Where to stay in Berlin

In Berlin you don't pick a district by how close it is to the centre, because there is no centre in the usual sense — you pick by the kind of evening you want and how much noise you can take. All six districts here are covered by the same AB ticket, and almost everything is twenty minutes away by U-Bahn.

The prices below are for two people a night in season (May–September and December), for a decent double room or a whole small flat.

One thing that almost never pays off in Berlin: a hotel 'near the airport'. BER sits in zone C, about thirty minutes by train from the centre, and whatever you save on the room goes on ABC tickets and an hour of travel a day; it only makes sense for a flight before six in the morning.

Mitte — for a first visit and a short one

The historic centre of East Berlin: Museum Island, Unter den Linden, Hackescher Markt and the government quarter, all within a twenty-minute walk. Who it suits: three-day trips, first visits, and anyone who wants to walk out of the building in the morning and already be where they need to be. Price for two: €130–260. Transport: you won't need it for half the plan, and when you do, the S-Bahn from Friedrichstrasse or Hackescher Markt goes everywhere. Downside: the restaurants around Museum Island and the government quarter are pitched at tourists and business travellers.

3 daysWhat can you reach on foot from Mitte?Berlin in 3 days →

Kreuzberg — for the evening, the food and the real thing

Two districts in one: the northern half around Kottbusser Tor is Turkish, Arab and awake until dawn; the southern half around Bergmannstrasse is family territory, with a market hall and cafés. Who it suits: second visits, people who go out, and anyone who wants dinner where dinner actually happens. Price for two: €100–190. Transport: U1, U3 and U8, ten to fifteen minutes to Mitte, and the East Side Gallery is walkable. Downside: northern Kreuzberg is loud every night, not just at weekends, and the area around Kottbusser Tor looks rougher than it is — safe, but not quiet.

Friedrichshain — closest to the clubs and to the airport

The east of the east: the prefab boulevard of Karl-Marx-Allee, Simon-Dach-Strasse full of bars, the RAW site and the riverside clubs. Who it suits: younger travellers, long weekends built around nights out, and anyone with an early flight. Price for two: €90–170. Transport: the S9 runs from Ostkreuz straight to BER in about thirty minutes, which makes this the most practical district in the city for planes; Mitte is fifteen minutes away. Downside: on Friday and Saturday nobody sleeps around Warschauer and Revaler Strasse until five.

Hidden gemsWhat happens on the RAW site on a Sunday morning?Berlin with an address: a listening station and a river pool →

Prenzlauer Berg — for quiet, children and breakfast

A slice of the former east with restored facades, Kollwitzplatz and a Saturday market. Who it suits: families, longer stays, and anyone who wants eight hours of sleep. Price for two: €110–200. Transport: U2 to Alexanderplatz in ten minutes, tram M10 to Warschauer, M1 through the whole district into Mitte. Downside: it is no longer a district where anything happens — if you came for the nights and for Berlin being different, that isn't here.

Neukölln — the cheapest, and still interesting

What Kreuzberg was fifteen years ago: Sonnenallee with its Turkish and Arab shops, Weserstrasse with its bars, Tempelhofer Feld on the western edge. Who it suits: thinner budgets, longer stays, second and third visits. Price for two: €80–150, the cheapest of any district anyone would recommend. Transport: U7 and U8, twenty minutes to Mitte, ten to Kreuzberg. Downside: northern Neukölln is dense, dirty and loud, the streets south of Hermannplatz turn into plain residential blocks with nothing on them, and this is the furthest district from the classic sights.

Day tripsGetting from here to Potsdam and Oranienburg:Day trips from Berlin →

Charlottenburg — West Berlin, calm and solid

The other half of the city, which until 1989 was the centre: the Ku'damm, Savignyplatz, Charlottenburg Palace and the KaDeWe department store. Who it suits: older travellers, business trips, and anyone who wants a hotel with a lift and a room you can open a suitcase in. Price for two: €95–180. Transport: U-Bahn and S-Bahn from Zoologischer Garten, fifteen to twenty minutes to Mitte, and a direct regional train to Potsdam. Downside: everything that happens in Berlin today happens in the east, so every evening ends with a train home — and the district is quiet enough at night to feel like a different city.

What to avoid

• A flat on Simon-Dach-Strasse or Revaler Strasse. On Friday and Saturday people sing under the window until five, and double glazing won't save you. The same district two streets over is perfectly calm.
• Listings with 'Mitte' in the title that are actually in Wedding or Moabit. Not bad areas, but not what you think you booked — open the address on a map before you confirm rather than trusting the name.
• Big event dates. The Berlinale in February, IFA in September and the Berlin Marathon at the end of September push room rates up — check your dates against them before booking.
• A ground-floor room at Kottbusser Tor or Hermannplatz. Safe enough, but these are the two densest traffic junctions in the city and the noise is constant rather than nocturnal.

BudgetThe room is less than half the bill:What Berlin costs →

Rough prices by district

GuideThinking about Berlin for the first time?Berlin →