Top 10: the best hotels in Mitte, Berlin
An insider's guide to the best hotels in Mitte, Berlin, including the top places to stay for hip design, Michelin-starred restaurants, historic buildings, trendy cocktail bars, rooftop pools and luxurious spas in locations near Museum Island, Gendarmenmarkt, Friedrichstrasse, Bebelplatz and the Berlin Wall Memorial.
Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin has fascinating history. It was restored in 1997 after being bombed to bits during the Second World War, and carries a nostalgic, Old Europe atmosphere throughout, from the dramatic elephant fountain and piano in the lobby, to the refined materials used in the public areas and rooms. The spa is a real highlight; a self-contained universe of luxurious pampering complete with heated pool, whirlpool, fitness centre, hair salon and treatments that range from underwater massages to professional yoga lessons. If you're interested in exploring, the hotel's location is excellent and provides a good base, with main attractions a short stroll away. And when it all gets too much, the hotel’s limousine service can pick you up.
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The hotel sits in one of Berlin’s most elegant squares: the historic Gendarmenmarkt, host to two domed cathedrals and an 18th-century concert house. Inside, interiors are a tasteful balance of spacious, light-filled public areas dotted with columns and modern gold, brown and cream colour schemes. There’s a health club, indoor pool, a beauty salon with Kerstin Florian body treatments and other services (including hair), plus a steam room. Rooms are warm and reasonably stylish without being over-the-top in terms of design, and most have views across the square or the rear garden. Domcurry and Listo Lobby Lounge serve lighter bites, while Mark Brandenburg, named after the rural area that surrounds Berlin, offers an aptly regional menu and lovely views of the German Cathedral.
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Service here is professional to a fault, with a butler and limousine service on request, special dog treatment service and room service around the clock. The hotel style nods heavily to its predecessor, the illustrious Kaisergalerie, destroyed in the Second World War, throughout. The public areas and rooms are equally stately, with high-quality furnishings and reassuringly neutral hues throughout. Splash out for a Grand Spa Suite which comes with a separate bedroom and living room, as well as sauna, whirlpool tub and the inevitable stunning view over Berlin. The Westin Spa & Fitness Lounge features a large indoor pool, whirlpool tub, beauty room and fitness centre, and on the second floor there’s a pleasant garden with fountains and pavilions.
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As the name suggests, this hotel brims with art. There are over 300 pieces dotted throughout, ranging from large pictures to smaller charcoal drawings - matching them to a chic designer palette of sumptuous greys, whites and bolder oranges plus a classy collection of funky furnishings. All rooms and suites feel impressively fresh and plush with crisp white walls adorned with Baselitz artworks, orange carpets matched to slick white designer furnishings. Those on the sixth floor have a shared balcony with lovely views across the rooftops to the TV tower and Alexanderplatz area. The Upside Down Bar and Restaurant nods to the arty theme too, with a series of colourful “Upside Down” artworks by Baselitz that hang on the walls.
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The Regent Berlin oozes five-star luxury. With marble, Biedermeier furnishings and watercolour paintings everywhere you look, Old World opulence is perhaps the best way to describe the overall aesthetic, with an appropriate emphasis on comfort and convenience throughout. The two-Michelin-starred Fischers Fritz restaurant, helmed by Chef de Cuisine Christian Lohse, offers some of the best seafood and fish dishes in Berlin, in a refined, airy space that has an open fire. The Gendarmenmarkt, with its graceful cathedrals and glamorous Konzerthaus, is right on the doorstep, Friedrichstrasse is around the corner and Big City sights like the Unesco-heritage Museum Island are all within a 10-minute amble. To add to the fine-dining, location and luxury, there is a comprehensive spa and a cocktail bar.
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The hotel occupies the site of a former Dresdner Bank building, which was built in 1889. The architects have retained many original features, especially in the spa, which is located downstairs where the bank vaults used to be, while crafting an interior that’s stately yet contemporary. The restaurant, La Banca, serves excellent Italian and Mediterranean food. It’s an elegant space - formal yet comfortable - with a pleasant terrace for alfresco dining in the summer. La Banca Bar does some of the finest cocktails in town and has regular live music. In warmer weather try the wonderful rooftop terrace, which offers majestic views across the city. The location is excellent - smack bang on Bebelplatz so superbly placed for a lot of Berlin’s main attractions.
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As well as being surrounded by myriad hip boutiques, restaurants and bars, historical sites like the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse are within easy walking distance, as is the tranquil, well-heeled district of Prenzlauer Berg. The 64-room eco-hotel has a welcoming, upbeat interior with a fairly luxurious atmosphere. Rooms and public spaces are minimal but warm with funky colour palettes and considered, high-quality furnishings throughout. There are two lovely outdoor areas – a leafy courtyard, and a rooftop terrace with an honesty bar for guests to help themselves. Fabisch restaurant, a large open-plan space that looks out onto the street, is named after the Jewish family that used to run a tailor shop on the premises and offers a broad menu that serves updated German classics.
If you’re coming to Berlin to explore its trendier side, the Amano is perfectly located. Step out of the front doors and you’re surrounded by the buzzy plethora of boutiques, bars, restaurants and galleries that line nearby Rosenthalerstrasse, Auguststrasse and Torstrasse. It’s also just a 20-minute walk to the more mainstream attractions of Museum Island and Unter den Linden. Interiors are contemporary and fairly luxuriant, especially in the lounge and bistro area, which features brushed copper, velvet upholstery and contemporary artworks by photographer Oliver Rath (whose gallery is right next door). The courtyard garden is small but very pleasant, and the rooftop terrace bar attracts a hip crowd. Hotel extras include bicycles and tandem bikes for hire.
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Soho House occupies eight floors of a late Bauhaus building in Mitte, a stroll from Alexanderplatz and close to Mitte’s burgeoning boutique and bar scenes. The building is of special historical interest even by Berlin standards, since it was previously used as a centre for Hitler’s Brownshirts and later as an archival depot for the Communist Party. In keeping with Berlin’s penchant for earthy chic, many of the dilapidated concrete walls have been left unfinished, interleaved with expensive original artworks and modernist sculptures. The restaurant is up on the Club Floor and serves international food. One floor up is the Rooftop Bar, which has its own Mediterranean-themed menu, city views, a small heated swimming pool and great cocktails and wines. A great hang out in the warmer months.
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The hotel’s distinctive skyscraper-style building fits perfectly into Potsdamer Platz’s NYC-esque cityscape but the interiors are classic Old Europe, with baroque chandeliers, marble staircases and Art Deco furnishings lending an aura of monied refinement throughout. Most rooms have views of either Potsdamer Platz or across the Tiergarten Park. There’s upscale European food and wonderfully relaxed service at the Brasserie Desbrosses, high-end drinks and cigars in the gentleman-club style Curtain Club lounge and bar, and classy, drinks at the new Fragrances bar, where all the cocktails are based on selected perfumes by renowned manufacturers. A comprehensive wellness area in the basement has a pool, whirlpool tub, sauna and fitness centre.