How to get to Berlin
Travel
Information
By air
Berlin has two
airports.
Tegel (TXL), currently the main airport, is 7km
northwest of the city centre. Behind the airport
information desk in the main hall are the BVG public
transport ticket office and the luggage office.
From airport:
By bus
Buses 109 and X9 (the express version) run via
Luisenplatz and the urfürstendamm to Zoologischer Garten
(also known as Zoo Station, Bahnof Zoo or just Zoo) in
Western Berlin. Tickets cost €2.10 (and can also be used
on U-Bahn and S-Bahn services). Buses run every five to 15
minutes, and take 30-40 minutes to reach Zoo. At Zoo there
are rail and tourist information offices, and you can
connect to anywhere in the city (same tickets are valid).
You can take bus 109 to Jacob-Kaiser-Platz U-Bahn (U7), or
bus 128 to Kurt-Schumacher-Platz U-Bahn (U6), and proceed
on the underground from there. One ticket can be used for
the combined journey (€2.10).
Jet ExpressBus
The JetExpressBusTXL is the direct link to Berlin
Hauptbahnhof and Mitte. It runs from Tegel to
Alexanderplatz with useful stops at Beusselstrasse S-Bahn
(connects with the Ringbahn), Berlin Hauptbahnhof
(regional and inter-city train services as well as the
S-Bahn), Unter den Linden S-Bahn (north and south trains
on the S1 and S2 lines). It costs €2.10, runs every 10 or
20 minutes between 4.30am-12.30am (5.30am-12.30am at
weekends), and takes 30-40 minutes.
- A taxi to anywhere central will cost around
€20-€25, and takes 20-30 minutes, depending on traffic and
precise destination.
Schönefeld airport (SXF) is 20km southeast of the
city centre and is slated to become the main airport in a
few years.
From airport:
- Bus X7, every 10 or 20 minutes from 4.30am-8pm
runs non-stop from the airport to Rudow U-Bahn (U7), from
where you can connect with the underground. When it's not
running, bus 171 takes the same route.
- An Airport Express train from here reaches the
city centre in 30 minutes; the S-Bahn take about 40
minutes. Take bus X7 to U-Bahn station Rudow for
Kreuzberg.
- A taxi to Zoo or Mitte is pricey (€30-€35), and
takes around 45 minutes.
By
Train
Berlin benefits from a modern, extensive rail service.
Berlin is part of the InterCityExpress (ICE) network, with
super-fast trains to Hanover and Frankfurt am Main. ICE
trains also go to Hamburg. An expanding web of high-speed
trains also serves destinations across Western Europe.
Supplements are incurred for travel on ICE, IC and EC
trains.
The main railway station is Berlin Hauptbahnhof,
Europaplatz, Europe's largest station linking east/west
and north/south lines in the city centre. Facilities
include tourist information, lounge, bank, restaurant,
food halls, café, shops, newsagents, pharmacy, hairdresser
and left luggage. Gusundbrunnen station to the north
provides rail links to the Baltic. The other major
mainline stations are Bahnhof Lichtenberg, and Ostbahnhof,
in east Berlin. Some mainline services also stop at
Bahnhof Spandau, to the west, and Bahnhof Sudkreuz, in the
south.
By Bus
Eurolines
international coach services cover 500 destinations
including Paris, Strasbourg, Vienna and London, and more
locally, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Hanover.
Berlin Linien Bus
also runs these national and international services.
Buses on both international and domestic routes arrive at
the Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof (ZOB) Messedamm in
Charlottenburg, near the International Congress Centre
(ICC). Information and tickets are available from the DTG
Ticket Center, Kaiserdamm 30 and at the
ZOB Reiseburo.
From Central Bus Station, U-Bahn line U2 runs into the
centre.
By
Road
Germany is covered by an excellent and extensive system
of major roads and motorways. There are no tolls or
speed limits on the Autobahnen (motorways) but a maximum
of 130kph (81mph) is recommended. Speed limits are
130kph (81mph) or 100kph (62mph) on major and minor
roads outside the cities and 50kph (30mph) in built-up
areas. Traffic drives on the right and the minimum age
for driving is 18 years. Foreign drivers require proof
of insurance and their national driving licence. A Green
Card is strongly recommended. A country identification
sticker is compulsory. Leaded petrol is unavailable;
unleaded petrol with a lead additive can be found at
some petrol stations.
As of January 1, 2008, Berlin requires all cars to have
a "Low Emissions" sticker in order to enter the city
center (Low Emission Zone, "Umweltzone"). Information on
obtaining a sticker (which must be done at least several
days in advance) is
available here. The sticker can also be
order online.