Where to stay · Berlin · Germany
Where to stay in Berlin
8 neighbourhoods compared, with the trade-offs hotel listings don't tell you.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Lklundin, CC BY-SA 3.0
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
Quick answer
For a first visit, stay in Mitte. The historic centre: Unter den Linden, Museum Island and the Hackesche Höfe courtyards. Best alternatives — budget: Kreuzberg; nightlife: Kreuzberg.
Key facts
- First visit
- Mitte
- Families
- Mitte
- Budget
- Kreuzberg
- Nightlife
- Kreuzberg
Best area for each kind of trip
| Trip type | Area | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-timers | Mitte | The historic centre: Unter den Linden, Museum Island and the Hackesche Höfe courtyards |
| Families | Mitte | The historic centre: Unter den Linden, Museum Island and the Hackesche Höfe courtyards |
| Couples | Prenzlauer Berg | Restored 19th-century tenements, leafy squares, cafés and young families |
| Budget | Kreuzberg | Turkish-German heritage, canal-side cafés, street art and late bars |
| Luxury | Charlottenburg | West Berlin elegance: the Kurfürstendamm, grand apartments and a royal palace |
| Nightlife | Kreuzberg | Turkish-German heritage, canal-side cafés, street art and late bars |
| Food lovers | Prenzlauer Berg | Restored 19th-century tenements, leafy squares, cafés and young families |
| Solo travellers | Kreuzberg | Turkish-German heritage, canal-side cafés, street art and late bars |
| Shopping | Mitte | The historic centre: Unter den Linden, Museum Island and the Hackesche Höfe courtyards |
| Quiet stays | Prenzlauer Berg | Restored 19th-century tenements, leafy squares, cafés and young families |
Berlin neighbourhoods in detail
$$$ · Best for first-timers, culture, shopping and families
Mitte
Mitte contains most of the classic sights, from the Brandenburg Gate along the Unter den Linden boulevard to Museum Island, Berlin Cathedral and Alexanderplatz with the TV Tower. Around Hackescher Markt, the linked Art Nouveau courtyards of the Hackesche Höfe and the streets of the Scheunenviertel are full of galleries, boutiques and restaurants.
- Good
- Walk to the main sights; Excellent transport links; Wide choice of hotels
- Watch out
- Alexanderplatz area feels impersonal; Busier and pricier than other districts
- Nearby
- Museum Island, Brandenburg Gate, Hackesche Höfe, TV Tower
$$$ · Best for families, couples, food lovers and quiet stays
Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg's handsome tenement blocks survived the war and were renovated after reunification. Kollwitzplatz and Kastanienallee are lined with cafés and brunch spots, the Kulturbrauerei is a former brewery turned cultural centre, and the Mauerpark hosts a Sunday flea market on the former border strip.
- Good
- Pretty, safe and relaxed; Great cafés and playgrounds; Tram and U2 to Mitte
- Watch out
- Quieter nightlife; A short ride from the main sights
- Nearby
- Mauerpark, Kollwitzplatz, Kulturbrauerei, Berlin Wall Memorial
$$ · Best for nightlife, food lovers, budget and solo travellers
Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg was walled in on three sides during the Cold War and became a home for Turkish immigrants, squatters and artists. Oranienstrasse and the area around Kottbusser Tor are packed with bars and kebab shops, the Landwehr Canal is lined with cafés, and Markthalle Neun hosts a weekly street-food market. The western Bergmannkiez is calmer, with old-Berlin shops.
- Good
- Lively day and night; Cheap, diverse food; Strong local character
- Watch out
- Some areas noisy and gritty; Drug dealing around Görlitzer Park and Kottbusser Tor
- Nearby
- Landwehr Canal, Markthalle Neun, Jewish Museum, Görlitzer Park
$$ · Best for nightlife, budget and solo travellers
Friedrichshain
Friedrichshain was in East Berlin, and its Karl-Marx-Allee is lined with monumental 1950s apartment blocks. Today the streets around Boxhagener Platz and Simon-Dach-Strasse fill with bars, the RAW-Gelände industrial site hosts clubs and climbing walls, and the East Side Gallery runs along the Spree.
- Good
- Major club and bar district; Good-value hostels and hotels; S-Bahn hub at Warschauer Strasse
- Watch out
- Loud at weekends; Warschauer Strasse is crowded late at night
- Nearby
- East Side Gallery, Karl-Marx-Allee, Boxhagener Platz, Oberbaum Bridge
$ · Best for nightlife, budget and food lovers
Neukölln
North Neukölln, nicknamed Kreuzkölln where it meets Kreuzberg, is one of the city's most creative and multicultural areas. Weserstrasse and its side streets are lined with bars, Sonnenallee is known for Arab and Turkish bakeries and grills, and the Maybachufer canal bank hosts a Turkish market twice a week. Tempelhofer Feld is on its western edge.
- Good
- Lower prices than most central districts; Excellent bars and food; Next to Tempelhofer Feld
- Watch out
- Few hotels; Rough edges in places; Far from Museum Island
- Nearby
- Tempelhofer Feld, Maybachufer market, Landwehr Canal
$$$ · Best for luxury, shopping, quiet stays and families
Charlottenburg
During the Cold War, Charlottenburg was the centre of West Berlin, and the Kurfürstendamm (Ku'damm) remains a broad shopping boulevard. The ruined spire of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church stands at its eastern end, Charlottenburg Palace and its gardens to the north-west, and side streets such as Savignyplatz hold restaurants and bookshops.
- Good
- Calm and well kept; Classic shopping and dining; Direct trains from the airport
- Watch out
- Far from the eastern nightlife; More conservative feel
- Nearby
- Kurfürstendamm, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Charlottenburg Palace, Savignyplatz
$$ · Best for couples, nightlife, food lovers and quiet stays
Schöneberg
Schöneberg has been the centre of gay Berlin since the 1920s, when Christopher Isherwood lived near Nollendorfplatz. Today its residential streets have cafés and bars, the Winterfeldtplatz market runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and the KaDeWe department store stands on its border with Charlottenburg.
- Good
- Relaxed, local atmosphere; Good markets and cafés; Central U-Bahn links
- Watch out
- Few major sights; Quieter on weeknights
- Nearby
- Nollendorfplatz, Winterfeldtplatz, KaDeWe
$$$ · Best for first-timers, culture and luxury
Potsdamer Platz and Tiergarten
Potsdamer Platz lay in the no-man's-land of the Wall and was rebuilt in the 1990s with office towers and cinemas. It borders the Kulturforum, with the Berlin Philharmonie, the Gemäldegalerie and Mies van der Rohe's Neue Nationalgalerie, and the Tiergarten park stretches north towards the Reichstag.
- Good
- Walk to the Brandenburg Gate and Tiergarten; Concert halls and museums nearby; Good transport hub
- Watch out
- Corporate feel; Few neighbourhood restaurants
- Nearby
- Tiergarten, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin Philharmonie, Holocaust Memorial
Areas compared
| Area | Price | Nearby |
|---|---|---|
| Mitte | $$$ | Museum Island, Brandenburg Gate, Hackesche Höfe, TV Tower |
| Prenzlauer Berg | $$$ | Mauerpark, Kollwitzplatz, Kulturbrauerei, Berlin Wall Memorial |
| Kreuzberg | $$ | Landwehr Canal, Markthalle Neun, Jewish Museum, Görlitzer Park |
| Friedrichshain | $$ | East Side Gallery, Karl-Marx-Allee, Boxhagener Platz, Oberbaum Bridge |
| Neukölln | $ | Tempelhofer Feld, Maybachufer market, Landwehr Canal |
| Charlottenburg | $$$ | Kurfürstendamm, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Charlottenburg Palace, Savignyplatz |
| Schöneberg | $$ | Nollendorfplatz, Winterfeldtplatz, KaDeWe |
| Potsdamer Platz and Tiergarten | $$$ | Tiergarten, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin Philharmonie, Holocaust Memorial |
Getting to your hotel
Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) is about 20 km south-east of the centre, in fare zone C. The FEX Airport Express and regional trains reach the Hauptbahnhof in about 30 minutes, and S-Bahn lines run to Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg and the Ringbahn. Taxis take about 35–50 minutes to the centre depending on traffic.
Questions travellers ask
+What is the best area to stay in Berlin for first-time visitors?
Mitte. Mitte contains most of the classic sights, from the Brandenburg Gate along the Unter den Linden boulevard to Museum Island, Berlin Cathedral and Alexanderplatz with the TV Tower.
+Where should families stay in Berlin?
Mitte: Walk to the main sights.
+Which area of Berlin is best for a budget stay?
Kreuzberg ($$): Turkish-German heritage, canal-side cafés, street art and late bars.