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For travellers tired of traditional sightseeing tours, one Berlin guide is offering something altogether different: a jolly jaunt round the city’s public lavatories.

Anna Haase wanted to take visitors to Berlin off the beaten track, and came up with the novel idea of showing them some of the German capital’s most famous toilets. She also wanted to draw attention to the lack of conveniences for tour groups in Berlin.

As she takes groups around, she tells them about the history of the toilet’s development from Biblical times to the present day and shows them WCs ranging from the oldest and most primitive to the newest and most technical.

Highlights include a visit to a toilet block dating from the late 19th century and a trip to the Kaiser’s fully restored bathroom at the Potsdamer Platz square.

Ms Haase says the toilet tours are in demand, especially from clubs and societies, as well as from people with a specialist or professional interest in the topic. “At first people tend to turn their nose up [!], but then they are generally surprised at the interesting facts that they learn about on the tour,” she said.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique will be flushed with success when it finds you the perfect luxury hotel in Berlin.

As well as being an historic event, the 20-year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall earlier this month brought a welcome tourist boost to the city.

More than two million visitors made their way to the German capital – a new record for the city. Hundreds of thousands of Berliners and guests took part in the celebrations at the iconic Brandenburg Gate. Around 2,800 international journalists were accredited for the event and images were broadcast around the world.

The head of Berlin’s tourism organisation, Burkhard Kieker, said Berliners had been able to show the guests what they had done with the city in the 20 years since the fall of the Wall.

“The fact that the world loves this new Berlin is confirmed by the steadily rising numbers of visitors – even in the thick of the global economic crisis,” said Mr Kieker.

“The appeal of Berlin as a site of freedom, as a focal point of European history and a city where people can live together in a climate of tolerance and openness will continue to grow in the future,” he added.

by Andy Moreton

If you’re intending to see the city’s transformation for yourself, take a look at Luxique’s carefully-selected list of luxury hotels in Berlin, including the famed Adlon, recently described as: ‘An historic masterpiece with an unrivalled location, exceptionally attentive staff, Michelin Star restaurant and immaculate interior.’

It’s the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall next month, and the occasion will be marked by various events in the city.

When the East German government built the wall in 1961, it didn’t take into account the ingenuity shown by those who were prepared to take any risk to try to escape the oppressive communist system.

While some flew over the barrier in hot air balloons and others were smuggled in secret compartments in cars, several hundred took advantage of the soft, sandy soil under Berlin to tunnel their way to freedom.

Now, that secret tunnel network has become one of the most popular attractions for tourists and locals alike. And their guide is often Hasso Herschel, who, in the 1960s and 1970s, helped dozens escape through the secret tunnels, some of which he dug with his own hands.

Mr Herschel, who escaped to West Germany with a forged passport in 1961, dug several illegal tunnels under the wall, the first in September 1962. It’s reckoned that about a fifth of the estimated 71 projects were successful. Often they were discovered by troops or secret police before they could be used. Others collapsed, were flooded or buried by loose soil.

Details of the underground tours can be found at http://berliner-unterwelten.de/

and for information on the city’s anniversary celebrations, go to http://www.mauerfall09.de/

by Andy Moreton

Whether visiting for the anniversary celebrations or at any other time of the year, Luxique can guide you through the best of the luxury hotels in Berlin.

The currywurst is something of a national dish in Germany and it’s become so revered that it’s just got its own museum.

A currywurst is a pork sausage that’s fried, chopped into slices and served with lashings of a special curry and ketchup sauce. It’s served at many a street-side kiosk on a cardboard plate with a plastic or wooden fork, together with bread, chips (fries) or potato salad.

The currywurst has been Germany’s favourite snack since 1949 and to mark this 60th anniversary, the 5 million euro (£4 million / $7 million) currywurst museum opened earlier this month – right next to Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin.

Visitors are greeted by a human-sized currywurst puppet and a replica Berlin sausage-stand, before embarking on an interactive tour which traces the dish from its humble origins to the present day. The museum hopes to attract some 350,000 visitors a year.

Not everyone’s crazy about the dish being honoured in this way. At a media preview, demonstrators from Germany’s Vegetarian Society gatecrashed the exhibition, sporting pig snouts and arguing in favour of a vegetarian alternative.

by Andy Moreton

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Visitors to Berlin this year will find the artwork on the largest remaining section of the Wall brighter and more colourful than usual.

The reason is that the artists who created the murals have been asked to re-do them in time for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall in November.

The 4,265 ft stretch of wall, the world’s longest open-air art gallery, was decorated by 118 artists from 21 countries in 1990 and was declared a historic monument by the Berlin city government in 1992.

The East Side Gallery, as it’s known, has become one of the city’s top attractions, but it’s been damaged by the weather, exhaust fumes, vandals and souvenir-seeking tourists.

The head of the artists’ association at the East Side Gallery, Kani Alavi, said four of the original artists had set to work and another 82 had promised to participate.

But some artists have refused to join in the effort and are demanding 15,000 euros (£13,000 / $20,000) in compensation instead of the 3,000 euros (£2,600 / $3,800) on offer, arguing that they have not received a fair share of the Gallery’s earnings over the years.

by Andy Moreton

Events are going on in Berlin throughout 2009, culminating in a grand public party at the Brandenburg Gate on the actual anniversary of the fall of the Wall (November 9). If you’re planning a visit, browse Luxique’s selection of luxury Berlin hotels, including the celebrated Adlon Kempinksi.

The German capital, Berlin, displays a certain modesty with its advertising slogan: ‘Poor, but sexy.’

But it seems to work because so far, Berlin has bucked the trend of the crisis-hit global travel industry. Last year, it welcomed 7.9 million tourists, breaking its own record for the fifth consecutive year with a gain of 4.2 per cent from 2007.

Tourist numbers have soared since the 1990s - most of them visitors from the former East Germany rediscovering half a city they were banned from seeing under Communist rule.

But Berlin is attractive to foreign tourists too, because its prices are low while its image is cool. A four-star hotel room in Berlin will set you back around 150 euros (£140 / $192), less than half what a similar hotel in Paris or London would cost.

Low-cost airlines are also fueling Berlin’s tourism success. The city is the second biggest hub for low-cost airlines behind London.

Tourism officials are realistic about the difficulties of the coming financial year, but hopeful at the same time. “We may take a cut, but Berlin is very competitive with cities like Paris or London in terms of what you get for your money,” said a spokesman, Christian Taenzler. “That goes for the price of a cappuccino right up to tickets for cultural events.”

by Andy Moreton

Luxique can offer great deals at some of the best luxury hotels in Berlin.

There are plans to recreate the most famous outdoor musical event of the 1960s – Woodstock.

It’ll be 40 years this summer since Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, New York, was turned into a four-day love-in, featuring some of the greatest names in popular music.

The original co-promoter, Michael Lang, wants to mark the anniversary with two free concerts in August, the first at an unspecified location in New York and the second at Berlin’s disused Tempelhof airport. He’s hoping to woo Woodstock veterans The Who, Santana, Joan Baez, Joe Cocker and Country Joe and the Fish.

It’s early days in the planning process – sponsors have to be found and the authorities in Berlin haven’t yet given permission for the former airport to be used.

There have been doubts about whether Tempelhof would be a suitable European venue. As one Berliner commented: “This airport was one of the Nazis’ strongholds, there’s not much peace and love to be found there.”

by Andy Moreton

You might have enjoyed camping out on the land in ’69, but these days you probably want a bit of luxury. Luxique offers an unrivalled selection of fabulous boutique hotels in New York and luxury hotels in Berlin.

The world’s biggest travel trade fair, ITB, has been taking place in Berlin, but with the industry under an economic cloud, the atmosphere’s been more funereal than festive.

Airlines and tour operators worldwide are suffering from the recession as companies spend less on business travel and tourists cut their budgets.

Most of the countries who welcome tourists – and some who rely heavily on them - are represented at the fair, but all are fearful of future prospects.

“Hard times lie ahead for the world’s travel industry,” said David Ruetz, chief organizer of ITB, noting that 2009 would be, at best, a year of stagnation for the industry. “In all likelihood the downturn will continue before things improve again. The signals for 2010 are not encouraging.”

Travel experts say people are economising by leaving booking to the very last minute and choosing different kinds of trips such as short getaways. The media here in the UK have been reporting a sudden surge in bookings of single-night stays - what have been dubbed ‘nano-breaks.’

But the experts say expensive luxury holidays and cruises seem to have bucked the trend because wealthier clients are less affected by the crisis.

by Andy Moreton

A decision has finally been made about the future of most of the Tempelhof airport site in Berlin – it’s to be turned into a park. (See “Farewell Flight” from October 10, 2008)

The airport, which served as a lifeline for West Berlin during the Soviet blockade, closed last month after more than 80 years’ service.

The city government says it will spend 61 million euros (£51 million / $79 million) converting the airport into a leisure area about the size of New York’s Central Park.

A spokesman for the Berlin government, Marko Rosteck, said the architecturally important limestone terminal building would be preserved. A wide variety of proposals for its use were still being considered.

“We’re very fortunate to have a giant patch of green in the heart of the city just waiting to be developed,” said Rosteck. Berlin hopes to host an international garden exhibition in 2017, attracting up to 3.5 million tourists.

“It will make Berlin, which is already one of the greenest capitals in Europe, even greener,” Rosteck added.

by Andy Moreton

Book a luxury hotel in Berlin through Luxique. We have a selection of 19 in the German capital at the best rates available

Berlin’s historic Tempelhof airport, which I wrote about in May, is in its final days.

The airport opened in the 1920s and was then expanded by the Nazis with the construction of a huge terminal building. It became a symbol of West Berlin’s resistance to the Soviet blockade during the Cold War: a non-stop airlift kept the city going with supplies of food and fuel during 1948 and 1949.

But the fall of the Berlin Wall and unification spelled the beginning of the end for Tempelhof. Nowadays just a handful of private airlines use the landing strip. All other flights to and from Berlin currently use Schoenefeld or Tegel while a new international hub is being built.

A referendum was held in April, but there was not enough support to keep the airport going and it will close on Friday.

Berliners are currently hurrying to say their goodbyes and trying to get a final sightseeing flight on one of the 1940s-era planes still operating out of Tempelhof.

The problem still taxing the authorities is what to do with the huge building. Tempelhof is, in essence, a massive bunker system and would simply be too expensive to tear down. So the city government is still accepting proposals from the public about its future use.

One use was found for it recently – a rock venue. The British indie band Bloc Party played a one-off gig in the airport’s dining lounge.

by Andy Moreton

Book luxury hotels in Berlin through Luxique. We have a selection of 19 in the German capital at the best rates available.