A European capital and international centre Berlin has all the accommodation options you'd expect. International chains are clustered around the airport and city business centre, whereas in the suburbs you'll find gasthauses that are more distinctively German in style.

Berlin is still a city in transition and, with demand increasing, several new hotel developments are ongoing, particularly in the city centre and areas of East Berlin . The premier area is the Mitte (middle) district where you'll find a cluster of several high quality hotels.

In the West you'll find a pocket of top-end accommodation around the zoo where most visitors from Tegel will enter the city. Other hotels are sprinkled liberally throughout the Western half of the city with Berlin 's transport network extending the centre some way out into the suburbs. Prices and demand for hotel rooms tend to be higher in West Berlin although standards are not necessarily superior to hotels in the East.

You can't find a more central location then the newly developed Potsdamer Platz, with several five star properties having located here in recent years. The Tiergarten is only a short walk away, as are all of Berlin 's central attractions, including shops, sights and museums. At the other end of the spectrum, Berlin is also a very popular destination for young travellers and backpackers on extended tours. The result is that the suburbs are rich in large hotels offering comfortable but substantially discounted accommodation.

Berliners don't do things by halves and during any of the events in the city accommodation is at a premium. The festival season begins in the first couple of months of the year and in peak season there is some sort of event going on almost every weekend - or so it seems. For this reason you're well advised to book substantially in advance of your stay if it is anytime between May and September. At other times the city is quieter but it is still advisable to check hotel availability carefully.