Photo Gallery Two Against 18,000
Tourists in Berlin's Kreuzberg district: No German city has more visitors than Berlin. Last year, almost 12 million tourists checked into hotels, youth hostels or pensions in the city.
But many tourists also want to get a feel for the real Berlin -- something they can't find in anonymous hotels. As a result, thousands of them end up in apartments that used to house normal Berlin residents, but are now being rented to tourists, either on a temporary or permanent basis. Tourists from Britain are seen here in an apartment they rented through Airbnb.
The problem is that Berlin already has a serious housing shortage in the city center. In 2013, the city banned vacation rentals that aren't registered and approved by the city. Julia Krüger (left) and Diana Schmidt (right) are with the city office that is hunting for illegal vacation rentals in the city.
Many come to Berlin to see the sights, like the Fernsehturm tower pictured here ...
... or fragments of the Berlin Wall as seen here at the East Side Gallery in the Friedrichshain district.
But after time spent sightseeing, they also want a taste of the city's true flavor.
Many have found that the best way to do this is through websites like Airbnb. With prices for housing in areas close to the center being driven up by high rents and vacation rentals, many locals are being squeezed out. Owners can earn many times more money from Airbnb or similar services than they can with normal rents.
