Where to stay in Berlin?

Germany's capital city Berlin is not only one of the most beautiful cities in Germany but is also one of the most beautiful cities in Europe to visit. It is a wonderful city to visit with its culture, historical heritage, highly tolerant world city atmosphere, colorful night life, cafes and bars, street artists, museums and palaces.

The historic center of Berlin city is called Mitte. Most of the places to visit in Berlin are in Mitte area. The center of Mitte is the main boulevard of Berlin named Unter den Linden. This long boulevard runs from the Museum Island (Museumsinsel) to the Brandenburg Gate passing through Berlin's main shopping street Friedrichstraße and it also represents Berlin's historic spirit.

If you take Mitte as the center, you can divide Berlin into following areas : Central West (City West), Central East (East Central), East, North and South Berlin.

So where to stay in Berlin? If you are looking for a place to stay in Berlin, you will probably find it in City West or Mitte. If you are looking for a bohemian and artistic environment to stay in Berlin, you will probably be headed to the East Central Berlin where Turkish immigrants live.

Berlin Map

Mitte (Mitte)

Historic center of Berlin, Mitte, has almost all the sightseeing in Berlin and if you stay in Mitte, you can see almost all Berlin offers on foot. Mitte has mostly backpacker and luxury business style accommodation and it is difficult to find a nice mid level Berlin hotel here. Especially during the trade fairs, accommodation prices increases but not as crazy as Frankfurt.

For a complete list of Berlin hotels in this central and historical area, you can visit Berlin Mitte hotels page.

City West (Charlottenburg, Wilmersdorf, Schöneberg, Tiergarten, Moabit)

City West area was the center of West Berlin before the Berlin wall collapsed. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, it has developed as a shopping center in Berlin. One of Berlin's most famous boulevards is the Ku'Damm (abbreviation for Kurfürstendamm) is here. The main shopping street Tauentzienstraße, famous for Berlin's luxury shopping opportunities, is also in this region. City West also has many of Berlin's finest hotels and restaurants.

City West is the best place to stay in Berlin. You can find budget, mid-range and luxury category Berlin hotel here. Grand Hyatt Berlin, The Ritz-Carlton Berlin, Berlin Marriott, Mövenpick Berlin and Swissotel. If you want a Berlin hotel recommendation, Swissotel Berlin in Ku'Damm, which is especially close to everything located in the best location of the City West district is a good option.

Berlin Kurfürstendamm (Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the center)

East Central
Trendy, bohemian and artistic Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg, the East Central's Kreuzberg region, which is one third of the population, is made up of Turkish immigrants. The area is full of mid-range hotels with cheap hotels, motels and hostels.

Where to stay in Munich?

Munich is the largest city in Germany following Berlin and Hamburg. Its stunning architecture, cultural scene, museums, shopping opportunities and colorful nightlife makes it even more beautiful than Berlin. The historic center is magnificent and looks very original (although it was almost completely destroyed in World World II bombings and later rebuilt again).

Other than all these beauties attractive to average tourist, Munich is also a very important global city for business, finance, engineering, Research & Development as well as healthcare. Thanks to rich business life, Munich is also the wealthiest city in Germany.

If you are planning to visit Munich, where to stay in Munich is a very important thing to determine. Here in this article, we will introduce the main areas tourist can and should stay, instead of going into individual Munich hotel advise. One thing you should note is that it is very difficult to find a reasonably priced hotel during trade fairs and events like Octoberfest which falls between mid-September and mid-October. During these times, Munich hotel room rates are tripled.

Below is a Munich Districts map. Munich’s city center, Altstadt-Lehel (Number 1), and the districts surrounding it are the best places to stay in Munich.

Munich Districts map. Munich city center is Altstadt-Lehel.

Munich City Center (Altstadt-Lehel)

Once, Munich was only Altstadt and Lehel was a suburb. Altstadt was once protected by city walls. The fortification has gone but its path now is a traffic loop known as the Altstadtring. Almost all the must-see tourist attractions in Munich are in Altstadt-Lehel area. New City Hall/Glockenspiel, Old City Hall, Frauenkirche, the Feldherrenhalle, the Residenz, etc. are all here. Other than historic structures, you will find museums, historic squares as well the main shopping street in Munich such as Neuhauser Strasse, Kaufinger Strasse, Maximilianstrasse, Theatinerstrasse, Residenzstrasse and Brienner Strasse with their luxury shops.

Altstadt-Lehel is the best place to stay in Munich if you just want to walk to almost every attraction from your hotel. For hotels in this area, their room rates and customer reviews, you can check Munich City Center (Altstadt-Lehel) Hotels page.

Two iconic buildings in Munich : Frauenkirche and Neues Rathaus

Maxvorstadt

Immediate North-west of Altstadt is Maxvorstadt with its importan acedemic institutions and art scene. Two of the best universities in Germany, The University of Munich (LMU) and Technische Universität München (TUM) are here. Famous Munich museums Pinakotheken, Museum Brandhorst, the Lenbach Haus, Glyptothek and Staatliche Antikensammlungen are also here. Apart from museums, Maxvorstadt houses many art galleries.

Right next to Munich’s center with its art and science scene, Maxvorstadt offers a very central and convenient area to stay in Munich. For hotels here you can refer to Munich Maxvorstadt Hotels page.

Aerial view of Munich Maxvorstadt

Schwabing (Schwabing-West, Schwabing-Freimann)

Schwabing is very popular among tourists and locals. It used to be Munich’s famous bohemian quarter and it offers many bars, clubs, and restaurants. Since Munich’s largest universities, Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universität and the Technical University of Munich can be found in nearby Maxvorstadt, there is a lot of student activity on and around Leopoldstrasse. Another popular attraction is the Englischer Garten, or English Garden, one of the world’s largest public parks.

This is a very good place for young people to stay in Munich. If you are looking for a hotel in Schwabing, you can check Munich Schwabing hotels page.

Au-Haidhausen

On the other side of Isar river and to the south east of Altstadt-Lehel, Au-Haidhausen is a residential district in Munich housing important night life spot Kultfabrik and Ostbahnhof (Munich East Train station). Kultfabrik/Optimolwerke is a 60,000 square-metre entertainment complex which houses many discos and clubs on a relatively small area.

For hotels around this area, you can check Munich Au-Haidhausen hotels page.

Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt

Situated north-west of the River Isar and southeast of Munich’s Old Town, Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt houses beautiful Gärtnerplatz square surrounded with pubs, bars and clubs, Munich Central Station (to the south of the station there are many hostels and budget hotels) and Theresienwiese which is the site of Oktoberfest (Wiesn in local Bavarian language). Ludwigsvorstadt is a immigrant residential area and is quite colorful with a lot of Asian and Middle Eastern touch.

Oktoberfest (Wiesn in local language) is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since 1810. With more than 6 million people from around the world attends the event. During the event times, hotel prices goes to roof.

For hostels and hotels in this area with their room prices per night and customer reviews, you can take a look at Munich Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt Hotels page.