93 Unique Hotels in East Europe

This hotel commands a view of the Aegean Sea built, as it is, onto a rocky hillside on Rhodes. The architecture takes inspiration from the traditional buildings of the island, mixes a little minimalism, and lets in a sweet breeze. Nearby is the village of Lindos where the sound of …

The Puchner Castle Hotel is five hotels in one. You can stay in the Renaissance Palace where you have a choice of rooms and suites decorated in the genteel style of Matthias Corvinus who was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458. Or how about The Castle – an elegant …

This is Moscow's first boutique hotel and it is jam-packed with sizzling décor. There is a giant golden apple in the glasshouse lobby and every floor has a different colour scheme with the seven floors corresponding to the colours of the rainbow. The unique design for each floor is noticeable …

The SnowCastle is located in the northern reaches of Finnish Lapland. No, Lapland not the home of lap dancing, but the home of ice and wonder. The SnowCastle has been hand-built every year since 1996 with a new design each time. The annual build happens when the best snow architects …

In a world obsessed with Hobbit films and where Game of Thrones is spawning meme after hilarious meme, it is no surprise that the Medieval Hotel is doing fast business. It offers you the experience of living a medieval lifestyle except with hot water, human rights, and no Black Death. …

Palaces of ice have long been a mainstay of story and myth in European culture. From the frost giants of Norse mythology through Hans Christian Andersen’s classic recounting of the “The Snow Queen” to modern-day America with its legend of Superman living in a huge ice-palace known as the “fortress …

Budapest’s only design hotel, the Lánchíd, opened in 2007 and has received numerous awards since, including three architectural awards, and it is frequently named in traveler journalist’s lists of top 50 hotels. Its location is right in the heart of Budapest, in an area where all the main sites and …

A high-quality renovation has created a hotel with excellent craftsmanship. Inspired by the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite (who, legend has it, was born from the waters of Cyprus) the hotel was built in a traditional terrace design to maximize the ocean views. Your room has ample space with …

The historic Pera Palace Hotel held its opening ball in 1895. Its clientele often arrived on the Orient Express train and, over the years, the hotel hosted such luminaries as Atatürk, Agatha Christie, Ernest Hemingway and Greta Garbo. Recently, it has undergone a full restoration and has re-opened its doors …

Mykonos is a Greek Island that was formed, according to legend, when Greek God, Zeus, battled the titan giants. After a universe-shattering punch, delivered by the Greek deity, some of the titan’s teeth flew out. They fell into the Mediterranean to form Mykonos and its neighboring islands. After this violent …

This hotel is located on a secluded clifftop that overlooks the Greek island of Santorini. The island is part of a circular archipelago formed from volcanic rock following an ancient eruption that is fabled to have destroyed the city of Atlantis. Today, the island's edge is around the crest of …

Sitting boldly in Old Istanbul, Hotel Niles is located near all the best sites: the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace. It is the perfect base for you to explore the city from and one you will secretly long to return to. Why? Well, look at these pictures: the …

This hotel was built by the Serbian Tim Burton, Emir Kusturica, and is based on his film Life is Miracle. Everything is constructed from wood mixing traditional with modern styles. The famous director still lives there with his family in the large main house. The design was set to recreate …

Forget little sculptures at winter fares… in Romania, they make entire hotels out of ice. When it comes to sleeping in a bed made of ice you need not worry about the cold because your bed is super insulated with multiple mattresses, reindeer fur, and thermal sleeping bags. Dinner is …

The hotel is named after St Gellert, a visionary monk, and priest who lived in the 10th Century AD. Situated between Gellert Hill and the banks of the Danube, the Gellert Hotel sits on a site that has been used for many centuries. You see, it is the location of …

This stunning hotel was built in 1952 as part of the ‘Soviet Skyscraper’ project. The foundation stones were laid in 1947 to mark the 800th anniversary of Moscow and celebrate the USSR's victory in World War Two. Though completed after his death, this building and its sisters are seen as …

Looking at the Red Stars from the outside, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is just another standard hotel inside a concrete cube. But this apparent ugliness is only skin deep. The interior of the hotel has been decorated by the best street artists in Russia creating a …

You go to Istanbul because it is one of the world’s great historic cities. So why stay in a boring hotel? You want to stay in something charming, something with a connection to the city with a unique character. Step forward to the Dersaadet Hotel. The name means “place of …

Next-level luxury resort on the Aegean Coast in Greece where you stay in a pavilion or villa located near a central Parthian-style building, a marble palace full of spa treatments, fine dining, and a private art gallery. Or take a bike, a walk, a drive down to the resort’s private …

Blow Up Hall 50/50 is a complex that includes a restaurant, art gallery, and hotel. It commissioned its hallmark installation to be designed by crucial artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, one of the world's top digital artists. He is a BAFTA prize winner, and his work has appeared in New York and …