We are 2 couples in our 6o's and we can't seem to decide whether to stay in the Kudamm area or Mitte. We've read about great hotels in both sections. We are not walkers so we would need to be good transportation or taxis. We love shopping, dining and will plan to visit several museums. Thanks for your help.
june

My daughter is currently in Berlin right now on vacation and is staying on Potsdam Platz (sp?) and thinks that it is the best area for getting around to all parts of Berlin. She says that you can walk or take any form of public transportation from that area and its very convenient along with close proximity to museums,restaurants,etc.

both areas are very well communicated with bus and metro.
mitte is more "authentic" trendy.
kudamm more commercial.

there was a convenient half price or disoucnted ticket booth for theater and concerts not far from our hotel area.. maybe at zoogarten?

we stayed at the kempinski with a great deal, but would have been happy in mitte or near a canal.

both areas are very well communicated with bus and metro.
mitte is more "authentic" trendy.
kudamm more commercial.

there was a convenient half price or discounted ticket booth for theater and concerts not far from our hotel area.. maybe at zoogarten?

we stayed at the kempinski with a great deal, but would have been happy in mitte or near a canal.

I had a great stay at the Melia Berlin, which is right across the street from the Frederichstrasse station and a 10 to 15 minute walk to the Pergamon and Bode museums. Taxis were very easy to find at this location. The Berliner Ensemble theatre is just steps away, so there are good restaurants in this area too. I'm not a shopper, but the hotel is on the Frederichstrasse, with a lovely view of the Reichstag dome.

You can search online to get a good rate at the hotel.

If you want to visit museums, a hotel like the Radisson SAS will put you in easy walking distance of a bunch of them.

I would stay in Mitte because the surroundings are much more attractive and the museum island, the Brandenburg gate and the Reichstag are all very close. Mitte also has lots of U-Bahn stations for getting elsewhere in Berlin. The Kudamm has good U-bahn access too, it just takes longer to get to the major sites. As for restaurants, there are nice places to eat in both areas.

I was thinking about these hotels:
Kempinski Bristol
Brandenburger Hof
Westin Grand

Thanks for all your advice

Westin Grand is in a great location, both for walking and transport. I stayed there and the building is indeed grand and elegant. I wasn't so impressed with the bathroom and the room, although it had some lovely touches, but I think many have been renovated.

We stayed in Mitte and there was a subway stop half a block away. Berlin is a huge city and so very easy to navigate around. All of the museums and those on the island were easy to reach as was KaDuWe, Brandenberg gate, Charlottenburg, the Reischstag, touring the Spree by boat.

Our hotel (Arthotel in Mittew) was great and quite reasonable as we bid on it on Priceline.

We'll go back to Berlin easily as its fascinating!!

Another vote for the Westin Grand! Perfect location. Also the buffet breakfast is amazing. Try to get a rate that includes breakfast.

Are there cafes near the Westin? Also, is there a close metro stop?

What is it about that area that you like better than kudamm?

June

the busses are EVERYWHERE. never a long walk to get one.

Many cafes near the Westin. Again, the location is great for the Westin. You can walk a block or two and see the Brandenburg Gate very single morning before breakfast if you want. At the Brandenburg Gate, there are several other sites worth seeing too. Just one example.

June Anne,

It might help if you specified which museums top your wish list. I presume you will be taking taxis back from your shopping forays.

When it comes to dining, there are much praised restuarants and cafes all over Berlin. It's that kind of town. But if you want to have easy access to specific museums, that argues for staying one part of town over another once we know which museums you have in mind.

Brandenburg gate, Richstag, Pergamon,
Hollocost museum are some of the things I am becoming familiar with. Also, I love shopping and looking at high end stores. Is that any help? The Westin sounds very good and has good rates as well as the Kempinski Bristol.
Thanks
june

Since I have a disability which makes walking distances very very difficult, I try to choose hotels that are not isolated and close to as much as possible. I'm going to try public transportation but usually end up having to take taxis.
In Tokyo I stayed on the Ginza which was amazing and a short walk to restaurants, shopping and transportation.
Thanks
June

My recollection is that taxis are not exorbitant in Berlin, and are easy to find. Public transportation (on S-Bahns and U-Bahns) often involves climbing stairs. It sounds from your wish list that you would spend less on taxis if you stayed in Mitte, although I encourage you to spend some afternoons in "west" Berlin because it's a notably different culture, and gives you a sense of Berlin's history as a divided city, and it's no doubt where you would find some interesting shopping.

Most of the big sights to see in Berlin are in the old east, as is most of the new development, making the location of the Westin ideal.

There is a u-bahn stop very close by, many restaurants and seemingly all of the "high end" stores. Kudamm has all of the regular shops and services, but feels older and plainer in comparison to the area around the Westin. From the westin, we walked to the Richstag, Brandenburg gate, and down to the Pergamon and other Museums. This is a bit of walking, but very short and easy bus rides. The bus to/from the airport also stops just a block away.

This "Mitte vs. everywhere else" periodically surfaces here so good luck.

As to shopping...regardless of how things look around the Westin if you enjoy shopping then the KaDeWe is not to be missed IMO...take a=the U-Bahn to the Wittenberg Platz stop and the store will be right across the street.