Brussel, Amsterdam & Berlin

Have you check the Steves' guidebooks for those locations?

Motel One in Berlin.

"Close to the main train station" isn't desirable in Amsterdam or Berlin, just so you're aware.

Hi,

In Berlin just outside of Berlin Hbf is also the Meininger Hotel, ca 2 mins as you exit the station turning right, nice, affordable.

The area close to Brussels Midi, which is the only station used by most international trains, isn't nice either. The area around Berlin Hauptbahnhof isn't sleazy or unpleasant, but it's still quite undeveloped and has surprisingly poor transport links to elsewhere in the city.

I stayed within walking distance of the train station in Amsterdam and was perfectly comfortable. It was a Rick Steves recommendation and I would add my endorsement. It was the Hotel Brouwer.

In Berlin I would find a place a bit further afield from the train station. You can catch an SBahn in the station to just about any part of the city. When I did the Berlin, Prague and Vienna tour I came in early and stayed at the tour hotel Hotel Kastanienhoff. It was a short walk from the SBahn to the hotel. Maybe cab it with luggage.

Pam

I stayed in the Hotel Ibis off Grand Place in Brussels. It is very near the Brussels Central station which as someone upthread pointed out is not the station the international trains leave from. At the time I stayed there I was traveling with my brother, but would have had no concerns about staying there as a solo woman traveler. There are also 2 or 3 other hotels facing the same square which is just steps away from the Grand Place.

Just to agree with the other replies. Staying near the main train stations in Berlin, Brussels, and (to a lesser extent) Amsterdam is not any more of a good idea that staying near Penn Station in New York City. And for two people, a taxi from the stations in Brussels and Berlin to your accommodation will not be expensive, and is the way to go. It may be the best way in Amsterdam, or in many cases a tram will go from the station right to your hotel (or a block away).

In Berlin you just have to take the S-Bahn to one of the two next stations to the east, either Friedrichstrasse or Hackescher Markt. It takes 2-5 minutes to get there, and since this is a very busy part of Berlin there is a train almost every minute. Friedrichstrasse is the upper end of one of Berlins busiest shopping streets, while Hackescher Markt is Mittes most pleasant area.

Hi Nan,

I agree with many of the other posters - staying in the neighborhoods adjacent to the main train station is not a particularly good strategy for any of the cities you have asked about. I don't have any recent experience (last 2 years) with Berlin or Brussels, but in Amsterdam I can heartily recommend the Hotel Piet Hein alongside Vondel Park, perhaps a 10 minute walk from Leideplien, one of the city's main entertainment areas.