Where to stay in Germany: best areas and types of hotel

Germany rewards two or three bases, not a new hotel every night. Trains between the big cities take 1–4 hours, so a Berlin–Munich or Berlin–Cologne pairing costs you half a day of travel, not a whole one.

Inside a city, the address matters more than the star rating. A three-star hotel 300 m from a U-Bahn stop beats a four-star on a ring-road edge. Outside the cities, the German guesthouse tradition — Gasthof, Pension, Hotel Garni — gives you a clean room, breakfast and a host who knows the area, often for less than a chain.

Berlin is a spread-out city of neighbourhoods, so choose the area that matches your evenings. Mitte puts you among the museums and the Brandenburg Gate but is quiet after dark and pricier. Kreuzberg and Neukölln are for food, bars and a younger crowd, with U-Bahn lines into the centre in 10–15 minutes. Prenzlauer Berg is calm, leafy and family-friendly. Charlottenburg suits museum-goers and shoppers on the west side. Wherever you pick, stay within about 10 minutes' walk of a U-Bahn or S-Bahn station; Berlin taxis and late buses are not cheap.

Munich is compact and expensive in the centre. The Altstadt around Marienplatz is convenient but the noisiest and dearest. Schwabing and Maxvorstadt are student-and-museum districts with good tram links. Near Hauptbahnhof is functional and handy for day trips to the Alps and castles. For Oktoberfest, the Theresienwiese area books out first and prices triple.

Hamburg: the Altstadt and Speicherstadt are central and walkable; St Pauli and Sternschanze are for nightlife; the HafenCity is new and quiet. Cologne: stay in the Altstadt or near the Hauptbahnhof for the cathedral and Kölsch taverns, or in the Belgian Quarter for bars and food. Dresden: the Altstadt and Neustadt are both walkable, with Neustadt cheaper and livelier. Stuttgart: the centre around Schlossplatz is convenient, and Bad Cannstatt suits spa and museum visits.

For smaller places — Bamberg, Heidelberg, Freiburg, Görlitz, Lübeck — the old town is small enough that almost any central address works. Book early for December Christmas-market weekends, when the good rooms go first.

German accommodation splits into a few clear types. Hotels range from budget chains to grand old city hotels. Gasthöfe are country inns, often with a restaurant and a family running them. Pensions and Hotel Garni are guesthouses: a room plus breakfast, no restaurant. Ferienwohnung is a self-catering flat, common in the Black Forest, Bavaria and on the coast, and usually the best value for three or more nights. Hostels run from party places to quiet family hostels, and many now sell private rooms with a bathroom.

Expect to pay more in Munich, Frankfurt and Hamburg than in Leipzig, Dresden or the Ruhr. Trade fairs (Messe) can double or triple prices in Frankfurt, Munich, Cologne and Düsseldorf for a few days; check the city's trade-fair calendar before you fix dates. City tax is added on top in many places and is often collected at check-in; the rate varies by city.

Breakfast is usually worth taking in a Gasthof or Pension and often not worth it in a big city hotel, where cafés nearby are cheaper. Almost all rooms are non-smoking, and air conditioning is uncommon outside new business hotels — a real factor in a July heatwave.

Book 6–10 weeks ahead for April to October and for the December Christmas-market season, when city hotels fill and prices climb. For Oktoberfest in Munich, the Frankfurt Book Fair, Gamescom in Cologne and other big trade fairs, book 3–4 months ahead or accept whatever is left at the edges of the city.

Winter weekdays outside the markets and ski season are the softest dates: you can often book a few days ahead and pay less. If your dates are fixed by a flight, book the room as soon as the flight is confirmed — German cancellation policies are usually generous, with free cancellation up to 24–48 hours before arrival at chain and online-booking rates.

Two practical points: many small guesthouses still prefer a direct email or phone booking, and some accept only cash or EC card, not credit cards. Check before you arrive, and keep some euros for the first night.

German hotels are regulated and generally clean and well run, but a few habits differ from North America. Check-in is usually from 15:00 and check-out by 11:00; reception may close overnight in small guesthouses, so tell them if you arrive late. Rooms often have two single duvets on a double bed rather than one large one. Air conditioning is rare, and lifts are missing in many older buildings — ask if stairs are a problem.

You will need a passport or ID card at check-in, and the city tax is usually paid there. Tipping is not expected in hotels beyond rounding up or leaving a euro or two for housekeeping; restaurant tipping is separate. For payments, cards are widely accepted in cities but not everywhere in the countryside, so carry cash. If you are arriving by train, station-area hotels are convenient but pick the side facing away from the tracks if you want quiet.

Finally, Sunday matters: shops close, so buy what you need on Saturday. Station supermarkets and bakeries stay open, which is why a hotel near the Hauptbahnhof is more useful than it looks.