Berlin Transportation

Getting There

Air

Currently three major airports service Berlin: The northwestern Airport Berlin-Tegel (TXL) (+49 1805 00 0186 / http://www.berlin-airport.de/); the southeastern Airport Berlin-Schönefeld (+49 1805 00 0186 / http://www.berlin-airport.de/); and the central Airport Berlin-Tempelhof (+49 1805 00 0186 / http://www.berlin-airport.de/). The former Central Airport of the GDR (Schönefeld) is being expanded to become the Berlin Brandenburg International Airport. After it opens in 2011, the downtown airports in Tegel and Tempelhof will be closed.

Airport Berlin-Tegel

Air Berlin (+49 1805 737 800 / http://www.airberlin.com/) Air France (+49 1805 830 830 / http://www.airfrance.com/) Air Italy (+356 2364 5300 / http://www.airitaly.eu/) British Airways (+49 180 5 26 65 22 / http://www.ba.com/) Condor (+49 180 5 767 757 / http://www11.condor.com/) Continental Airlines (+49 180 3 21 26 10 / http://www.continental.com/) Delta Airlines (+49 180 333 7880 / http://www.delta.com/) Eurowings (http://www.eurowings.de/) Finnair (+49 180 3 34 66 24 / http://www.finnair.com/) Germania (+49 1805 737 100 / http://www.germania.aero/) Iberia (+49 1805 44 29 00 / http://www.iberia.com/de/) LTU International Airways (+49 30 4101 3601 / http://www.ltu.de/) Lufthansa (+49 180 3 80 38 03 / http://www.lufthansa.com/) SAS (+49 1805 117 002 / http://www.flysas.com/) Swiss International Air Lines (+49 30 4101 2764 / http://www.swiss.com/) TUIfly.com (+49 900 109 95 95 / http://www.tuifly.com/)

Airport Berlin-Schönefeld:

Aer Lingus (+49 89 552 533 53 / http://www.aerlingus.com/) Condor (+49 180 5 767 757 / http://www.condor.com)/ Easyjet (+49 900 1100 161 / http://www.easyjet.com/) Germanwings (+49 900 19 19 100 / http://www.germanwings.com/) Icelandair (+49 69 29 99 78 / http://www.icelandair.de/) LTU International Airways (+49 30 6091 3898 / http://www.ltu.de/) Norwegian (+47 815 21 815 / http://www.norwegian.no/) Ryanair (+49 900 116 0500 / http://www.ryanair.com/) Sky Airlines (+90 242 3108500 / http://www.skyairlines.net/) Transavia (+49 695 09 85 446 / http://www.transavia.com/)

Airport Berlin-Tempelhof

Brussels Airlines (+49 30 6951 3850 / http://www.brusselsairlines.com/) InterSky (+49 30 6951 2686 / http://www.intersky.biz/) LGW Luftfahrt-Gesellschaft Walter (+49 30 6951 2681 / http://www.lgw.de/)

From the Airport

Airport Berlin-Tegel

Public Transport: It's easy to find public transportation connections from Tegel to the heart of the city: The buses 109 or express X9 will take you to Zoologischer Garten. From here you can connect by bus, U-Bahn (subway) or S-Bahn (tram) to anywhere in the city. Tickets are valid for two hours for all public transport. Stops are located outside of the terminal. For visitors from Dresden, Leipzig, and Magdeburg, the airport offers a special shuttle service that will take you to your destination and back. However, you have to book in advance under http://www.berlin-airport.de/.

Taxi: Taxis can be found at ground level outside of Terminal A and Terminal C. Companies include: Taxi-Ruf Würfelfunk "0800-Cabcall" AG: +49 800 222 22 55 Quality Taxi: +49 800 26 300 00 Funk Taxi Berlin: +49 30 26 10 26 TaxiFunk Berlin GmbH: +49 30 44 33 22 Even though most taxi drivers speak English, it shouldn't be expected

Car Rental: The car rental counter is located near parking space P2. Avis (+49 30 4101-3148 / http://www.avis.de/) Budget (+49 30 4101-3364 /http://www.budget.de/) Europcar (+49 30 418520 / http://www.europcar.de/) Hertz (+49 30 4704674 / http://www.hertz.de/) Nationalcar (+49 30 4101-3383 / http://www.nationalcar.de/) SIXT (+49 1805 252525 / http://www.sixt.de/)

Airport Berlin-Schönefeld

Public Transport: From the airport's train station (located 400 meters/0.2 miles north), you have easy access to the subway (S9) that will take you to many of the downtown locations, such as Ostkreuz, Ostbahnhof, Alexanderplatz, Hackescher Markt, Hauptbahnhof, and Zoologischer Garten. If you want to reach Schöneberg, Charlottenburg, or the Westkreuz, S45 will take you to these destinations. A wide range of buses depart from the airport (some of them even directly in front of the terminals): X7, 162, 163, 171, 734, 736, N60, N71

Taxi: Taxis are located either directly outside of the terminals or outside of the train station. For a list of companies and phone numbers, see above.

Train: At the train station, you have access to the Deutsche Bahn (DB), which will take you to other German cities. However the Intercity Express (ICE) does not service this station, only the slower, regional train. Trains serving this station are RE7, RB22, and RB14. To reach other major German or European cities by train, the nearest stop is Ostbahnhof.

Car Rental: Avis (+49 30 6091-5710 / http://www.avis.de/) Budget (+49 30 6091-5700 / http://www.budget.de/) Europcar (+49 30 6349160 / http://www.europcar.de/) Hertz (+49 30 6091-5730 / http://www.hertz.de/) E-Sixt (+49 1805 252525 / http://www.e-sixt.de/)

Airport Berlin-Tempelhof

Public Transport: Airport Berlin-Tempelhof is the most central airport of the city with easy access to the subway U6 at the Platz der Luftbrücke. From there it will take you about 15 minutes to reach the city center at Friedrichstraße from where you have access to subway lines serving Zoologischer Garten, Alexanderplatz, Ostbahnhof, Ostkreuz, and Westkreuz. Various bus stops are located outside of the airport where you have access to the 104 and the 248.

Taxi: Taxis are located in front of the airport at the Platz der Luftbrücke. For a list of companies, see above.

Car Rental: Avis (+49 30 6951 2444 or +49 30 6581 2340 / http://www.avis.de/) Europcar (+49 30 6904 700 / http://www.europcar.de/) Hertz (+49 30 6981 9892 / http://www.hertz.de/) SIXT (+49 1805 252525 / http://www.sixt.de/)

Since May 2006, the central station Berlin Hauptbahnhof is located in Berlin Mitte. From there, travelers are able to reach their final destination in Berlin by using public transport for free if they have a valid Deutsche Bahn (DB) train ticket. Deutsche Bahn (http://www.bahn.de/) is Germany's national railway, offering a comprehensive service to German and other European destinations. Tickets are expensive if you pay full fare, but the DB does have a range of specials which make train travel more economical. Schedules can be found on their website. Special fares to watch out for include: Schönes Wochenende Ticket (Happy Week-end Ticket): EUR33/35. On Saturdays or Sundays, unlimited travel for up to five adults on any regional train in Germany. Brandenburg Ticket: EUR27/29. One day unlimited travel within Berlin and Brandenburg for up to five adults. Brandenburg-Berlin Guten Abend Ticket (Brandenburg-Berlin-Ticket Night): EUR21. It is valid from Monday to Sunday for one day of your choice from 9a until 3a of the following day.

Bus The Central Bus Station (Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof (ZOB)), from which all intercity services depart, is located in the west of city. From here you catch the U2 at Messe Nord/ICC (direction Vinetastraße/Pankow) to get to the city center. The following bus companies have regular departures from the ZOB to all major German & European cites: Berlinien Bus (+49 30 302 5361 / http:// www.berlinienbus.de/) Gullivers Reisen GmbH (+49 30 89 0660 / http:// www.gullivers.de/)

Car Berlin can be accessed by the Autobahn, Straße des 17. Juni, Bismarckstraße, Tauentzienstraße, Potsdamer Straße and Brandenburgische Straße.

Getting Around

Public Transport Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (http://www.bvg.de/) operates nine underground lines (U-Bahn), 28 tram lines (S-Bahn), 163 bus lines and six ferries. Single Tickets start at EUR2.10, Day Passes at EUR6.10 and 7-Day Cards at EUR25.40. See the website for details. For information on public transportation visit: (http://www.berliner-verkehr.de/traffic.htm/) Berlin Linien Bus (http://www.berlinlinienbus.de/)

Bike In comparison to other German cities, locals find the motorist/cyclist relationship in Berlin rather hostile. For some, however, Berlin is bicycle heaven - wide streets, reserved (and respected) bike lanes. Bicycle Station provides bike rentals and tours of Berlin. For more information visit: Pedal Power (http://pedalpower.de/).

By Public Transportation

The Berlin transport system consists of buses, trams, and U-Bahn (underground) and S-Bahn (elevated) trains. The network is run by the BVG, or Public Transport Company Berlin-Brandenburg. Public transportation throughout the city operates from about 4:30am to 1:30am daily (except for 68 night buses and trams, and U-Bahn lines U-9 and U-12). For information about public transport, call tel. 030/19449, or visit www.bvg.de. For a plan of Berlin's U-Bahn and S-Bahn system, see the inside front cover of this guide.

The BVG Einzelfahrschein (standard ticket) costs 2.10€ to 2.70€ ($3.40-$4.30) and is valid for 2 hours of transportation in all directions, on all forms of public transport, transfers included. A 24-hour ticket for the entire city costs 6€ to 6.30€ ($9.60-$10). Only standard tickets are sold on buses.

Tram tickets must be purchased in advance. All tickets should be kept until the end of the journey; otherwise you'll be liable for a fine of 40€ ($64). Unless you buy a day pass, don't forget to time-punch your ticket into one of the small red boxes prominently posted at the entrance to city buses and underground stations. Standard tickets, valid for all public transport within the city of Berlin, are available at all BVG and S-Bahn and U-Bahn ticket counters.

If you're going to be in Berlin for 3 days, you can purchase a 25€ ($39) Berlin-Potsdam Welcome Card, which entitles holders to 72 free hours on public transportation in Berlin and Brandenburg. You'll also get free admission or a price reduction of up to 50% on sightseeing tours, museums, and other attractions, and a 25% reduction at 10 theaters as well. The card is sold at many hotels, visitor information centers, and public-transportation sales points. It's valid for one adult and three children under the age of 14.

Two excursion bus lines make some beautiful scenic spots accessible. Bus no. 218 operates from the Theodor-Heuss-Platz U-Bahn station (near the radio tower) via Schildhorn, Grunewald Tower, and Wannsee Beach to the Wannsee S-Bahn station, and bus no. 216 and 218 runs from the Wannsee S-Bahn station to Pfaueninsel.

By Taxi

Taxis cruise restlessly along the major boulevards, indicating their availability by an illuminated roof light. The meter begins ticking at 2.50€ ($4). Within the city center, each kilometer costs around 1.50€ ($2.40), depending on the time of day. Prolonged taxi rides that you arrange to distant suburbs are factored at a per-kilometer rate of 1€ ($1.60). Staff members at hotels and restaurants can easily summon a cab for you, in some cases simply by throwing a switch on their phone. Otherwise, dial tel. 030/21-02-02 or 030/26-10-26.

By Car

U.S. companies have outlets in Berlin. If possible, you should make reservations in advance. You'll find Hertz at Berlin-Tegel Airport (tel. 030/51489300) and at Friedrichstrasse 50-55 (tel. 030/2424440). Avis is also at Berlin-Tegel (tel. 030/60915710) and at Budapesterstrasse 43 (tel. 030/2309370).

In general, we don't recommend driving in Berlin. Traffic is heavy, and parking is difficult to come by. Use the excellent public transportation instead.

Parking -- If you're driving into Berlin, chances are that you'll want to safely store your car once you arrive. Many hotels offer parking facilities; otherwise, you'll find parking garages that remain open throughout the day and night. Those located near the Ku'Damm and the Europa Center include the Parkhaus Metropol, Joachimstaler Strasse 14-19; Parkhaus Los-Angeles-Platz, Augsburger Strasse 30; Parkhaus Europa Center, Nürnberger Strasse 5-7; and Parkhaus am Zoo, Budapesterstrasse 38. Charges start at 3€ ($4.80) per hour.

City Driving -- One problem that often infuriates drivers in Berlin is that it's almost impossible to turn left on major avenues (except at major intersections in the east) because of the positioning of metal barriers and tram lines. Oversize signs tell you to drive straight on. Drivers have to make a right-hand turn, swing around the block, and then proceed straight across the tram lines wherever a traffic light will allow.

Beginning in 2008, vehicles with high emissions of noxious substances will be banned from the inner city of Berlin. This restriction at present applies to only 7% of the number of vehicles registered. Drivers must display emission control stickers on their cars or face a fine of 40€ ($64). Stickers come in three colors -- red (Class 2), yellow (Class 3), and green (Class 4). By 2010 only Euro Class 4 with a green sticker will be allowed within the city. For more information, refer to www.berlin.de/sen/umwelt/luftqualitaet/de/luftreinhalteplan/download/Umweltzone_Broschuere_en.pdf.

By Bicycle

Berlin marks biking trails along major streets, especially in the leafy neighborhoods of the former West Berlin. A bike is also ideal for exploring old East Berlin, a city still in redevelopment. One of the best companies for rentals is Bikes & Jeans in Mitte at Friedrichstrasse 129 (tel. 030/447-6666; www.fahrrad-countrybar.de.vu), renting bikes for 15€ ($24) for 24 hours.

Another good place for bike rentals is Fahrradstation, Auguststrasse 29A (tel. 030/22508070; S-Bahn: Hackescher Markt), open Monday to Friday 10am to 7:30pm, and Saturday 10am to 6pm. A 24-hour rental costs 15€ to 30€ ($24-$48).