Münster
This funky, sleek design hotel marries the historical with the contemporary in the defunct Germania brewery-turned-creative-campus. The 144 oversized…
Must-see hotels in Central Europe
Freiburg
Wake up to Münster views at this green-shuttered hotel. The country-style rooms feature floral wallpaper, though some have recently been revamped. The…
Piran
This attractive, 45-room property faces Tartinijev trg and manages to catch a few sea or square views from the upper floors. A 2018 overhaul has turned…
Prenzlauer Berg
At this charismatic refuge in a 19th-century building you'll sleep in spacious, classily themed rooms (eg Africa, Rome, Maritime), each sporting hand…
Debrecen
Located in one of the oldest buildings in Debrecen, a burgher house dating from the 1690s, the 'Old Post Office' (one of its many avatars over the…
Erzsébetváros & the Jewish Quarter
A stylishly decorated and well-run guesthouse with five luxurious rooms and a two-bed suite on the 4th floor of a beautiful 1893 building. The sleek,…
Budapest
Offering retro chic at its hippest, this one-time residence of the prime minister when parliament sat at No 8 (today's Italian Cultural Centre) has been…
Fairy-Tale Road
Palatial Schlosshotel Münchhausen, 12km southwest of Hamelin, occupies a baronial castle built in 1570. Stylish, contemporary rooms in the main wing have…
Slovakia
Part of a Central European spa-hotel chain, Thermia Palace dominates Piešťany’s Spa Island. Flanked by flower gardens and resplendent with art-nouveau…
Berlin
This charismatic refuge in a 1930s Danish diplomatic outpost flaunts understated grandeur and has the Tiergarten park as a front yard. A crocodile…
St Wolfgang
Hotelier Roland Ballner goes all out to make guests feel at home at this lakeside retreat, which may seem all Austrian tradition on the outside but is a…
City West & Charlottenburg
Vladimir Nabokov and Romy Schneider were among the guests of the original Hotel am Steinplatz, which got a second lease of life in 2013, a century after…
TiMiMoo Boutique Hotel Bürgerhaus
Neusiedler See
With spiral staircases inside a 1537 former bakery and Biedermeier-style rooms with vaulted ceilings and drapes around the beds, this sweetly nostalgic…
St Wolfgang
St Wolfgang’s most famous hotel was the setting for Ralph Benatzky’s operetta The White Horse. Rooms are somewhat idiosyncratic, and a little tired for…
Carinthia
This faux fin-de-siècle hotel is Lienz' most upmarket choice. What it lacks in cool or historical texture, the Grand makes up for in luxury: impeccable…
Slovakia
A hint of steampunk-chic permeates the unique apartments above Trotuar Cafe – a copper pipe here, a scowling Victorian portrait there – though the overall…
Carpathian Mountains
This folksy-looking, yet thoroughly renovated hotel offers 25 appealing rooms in a peaceful park location above Szczawnica. Wooden decorations, inviting…
Mintrops Stadt Hotel Margarethenhöhe
The Ruhrgebiet
A former Krupp guesthouse has been reborn as a cheerful 30-room hotel where no two rooms are alike but all are filled with light, art and designer touches…
Bovec
About 3km southwest of town, this fun, fabulous campground makes camping easy: hire a tent under a lean-to shelter that comes with mattresses and linen,…
City West & Charlottenburg
Renowned Berlin architect Jan Kleihues pulled out all the stops to create this award-winning alchemy of art, architecture and design. A sophisticated,…
Carpathian Mountains
All we can say is ‘wow’. This boutique hotel, a block from the Rynek, is one of the nicest we’ve seen in this part of Poland. Throw pillows in trendy…
Cologne
The Cologne edition of this mod lifestyle hotel chain occupies a listed circular building (a former insurance company headquarters) and is bathed in a…
Potsdam
This romantic 1890 villa, complete with dreamy garden and Rapunzel tower, is a superb find tucked into the leafy hillside above Schloss Sanssouci. Run by…
Ulm
There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile…presumably to the world’s most crooked hotel. Fear not – this early 16th-century, half-timbered…
Adina Apartment Hotel Berlin Checkpoint Charlie
Historic Mitte
Adina’s contemporary one- and two-bedroom, stylishly functional apartments with full kitchens are tailor-made for cost-conscious families, anyone in need…
Southwestern Slovenia
In a relaxing rural setting 9km northwest of Postojna Cave, a Welsh-Finnish couple have established this very hospitable, affordable guesthouse. They…
Southeastern Slovenia
About 8km south of Črnomelj, in the tiny hamlet of Podlog, is this complex of four futuristic pod-style apartments arranged in front of a natural swimming…
Graubünden
This family-run, remote hotel and restaurant sits in the Roseg Valley, 5km directly south of Pontresina. There's a free shuttle bus, but access by horse…
Linz
Adjacent to the neo-Gothic Mariendom (ask for a room overlooking the cathedral), this glass-and-concrete cube filled with striking metal sculptures has 69…
Frankfurt & Southern Rhineland
Uphill from Schlossplatz, Triller has art-filled public areas and 110 creative rooms, some with themes such as Musée de Paris, the seductive, red-clad…
Kobarid
The name translates as 'Heaven', and it's fitting. These four heavenly mountain retreats sit at the top of a 7km winding road from Idrsko village (2km…
The Romantic Road
Personal attention and charm by the bucketload make this guesthouse, situated near the westernmost gate (Segringer Tor), one of the best on the entire…
Prague
Located just a few minutes' walk from Wenceslas Square, this five-star hotel is the modern reincarnation of the 1930s Alcron Hotel, and has long been…
Hanover
The boxy '70s exterior of this hotel belies its ultra-modern, stylish interior; all common areas and guest rooms have been fully renovated. Standard rooms…
Slovakia
Attentive service and gleaming facilities give Hotel Rozsutec the edge over some of the region's older stalwarts. There's an appealing restaurant and the…
Munich
An air of relaxed sophistication pervades the scene-savvy Louis, where 72 good-sized rooms are furnished in nut and oak, natural stone and elegant tiles…
Southeastern Slovenia
Few newly built hotels in Slovenia can compare with this sleek 63-room four-star in terms of design and facilities. Heavy on timber, natural materials and…
Neusiedler See
This is arguably the 'See's most stylish sleeping choice. Five rooms, including one suite, mix beautiful old bones with rustic antiques and contemporary…
Berlin
How ‘suite’ it is to be staying at this sophisticated yet unfussy cocoon. Uncluttered, zeitgeist-compatible units come in 10 sizes (40 to 200 sq metres)…
Slovenian Coast
This renovated old school is home to 17 bright, modern rooms with two to four beds (with shared or private bathrooms), plus a couple of two-bedroom…
