Best Berlin Hotels

Providing an elegant escape from the grittiness of Berlin, this 53-room grand country house hotel is tucked in a peaceful upscale residential area in southwestern Berlin, where tall hedges hide Porsches on long gravel driveways. Though fundamentally classical, the hotel decor was been given many boutique twists by designer Karl Lagerfeld. Amenities include a lovely spa, sauna, steam room and pool. Service, too, is seamless. One of this Berlin hotel’s greatest assets is the sprawling and surprisingly natural (wild boars roam here) Grunewald Woods on the doorstep: perfect for an early morning run or evening walk.

This is an impressively eccentric art hotel where each room is a work of art. Some are rather loopy, like the guest room of gold with bananas painted on the walls above hot-pink velvet bedding. Others have more coherent themes, such as the Alice in Wonderland room with its oversize furniture; or the bird’s nest room with its view to match. All the most elegant rooms are in the 1820s building at the front, but tend to suffer from train noise (earplugs are provided); meanwhile, the quieter rooms at the back are a bit blander. Breakfast costs extra.

Berlin’s longest-standing fantasy hotel is a short underground ride from the city centre in a fairly dull neighborhood, but this small shortcoming is more than made up for by the quirkiness of the rooms. Each room has been handcrafted by the owner into a particular theme. Best check the website before you book to make an informed choice between the likes of: Space Cube, Electric Wallpaper, Nudes, Upside Down, Two Lions, Forest, Temple or the Mirror Room. Breakfast costs an extra €7.

For a time-warp experience, stay at this tiny six-room guesthouse just off the Kurfürstendamm in City West. The authentic old pension bears a 1920s feel, thanks to its many pieces of art, its multitudes of interesting local knick-knacks, and its densely patterned wallpaper. Rooms are themed and you can choose between the likes of Callas or Toulouse Lautrec, Goethe, Peggy Guggenheim and others. All have private showers but share toilets. There’s no Wi-Fi or breakfast, but this is reflected in its bargain rates.

This themed budget hotel is the best Berlin hotel address to relive the East Germany of the 1970s. As with most nostalgia for the old East, there’s a certain amount of humor involved. How else could you cope with so many dirty brown and orange stripes in the decor? The cheapest rooms share bathrooms and there’s no breakfast or Wi-Fi on offer, though bike rentals are free. It's a short walk from the Ostbahnhof, which makes getting to central Berlin—or many of Berlin’s best clubs in the vicinity—a snap.