420 Best Hotels in Germany

Quiet elegance and Mediterranean influences mark this centrally located hotel; it's convenient to the sights of Nierstein and the surrounding Rhinehessen vineyards. Spacious, light rooms decorated in warm shades of ochre, chic bathrooms, and an inviting lounge and terrace make for comfortable, relaxing quarters here.

This is one of Germany's most historic hostelries, a former bishop's palace where you can sleep in a suite that includes part of a Roman gateway. Other rooms are only slightly less historic, and some have seen emperors and princes as guests, though you wouldn't know from the (mostly) modern and stylish design.

This trendy, inexpensive design hotel features minimalist-style rooms, most with balconies, and a hopping around-the-clock bar on the main level. It’s just around the corner from the Oktoberfest grounds.

The original, two-centuries-old Breidenbacher Hof was rebuilt from the ground up to create this opulent five-star hotel, which features a luxurious 6,500-square-foot spa, a fancy brasserie, and a plush cocktail and cigar lounge.

Vineyard views grace most of the rooms at this historic hotel, where guests are welcomed with a drink from the family's Rheingau wine estate. Gracious hosts Susanne and Heinrich Breuer can arrange cellar and vineyard tours as well as wine tastings. The rooms are simply but stylishly decorated, with modern comforts and interesting artworks dotted around, while the restaurant serves very good seasonal cuisine, often with live musical accompaniment.

Previously a 16th-century customs house, sitting on 1,000-year-old foundations and a secret tunnel that runs to the nearby Schloss and church, this friendly travelers' inn is the type of place made for history buffs. The inn's half-timber rooms have been restored to resemble what life might have been like in the time of the Brothers Grimm, but with modern comforts. Weary travelers can rest their feet beneath the 100-year-old chestnut tree in the inn's garden in summer.  

Besides bright, good-size rooms, the true strength of this modern hotel is its location, near the market in the Altstadt. After a generous buffet breakfast you can quickly reach either the Rhine or the Kö with a three-block walk.

This boutique hotel offers a convenient location in the heart of Mitte, with spacious rooms and plenty of perks. The retro minimalist decor, in keeping with the aesthetic of the parent company Camper Shoes, includes red accents and lots of natural light; rooms are stocked with Camper slippers to use during your stay. The sixth-floor 24-hour lounge offers salads, sandwiches, and drinks, and also serves breakfast, all included in the room rate.

Located in an area of elegant offices and apartment buildings called Lenbachgärten, which was developed in 2009, this luxurious, modern hotel has both a secluded and urban vibe, not to mention some of the largest rooms in the city. It's just a five-minute walk to the main train station and about 10 minutes to all the museums in the Kunstareal. It has an excellent restaurant highlighting regional seasonal produce.

This small and personable family-owned hotel lies behind the facade of an old merchant house in the downtown area. Some of the rooms may be tiny, but it only contributes to the warm and cozy atmosphere. The lobby and restaurants are decorated with wooden beams and panels. The main restaurant primarily serves game, but it also prepares regional dishes.

Freiburg's most luxurious hotel has tastefully furnished rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the romantic Old Town as well as a great restaurant. Despite its central location, the hotel basks in near-countryside quiet. Their restaurant Zirbelstube (reservations essential) serves tasting menus of sophisticated international dishes paired with mainly German wines, while the Weinstube offers a regularly changing menu of local specialties for lunch and dinner.

Near the elegant Altes Rathaus and the stately Leineschloss, and only a leisurely stroll from the Neues Rathaus, Opernhaus, and the city's main museums, this simple, modern hotel has easily one of the best locations in the city and has a lot of single rooms. Popular with those headed to Hannover's many trade fairs, the Concorde has the type of features generally favored by business travelers, including helpful staff, a generous breakfast buffet, and uncomplicated, comfortable rooms.

This sleekly designed, subtly luxurious hotel follows the minimalist gospel but also feels warm and inviting, with rooms decorated in neutral tones and subtle patterns and featuring wood floors throughout. The emphasis is on the details—fresh flowers, mattresses made from natural rubber, sheets made of unbleached cotton. Some rooms can be on the cozier side, so if you want more space, opt for the two-bedroom or maisonette suite complete with cooking facilities, in the nearby annex. Doubling as the breakfast area, the chic, loungelike Grapes Weinbar is a lively spot for evening drinks. There's also a small gym.

This well-located hotel has spacious, airy rooms with large windows and a small but pleasant Finnish sauna. Cosmo makes good use of this former office building, keeping the luxe marble floors and elevator and adding a plush lobby. Rooms are modern, with dark woods and gray-and-white accents. Scent restaurant offers a breakfast buffet as well as an international menu with local and organic dishes. The Spittelmarkt location has great access to transportation, the Spree River, and the nearby Museum Island.

Tucked away on a quiet street near the train station, this hotel, easily distinguished by its colorful facade, appeals to a wide range of travelers, from businesspeople to tourists on a budget. The rooms are simple and quiet, if a bit dated.

One of few medieval houses along the riverbank to survive World War II bombings, this family-run inn enjoys an unbeatable location overlooking the river and right by Gross St. Martin. The hotel's quaintly furnished rooms are far from luxurious, but the place wins points for its history and reasonable prices. Ancient wooden beams grace some of the older rooms, but claustrophobic guests are advised to take up quarters in the "new" rooms. The inn's antique restaurant downstairs offers authentic Rhenish flair and spruced-up versions of traditional German dishes.

An 18th-century bakery has been skillfully converted into this comfortable "hotel und weinrestaurant," located on a quiet street of the old walled town and managed by the same family for four generations. The hotel's cozy, refurbished rooms are clean and comfortable, with touches of rustic Franconian style. The wood-paneled restaurant serves traditional Franconian fare, with an excellent fish menu, but it's the extensive wine options that keep people coming back.

The elegant, turreted hotel—and its multiple spacious annexes—sit high above Tegernsee, backed by the wooded slopes of Neureuth Mountain. Rooms, suites, and apartments are spread across five different buildings; those overlooking the lake are in high demand despite their high cost, so book early. All guests can enjoy panoramic views of the lake and mountains from the extensive terrace fronting the main building. You can dine in the hotel's stylish little restaurant or the cozy tavern. The extensive spa includes a heavenly musical tub and a colored-light and aroma solarium.

On secluded grounds next to the Old Town, this most luxurious five-star Heidelberg hotel has been welcoming guests since 1865. Public areas have stunning turn-of-the-20th-century furnishings while bedrooms are modern, spacious, and tasteful, and all suites have whirlpool tubs. The elegant continental restaurant, the Kurfürstenstube, contains original inlay woodwork. In summer, meals are served on the fountain-lined terrace overlooking the walled garden. There is also a lobby bar and a cigar bar known as Smoker's Lounge.

This appealing hotel has paintings of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's illustrations for his 1943 French children's classic, Le Petit Prince, charmingly adorning the rooms, each done in its own unique decor. The Rademacher family opened this hotel using patriarch Norbert's experience as a veteran of New York's Waldorf-Astoria and his wife Edeltraud's interior design skills to combine two elegant city mansions into a unique, antiques-filled lodging.

The "Sorcerer's Apprentice" is aptly named, as Karen and Axel Heldmann have conjured up an unusual luxury hotel with each room's decor based on a different theme. The 1,000 Nights room has a mosaic-tile bathroom, Seventh Heaven has Philippe Starck–influenced decor, and most have fireplaces. The popular restaurant, Z-Bistro, serves three-course prix-fixe menus also based on a theme, including vegetarian, fish, and regional Swabian favorites, enhanced by a very good wine list. Enjoy it all on the terrace in summer. The restaurant also now offers cooking classes.

The building dates to 1561, and the Schüssler family, now in its fourth generation as hoteliers, know how to make visitors feel welcome; you could spend an entire afternoon and evening here sampling the food and enjoying the serene atmosphere even if you don't stay overnight in the comfortable guest rooms. Choose between the terrace or the dining room, trying the wines and enjoying, say, a fillet of wild salmon in a horseradish crust, a boar's roast, or some lighter asparagus creation (in season).

Just around the corner from Augsburg's cathedral, this snug, quiet hotel has personality to spare, with a long history of hosting official church visitors, and a recent renovation that's provided good modern amenities. Ask for one of the attic rooms, where you'll sleep under beam ceilings and wake to a rooftop view of the city. Or try for one of the rooms on the top floor that have a small terrace facing the cathedral. A garden terrace borders the old city walls, and in summer you'll have your breakfast in the garden under old chestnut trees.

The appeal of this hotel, with comfortable if somewhat bland rooms, lies in its friendly staff and its terrific location in the heart of the pedestrian zone, perfect for sightseeing and/or shopping. Its spacious conference rooms make it a popular choice for those in town on business.

On a quiet residential street this turn-of-the-20th-century mansion with lots of modern, Bauhaus-style touches, sleek red-and-black rooms—and elegant in-house restaurant Die Quadriga—that like a hideaway even though Ku'damm is a short walk away.

Beyond a light-filled lobby, a spacious bar with dark-wood paneling beckons, contributing to the old-fashioned elegance of this downtown favorite. Rooms are mostly large, comfortable, and nicely furnished with a sleek modern-Alpine vibe.

This design-forward hotel is steps from Stuttgart's Rathaus (City Hall), offering spare, modern furnishings designed to maximize space in somewhat small rooms. The lobby bar, Fritz, adjoins a breakfast spot with the same name. It caters to a business crowd on weekdays, so rates are lower on weekends. 

Just a short walk along an underpass from the Hauptbahnhof station, the Excelsior welcomes guests with rooms that are spacious and inviting with a design that resembles a luxury alpine resort.

Old Master paintings, including a Van Dyck, grace this 1863 hotel's sumptuous Empire-style lobby, while Gobelins tapestries hang in the ballroom; the rooms are spacious, and the deluxe category of rooms melds old-world elegance with modern sophistication. 

In the heart of Bockenheim—and near numerous cafés, bars, shops, and the Messe (trade center)—this hotel is a good deal, especially on weekends. Rooms are bright and modern and the nightly rate includes a full breakfast and a discount at a nearby fitness studio.