Are you planning a trip to Berlin and don’t know where to stay? Then read our hotel tips for Berlin, because for sightseeing you should choose a central location that not every Berlin district offers. We will show you which district and which hotel we would recommend.
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Since I travel to Berlin several times a year, I have already tested all the accommodations mentioned here myself. In the end, you will find other recommendations that I would like to test. Of course, the accommodations are all ideally situated for sightseeing and ideally close to good restaurants, cafes, and bars. If you are in Berlin for the first time, you should therefore limit your search to the districts of Berlin-Mitte, Friedrichshain, Charlottenburg, and Prenzlauer Berg.
Kreuzberg or Neukölln is more interesting for returning visitors because they don’t offer the typical sights.
Accommodation options in Berlin
There are numerous options for good (and cheap) accommodation in Berlin:
- Apartments from Berliners who travel a lot and rent out their apartments through Airbnb or FeWo Direkt (I like them because they also have a kitchen and living room).
- Hotels in every price category from cheap to luxurious
- Hostels with single rooms and dormitories
Particularly beautiful hotels in a central location
If you are traveling to Berlin for the first time, you must be wondering which part of Berlin to look for a hotel in, right?
The first thing you need to know: There is no “real center” in Berlin like in other cities! There are only well-located corners that are hubs for the S-Bahn and U-Bahn. And since Berlin is of course quite large, the location within the Ringbahn is ideal:
Overnight in Charlottenburg (Zoo and Ku’damm)
25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin
In my opinion, the perfect hotel for the first visit to Berlin is the 25hours Bikini Hotel Berlin. The hotel is in an ideal location for sightseeing. From here you can quickly get to many of the places worth seeing in Berlin, whether on foot, by subway, or with the bicycles provided free of charge by the hotel.
The rooms are spacious, only – if you are traveling with friends or acquaintances – you have to know that the bathroom is open to the bedroom.
Depending on the location of the room, you also have a great view of the city or the Berlin Zoo from the large glass front. The associated restaurant offers you a great breakfast. The food at NENI is no longer to everyone’s taste, although it used to be very good. The rooftop bar “Monkey Bar” is also quite popular with hipsters in Berlin. It is located on the top floor. Normal guests have to queue up, you as a hotel guests have direct access from inside the hotel.
The hotel is not cheap, but a particularly nice one.
Check out the hotel and rooms here
Inexpensive: Pension Classic
If you mainly want to discover the “old west” of the city, this pension is perfect, because it is located directly between Ku’damm, KaDeWe, and the Zoological Garden, and in a classic Berlin building, so the name fits. Breakfast buffet.
Check availability on booking.com
Overnight in Friedrichshain
Michelberger Hotel
A great counterpart to the 25h Hotel in the “West” of the city is the Michelberger Hotel in Friedrichshain. Just cheaper. Vintage meets modern minimalism, you might think. The rooms are functional but chic. The courtyard with garden furniture and picnic tables is actually always full. The restaurant is really good and recommended. And attention is paid to healthy ingredients, which is also nice if you sin one or two times during the day.
I stayed at this hotel once for a trade fair. We had a room for 4 people (you can see the bunk beds in the pictures). The location is really great, as it is directly connected to the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, and tram and within walking distance to many great places in Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg. Since a friend recently moved 2 blocks away, I’ve been staying with him rather than in a hotel ever since.
Almodóvar Hotel – Germany’s first organic hotel
The hotel was named after the Spanish actor Pedro Almodóvar. The hotel is committed to respecting ethical values such as sustainability. The associated restaurant Bardot’s Bio Deli offers tapas, delicious salads, and organic wines, of course, vegetarian-vegan.
The SPA on the roof is particularly cool. Take a look at the hotel. Prices are surprisingly cheap compared to the 25h. If issues such as sustainability are particularly important to you, you should definitely book this hotel.
Hotel tips for Berlin-Mitte
Motel One am Alex
The cheapest accommodation for the first visit is certainly the Motel One hotels. I like these accommodations as they are always available in a great location at a reasonable price. However, these are also very popular and quickly booked up. Therefore: Be sure to book early!
Important: In Motel One hostels you do not have breakfast included. Which I think is great. Instead of having the same hotel breakfast several times, I like to try different cafés! Because: In Berlin, breakfast is delicious everywhere. Whether in Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, Neukölln, Friedrichshain or Kreuzberg. (I am now deliberately only mentioning the districts within the Ringbahn.)
If you are not visiting friends or relatives in Berlin (and are looking for accommodation close to them), you will find yourself in one of these neighborhoods.
My personal favorite is the Motel One at Alexanderplatz. From Berlin Central Station it is only three S-Bahn stations to Alexanderplatz. Then you can walk to the hotel in 3 minutes. The rooms are modern and comfortably furnished. The shower is spacious and walk-in.
Tip: ask for a room on a higher floor. The view is awesome!
Note if you are arriving by car: There is a public car park (Rathaus Passage) right next to the hotel. You pay 12 euros for 24 hours. That’s pretty cheap for this location.
There are more Motel One Hotels in Berlin in the following corners of Berlin:
- Central Station
- Alexanderplatz
- Ku’damm
- UpperWest
- Potsdamer Platz
- Hackescher Markt
The Circus Hostel
The Circus Hostel in Berlin-Mitte is really in a great location if you don’t just want to explore sightseeing but also nightlife.
The accommodation is cheap, beautifully furnished and there are even single rooms.
By the way, the Circus also has a hotel and apartments if you (like me now) prefer it to be quieter.
Generator hostel
Location in the former hot spot for great cafes and bars. Clean, well equipped and good value. If you’re on a budget, you’ll love Generator Hostel.
I hardly ever share dormitories anymore (I always book private rooms if I can avoid it).
Boarding house girls chamber, middle
Right in the middle of Mitte, right between Hackesche Höfe and Museum Island on one side and Kulturbrauerei and Mauerpark on the other, just perfectly located to explore the larger city center. Located on a nice little side street with a quiet green inner courtyard.
Check availability on booking.com
Overnight in Prenzlauer Berg
Pepperbed Hostel
Super nice hostel, great location, nice staff, great atmosphere, and for me definitely the best hostel in Berlin! By the way, the hostel is part of the Pfefferberg industrial monument. The former brewery on Schönhauser Allee was built in the mid-19th century and is now a cultural center.
The transport connection is great, and the underground station “Senefelder Platz” (U2) is right around the corner. Alexander Platz is also only two underground stations away.
The Hackesche Höfe can be reached in just 15 minutes on foot, and the Museum Island in about 20 minutes. You can also walk to Alex, the TV tower, and Alexanderplatz in 20 minutes.
Since the Pfefferbett Hostel is very popular and word of its good reputation has spread, you should book early, as all rooms are usually fully booked. Breakfast is exclusive, and super delicious, but more expensive. Since we mostly had breakfast in our favorite Berlin cafés, this “breakfast-free” solution was the best. We had the 4-bed dorm for 3, with a private bathroom.
Check availability on booking.com
H+ Hotel HVD 4Youth at Mauerpark
The H+ Hotel HVD 4Youth is located directly at the Mauerpark in Berlin Mitte and is actually on the former border strip of the Berlin Wall, directly opposite the famous Mauerpark. The hotel is very simple and the breakfast is ok and sufficient. The staff is also very friendly here, the rooms are clean.
Since you are usually only in the room to sleep on a city trip, this hotel is completely sufficient. The value for money is absolutely right here.
The Hotel4youth is only 400 m from the underground station Bernauer Straße (U8) and directly opposite the tram stop Wolliner Straße (M10). It is approx. 700 m to Eberswalder Straße (U2).
Check availability on booking.com
Old Town Hostel
The Old Town Hostel (formerly Aurora Hostel) is located on Poplar Avenue. The rooms are super cheap and also very spartan, but clean. The bathroom and shower are in the corridor. The staff was very friendly. There is no breakfast here, but there are plenty of bakeries, supermarkets and small cafes and restaurants (“Kreuzburger”, Vietnamese…) right around the corner. The underground station “Eberswalder Straße” is nearby, as is Kastanienallee (also called “Casting-Allee”).
There is also a nice common room with TV, sofas, books and table football, but we never used it.
Important: If you come after 10 p.m., you have to remember the entry code…we almost forgot it ;-).
Value for money is okay, but I don’t think it’s a better choice because I’d rather pay a few euros more per night and have my own bathroom.
Check availability on booking.com
Pension Parlamento
This pension is located in the quieter northern part of Prenzlauer Berg, and at the same time very close to Schönhauser Allee, Helmholtzkiez and Mauerpark. Vintage charm and old paintings give the pension a personal flair. There is a shared kitchen and kettles in the rooms.
Check availability on booking.com
Pension Absolute Berlin
Scandinavian minimalism meets modern comfort. In an old building within walking distance to Mauerpark and Schönhauser Allee. Also, offer fully equipped apartments around the corner.
Check availability on booking.com
What hotel tip do you have for Berlin?
We hope that you have found what you are looking for in this blog article and have booked a great hotel for your stay. Because nothing is worse than having unsatisfactory accommodation on a city break.
Let us know in the comments which hotel you stayed in and how you liked it. We’re always looking for new hotels in Berlin to try!
