come to the capital in the following summer weeks after the corona-related break.

In addition, the 9-euro ticket creates incentives for holders to travel throughout Germany on local public transport in June, July and August. On the Pentecost weekend, however, the discount campaign led to overcrowded trains and dense crowds at Berlin train stations.

With the summer temperatures, people are drawn back to partying in Berlin’s parks in the evenings. The police announced increased controls. On Saturday night, she cleared James Simon Park in Mitte with around 800 revelers after suffering a dangerous bodily injury.

Last year, thousands of people kept going to the parks for parties due to closures due to the corona pandemic.