Where to stay in Berlin

Mitte is the historic core: Museum Island, St. Nicholas and St. Mary's churches, the Rotes Rathaus, the Fernsehturm and the Brandenburg Gate at the end of Unter den Linden. Staying there puts most sights within walking distance, and the Brandenburg Gate lies about 2 km by road from the centre of the locality.

Prenzlauer Berg, north of Mitte, is the most urban part of the borough of Pankow. From the 1960s it drew East Germany's counterculture, from Christian activists to independent artists, it was a site of the 1989 peaceful revolution, and it has gentrified fast since. Friedrichshain, east of Mitte and named after its park, counts among the city's trendy districts, and Kreuzberg, south of Mitte and one of West Berlin's poorest areas in the Cold War, is known for its arts scene and its community of Turkish descent.

Charlottenburg was an independent city west of Berlin until 1920 and keeps Charlottenburg Palace, the largest surviving royal palace in the city. Neukölln, the former Rixdorf south of Kreuzberg, has 163,184 inhabitants and is the closest of the six to BER, about 19 km by road.

Book the car on GetCar's car rental page for Berlin. Two points from GetCar's research on driving here matter for choosing a base. Every car inside the S-Bahn ring needs the green environmental sticker, EUR 100 without it, and German-registered rentals carry it. The fines for an expired ticket run from EUR 20 to 40 depending on the overrun, and parking on a pavement or cycle path costs EUR 55 (via GetCar).

Street parking in the inner districts is paid by the hour in zones set by each district, and the Senate publishes every zone with its hours and fee on its geoportal. On the September 2026 map, Mitte charges EUR 4 an hour from Monday to Saturday, 9:00 to 22:00, and the zone around Hackescher Markt charges on Sundays too. Charlottenburg is the cheapest of the six areas at EUR 2 an hour, Prenzlauer Berg charges EUR 2 to 3 until midnight, and Neukölln's zones charge EUR 4 on weekdays only. Handyparken by app, SMS or call bills by the minute after a one-time registration with a local provider.

A stay does not unlock a permit. Resident permits go to people who live and are registered in the zone, and the Senate now issues guest permits only in individual cases. For more than a day or two in the centre, a hotel with its own garage or a flat with a courtyard space spares a daily trip to the machine; ask before booking.

The City Tax, Übernachtungsteuer, is 7.5% of the price of the stay without VAT and without other services such as breakfast. Hotels, guesthouses, hostels, holiday flats and private rooms all count, and since 1 April 2024 business trips pay it too. The lodging business owes the tax and may pass it on in the price, so compare totals. Rooms carry 7% VAT; breakfast and other extras 19%.

Holiday flats fall under Berlin's ban on misusing housing. A whole flat can be let as a holiday flat only with a district permit, granted for the host's own main residence while the host is away or, for a second home, normally on at most 90 days a year. Every advert must show the district registration number of 17 characters; hotels and guesthouses are exempt. A host without a permit risks EUR 1,500 to 2,500 per month and flat, and an advert without a valid number EUR 1,000, EUR 2,000 when repeated.

The EU regulation on short-term rental data has applied since 20 May 2026, and Berlin changed its law for it on 17 June 2026. The Senate says its new system is still being tested, no new numbers are being issued, and hosts keep using their existing number until further notice.

At check-in, foreign guests sign a registration form, the Meldeschein, on the day of arrival and show a passport or identity card; hotels may do it electronically.

Check the registration number before paying for a flat. Hotels and guesthouses that show their company details are exempt; for a flat or a room in a home, ask the host for the number. While Berlin tests its new system, the districts issue no new numbers.

Settle the car before the booking: ask whether the hotel has a garage, what it costs and whether it takes the car's height, or whether the flat comes with a space. Compare prices on this page for the dates, and book the garage with the room.

Visitors from the UK and the US need no visa for up to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area. Since 10 April 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System takes their fingerprints and photo at the first external border, so allow time at the airport.

A first visit, the museums and the sights: Mitte.

Flats, cafés and quieter streets close to the centre: Prenzlauer Berg.

Nightlife: Friedrichshain or Kreuzberg.

Shopping on the Kurfürstendamm, the palace and the lowest parking rates: Charlottenburg.

A longer, local stay and the shortest drive from BER: Neukölln.