Is Potsdamer Platz a good place to stay in Berlin?

Potsdamer Platz is a good base if you want a modern, central hotel close to the Tiergarten and the main sights of Mitte. The Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial and the Reichstag are within walking distance, and Potsdamer Platz station has the S-Bahn, the U-Bahn and regional trains. It suits first-time visitors, business travellers and anyone who prefers a big, comfortable hotel to a characterful neighbourhood.

The area is new Berlin, built on land that sat empty beside the Wall for decades. Glass towers surround the Sony Center and the square itself, the Mall of Berlin sits on Leipziger Platz, and the Panoramapunkt in the Kollhoff Tower looks out over the city. Just west, the Kulturforum has the Philharmonie, the Gemäldegalerie and the Neue Nationalgalerie, and the paths of the Tiergarten begin across the road.

The downside is that Potsdamer Platz can feel corporate and a little empty once the offices close. Most restaurants are chains or hotel dining rooms, there's little nightlife, and you'll head to Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain or Mitte's northern streets for bars with more character. Hotel prices are also higher than in the eastern districts.

What makes Potsdamer Platz worth considering is how much it puts within easy reach. You can walk to the Brandenburg Gate in the morning, spend the afternoon among the old masters of the Gemäldegalerie, cycle through the Tiergarten and hear a concert at the Philharmonie, all without a train ride.