11 Best Hotels in Charleston, South Carolina

Facing White Point Garden, this 11-room inn within a five-story 1843 mansion makes you feel like you've stepped back in time. Gaze up at the ceiling in the massive ballroom or relax in the sitting room with views of Fort Sumter and Charleston Harbor. Five of the inn's rooms are built into the carriage house of an adjacent 19th-century home, overlooking the magically pleasant courtyard and garden. Two rooms are in the former basement but are surprisingly light and welcoming. Breakfasts often include local treats from Callie's Hot Little Biscuit, and the evening wine and charcuterie gatherings on the front porch are Charleston living at its finest.

At this boutique hotel you can relax in your comfortable suite or indulge in evening wine and cheese on the expansive rooftop terrace while enjoying views of the city and Cooper River. The architectural details of this early-1900s building—a former stationer's warehouse—have been emphasized by leaving brick walls exposed and designing around the grand heart-pine beams and wood ceilings. Oil paintings of hunting dogs hang above clubby leather chairs and sofas around the fireplace. The classy British pub downstairs is perfect for a nightcap. Self-parking is $25 at an open lot across the street.

A small enclave of 1840s-era buildings make up this homey, idyllic hostel. Nightly prices put the rest of the city's downtown lodgings to shame and include both dorm beds and private rooms. Of course, you need to be able to handle sharing a bathroom and kitchen space with fellow travelers. Linens, a locker, parking, and Internet access are free. A nearby sister property, the Annex, shares the same check-in desk but features six private rooms with queen beds and one room with a double bed and private bath.

Awash in style and modern luxury yet firmly rooted in historic authenticity, this boutique hotel caters to the well-to-do with a taste for understated class. The rooms each have a canopy bed but are otherwise unique, from hand-stenciled wallpaper to a stunning free-standing glass shower in the sole room on the top floor. Communal spaces are equally impressive, including a library with an honor bar, a salon where afternoon wine and cheese are served, and a kitchen where the Euro-Continental breakfast is served each morning. 

Nestled in the heart of Charleston, this West Indies–inspired inn offers a range of accommodations, from charming rooms perfect for couples to two-level suites big enough for the whole family. A heavenly breakfast with fresh-baked pastries and biscuits with sausage gravy is offered in the fourth-floor solarium, which overlooks the church spires. Parking is valet only, at $28/day. It's in the bustling Market area, so ask for an interior room.

The cozy rooms—all updated with modern beds and furnishings—at this quaint, central inn surround a greenery-laden courtyard where you can sip a glass of wine and listen to the chimes of nearby churches. Although some consider the best rooms to be those on the second or third floor overlooking the courtyard, guests who enjoy more privacy might opt for the ground-level rooms along the back of the inn, which each have their own small patio.

This glorious 1843 Greek revival mansion—yellow with white columns—feels like a private gem; the front desk, parking lot, and other amenities are at the Indigo Inn, across the $20/day self-park lot. The main house has royally large rooms; several, including the Canton Room—which opens to the second-story veranda—have sitting rooms. A third-floor apartment has a fully equipped kitchen and views of the city. The carriage house, or "dependency," which looks out to a courtyard, has four cozy rooms of its own.

The New Orleans–esque exterior of this National Historic Landmark (the former residence of politician and slaveholder John Rutledge) has wrought-iron architectural details, and inside, parquet floors sit beneath 14-foot ceilings adorned with plaster moldings. Families gravitate to the privacy and quiet of the two carriage houses overlooking the shaded brick courtyard. Breakfast—continental as well as at least one hot item—can be taken in the ballroom, the elegant but simple courtyard, or your room.

The three delightful courtyards at this centrally located circa-1853 inn are great places to enjoy your continental breakfast, afternoon sherry, or evening wine and cheese in the open air courtyard. Numerous windows give some of the guest rooms—filled with antique reproductions and Oriental rugs on the original hardwood floors—great views of busy King Street. Despite the historic touches, rooms still feel modern. Working fireplaces add romance to a selection of rooms, and the two-room suites give families ample space.

Tucked just off King Street in the heart of the College of Charleston district, this upscale 24-room inn offers spacious rooms with king beds and in-room laundry, plus suites with full kitchens. From the muted natural tones of the lobby to Instagram-worthy linens and wallpaper in rooms, The Pinch embodies the beautiful South of the city's favorite magazine, Garden & Gun. The ground floor features two restaurants—the Quinte Oyster Bar and Lowland, a 2024 opening from James Beard award–winning chef Jason Stanhope, formerly of FIG. 

The grandest inn in town features Second Empire antiques and reproductions, elaborate woodwork, and original stained-glass windows, as well as sweeping views from the rooftop cupola. In the colder months, the staff draws the velvet drapes and lights the gas fireplaces of the baronial, high-ceilinged guest rooms. Italian linens and down pillows add to the opulence. The complimentary evening wine and delectable hors d'oeuvres are served in the sunny, glass-enclosed parlor. The hot breakfast is made in the inn's laudable restaurant, Circa 1886, which shares the former carriage house with a spa, where treatments include couples massages.