Olomouc
This clean, sleek hostel has won international design awards for its creative adaptation of a former military barracks and bakery into a beautiful…
Must-see hotels in Central Europe
Vorarlberg
This is a 265-year-old dream of a Gasthöfe. The wood-shingle facade is festooned with geraniums, while inside low-ceilinged corridors lead to antique…
Lake Bled
If you don't mind being a little way (a short walk) from the action, this is a first-class budget choice. Guests rave about Jazz, mainly thanks to Jani,…
Lower Austria
A modern and cleanly stylish hotel has taken over this 17th-century monastery in the historic old town of Hainburg. Rooms are large and soothing, and…
Thuringian Forest & the Saale Valley
This circular boutique hotel atop the iconic JenTower (at 120m, Germany's second-highest) boasts 17 oversized rooms and amazing views of the town and…
Southeastern Slovenia
This farm, in a small valley with a babbling brook, sits in a hamlet about 4km south of Otočec. Rooms, with rustic wood-detailing and balconies, are the…
Gdańsk & Pomerania
A grand old red-brick pile built in 1886 for Otto von Bismarck and recently revamped to make more of its historical character, this is one of the most…
Cologne
This dazzling alchemy of historical setting and up-to-the-minute design touches is hidden within the neo-Gothic ribbed vaults and stone pillars of the…
Prague
One of Prague's more unusual hotels, this timber cottage with just six low-ceilinged doubles would not look out of place in the Czech mountains. Tucked…
Romantik Hotel auf der Wartburg
Thuringian Forest & the Saale Valley
Built in 1914 in a 'medieval' style, to complement the glowering Wartburg beneath which it sits, this luxury hotel allows you the fantasy of staying 'in'…
City West & Charlottenburg
Global nomads with a hankering for style would be well advised to point their compass to this cosmopolitan crash pad. Each of the 44 rooms exudes…
Warsaw
Established in 1899 and restored to its former glory, the Bristol is Warsaw's most historic hotel and the address at which VIPs and celebs have stayed…
Karlovy Vary
In a great location just across from the Hot Spring Colonnade, the Puškin has renovated rooms with fully updated baths and very comfortable beds. These…
Bernese Oberland
This charming family-run B&B is run with love by Uri and his wife Dana, who extend a warm welcome and pay attention to guests' comfort. Drenched with piny…
Valais
This striking, modern building next to 17th-century granaries on stilts is possibly Switzerland's loveliest hostel. It adjoins a pool and spa with gym,…
Zermatt
From the chopped wood neatly stacked outside to the cowhide chairs, this exquisite Alpine hotel – named after a bar on a paradise island where the owners…
Tatra Mountains
In a quirkily decorated Goral-style house, this spirited place has 20 dorm beds and a private double, all with pine floors and kept nicely clean. Beyond…
Olomouc
The Olomouc branch of the popular Prague boutique, Miss Sophie's offers beautifully appointed, historic rooms, with canopy beds, tasteful colour schemes…
Carpathian Mountains
This old-fashioned, 20-room pension and spa just off the promenade dates to 1924 and could still be a setting for an Agatha Christie whodunnit. There’s a…
Frankfurt am Main
Offering a winning combination of tranquillity, modern German design and small-hotel comforts (such as a quiet corner library), this century-old,…
Styria
Hotel Lercher is two places in one: a three-star Gasthof (inn) with inexpensive rooms and – still excellent value – a four-star hotel. Many of the rooms…
The Salzkammergut
This stylish hotel is the best place to stay and eat in Strobl. Combining a cosy chalet style with clean contemporary lines, and a very relaxing pool area…
Regensburg
Behind a humble door lies a world of genuine charm, unexpected extras and ample attention to detail. The striped floors, wrought-iron beds, original sinks…
Valais
This new 52-room hotel sits a three-minute walk back from Martigny's train station and is modern and chic. Part of a social integration project, the hotel…
Heidelberg
Snooze in a Fijian beach shack complete with sandy bay, a woodsy Canadian hunter’s cottage, or a topsy-turvy Down Under room where everything (paintings,…
Weimar
Get in quick to snap up one of these enormous, self-contained, fully renovated heritage apartments run by charming and generous hosts. The three…
The Salzkammergut
Some rooms at Gmunden's most luxurious hotel are more traditional than others, but all have a lightness of touch and there's a contemporary sensibility at…
Bernese Oberland
This huge wooden chalet harbours sleek and contemporary rooms and suites with wraparound mountain views. The service is first-rate, as are the views from…
Toruń
Wonderfully situated within a historic waterfront granary, this hotel’s 19 rooms are laden with personality, featuring massive exposed beams above…
Budapest
Though some of the 60 rooms at this delightful small hotel are a little on the compact side, each one is decorated in its own individual style (the larger…
Podgórze
Just a tad shy of its advertised four stars, though an excellent choice. The rooms are spotless and sport a crisp, contemporary look, with a splash of…
Berlin
These stunning lofts close to the main train station spread across an historic building and an adjoining modern annexe and were created by their architect…
Central Switzerland
Spread across two lakefront buildings, this family-run hotel has inviting rooms with citrusy colour splashes, parquet-style floors and wrought-iron…
Frankfurt am Main
Owned by descendants of the landgraves, electors and grand dukes of the House of Hessen, and opened in 1952, this 121-room hotel is filled with over 1500…
Graubünden
Sitting at 2454m at the top of the Muottas Muragl Bahn funicular railway, north of Pontresina, this recently refurbished mountain hotel features 16…
Lower Saxony & Bremen
A hard act to beat, this hotel forms a stunning arc on one side of Autostadt, while its swimming pool is integrated into the canal's harbour basin, giving…
Kobarid
This foodie favourite is in an old farmhouse 3km west of Kobarid in Staro Selo, halfway to the Italian border. Here 10 rooms ooze character, with rich…
Erzsébetváros & the Jewish Quarter
This enormous and very central place, with more than 50 rooms of all sizes and shapes over several levels, is for the slightly better-heeled budget…
Hallstatt
Six splendidly modern, beautifully textured private suites make up what is the region's most stylish accommodation choice. While prices reflect the…
JUFA Hotel Schloss Röthelstein
Styria
The monks from the abbey once used to spend the summer in this baroque castle from the 17th century, about 5km southwest of the centre off Aignerstrasse…
