The 15 best historic hotels in Germany

Sleep like a princess under Gothic vaults for once, dine like a prince in the hall of a Baroque castle? No problem! There are numerous fascinating historic hotels in Germany that welcome their guests in castles, palaces, but also other buildings steeped in history.

Althoff Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg, Bergisch Gladbach

Kadettenstraße, 51429 Bergisch Gladbach, Germany

Bensberg Castle is a hunting lodge in the rural area near Bergisch Gladbach, whose construction was commissioned by Elector Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz in 1703. The magnificent three-winged complex in high Baroque style is a princely country estate in a class of its own and has been a five-star hotel operated by the renowned Althoff Group since 1997. Bensberg Castle is one of the most magnificent hotels in historic buildings in Germany; therefore, it is also perfect if you want an impressive setting for your wedding or corporate event. A double room here costs between 150 and 250 €, suites from 250 €.

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Castle Hotel Münchhausen, Schwöbber near Hamelin

Schwöbber 9, 31855 Aerzen, Germany

In 1570, Hilmar von Münchhausen had the old Schwöbber manor near Hameln in the rural Weserbergland region expanded into a Renaissance castle. Since 2004, the castle, surrounded by a spacious park with rare tree species, has been a five-star superior hotel with 68 suites and rooms and three restaurants (one of which has a Michelin star), spacious wellness area and two adjacent golf courses. The Schlosshotel Münchhausen was repeatedly awarded as the best castle hotel in Germany by a travel magazine and can therefore be counted among the best/top historical hotels in Germany. You can get a double room here between 250 and 300 €.

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Dresden Pillnitz Palace Hotel

August-Böckstiegel-Straße 10, 01326 Dresden, Germany

Pillnitz Palace near Dresden was the summer residence of the Saxon royal family and is now one of the top destinations in the Saxon capital. An outbuilding, the so-called Schloss-Schänke, was already used as a guesthouse in the 18th century. Today, the building houses a four-star superior hotel that leaves nothing to be desired. A room for two here costs about 150-200 € per night.

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Hotel Louis C. Jacob, Hamburg

Elbchaussee 401-403, 22609 Hamburg, Germany

The chic Hotel Louis C. Jacob on Hamburg’s Elbchaussee can be traced back to a restaurant business founded by Huguenot Louis C. Jacob founded in 1791. He laid out the Linden Terrace, which still exists today, overlooking the Elbe River, and made his hotel a center of attraction for Hamburg’s chic society. In 1992, under a new family of owners, it was extensively renovated and transformed into a modern luxury hotel with historical flair. In the process, the historic ice cellar was also uncovered, where the bar is located today. With 250-300 € for a double room you can enjoy this comfort.

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Hotel Elephant, Weimar

Market 19, 99423 Weimar, Germany

That’s what you call tradition: On February 17, 1696, Christian Andreas Barittig opened the Elephant inn in the center of Weimar, the city of poets; it first appeared in a travel guide as a “lodging house” as early as 1711. Of course, the Weimar poet princes Goethe, Schiller, Herder and Wieland were among the guests. After a rather less luxurious era in the GDR, the Elephant reopened in 2018 as part of the Marriott Autograph Collection. For 250-300 € you can stay here for one night.

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Hotel Rheinfels Castle, St. Goar

Schlossberg 47, 56329 St. Goar, Germany

The Middle Rhine is one of the most legendary landscapes in Germany. This is due not least to the countless castles that are concentrated here in a particularly high density. You can also spend the night in some of them, such as Rheinfels Castle near St. Goar, once one of the most powerful among the numerous fortifications on the Middle Rhine. Today, the building houses a luxury hotel with 67 rooms and suites and five apartments. Even a wellness area with swimming pool and saunas has been accommodated in the time-honored building. With 150-200 € per night the hotel is in the upper middle class.

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Castle Hotel “Auf Schönburg”, Oberwesel

Auf Schönburg, 55430 Oberwesel, Germany

Another castle hotel on the Middle Rhine is located at Schönburg Castle near Oberwesel. The Schönburg was built in the twelfth century and then expanded several times, later it fell into ruin. A four-star hotel with 29 luxuriously appointed rooms and suites is located in a part of the building that has been reconstructed in a manner befitting a listed building. Each of the rooms, which are called “bower” here, is furnished slightly differently, but they all have the historicizing-romantic style in common. These rooms cost 200-300 € per night.

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Kronberg Castle Hotel

Hainstraße 25, 61476 Kronberg im Taunus, Germany

Live like an emperor – that’s what you can do at Schloss Friedrichshof in Kronberg im Taunus. Friedrichshof Palace, however, is not quite as old as it looks at first glance: It was built between 1889 and 1894 in the then modern neo-Gothic Tudor style as a widow’s residence for the former German Empress Victoria. Already since 1954 there is a hotel in the building. The price for a double room here is 270-320 € per night.

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Hotel Jagdschloss Niederwald, Rüdesheim

Niederwald Hunting Lodge 1, 65385 Rüdesheim am Rhein, Germany

In a nature park high above the Rhine near the small town of Rüdesheim lies the Niederwald hunting lodge, built at the end of the 18th century by Maximilian von Ostein. Today it is run as a hotel with 52 rooms, some of which are located in the main house, but also in the adjacent historic outbuildings, such as the Kavaliershaus and the Kutscherhaus. You can book these rooms for 150-200 € per night.

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Schlosshotel Berlin by Patrick Hellmann

Brahmsstraße 10, 14193 Berlin, Germany

A castle hotel does not necessarily have to be a large, prestigious facility. The Schlosshotel Berlin by Patrick Hellmann sees itself as an “exclusive hideaway” and is located in a villa in the Grunewald district, which was built in 1911. The building, surrounded by a small park, was decorated by the artist Patrick Hellmann. A double room in the hotel costs 250-320 € per night.

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Hotel Usedom Palace

Dünenstraße 8, 17454 Zinnowitz, Germany

The Baltic Sea island of Usedom was already a popular tourist destination around 1900. Several hotels were built for the demanding clientele of the time. The Grand Hotel was built in 1900 in late classicist style and with its white façade and turrets is a landmark of the island of Usedom visible from afar. Today it is a five-star hotel with all imaginable comforts, a double room costs 150-220 € per night.

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Grand Hotel Heiligendamm

Prof.-Dr.-Vogel-Straße 6, 18209 Bad Doberan, Germany

Heiligendamm on the Baltic Sea was one of Germany’s chicest health resorts at the turn of the century. To meet the high demands of the guests, the Grand Hotel Heiligendamm was built in 1814. In the main building there are 31 luxurious double rooms and 16 suites, which cost 350-450 € per night. The actual Grand Hotel is surrounded by a whole ensemble of buildings from the same era, such as the Severinpalais, the Haus Mecklenburg or the neo-Gothic Hohenzollern Castle. These buildings are also part of the hotel operation and hold additional rooms and suites – together they form a unique ensemble of buildings and one of the best historic hotels in Germany.

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Romantik Hotel am Brühl, Quedlinburg

Billungstraße 11, 06484 Quedlinburg, Germany

But not all of the old charming hotels in Germany are located in castles, palaces or other stately buildings. Many also use old townhouses, giving them a more intimate atmosphere than the castle hotels. For example, the Romantik Hotel am Brühl, which is located in a historic building complex in the center of the small town of Quedlinburg in the Harz Mountains. The half-timbered building with brick has a rather rural feel, which continues inside the four-star hotel. You can enjoy this atmosphere for two for 200-250 € per night.

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Hotel Markusturm, Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rödergasse 1, 91541 Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

If there is any town in Germany that truly deserves the label “romantic”, it is Rothenburg ob der Tauber! The historic center of this enchanting small town is almost completely preserved and surrounded by a complete city wall. One of the main entrances to the old town is the Röderbogen next to the Markusturm. Right next to it there is a customs house, which already in 1264 offered lodging and food to people passing through. Today it is run as Romantikhotel Markusturm in the fourth generation by the owner family. The rooms are partly modern, partly furnished with antiques and offer for 150-200 € per night all the comfort you can expect from a modern boutique hotel.

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Romantik Hotel Zur Schwane, Volkach

Hauptstraße 12, 97332 Volkach, Germany

The house “Zur Schwane” in the small Franconian town of Volkach was already an inn in 1404 and is now run as a luxurious boutique hotel. The rooms are furnished in an emphatically modern style, but the historic flair of the building always remains visible, for example through the ancient beams or exposed brickwork. With 130-180 € for a double room the hotel is quite cheap. The guest room, where the restaurant is located, has kept its medieval interior. Here you will be served, among other things, wines from the family winery.

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