Hotels cluster particularly in Charlottenburg and Mitte. The tourist office has a reservations service on 250 025 (www.btm.de).

The Ritz Carlton (Potsdamer Platz 3, 337 777, www.ritzcarlton.com, €215-€310) is as glitzy and central as it gets. The eccentrically retro Askanischer Hof (Kurfürstendamm 53, 881 8033, €107-€145) is one of Berlin’s best- kept secrets. Meanwhile, in Prenzlauer Berg, the stylish and moderately priced Ackselhaus (Belforter Strasse 21, 4433 7633, €80-€120) shares its reception area with the more expensive but equally handsome Bluehome at No.24 (€160-€180). The Propeller Island City Lodge (Albrecht-Achilles-Strasse 58, 891 9016, www.propeller-island.com, €90-€200) offers some of the world’s wackiest lodgings, including the Upside Down Room, in which all the furniture is on the ceiling.