Where to stay in Berlin – a guide to the best areas and neighbourhoods

Conveniently called Mitte, or ‘middle’, the city centre is the best area to stay in Berlin for the traditional sightseer. Mitte encompasses many of the city’s tourist hubs, including Alexanderplatz, Potsdamer Platz, the Nikolaiviertel and Unter den Linden. Here you will find a heady mix of sights (Brandenburger Tor, Reichstag, TV Tower) alongside a buzzy blend of shops, cafés, restaurants and clubs that are more or less equally split between the touristy and the trendy.

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Just north of Mitte, this pleasant, gentrified neighbourhood is one of the best districts in Berlin for cobbled, tree-lined streets and squares that are lined with independent boutiques, chic coffee shops and an array of diverse restaurants. With the exception of the impressive Kulturbrauerei (a 19th-century brewery turned into a cultural and commercial area), there’s not much in the way of tourist sights, but its laid-back ambiance makes it popular with families and urban strollers.

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The heart of West Berlin’s punk scene in the 1970s, East Kreuzberg still offers visitors a quintessentially ‘alternative’ experience. It's one of the most multi-cultural districts in the city, thanks mainly to the Turkish and Middle Eastern ‘guest-workers’ that live and work around the Kottbusser Tor area. It’s also one of the liveliest and best places to stay in Berlin for nightlife thanks to a plethora of bars and clubs. Its western area, particularly around Bergmannstrasse, is contrastively elegant and peaceful.

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Once a grungy hang-out for squatters and punks, the former East Berlin district of Friedrichshain has gentrified somewhat since reunification. The commercialised area along the Spree features the East Side Gallery, the Mercedes Benz Arena and an increasing number of hotels and restaurants, while the streets that radiate out from neighbourhood hub Boxhagener Platz are awash with cafés, bars and boutiques. The nightlife remains edgy though thanks to clubs such as Berghain and those within the lively Raw Gelände complex.

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Usually synonymous with ‘West Berlin’ or ‘City West’, the upscale district of Charlottenburg has come into its own of late thanks to high-profile redevelopment (chic hotels, trendy malls) around the Bahnhof Zoo area. Its main boulevard, Ku’damm, has long been one of the city’s most famous for its high-end shops and well-heeled restaurants, while parallel Kantstrasse has quietly become one of the best neighbourhoods in Berlin for its hotbed of multicultural cafés and eateries, including many of the city’s best Asian hotspots.

If you stay for two nights, you will have at least one full day to see the main historic sights in Mitte (city centre), and two evenings to indulge in excellent restaurants, bars and nightclubs. However, any additional nights would give you a chance to visit a museum, gallery or shops.

The best attractions in East Berlin are Alexanderplatz; East Side Gallery; Mauerpark flea market; and contemporary art galleries. The best attractions in West Berlin are Brandenburg Gate; the Reichstag; Tiergarten; Charlottenburg Palace; and international shops on Kurfürstendamm. In the city centre are Checkpoint Charlie; Museum Island; Berlin Cathedral; and Gendarmenmarkt.