Five nights in Berlin - question 1: where shall I stay?

Question

After a fantastic trip last year (many thanks to The Tank, whose advice I printed off and followed almost to the letter!) I am going back again in September. This time I will be with my boyfriend. We'll be there for five nights, Sunday to Thursday.

Where should we stay? (The Hotel Tiergarten is full up...) I want to be near the centre of things. Last year I found somewhere using the tourist info at the Hauptbahnhof, but my boyfriend stresses out easily and will fret unless we have somewhere booked in advance.

I remember the Zoological Gartens being lively but also, um, a bit scuzzy. Is there anywhere less backpacker/studenty but still with things to do in the evening which are either nearby or an easy train/tube ride away?

I'd like a hotel with atmosphere - not a generic Holiday Inn. Mid-range in price - definitely below £100 a night for the two of us, not sure how easy that is with current exchange rates. And not in a street full of noisy pubs - I like to sleep at night!

Answer 1

Darn it! How dare the Hotel Tiergarten be full when I want my friends to have a room. I'll have to have words with Stefan (the manager) next time I go.

Thanks for your kind comments. I'm so glad that you enjoyed yourself and found my previous answer helpful.

Well .. my second best hotel is the Avantgarde in the Ku'Damm. Although it's on the main road it is an old hotel that doesn't suffer from the bland Americanised international sensations. The breakfast is also pretty darn good and beats many of the more expensive ones. This place is about 10 minutes from the Zoo.

The Zoo area is a bit naff but you have to admit that it makes an excellent Centre of Operations.

An alternative to the older hotels which I have used is the Hotel Park Consul. This is in Alt Moabit, about 200 metres from the Hotel Teirgarten. The Park Consul is more expensive than the others and is a bit more "up-market" in its decor but they still make you welcome and serve a usable brekky. They always remember me which, I suppose, is a good thing! Definately not in a street of noisy pubs, but the local "Eck" has a good atmosphere and is welcoming to English bods (well, us anyway).

The airport bus TXL stop is close. The Turmstrasse UBHf is almost next door and you're only 5 minutes walk from Bellvue S-Bhf or 20 minutes walk from the Hauptbahnhof.

Consider the Ibis Hotel, Ostbahnhof. (An der Schillingbrücke, 10243 Berlin, 030 257600). This is cheaper but not a 'backpacker' place. It's proximity to Ostbahnhof station means that you can pretty well anywhere easily and quickly. Incidentally, until a couple of years after the Wall came down this railway station was called Hauptbahnhof; the East German trains stopped there. The West German Inter-city trains stopped at the Zoo and only the S-Bahn crossed the old border.‎

The Wall passed down the middle of the road not far from this hotel. You may have to search hard but you might be lucky and find remnants of its foundation.