The Best Hotels in Germany for Every Traveller

Located near the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall, Nadine and Tom Michelberger opened their eponymous hotel as a labour of love. Their passion for creativity is infused throughout, and regular events held here include yoga and meditation. The Michelberger attracts a like-minded clientele, specifically visiting musicians, who enjoy relaxing post-gig in the courtyard. Room sizes vary from Cosy to the Big One, large enough for a band of six. The excellent restaurant specialises in seasonal organic dishes using ingredients from the Michelberger Farm.

The Dude is centrally placed in the Luisenstadt neighbourhood, regarded as party central. This boutique hotel in Germany’s capital may be housed in one of Berlin’s oldest buildings, but it exemplifies modernity. Parquet floors, Egyptian cotton bed linen and Bose Bluetooth sound systems are just some of the features found in the bedrooms. The Brooklyn restaurant serves American fine dining, washed down with one of 180 types of whiskey, and the YADA YADA ‘breakfast club’ provides a delicious buffet to soak up the night before.

In a former life, this neo-Gothic building was once home to the city’s archives. Michael Kaune, owner of both the hotel and the design magazine of the same name, has artfully curated the 34 rooms and suites. Using pieces that clearly have personal resonance, he’s created a love letter to design through the ages. Mid-century modern merges effortlessly with contemporary photography, nonchalantly crowned by a hand-painted medieval wooden ceiling dating back to 1390.

A swift 500m jaunt from Cologne’s trade fair building (Koelnmesse), Hotel Burns Art offers respite from its vast expanse with their own take on industrial chic. Edgy meets comfort under the watchful eye of designer Heiko Nemitz, whose minimalist vision brings street art indoors, leaving concrete exposed and adorning the corridors with modern portraits. The close proximity to the Claudius Therme thermal baths makes for an idyllic detour after a hard day’s selling and buying at the trade fair.

Sustainability is high on GINN’s agenda, which could be a legacy from the former occupant of the building, Greenpeace. Optimising its harbourside location, the hotel’s restaurant serves up the catch of the day from Hamburg’s neighbouring historic fish market. Unsurprisingly, they excel in seafood dishes as well as vegan, vegetarian and organic cuisine. The bedrooms and bathrooms offer comfort with functionality. Visiting the nearby U-Boat museum is a must for nautical and history fans.

Where else but Stuttgart, the hub of car manufacturing for luxury brands Porsche and Daimler AG, would you find a car-themed hotel operating in full throttle? The bedrooms are uniquely decorated with walls featuring an array of automotive scenes through the ages. Many of the beds are constructed from classic cars, while old parts are repurposed into furniture. The highlight is the four-levelled V12 Mercedes-Suite, which comes with its own sauna and roof terrace. They’re missing a trick by not renaming the sleeping quarters bed(vroom)vrooms…

Located in the heart of Dresden’s baroque Old Town, the gloriously domed Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) is a close neighbour of Vienna House QF Dresden. Some of the best shopping and restaurants in the vicinity can be found in the adjacent QF Passage shopping centre. Dachbar on the 6th floor is the perfect choice for an aperitif, to be enjoyed while drinking in the panoramic views from the terrace. The hotel is a mere five minutes from the city’s most revered piece of architecture, the Zwinger palace, which houses an inspiring collection of old masters, most notably Raphael’s mesmerising Sistine Madonna.

Since the hotel opened in 2016, Roomers’ rooftop bar and pool instantly became the coolest hangout in the spa town of Baden-Baden. Looking like a cluster of boxes have been dropped near the lush landscape of the Black Forest, the interior is an homage to contemporary style, courtesy of exemplary Italian designer, Piero Lissoni. Feted chef, The Duc Ngo, serves up pan-Asian cuisine, and the walk-in humidor contains a selection of cigar rarities. Small well-behaved pooches are welcome when pre-booking.

Oozing all the charm and character you’d expect from a wooden inn built in 1342, Hotel Drei Raben lures visitors in with tales of its three black ravens, who impart the secrets of the town. Their stories of old Nuremberg seep through to the themes and decor of the bedrooms, exemplified by room 21, where artist Hans Karl Busch created an homage to the world’s first pocket watch, known as the Nuremberg Egg. Come for a place to sleep, and stay for the enchanting folklore.