The best Hotels in Berlin

Berlin's Friedrichshain district is known for its epic nightlife and this independently-owned hotel puts you in the thick of it. Over a dozen dance clubs — including the legendary Berghain — are all within walking distance.

Set in an imposing 19th-century factory building, the hotel is a cool neighborhood spot in its own right with a buzzy cafe and wine bar that spills into the book-lined lobby lounge, and a courtyard beer garden that hosts summer concerts from top indie acts. I'm a big fan of its restaurant, with seasonal locally-sourced menus.

The individually-designed rooms come in all shapes and sizes, from aptly named Cozy rooms, measuring a tiny 130 square feet, up to massive Hideout suites complete with kitchens, two-person tubs, and saunas. The themed Luxus rooms are great fun, especially the Clever, which is decorated floor-to-ceiling with books. Best are the recently added fourth-floor Overlook rooms, which are light and bright, with tall windows looking out over the area rooftops and comfy King-sized organic mattresses. Though, on average, they are $80 more than entry-level options.

Trip Advisor Ranking: 143 out of 636

Booking.com Rating: 8.7 out of 10

Pros: If you want to experience the best of Berlin's club scene, there's no better base than Michelberger Hotel. Common spaces attract local young creatives, offering plenty of opportunity for mingling. Public transport — trams, and the U- and S-Bahn station — are just in front of the hotel, so you're well-connected with the rest of the city.

Cons: While Berlin has a temperate summer climate, none of the rooms have air conditioning, which can be uncomfortable on hot days. There's often late-night noise from the courtyard, especially during summer concerts, so light sleepers should ask for a city-facing room. While not exactly a con, guests skew on the younger side, so older couples may not feel as welcome.

Set in a renovated 1850s building in the up-and-coming Tiergarten neighborhood, the Berlin outpost of the eco-certified Danish brand Guldsmeden Hotels gets top marks for its sustainability cred. Rooms feature environmentally-friendly bamboo beds and linens, refurbished seating, all-natural vegan bath products, and a mini-bar stuffed with organic local products. The international cuisine at its Saeson restaurant is entirely organic, from the food to the drinks. Even the wood menu cards are made from recycled flooring.

The lobby lounge and bar are distinctly Nordic in style, with leather sofas, marble coffee tables, and mounted deer heads. Rooms blend sleek Scandinavian design with Asian touches, including bright accent pillows, patterned rugs, and lamps imported from Bali. They all differ in size and layout. Standard doubles measure around 190 square feet and feature warm wood floors and four-poster beds, while larger loft rooms and suites boast 14-foot ceilings, an additional upstairs sleeping area, and quirky extras like a hammock or swing suspended from the ceiling.

Trip Advisor Ranking: 261 out of 636

Booking.com Rating: 8.3 out of 10

Pros: One of the few true green hotels in Berlin, Lulu Guldsmeden pairs sustainable materials and practices with unique design.

Cons: Not all rooms have air-conditioning, so take that into consideration if you're visiting in summer. No matter the category, the bathrooms are quite small. While I love the location — surrounded by art galleries and hip eateries — it's far from the big tourist sites.

Located on the banks of the Spree River, in a stunning contemporary building that cantilevers out over the water, this design-forward hotel is as eye-catching outside as it is inside.

The lobby is a psychedelic swirl of bright colors and sinuous forms, courtesy of New York-based designer Karim Rashid. The trippy aesthetic continues to the restaurant and bar area, where glass walls provide fantastic river views. Billing itself as a music hotel, there are often DJs and live concerts in the lobby and out on the seasonal terrace. Guests may also request free use of a guitar or keyboard and take the party to your room.

Rooms are decked out in shades of hot pink and bright blue with kaleidoscopic floors and wall art. Entry-level nHow rooms measure around 250 square feet, which are larger than many other standard rooms in the city. Those facing the river cost extra but are worth it for the view. The next step up is a Premium, which nets more space and a seating area, plus guaranteed river views.

Trip Advisor Ranking: 79 out of 636

Booking.com Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Pros: Hotel perks include a complimentary 24-hour gym with a steam bath and two saunas, free use of a guitar or keyboard, and from the junior suite on up, free use of the hotel's SUVs. If you're visiting in summer, the riverfront terrace is a great spot for alfresco cocktails with views of the Oberbaum Bridge and iconic TV Tower beyond.

Cons: While it's near the famous Berlin Wall murals of the East Side Gallery, it's quite far from other tourist attractions and at least a 10-minute walk to the nearest subway station. The OTT design isn't to everyone's taste.

A palatial 19th-century public bathhouse is the splendid setting for this boutique hotel, which expertly fuses beautiful historical details with chic contemporary design. Hotel Oderberger wows from the get-go, with a reception area that doubles as the entrance to the magnificent 65-foot-long indoor pool, set beneath a soaring vaulted stone ceiling, and framed by towering columns. Other smartly converted spaces include the former boiler room-turned-restaurant, with 50-foot ceilings, exposed brick walls, and multiple dining mezzanines.

Each room is unique in layout and ranges from 215-square-foot Comfort rooms featuring access to the communal terrace, up to family-sized attic Apartments, with floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies. For lovely views over cobblestone Oderbergerstrasse, upgrade to a Premium room, which costs about $20 more. All are similarly, and somewhat sparsely decorated, with neutral-tone furnishings, oak-plank floors, and subway-tiled tables. Bathrooms are large with walk-in rainforest showers and heated towel racks, while apartments have bathtubs.

Trip Advisor Ranking: 101 out of 636

Booking.com Rating: 8.9 out of 10

Pros: Hotel Oderberger is located in one of Berlin's prettiest districts, Prenzlauer Berg, which is chock-a-block with cool cafes, bars, and boutiques, and steps from the city's oldest beer garden, Prater.

Cons: The reception desk doubles as registration for the pool, which is open to the public, so hotel guests should expect a longer wait at check-in or check-out. There's also a 4 euro charge for guests to use the pool, which is occasionally closed for private events. There is no air-conditioning in the hotel.

With some of the largest rooms in the city and a supremely affordable starting rate, plus all the luxurious amenities of a five-star property, this hotel is simply one of Berlin's best stays.

Mandala Hotel's central location off Potsdamer Platz means it's in close proximity to many tourist sites and just a few minutes' walk to major shopping malls. The hotel is home to the two-Michelin-starred Facile, whose lovely dining room, set inside a glassed-in atrium, also doubles as the breakfast room. The recently renovated 11th-floor Ono Spa offers holistic treatments and multiple saunas with views overlooking the city.

Rooms start on the fifth floor — far above bustling Potsdamer Strasse — and are light and bright thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows. Most of the courtyard-facing rooms also have balconies. The decor is clean and minimalist, with light wood floors and high-end modern furnishings in neutral tones. All rooms have combination tubs and showers (upper categories feature separate tubs) and kitchenettes. The smallest category, a City Studio, measures a very generous 430 square feet.

Trip Advisor Ranking: 10 out of 636

Booking.com Rating: 9.1 out of 10

Pros: We love the large, light-filled rooms and superb location near city landmarks. Mandala Hotel is five minutes by foot to Tiergarten park and 15 minutes to the Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie.

Cons: The spa and gym have a daily charge of 10 euro unless you book directly with the hotel.

Packed with cool bars and ethnic restaurants, the multicultural East Kreuzberg neighborhood is one of the city's most vibrant. This boutique four-star gem sits in the middle of it all, in a beautifully restored Art Nouveau building on pulsing Oranienstrasse. The beating heart of the hotel is the Living Room, a sprawling, lounge-like space wrapped with tall bay windows and bookended by two wood-burning fireplaces. A long, curving wood bar is surrounded by cozy seating areas outfitted modern, low-slung sofas and armchairs, while a raised stage features free live piano music most evenings.

Rooms are decorated in a rich mix of exotic woods and red textiles, playfully embroidered with the hotel's signature gold elephant. They are named after the square meter sizes, starting with entry-level, courtyard-facing "17–19" rooms (183 to 204 square feet) and going up to the "86" suites, boasting 925 square feet of space with curving bay windows that overlook leafy Oranienplatz. All rooms have the same handmade Schramm mattresses, Apple TVs, and vegan toiletries from Berlin-based i+m, but you'll need to upgrade to a "60" junior suite for a balcony.

Trip Advisor Ranking: 337 out of 522

Booking.com Rating: 9.1 out of 10

Pros: The ground-level Living Room is one of the city's best drinking spots, and unlike many area bars, it's smoke-free. There's also an interesting roster of concerts and literary events at the hotel's top-floor salon, which offers fantastic views of the surrounding neighborhood.

Cons: The somewhat gritty surroundings aren't for everyone, and while the hotel is within walking distance of the Jewish Museum, it's far from other major tourist sites.

With a design scheme that evokes 1920s Paris and Weimar Berlin, this West Berlin boutique hotel is a thoroughly seductive little number.

Jewel-toned velvet seating and draperies, dark walls, and moody lighting set the scene in the lobby, and serve as a hint of what's to come in upstairs rooms. The award-winning bar shakes up burlesque-themed cocktails for a fashionable local crowd, and on weekends, the scene gets a bit wild with DJs spinning until the wee hours. The adjacent Golden Phoenix restaurant offers upscale French-Asian fusion in a swanky dining room. The Provocateur is part of Design Hotels, which partners with Marriott Bonvoy, and means members can use or earn points.

The rooms feature a similarly flamboyant look, brimming with rich red or royal blue velvet from plush headboards, furnishings, and draperies, down to fabric-covered walls. Some feature ornate chandeliers and freestanding tubs, while all have a switch next to the bed to dim lights and project provocative video artwork. Sizes range from Petite (measuring around 160 square feet) to a sprawling top-floor Maison Suite with skylights.

Trip Advisor Ranking: 177 out of 636

Booking.com Rating: 8.8 out of 10

Pros: The sumptuous interiors give Provocateur Hotel a truly unique feel and the buzzy bar is great fun, especially on weekends.

Cons: The sleepy surroundings offer little in the way of dining or entertainment. It's also far from many top attractions, though public transport is nearby. Rooms above the bar can be noisy.

A West Berlin 1950s high-rise was transformed into this hip boutique hotel, which plays up its Berlin Zoo-adjacent location with a whimsical, jungle-themed design scheme. The third-floor reception-cafe area is decked out with tropical foliage and hammocks overlooking the zoo's monkey enclosures, while the rooftop Monkey Bar offers spectacular zoo and city vistas.

Great views can also be had from the top-floor NENI restaurant, serving Mediterranean-influenced shared plates in a vast greenhouse-like space. Even the ninth-floor sauna offers outstanding zoo views.

The stripped-down, open-plan rooms come in three sizes, M, L, and XL, and are quite spacious, starting at around 250 square feet. Urban rooms face the city and the war-torn spire of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, and feature wood floors, exposed concrete walls, and edgy graffiti art. Pricier Jungle rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the zoo and a cozier feel, thanks to the wood-paneled walls.

Trip Advisor Ranking: 6 of 636

Booking.com Rating: 9 out of 10

Pros: Perks for hotel guests include a private elevator to the always-packed Monkey Bar so you don't have to wait in line, and free rental of MINI car (be sure to reserve in advance). Fashionistas will have a field day at the neighboring Bikini concept mall and along the famous shopping avenue Ku'damm, just steps from the hotel.

Cons: The open-plan rooms don't allow for much privacy and closet space is limited. Upper-floor rooms get noise from the bar. Many guests complained about the uncomfortable beds and pillows.

This five-star grande dame has a prime Berlin address, right on the famous Under den Linden boulevard and sits practically at the foot of the iconic Brandenburg Gate. Though the original hotel was destroyed in World War II, the new 1997 incarnation is plenty ritzy, with an opulent white-marble lobby topped with a huge stained-glass cupola, and dominated by an elephant fountain, gifted to the Adlon in 1930 by India's Maharajah.

The massive, block-long hotel also boasts a sprawling tri-level spa, a heated indoor pool, Jacuzzi, and sauna (free for guests), plus several dining options including the two-Michelin-star Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer, and Asian hotspot Sra Bua, from Michelin-starred chef Tim Raue. As you'd expect from a property that has hosted the likes of Queen Elizabeth II and Michael Jackson, it attracts a well-heeled crowd, so dress accordingly.

The 385 rooms and suites come in all shapes and sizes, with those overlooking the Brandenburg Gate commanding premium prices. Decorated in a classic style, rooms feature wood floors, traditional furnishings, and big marble bathrooms with tubs and showers. Suites offer a variety of luxurious amenities, from full kitchens and 24-hour butler service to wood-burning fireplaces and grand pianos. Entry-level Executive Rooms measure a generous 377 square feet and offer side street or courtyard views.

Trip Advisor Ranking: 13 of 636

Booking.com Rating: 9.3 out of 10

Pros: There's simply no better location if you're looking to take in the major sites. The Brandenburg Gate and Tiergarten park are at your doorstep, while Museum Island (home to the famous Pergamon Museum) is a pleasant 20-minute stroll along the tree-lined Under den Linden. Entry-level rooms are much more spacious than many others in the city.

Cons: Some guests complained that the rooms were rather dated and in need of a refresh. As it's a large hotel, there are often lines at breakfast.