Berlin - best location?!
 

Is the Mitte the best section to stay when only having a few days in Berlin?

When doing some research there are so many different areas and I will not have a car and only 3 days to explore. I would like to be in the center of some sites so that we can walk rather than take transportation.

Being in Mitte, you can walk to almost any attraction, exceptions are Kurfurtensdamm and, out of Berlín, of course, Potsdam.
We did almost everithing walking, and we are in our sixties...

You probably did the same research we did -
everything I read suggests Mitte is best for tourists.

Mitte is a big area.
Close to the intersection of Unter den Linden and Fredrichstrasse
would be my choice.

Berlin is a big place. Even if you stay in the Mitte, it is still a chore to connect an attraction at one side of the city to another one on the opposite side. You might still want to get a transit pass to maximize your mobility. Of course, once you have decided to do that, you have more flexibilities with your accommodation choices. Also, if you are visiting places requiring timed reservations, you might have to use transit to connect between them.

thanks for all the responses! I have traveled quite a bit and never have as much difficulty choosing a hotel as I have with Berlin due to the size of the city

I had the same concerns. my first visit to the city...
Followed Thin's advice and stayed at hotel Melia ...great location.
Staying there again in July...it will be my fifth visit to the city.

Why not print a map of the city and dot those places and sights you plan to visit?
As most first time visitors, and not only those, have Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, Museum Island, Topography of Terror, Jewish Memorial, and the Berlin Wall memorial on their list, a location like the Melia's will bring you in walking distance of most.

Yet, where people do a lot of sightseeing during the day is not necessarily the hotspot for going out for dinner or drinks. The latter would be, just as an example, Hackescher Markt and Rosenthaler Platz neighborhoods (which are somewhat in walking distance of the Melia), but also Savignyplatz in Charlottenburg, or several pockets of Prenzlauer Berg district. Or in the Kreuzberg district between Görlitzer Bahnhof and Schlesisches Tor subway stations (only for the brave, just kidding).
None of the latter is in walking distance to Friedrichstr. and Unter den Linden, though.
So you may want to use public transport so and so much per day anyway.

As you noticed, the size of the city makes it impossible to find "the spot" -- but any hotel located outside the S-Bahn ring (which parallels the A100 freeway more or less) could be considered not ideally located for 95% of the visitors' purposes and needs.

I'm perfectly happy staying in the Kudamm area - - anywhere Charlottenburg/Wilmersdorf is perfectly fine. Some great prices too - - just make sure public transportation is nearby. Mitte can be a beast to walk extensively, so public transportation is a fine option (my fave though: rent a bike at Zoo or Alexanderplatz).

Often at www.hotels.de the prices drop close to travel time and you can get very low prices at very decent places (worth reading the reviews at hotels.de), since unless there is a major event, Berlin tends to have excess capacity.

It is not only a short U-Bahn or bus ride from Kudamm or thereabouts to Mitte, but it is an INTERESTING U-Bahn or bus ride to Mitte - - and the area can be more neighborhoody and relaxed.

I'm one who enjoys staying at the Potsdamerplatz ( Marriott, Hyatt, Mandala, Ritz, etc) because it's a very modern and well designed area. You can walk to the Brandenburg Gate, the holocaust memorial & parliament bldg and there are tons of restaurants, shops & entertainment center. It also gives easy direct access to the Mitte (the new jewel in East Berlin) as well as the old West Berlin (American sector built and looks like the 60's). Staying in the Mitte gives you the added benefit of being close to the artsy/bohemian Prenslauerberg area. Truth to be told, everything is easily accessed with the fantastic modern transportation network that Berlin has. As Danon & Cowboy have implied, you can be staying in the Mitte but in the wrong part of the Mitte especially if it is a long walk from the S or U bahn station.
If I don't stay in Potsdamerplatz, I usually like staying in Melia & nearby hotels or at any of the hotels on Gendarmenplatz. The Melia has the best concierge club room in the area which you automatically get if you stay in their concierge level, they call it the "Level". It has a nice breakfast room,free appetizers & dessert all day at the lounge and they also have a complimentary cognac & cigar room. I have also stayed a few times in Charlottenburg, if I have to return there again I would choose the Swissotel or Concorde.