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After having lived here in Berlin for almost 2 decades now, and by virtue of being a photographer, travel writer, and part-time tour guide, I like to think that I’ve pretty comprehensively explored this city and that I know it as well as anyone can ever really “know” a beast of a city like Berlin.

Considering the city’s formidable size and wealth of attractions spread throughout it, deciding on your home base is surprisingly challenging, and also very important. And when you add in that the atmosphere from one neighborhood to the next can change rather drastically (much more so than in most other cities), it’s not just about location; you also have to carefully think about the type of atmosphere that you want, and the type you want to avoid.

Berlin is incredibly diverse, and while this is very cliché to say, and it really does have something for everyone, but it also has lots that will most definitely not be your speed, so you can’t just choose a central area at random and expect it to be a good fit.

Germany’s capital city, Berlin has 12 official boroughs, called Bezirke in German. These boroughs, which vary wildly in terms of size, each contain between two and fifteen smaller districts or quarters known as Ortsteile. These can then be broken down even further into what are called Kieze, or local neighborhoods.

While this can seem confusing and overwhelming (because it kind of is!), I have some good news: you can immediately disregard around half of the boroughs since they lie outside of the inner-city areas where you’ll likely spend most, or all, of your time.

Even so, it can still be a challenge to work out the best place to stay, since each borough or neighborhood tends to have its own vibe and demographic and travel times between them and the sights are often not insignificant. Of course, that diversity is a big part of this city’s appeal (Berlin welcomes and makes space for everyone), so it’s just about finding what’s right for you.

And that’s what I’m here to help with! Below, I’ve put together a fairly comprehensive overview of the 6 central neighborhoods that I think are the best choice for the vast majority of travelers, especially those coming here for a first visit.

Each one has its own set of appeals, as well as some drawbacks, so read on to find out more about them and get a sense for which one seems like the ideal spot for you.

And once you’ve picked your base here, have a look at my 3-day Berlin itinerary for some ideas on what to see and do while in town!

Table of Contents

Berlin planning cheatsheet

My favorite hotels in Berlin

Adlon Kempinski - My top choice for luxury in Mitte. $400-550/night
Mandala Suites - Contemporary style overlooking the Gendarmenmarkt. $200-250/night
Hotel Oderberger - Lovely boutique property in Prenzlauer Berg. $200/night
Bob W Apts - Nice serviced apartments in Kreuzberg. $140-225/night
Indigo East Side - Design hotel near Friedrichshain's nightclubs. $140-200/night
MotelOne Hackescher Markt - Great value midrange choice in Alexanderplatz. $100-200/night
Old town Hotel - Basic, but comfortable and a good deal in Prenzlauer Berg. $110/night

Guided tours and activities

3-hour bike tour (small-group)

How to get around

Car rentals with DiscoverCars
Urban metro routes (U-bahn and S-bahn) via BVG and Moovit App
Train tickets at Deutsche Bahn (DB)

Overview of Berlin’s layout

*The Inner Ring Road (red) and the wider RingBahn (green), which typically denotes Berlin’s city center. Photo:* *TomTen, Contributers of OpenStreetMap*, *CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons*

Before we delve into my recommended neighborhoods, I think it’s helpful to first have a basic understanding of the city’s layout, so that you at least have a general sense for where the center is and where all the areas that I’ll be talking about are in relation to it and one another.

As I’ve already said, you can disregard many of the official districts, and the easiest way to work out which ones to ignore (and which to focus on) is to take a quick look quick at a map of the RingBahn - the train line that encircles the main city districts and is, somewhat cutely, in the shape of a dog’s head.

It’s this boundary that Berliners refer to when they talk about life inside and outside “the ring”. Basically, everything inside denotes roughly the inner-city and everything outside is considered less central.

Of course, the full story is a bit more nuanced than that, especially as the inner-city becomes more and more expensive and people and communities are gradually being forced to move outside the RingBahn. But for our purposes it still works quite well to focus on these inner-ring districts and boroughs, which are as follows: Mitte, Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, Schöneberg, Prenzlauer Berg, Charlottenburg and Neukölkn.

Although not as important, another thing to consider is the influence of the Berlin Wall, which divided the city in the former East and West Berlin. I’ll talk a bit more about this later in the article.

One more thing to bear in mind is that along with the RingBahn, the city has an excellent and comprehensive metro system comprising both overground and underground trains, as well as tons of bus and tram stops. This makes transit in the inner-city generally fast and convenient, and regardless of what neighborhood you choose to stay in, you’ll rarely be more than a few minutes walk from a subway, bus, or tram stop.

Quick summary of my 6 recommended neighborhoods

Given how good Berlin’s transportation system is (subway, trams, and buses), as long as you stay in any of the city-center neighborhoods within the Ring Bahn, you’ll be able to get around to all the main sights and other central neighborhoods within 30-45 minutes.

On top of that, Berlin is almost entirely flat, so despite being a fairly sprawling city, it’s very walkable and extremely bike-friendly, especially thanks to the abundance of protected cycling lanes.

When it comes to the neighborhoods, I think Mitte is the best option if it’s your first visit and/or if you strongly prefer being being close enough to the big sights that you can reach and explore them on foot. Mitte has all the conveniences of any city center, but being our downtown, it’s also a fair deal more commercial/business-oriented.

On the other hand, the more residential areas that fan out around Mitte tend to have more local character and will appeal to people who don’t like the idea of staying in a touristy and commercial center. Needless to say, these are generally farther from the main sights and less convenient for getting around though.

In terms of the inner neighborhoods that surround Mitte, they have some similarities but also have quite distinctive characters, which I’ll dive into below. On the whole, they all have a greater or lesser mix of attractive nineteenth-century residential housing (Altbaus, or “old houses”, in German) and post-war architecture, usually a local park or two, abundant cafes, restaurants and bars, and lots of smaller galleries and museums.

In other words, there’s plenty to see and do in each of them, so much so that you really wouldn’t even need to go into Mitte at all if you’ve already been to Berlin before or just don’t care about ticking off the tourist sights. The neighborhoods are very cool in their own rights and exploring them is lots of fun.

With all of this in mind, here are the neighborhoods that I recommend for most visitors:

1. Mitte (red above)

This sprawling, city-center borough can be diverse and confusing. It contains everything from Berlin’s original medieval centre (Nikolaiviertel), rebuilt by the GDR in the 1980s, to traffic-heavy squares and Soviet-era boulevards and tower blocks. It also houses the majority of the city’s main sights - like Checkpoint Charlie, Museum Island, Alexanderplatz, Brandenburg Gate, and the Memorial to Murdered Jews -, many of which are within walking distance of each other.

The huge concentration of big sights and its central location mean that it’s always popular with visitors, and it can often be very busy, especially during the summer or holiday periods. Even so, you can usually duck any crowds quite easily by detouring along smaller or less busy streets, or into nearby parks and gardens.

2. Prenzlauer Berg (purple above)

One of the most prettily gentrified of the inner-city neighborhoods, wedge-shaped Prenzlauer Berg -formerly part of Soviet-controlled East Berlin - is structured around a grid-like plan that harks back to the middle of the nineteenth-century. Known for its high concentration of young and middle-aged families, it features many charming and lively squares like Helmholtzplatz and Kollwitzplatz, as well as busier streets like Schönhauser Allee and Prenzlauer Allee.

3. Friedrichshain (green above)

Like Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain was formerly a politicized part of East Berlin, and while it’s now quite popular, it didn’t gentrify nearly as quickly as the former, and still has some vague traces of its punk-anarchist past. The squats have mostly been cleared now though and trendy coffee shops and boutiques abound, especially around the main square, Boxhagener Platz.

You should know that the area remains a big draw for students and party-people, thanks to the street art and club paradise RAW Gelände, and techno temple Berghain. It’s also home to the Stalin-era Karl-Marx Allee boulevard and the East Side Gallery along the Spree.

4. Kreuzberg (yellow above)

Younger and trendier than Prenzlauer Berg, Kreuzberg was known for its squatters and activists when it was part of the ‘island’ of West Berlin, stranded in a ‘sea’ of East Germany. Today it is unofficially divided into two quite distinctive areas: the eastern part, nicknamed SO36 after its Cold War post code, was close to the Berlin Wall, and has a lot of gritty energy, a large Turkish and Middle Eastern population, and great nightlife, especially around Oranienstrasse.

Meanwhile, the western side is more sedate, a little more upscale, and rather Prenzlauer Berg-esque, especially the streets around Bergmannstrasse and the pleasant Viktoria Park.

5. Neukölln (black/grey above)

Home to a heady mix of arty expats and Middle Eastern residents drawn by cheaper rents during the 2000’s and 2010’s, Neukölln is by far the city’s edgiest and buzziest district. Distinctly unglamorous, even a bit dirty in places, it’s nonetheless home to a lot of great foodie spots, cool bars and clubs (especially along Weserstrasse), and a host of indie galleries and pop-ups, plus lovely parks like Körnerpark and Hasenheide.

It’s also right at the edge of the sprawling former airport turned leisure area that is Tempelhofer Feld. Neukölln will not be for everyone, but it’s a very interesting area that has a lot to offer in its own way.

6. Charlottenburg (blue above)

Charlottenburg was a city all of its own until it was incorporated in 1920. Today it has a commercial, tourist-friendly vibe similar to Mitte, especially around the overhauled Bahnhof Zoo area (where the Berlin Zoo and Aquarium are), and along the famous shopping boulevard Kurfürstendamm - Ku-damm for short.

Tourism is far from the main character of the neighborhood though (far from it), as it also has a very trendy food street - Kantstrasse -, lots of charming squares such as Savignyplatz, and some great cultural sights like the Schloss Charlottenburg, C/O Berlin photo gallery, and Berggruen Museum. It’s overall a very pretty and pleasant area.

Map of my suggested hotels

For anyone who’s just looking for a quick collection of suggested hotels and doesn’t want to read through my individual neighborhood overviews below, here’s a map of Berlin that shows most of the hotels I’ve recommended throughout this guide.

The hotels here encompass a wide range of star levels and nightly prices, so everyone should be able to find something to suit their preferences.

And if you want to know more about the hotels, you’ll find quick descriptions of each of them in the “Where to stay” sections of the relevant neighborhood overviews below.

Happy (hotel) hunting!

1. Mitte

Pros: As central as it gets, lots of big sights in easy walking distance, very tourist-friendly with a good range of shops, hotels, and restaurants to choose from, great public transport links

Cons: Gets busy with tourists in summer, expensive, fairly commercial (not residential), much of its former nightlife has been commercialized

*Gendarmenmarkt and the Deustcher Dom from the French Cathedral. Photo:* *Ввласенко*, *CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons*

*The Brandenburg Gate in Mitte. Photo:* *Axel Mauruszat, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons*

Mitte, which literally means ‘middle’ in German, is basically Berlin's downtown. This is where the city began, initially as just a couple of humble fishing villages straddling the Spree River. As trading routes developed and passed through those villages, they grew and blended together, eventually becoming a small city. Berlin continued expanding outwards over many centuries until becoming the metropolis that it is today. Mitte remains as the city's historic, geographic, and spiritual heart.

The district is absolutely enormous (going as far north as the sub-district of Wedding and past the RingBahn), but the core area that most locals consider as Mitte extends from Alexanderplatz in the east to Tiergarten Park in the west, and Potsdamer Platz in the south to pretty much all the northern sections of the inner-city.

In addition to being the business downtown, this area also contains the tourist heart of Berlin: Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the TV Tower, Museum Island, Checkpoint Charlie, Unter den Linden, DDR Museum, and the Nikolaiviertel are all here. You also have several major transit hubs like Alexanderplatz, Potsdamer Platz, and Hackescher Markt.

Sights aside, it's also a good neighborhood for shopping, especially on historic streets like Friedrichstraße, which has lots of luxurious shops alongside offices, apartment buildings, embassies, and cultural sites - Checkpoint Charlie chief among them. And although the nightlife in this area isn’t what it once was, the area around Rosenthaler Platz, and along gallery-lined streets such as Auguststraße and Tucholskystraße can be buzzy.

Mitte is definitely not the most atmospheric or coolest part of town, but because of its central location, concentration of main sights, and excellent public transit connections, it's indisputably the most convenient base from which to explore the city. If you have just a couple of days here or prioritize proximity to the main sights, it's the obvious choice.

Some neighborhood specifics

While there are many sub-areas that comprise Mitte, the bulk of the hotels and short-term apartment rentals are located around the more heavily-touristed parts (which realistically are where you should stay). There are three main areas that I would consider:

Potsdamer Platz is a very central base in Berlin, and it's within walking distance to Tiergarten Park, the Reichstag, the Philharmonie, Kulturforum, and the Memorial of the Murdered Jews. I do have to warn you that I find the square itself quite soulless, with lots of modern skyscrapers, constant car traffic, and no real local charm, but the area around it is very nice. This part of Mitte is quieter, more expensive, and elegant with lots of high-end hotels.

Alexanderplatz, on the eastern side of the neighborhood, is another big and principal square. Aesthetically, it's quite ugly, but it's iconic. Anyone interested in communist and Soviet Berlin will prefer it to Potsdamer Platz as it’s surrounded by heritage-protected communist buildings like the Haus des Lehrers and Haus des Reisens, the looming TV Tower, and the famous World Clock. Several tram and train lines intersect here as well. Hotel prices here tend to be quite good.

Rosenthaler Vorstadt and Spandauer Vorstadt are two areas to the northwest of Alexanderplatz that are trendier, less touristy, and less commercial. Here, the crowd skews younger and more fashion-conscious, and the cafés, restaurants, and bars are more independent and a bit hipper. You’ll find a nice selection of boutique hotels too, along with some interesting smaller galleries. If you want to be central but with more of a neighborhood vibe, I'd look here.

I know that’s a lot to think through, so if you just want a quick recommendation on a specific location, I would suggest finding a hotel around Hackescher Markt, which is easy walking distance from Museum Island, Alexanderplatz, and Rosenthaler Platz. It's a nice hybrid of everything that Mitte offers - from the touristy to the trendy - and is convenient to pretty much everywhere in downtown.

Where to stay

Hotel Adlon Kempinski - For pure Old World elegance and a grand, stately atmosphere, nothing beats the Adlon. At the end of Unter den Linden (Berlin's most elegant street) and facing directly onto the Brandenburg Gate, the location here is unmatched with Tiergarten Park just a stone's throw away. It's my favorite luxury hotel. €350-450

Ritz Carlton - For a splash, the Ritz Carlton ticks all the five-star options. Set in an Art Deco building on Potsdamer Platz, it offers large, sumptuous rooms, a gym and spa, excellent service, and a very good on-site restaurant and bar. For a Ritz, it's also actually quite “affordable". €210-450

The Mandala Suites - Just a block away from the stunning Gendarmenmarkt and Konzerthaus, this hotel oozes contemporary style and minimalist design. The rooms are huge with giant windows, you're a block from a metro stop, and you can easily walk to Tiergarten Park, Museum Island, and many other marquee sights. €175-225

Numa Berlin Nook - If you want something that feels a bit more homey than a standard hotel, this is a great choice. They have standard rooms as well as 1 bedroom serviced apartments that are stylish, modern, and very comfortable. It's a block north of Hackesher Markt and adjacent to the lovely riverfront Monbijou park. €150-220

Motel One Hackescher Markt - Motel One is a German chain of hotels that all do a pretty good job of offering mid-range digs that are well priced and have a boutique and hip vibe. This one by Hackesher Markt and a few blocks from Alexanderplatz is quite nice and very well located. €100-180

H4 Alexanderplatz - This large, slightly corporate-feeling hotel is in a great location a few blocks north of Alexanderplatz. The rooms are big and comfy, you have easy access to the sights (and the metro), and the price is very good. €90-175

Hotel AMANO Rosenthaler - A local chain of midrange hotels that all go for slick and boutique style, this is their outpost near Rosenthaler Platz. The rooms are quite nice, the rooftop bar is great, and you have the option of regular rooms or apartments. This part of Mitte feels a bit more local and residential and is walking distance to very pleasant Prenzlauer Berg. €80-200

Circus Hotel - This small and locally-owned hotel on Rosenthaler Platz is cheerful and youthful, with a very social atmosphere. The rooms are pleasant and the staff is always exceedingly friendly and helpful. €70-200

2. Prenzlauer Berg

Pros: Relaxed and local vibe, lots of attractively restored nineteenth-century buildings, family-oriented, well-connected to Mitte and the rest of Berlin, great food scene

Cons: Not many major tourist sites, might be too gentrified for some, not much nightlife

*A stretch of Schönhauser Allee. Photo:* *CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons*

*The Thursday “eco market” in Kollwitzplatz. Photo:* *Fridolin freudenfett*, *CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons*

Situated in the northeast of the inner-city, Prenzlauer Berg is known as one of the most pleasant neighborhoods in the city. It also has a reputation for being Berlin’s most ‘family-friendly’ district, which might be a good or bad thing depending on your own view on such areas. As someone who raised a kid here, I quite like it, but recognize that I’m a little biased. I definitely understand how annoying helicopter parents and screaming toddlers in cafes can be!

Honestly, that stereotype is quite old and outdated by now though, and the kids of the families that moved here after the Wall fell in the 1990’s and 2000’s are now young adults, making the demographic much less predominantly family-oriented. It's now just a really nice area that's popular with pretty much everyone, but especially well-to-do locals and expats in their late 20s, 30s, and 40s.

The neighborhood is excellently connected to neighboring Mitte as well as to other neighborhoods thanks to a well-distributed mix of metro, tram, and bus stops all throughout. You can pretty much get anywhere and everywhere quickly and seamlessly from here.

When it comes to accommodation, this is a mostly residential area, so there aren’t tons of hotels, but you have a few good options as well as plenty of short-term apartment rentals.

Such has been the success of gentrification that visitors are often surprised to learn that Prenzlauer Berg was part of the former East. Look at photos from the 1980’s and you’ll see rows of crumbling tenements with bullet-riddled facades and decaying balconies, all heated by coal and generally neglected. Things are very different these days and those shells of apartments have all been tastefully renovated, with cafés, bars, galleries, grocery stores, and independent boutiques of all kinds often lining the ground floors.

In general, I think Prenzlauer Berg is a great base for visitors spending more than just a couple days in the city and who want a pleasant, relaxed, and local neighborhood atmosphere. If you're in your 20s, looking to party, or want to experience "gritty” Berlin, you should look at options like Neukolln and Friedrichshain.

Some neighborhood specifics

To find the most charming parts of the neighborhood, I’d suggest aiming for the squares and streets that intersect the district’s three main boulevards: Schönhauser Allee, Prenzlauer Allee, and Greifswalder Allee. The area’s best known square is Kollwitzplatz and the streets around it - Rykestraße, Husemannstraße, and Kollwitzstraße - are some of the most quintessentially handsome, with wide cobbled lanes, expensively restored buildings, and restaurants and cafes that spill out onto the pavements in summer. It’s really lovely.

The weekly Saturday market at Kollwitzplatz is popular too, as is the Sunday one at the nearby Kulturbrauerei - a former brewery that now hosts concert venues, a cinema, and nightclubs. The Christmas market here is also especially cute.

To the north of Kollwitzplatz lies the equally scenic Helmholtzplatz. Three streets around here - Lychener Straße, Schliemannstraße and Dunckerstraße - were nicknamed the LSD quarter during the GDR, a reference to their dissident character. Today, the punks and squatters are long gone and the area is surrounded by the usual mix of playgrounds, bars, cafes, indie shops, and restaurants.

Another popular street for strolling is Oderberger Straße, which cuts across Kastanienallee and leads to Mauerpark, the district’s main park, which has a distinctive history since it used to form part of the Berlin Wall’s death strip. As well as hosting a popular flea market and public karaoke sessions on Sundays (the latter only in warm weather), the park also forms part of the official Berlin Wall Memorial, which runs all the way along Bernauer Strasse into Mitte. I think the memorial here is much more interesting than the more touristy East Side Galley in Friedrichshain.

Where to stay

Linnen - Directly in front of wonderful Maeurpark, this small and intimate hotel is one of my absolute favorites. It has only has six rooms, all of them delightfully furnished, and is set inside what feels like a plush private home (which it basically is). There’s not much in the way of amenities, but the friendly owners are at hand for local tips, and the rooms are beautiful. €160-260

Hotel Oderberger - Set inside a former nineteenth-century bathhouse, this lovely boutique hotel is probably the second nicest in Prenzlauer Berg. Many historic elements have been preserved through the public areas and in the rooms, and there’s also a pool and sauna (open to the public like in the old days), as well as a pleasant bar. €180-230

Myer’s Hotel - This discreet hotel is set inside a renovated nineteenth-century neoclassical building. The design is rather eclectic (and in some cases straight up strange) and the 51 rooms come in a range of shapes and sizes, but are all elegant and tastefully furnished. There’s a lounge, art gallery, and garden. €200-230

Bensimon Apartments - These serviced apartments are modern, quite nice, and in a great part of the neighborhood. You have a mix of studios and one bedrooms. €200

Limehome Apartments - Modern 1 bedroom apartments at the southern end of the neighborhood. They're fairly simple, but well taken care of and the location puts you walking distance to everything in Prenzlauer Berg as well as Alexanderplatz. €120-180

Hotel Kastanienhoff - Pleasant mid-sized hotel that is locally owned. The style is old fashioned, but in a good way, and it's located in a beautiful part of the neighborhood. If you're coming with a car, they also have their own parking. €100-150

Old Town Hotel - Another small locally-owned, the rooms here are simple, but comfortable and always immaculately clean. It's a quick walk into central Prenzlauer Berg, adjacent to a tram stop, and the price is good. €100

East Seven - A laid-back hostel that's been around for years and is right on the border of Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg. It has dorms as well as private single, double, and triple rooms. The public areas are clean and functional and they have a nice lounge with books and boardgames. It is very much not a party hostel, so you'll have no problem getting a good night's sleep. €30-80

3. Friedrichshain

Pros: Lively and youthful in the central areas, close to Mitte, still has a distinctly urban flair, great nightlife and clubbing

Cons: Can be noisy and rowdy around Boxhagener Platz and Simon-Dach-Straße, not many major sights, some of the residential areas are a bit boring

*The weekly market at Boxhagener Platz. Photo:* *Fridolin freudenfett*, *CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons*

*Simon-Dach-Straße leading off Boxhagener Platz. Photo:* *Fridolin freudenfett*, *CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons*

Alongside Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain was one of the main inner-city districts in former East Berlin. It went through a similar progression after the fall of the Berlin Wall in terms of becoming a grungy-but-cool hang-out for squatters and punks, then a favorite among early 2000s hipsters, and ultimately, like Prenzlauer Berg, has succumbed to serious gentrification, albeit a bit more slowly.

Also like Prenzlauer Berg, it’s popular with families and a mix of locals and young-ish expats who can afford the ever-rising rents. Since the neighborhood remains slightly cheaper than Prenzlauer Berg and has more tightly hung onto its “edgy” origins, it’s still home to a younger crowd of students, hipsters, and young creatives who help keep the bars and clubs ever-busy. It’s also well-connected to the rest of the city via trams, buses, and trains.

The district’s main central square, Boxhagener Platz - or “Boxi” to locals - is surrounded with cafés, bars, and shops. I especially like coming here on weekends as the vibe is generally upbeat thanks to the weekly Saturday food market and Sunday flea market.

Leading off from Boxi is Simon-Dach-Straße, known as a ‘party street’ thanks to its abundance of drinking spots, several of them at the cheaper and trashier end of things. Nearby is the Raw-Gelände, a sprawling former railway repair yard that’s very “Berlin”, with lots of international street art, several bars and clubs, a climbing wall set in a former bunker, and a great skating hall.

The farther you move away from Boxi, the more residential the district becomes. While there aren’t many tourist sights, I really enjoy just walking around here and taking in the vibe. Specific streets worth a look include the Knorrpromenade, a heritage-protected street lined with some beautifully preserved buildings, and Sonntagstraße, which is lively on the weekends and leads on to the Ostkreuz train station.

If you like clubbing, this is definitely an area to consider, in big part thanks to the presence of legendary techno temple Berghain (near the Ostbahnhof train station), the “://about blank” club near (Ostkreuz station), and smaller party spots such as Oxi. Also typically buzzing in the evenings is Warschauer Straße, which runs down to the River Spree.

In general, I think Friedrichshain is a good choice if you're planning on doing some clubbing, Prenzlauer Berg sounds a bit too "mainstream” or “yuppie”, or you just want to stay somewhere that's central and nice, but feels local and retains more of the East Berlin vibe.

Some neighborhood specifics

Despite the increasing presence of corporate buildings - the Amazon Tower and the Uber Arena are here - there are still lots of cool spots like the Monster Ronsons karaoke bar, the Michelberger hotel and bar (which has live concerts), and loads of spätis (casual stores selling beer with tables outside) and fast-food outlets.

Warschauer Straße, and the neighborhood’s southern boundary, end at the historic red-bricked Oberbaumbrücke (Oberbaum bridge), a former border checkpoint that crosses the Spree river over to Kreuzberg.

Next door to there, on the Friedrichshain side running along the river, is the East Side Gallery, an original stretch of the Berlin Wall that continues west along the Spree for over a kilometer. It’s not my favorite place as it’s usually rammed with tourists and is right next to a four-lane traffic route, but it’s still a Berlin classic and somewhere you’ll almost certainly feel obligated to visit.

One street I unreservedly recommend people visit is Karl-Marx-Allee, a showpiece boulevard built by the GDR between 1952–1960. It’s over a mile long and its grand Soviet buildings house coveted apartments along with shops, art galleries, and unique venues such as the Computer Games Museum.

Where to stay

Indigo East Side - A very good mid-range option that looks right over the East Side Gallery (and the Spree river) and is right next to the Uber Eats arena and Warschauer Straße. Rooms are surprisingly stylish for this price range, and there’s a great rooftop bar (with terrace) and an in-house restaurant. €120-180

Michelberger Hotel - One of the city’s most unique hotels, the Michelberger is set inside a huge former factory and balances a sleek, design-forward aesthetic with a laid-back, welcoming vibe. As well as cool rooms it also has a courtyard for concerts, a bar, and an above-average restaurant. It's a quick walk across the river into the adjacent neighborhood of Neukölln too. €110-180

Nhow Hotel - Situated just down from the Oberbaumbrücke (Oberbaum Bridge - Berlin's most famous bridge) and overlooking the Spree River, this large hotel has a splashy, colorful, and very quirky interior. The theme is musical with an in-house recording studio and guitars and keyboards you can rent for the rooms. There’s also a decent gym and spa. €100-150

Numa Friedrichshain Apartments - Nice serviced apartments in a good part of the neighborhood near Boxhagener Platz and the metro. The whole place is brand new and the rooms are colorful and pleasant. €110-130

Amano East Side - Another great AMANO spot, this one is close to the Ostbahnhof train station and the East Side Gallery. It has dapper boutique-style rooms, a rooftop terrace, and a great location for anyone planning on some clubbing; Berghain (the techno club) is just a short walk away. €80-150

Nu Wave Hotel - Basic and extremely minimalist, this is a decent no-frills hotel with a good location just a few blocks away from Boxhagener Platz, Friedrichshain's main square. The area is pretty local, which is nice, and close to lots of good nightlife and dining options. €100

4. Kreuzberg

Pros: Buzzy and multicultural with plenty of bars, live music venues, and clubs; great foodie scene including Markthalle 9; more sedate on the western side; a few interesting museums

Cons: Can be busy and loud in some areas; a few traffic-heavy and charmless streets

*Always lovely Chamissoplatz. Photo:* *HMUHH*, *CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons*

*Ever-trendy Oranienstraße. Photo:* *Jens Cederskjold*, *CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped*

Just to the west across the river from Friedrichshain and immediately south of Mitte, Kreuzberg is the former beating heart of inner-city West Berlin and a center of the punk and counterculture scene that emerged in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

It was once a working class and fairly neglected area that was home to a heady mix of Turks, Arabs, and other Middle Eastern communities that were invited to move and work here in the 1960’s, anarchists and squatters who settled during the heyday of the Cold War, and then lots of hipsters and creatives who moved in in the early 2000s.

The area is now barely recognizable from it's not-so-distant past as gentrification has progressed at warp speed. In today's Berlin, this is one of the city's most desirable and most expensive districts, with a mix of wealthy (mostly young) locals and expats who have flocked here for jobs in tech and other high-paying industries.

Despite retaining very little of its grungy and immigrant origins, the district’s easy accessibility to the center via bus and metro and its long-standing reputation as an edgy party district have kept it interesting and exciting - especially the eastern part, which used to butt right up against the Berlin Wall and remains synonymous with urban grittiness, street art, and indie concert venues and clubs. It's youthful and always lively.

Although you'll sometimes see people refer to Kreuzberg as dangerous, anyone who says this probably hasn't been to Berlin in 20 years. You'll now find all sorts of trendy eateries ranging from vegan to Vietnamese-French fusion, third wave coffee shops, and boutique shops. It still has pockets of "grunginess”, but it's nothing like what it once was.

The western part of the neighborhood (heading in the direction of Potsdamer Platz) is much quieter than the eastern part (closer to the river). If you're traveling with children, are older, or just prefer a quieter and more residential atmosphere, you'll probably prefer the western part. If you're younger or just like busy, happening areas - and can put up with crowds, some nighttime noise, and a little bitty of grittiness - you'll probably very much enjoy the east.

I like Kreuzberg and think it's a very convenient and pleasant neighborhood to base yourself, but it does feel a bit like a place that doesn't know what it is anymore. It hasn't quite made peace with the fact that it's just a regular nice neighborhood now and it often feels much more international than local. For the average visitor this may not really matter, but if you want to really feel like you're in Berlin, you might prefer some of the other neighborhoods I've mentioned.

Some neighborhood specifics

Staying around here - probably in a rental apartment as the hotels in this district are a bit scattered - will put you in easy distance of a few very interesting places:

Kottbusser Tor, or as some locals call it, Little Istanbul, which still has a slightly rough vibe at night; nearby Oranienstraße, where bars and art galleries rub shoulders with lively eateries and music venues; and the gritty but much-loved Görlitzer Park, which has a slightly seedy atmosphere due to the open presence of drug dealers. Although incidents are relatively rare, they do happen so definitely exercise some caution if it’s your first time.

By contrast, the western part of Kreuzberg is quieter and less gritty, epitomized by pleasant Bergmannstraße, which has its own food hall in the shape of the historic Marheineke Markthalle, and is lined with restored Altbaus and dreamy squares such as Chamissoplatz, and the genteel Viktoria Park, which offers not only a lovely green space but some great views over the city.

Running east-to-west through the middle of the neighborhood is the Landwehr Canal, a lovely little stretch of water that’s lined by green spaces where people come to hang out, grab drinks, and just relax. It’s a lovely place to go for a stroll or sit around and people watch.

As well as exploring the neighborhood, it’s worth making some time to visit some of the many excellent museums here. I would recommend the Jewish Museum Berlin, designed by architect Daniel Liebeskind; the Berlinische Galerie, which presents modern art, architecture, graphic design, and photography by Berliners from 1870 to the present day; and the Topography of Terror, which documents the atrocities committed during the Nazi regime.

Where to stay

Orania Berlin - Probably the fanciest hotel in Kreuzberg, the Orania is located right on Oraniaplatz pretty much smack in the middle of the neighborhood. Its location is ideal because you're close to the galleries and museums of west Kreuzberg (and Mitte) but also adjacent to all the fun in edgy east Kreuzberg. The rooms are design-savvy with lots of textiles and lovely woods and the hotel bar is great. €200-300

Bob W Mitte Apartments - Excellent serviced apartments on the border between Kreuzberg and Mitte. You're walking distance to Museum Island, Alexanderplatz across the river, and Kreuzberg's attractions. You're also just a block and a half from the Heinrich-Heine-Straße metro stop. The only downside is that there's not much in your immediate surroundings as it's mostly hotels in this little area. €120-220

Motel One Mitte - Despite the name referencing Mitte, this hotel is very much in Kreuzberg. It's a medium-sized modern hotel with simple rooms that are small, but comfortable, well-appointed, and immaculate. The location is good and you're directly next to the Moritzplatz metro stop. €90-190

Wil7 Boutique Hotel - In a quiet and very pleasant part of west Kreuzberg near the Jewish Museum, this little locally-run hotel is a great choice for people who typically like B&Bs and who want to stay in an area that feels really local and lived in. Multiple metro stops are nearby, there are galleries/museums around you, and there are plenty of restaurants. The rooms are pretty basic, but nice. €110-150

Grimm’s Hotel - Right on the border between Mitte and Kreuzberg, and very close to the Spree River and sights on Museum Island, this is a reasonably priced and rather modern 3-star hotel with a nice mix of apartments and standard rooms. €120-€150

The Yard - This cool four-star in west Kreuzberg is close to the Jewish Museum and has 55 smart, extremely modern, and well-equipped rooms. It has a sauna, an indoor pool, a fitness room and a very lovely garden courtyard. It's right next to the Landwehr Canal (great for walks) and in a convenient, but quiet area. €80-140

5. Neukölln

Pros: Good bars and nightlife; unique mix of arty and immigrant communities; cheap but good eats; a very ‘real’ atmosphere; next to the wonderful Tempelhof Park

Cons: Feels run-down in some parts; crowded and rather charmless on the major avenues; not many major sights; a bit far from other places of interest; very few hotels

*Hermannplatz square seen from Hermanstrasse. Photo:* *A.Savin, FAL,* *via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped*

*Looking toward Fuldastraße and to the Martin-Luther-church from Karl-Marx-Straße. Photo:* *Dguendel*, *CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons*

Neukölln is something of an anomaly in Berlin, perhaps even in Europe; an inner-city area that is overtly working class, even poor in parts, and largely defined by a large immigrant population, namely Turks, Lebanese, Kurds, and Arabs. Some of these people are ‘guest workers’ that came in the 1960s and settled down while others are much more recent arrivals.

Over the last 10-15 years there’s been a significant influx of western creatives, “hipsters”, and students who have been priced out of more expensive districts, but the neighborhood is still very much an immigrant and ethnic enclave.

This all creates a really interesting atmosphere that is energetic, creative, and unique. It’s not always the easiest neighborhood on the eye - buildings can be run down, traffic is heavy (and not very orderly), and some areas can be a little unkempt - but it’s diverse, lively, and has a distinctive energy. Being far less gentrified than the other neighborhoods that I’ve recommended so far, it also presents a very different view of central Berlin.

To be clear, Neukölln is an absolutely massive area and there's not much reason that you'd want to stay anywhere south of the A100 highway, so you can pretty much focus your search on the area that runs from the Grenzallee metro stop north to the Hermannplatz stop. This is also the nicest (and most convenient) part of the neighborhood and the most gentrified, with a great mix of locals and immigrants/expats from all over the world.

For green space, along the Spree River you have the gorgeous Treptower Park and all along the Landwehr Canal you have great cafes, restaurants, and bars that are perfect for sitting and watching the world go by. In the evenings, the bridges that span the canal are a favorite hangout spot for locals who congregate - usually beer in hand - to chat and mingle.

For dining, you have all manner of Middle Eastern cuisine as well as lots of trendy cafe-style options serving food from all over the world. One thing you won't find much of, however, is traditional German food! Prices tend to be quite good.

The nightlife scene here is very solid, and if you want to be in the thick of it, I’d suggest looking for something near Weserstrasse, which is in the east of neighborhood near the Spree River. You can bar-hop for days around there, mixing it up in pubs and wine bars, cocktail spots, and small clubs that cater mostly - but not exclusively - to a western expat crowd.

Most of the district has decent connections to the west and center of the city, but it can take longer a long time to get to more eastern neighborhoods like Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain.

There aren’t many hotels, but you will find plenty of apartment rentals.

Neukölln is very much a neighborhood that divides opinion. It's chaotic, overcrowded, in your face political (left wing), not very well maintained, and uninterested in tourists. It's also energetic, creative, multicultural, and really interesting. If you want a very Berlin experience with a bit of grit, it might be right up your alley. If you want to stay somewhere calm, charming, elegant, or “easy", it most definitely won't be!

Some neighborhood specifics

Although there are no real major sights in Neukölln, there’s quite a lot of art, mostly in the shape of small local galleries and collectives. One larger one is KINDL - the Centre for Contemporary Art, which is set inside a former brewery and offers installations, performances, and regular events.

The nightlife scene here is very solid, and if you want to be in the thick of it, I’d suggest looking for something near Weserstrasse, which is in the east of neighborhood near the Spree River. You can bar-hop for days around there, mixing it up in pubs and wine bars, cocktail spots, and small clubs that cater mostly - but not exclusively - to a western expat crowd.

The district's main streets - Hermannstraße, Karl Marx Straße, and Sonnenallee - are traffic-heavy and unglamorous places, with lots of cheap kebab and falafel joints (some really excellent ones thrown in amongst the mix), casinos, late-night kiosks, and local pubs. One of the main squares, Hermannplatz, is much the same, although it’s definitely always lively.

But that’s far from the whole picture, and there are also more vibrant and trendy areas to find accommodation in (or just hang out in), like the Reuterkiez, in the north of the neighborhood, which overlaps with Kreuzberg’s Graeferkiez and is sometimes nicknamed "Kreuzkölln". This is a very cool area with lots of nice restaurants, bars, cafes, shops, and everything else you might want.

To the south, the area of Schillerkiez is very hip, with nicer apartment buildings and lots of great dining, nightlife, and alternative shopping options. It also has the advantage of being close to Tempelhofer Feld, a former airport that’s been transformed into a vast leisure area.

And then there’s the recreated village of Rixdorf; originally founded in 1737 by Bohemian refugees, it now hosts historic houses, stables and blacksmiths, as well as several great pubs and restaurants.

Where to stay

Estrel - This four-star is actually Germany’s largest hotel,, forming part of a sprawling convention and entertainment centre. It offers live shows, a spa, 1,125 rooms and suites, four restaurants, three bars, and an open air location with its own landing pier. Not exactly intimate but decent quality throughout. €110-250

Hüttenpalast - Located in a former vacuum cleaner factory, this off-beat establishment is somehow typical Neukölln. It offers lovingly restored vintage campervans and cosy huts inside two indoor halls as well as a few standard hotel rooms, plus a shared courtyard garden and a dedicated café for breakfast. €70-120

6. Charlottenburg

Pros: Quite a few big sights, close to Tiergarten Park, lots of great hotels, good shopping and restaurants, some great photo galleries

Cons: Lacks urban edge, beholden to mainstream consumerism, tacky in some places, can feel nondescript

*Savignyplatz in Charlottenburg. Photo:* *Uwe Thobae*, *CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons*

*Looking out over a commercial stretch Charlottenburg from the Europa Center. Photo:* *Sebastian Rittau*, *CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons*

The western counterpart to Mitte, separated from the city center by the vast Tiergarten Park, Charlottenburg is synonymous with what’s called ‘West Berlin’ or ‘City West’ -, and it’s an unapologetically commercial area with lots of shopping, cultural venues, and hotels. It’s a bit of a world unto itself but is still well connected to Mitte and other districts via fabulous public transport links - a ride on the S-Bahn train will get you to downtown in just 15 minutes.

Known for its mix of tourists and well-heeled locals who cluster around the famous Ku’Damm Avenue and Bahnhof Zoo areas (FYI - this is the name for the area around a subway station, not an actual Zoo), the district was its own city until 1920.

A big deal with intellectuals and fashionistas during the prewar (Weimar) period, it mostly maintained its appeal in the Cold War era, providing a mainstream alternative to edgy Kreuzberg, though in the 1980s, the Bahnhof Zoo area became known for drugs, homelessness, and prostitution.

Recent redevelopments have brought the Zoo area back to life again, and the surroundings now boasts swanky hotels such as the Waldorf Astoria and 25Hours (both of which I recommend), as well as the trendy new contemporary Bikini Mall, the C/O Berlin photo gallery, and tourists sights spanning the (actual) Berlin Zoo and Aquarium, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, and the Helmut Newton photo gallery.

The western half of the neighborhood, near the Charlottenburg Palace and Lietzensee Park, is more residential, upscale, and livable than the parts closer to Tiergarten which are much busier and more commercial with wide traffic-heavy streets and tall apartment blocks. It has a good dining scene (with particularly good Chinese food), lots of theaters, and loads of cultural institutions.

Despite having plenty of hotels, this is not a totally tourist-oriented area and it's also not all that international, which I actually think can be nice. You'll hear more German than English spoken on the street and the restaurants, businesses, and shops cater to locals.

It's a nice option if you want to stay somewhere upscale and busy, but that's more local and lived in than downtown.

Some neighborhood specifics

Ku’damm avenue is still going strong, although it's perhaps not as glamorous as it was in its heyday. Nonetheless, it still has the big-name fashion stores and fancy hotels (like Hotel Zoo). The parallel street of Kantstrasse, has much less glam, but has become something of a foodie hub, especially for affordable Asian cuisine.

A stay here also means great access to the Tiergarten Park, Berlin’s premier green space. If you stay closer to Savignyplatz, you’ll undoubtedly find yourself thoroughly enjoying your strolls along the surrounding streets, which exude a definite bourgeois charm. A little further away is Charlottenburg Palace, a big hitter sight complete with baroque gardens and the Käthe Kollwitz Museum.

Where to stay

Waldorf Astoria Berlin - One of Berlin’s finest five-stars, this impressive hotel is located right next to the increasingly trendy Zoologischer Garten area in City West. It’s an upscale all-rounder, with a mix of Art Deco and contemporary interiors, a cocktail bar and all-day restaurant, plus one of the biggest spas in the city. €400-500

Sir Savigny - This intimate hotel has a great location close to the eponymous Savignyplatz. It's walking distance from the Zoo Bahnhof area and has a very upscale and boutique feel with swanky public areas, exceedingly interesting rooms, and an excellent on-site Omakase concept restaurant. €225-325

Hotel Zoo - This historic hotel is situated right on the famous Ku’damm avenue. It was overhauled and reopened in 2014, now offering a flamboyant, design-savvy interior with very fashionable rooms and common spaces. If you like plush furniture, lots of velvet, and bright colors, you'll probably like it. The on-site GRACE restaurant is quite good and you also have an intimate cocktail bar. €175-200

25Hours Bikini - 25Hours is a German hotel chain that I really like. This one, right near the Zoo as well as a train and metro stop, is located inside a 1950s high-rise that has been really nicely renovated with stylish and fun decor. It also has a buzzy rooftop bar and restaurant. €120-220

Other neighborhoods to consider

If you’re only staying in Berlin for a few days, staying in or close to the center is the ideal option, as you really do want to be nearby to all the main sights and have a good selection of restaurants, bars, galleries etc. However, if you’re a returning visitor, you’ll be staying in town for a while, or you just want to try something a little different and live more like a local, you might want to consider the following neighborhoods:

Schöneberg

*Nollendorfplatz. Photo:* *A.Savin, FAL, via Wikimedia Commons*

*12 Apostles church and surroundings in Schoneberg. Photo:* *A.Savin*, *CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons*

This district, or the area around Nollendorfplatz (“Nolli”) at least, has been known as the heart of Berlin’s LGBT+ community since the 1920’s, though overall it’s generally a very diverse and laid-back district with a mix of very quiet and more vibrant areas. Transport connections are fairly good here, but less so than in neighboring Charlottenburg, for example.

In addition to the many gastro and nightlife offerings around Nolli, nearby Winterfeldtplatz has a great vibe and a large weekly food and flower market on Sundays. For shopping, streets like Goltzstraße, Akazienstraße and other side streets feature lots of small shops selling clothing, flowers, gifts, and furnishings. Elegant Viktoria-Luise-Platz and the surrounding Bavarian Quarter in the west are pleasant and peaceful spots for strolling and dining.

The busiest intersection is around Wittenbergplatz and Tauentzienstraße, which is more of a shopping area and more akin to Charlottenburg in terms of vibe. It’s also home to the famous luxury department store KaDeWe.

Another interesting intersection is around Kurfürstenstraße, Potsdamer Straße, and Bülowstraße, which have a bit of a seedy rep for prostitution but in recent years have become home to some very hip galleries and restaurants, especially along Potsdamer Straße.

Wedding

A row of houses on the Schulstraße. Photo: Dguendel, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pronounced ‘Vedding’, this interesting district extends north of Mitte and is characterized by a large immigrant population of Asians, Turks, Africans, and westerners.

Known as a working-class district for much of its existence, it still carries a much less gentrified vibe than, say, neighboring Prenzlauer Berg, with more social housing and workaday or occasionally run-down areas.

It’s much-loved by many precisely for its stubborn resistance to gentrification though - the local saying "Wedding kommt" meaning "Wedding is up and coming” is now typicall used ironically - and it’s a great area if you’re seeking something affordable and regular (apartments rather than hotels), with no major sights and no frills.

There are some very cool craft beer pubs, restaurants, and venues dotted around the district, as well as some very charming corners and areas. The Uferstudios, a complex of dance and performance studios, are a source of local pride, as is Silent Green, an art and music space inside a crematorium. The local Humboldthain park also has a former flak tower to explore, as well as a community swimming pool.

Where to Stay in Berlin - A Local’s Neighborhood Guide

Berlin planning cheatsheet

My favorite hotels in Berlin

Guided tours and activities

How to get around

Overview of Berlin’s layout

Quick summary of my 6 recommended neighborhoods

Map of my suggested hotels

1. Mitte

Where to stay

2. Prenzlauer Berg

Where to stay

3. Friedrichshain

Where to stay

4. Kreuzberg

Where to stay

5. Neukölln

Where to stay

6. Charlottenburg

Where to stay

Other neighborhoods to consider

Schöneberg

Wedding

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