Berlin public transport is fast, well organized and punctual. Trains, buses and trams are integrated into Berlin's public transport network. Together they will help you get to any place you need to get to.
Officially, Berlin's urban transport has a rather complicated name. It is called the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe. But Berliners shorten it to BVG (Berlin Transport Service). BVG includes U-Bahn and S-Bahn, as well as hundreds of bus lines, trams and even ferries.
Public transport areas
- S-Bahn is a ground transportation train system. There is a circle line, an east-west corridor, a north-south line (underground) and lines going to outer neighborhoods or cities outside of Berlin, such as Potsdam, the capital of the state of Brandenburg. Lines are marked, for example, S1, and stations are marked with a large green S.
- U-Bahn is an underground train system, a classic subway. Underground lines criss-cross Berlin and some lead to places outside the city. The metro operates 24/7 from Friday to Sunday and in the evening on public holidays. U-Bahn lines are named, for example, U1 or U2, etc. And U-Bahn stations are marked with either a stand-alone U or a U followed by the station name.
Public transport
Berlin's public transport is quite easy to use. The city is divided into three zones: A, B and C.
- Zone A is the area inside the circle line (Ringbahn, which forms a circle around the inner city). S41 moves clockwise and S42 moves counterclockwise.
- Zone B is the area between the circle line and the city limits.
- Zone C is the area outside of Berlin, including Potsdam and Schönefeld Airport.
You can buy a full ticket for travel in all three zones of the city (ABC) or cheaper tickets for travel in two zones (AB or BC). For city visitors, buying AB is generally the best bet.
Buses
Berlin has an extensive, efficient and reliable bus service throughout the city. Berlin buses run from 04:30 to 0:30, while Nachtbus - a night bus runs from 0:30 to 04:30. There are also express buses. The most famous express bus, although without a number, is the TXL bus from Tegel airport to Alexanderplatz and back.
The bus system in Berlin offers 151 lines scattered throughout the city. Some operate every 10 minutes with 24/7 service. Buses also replace metro trains during their closing hours,running parallel to each U-Bahn station.
One of the most picturesque lines - 100 Line. It passes through the most famous sights of Berlin. Go to Alexanderplatz and take a ride on the double-decker bus line 100. You can admire the Unter den Linden, the Island Museum, the Brandenburg Gate, the borders of Tiergarten, Kudamm and City West to your stop at Zoologischer Garten station.
Berlin also offers sightseeing buses for regular city tours. You can take the bus to any station, get off at any of your choice and continue your tour of the city with the next bus on the course.
Regular 100 and 200 are double-decker buses, which are indispensable when viewing the sights of the city. In a certain sense, these buses work as tourist buses. Night buses are marked N1 and express lines are marked X11.
Trams (street trains)
Tram lines operate mainly in the eastern regions. All of these in the former West Berlin were replaced by buses or U-Bahn services after World War II. By 1967 there are no more trams circulating in West Berlin. Several lines were added to the old border after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
In areas poorly served by U-Bahn and S-Bahn, tram lines operate 24 hours a day and can be recognized by prefixing M to their route number.
Despite the fact that trams are not the mosta quick way to get to the city, they are the best choice for traveling on a hot summer day, as they are equipped with air conditioning systems. They are also a great way to observe city life when traveling from point A to point B.
Note that the ticket machines inside the trams only accept coins.
Berlin water transport
Berlin's main ports handle heavy cargo and are not used for public transport. However, sightseeing boats operate on the central part of the river Spree and on the adjacent waterway. There are short tours of the Spree in the city center and a three-hour circuit of the center via the Spree and the Landwehr Canal. It's definitely worth seeing as it's a great way to take in the main sights of Berlin.
There are also 6 passenger ferry routes, many of which connect lakes and canals. One of the most beautiful is the F10 crossing the Wannsee lake, from San-Vann Wannsee station to Kladow in Brandenburg. The journey takes 20 minutes and boats leave every hour. The view of the river Havel and Wannsee beach is amazing!
Taxi
Berlin offers more than 7,000 taxis, easily recognizable by the beige color of the car.
From June 30, 2015, the basic fare is 3.90 euros, and each of the first 7 kilometers costs 2 euros. The further kilometer costs 1.50 euros. Knowing these prices, you can estimate your final taxi bill beforethan getting into a car. Waiting for heavy traffic usually does not affect the fare, as the meter does not take into account the time until the two-minute delay.
It's worth noting that Berlin taxis have a special low fare (€5) called Kurzstrecke for distances of less than 2 kilometers non-stop. Be sure to tell the taxi driver that you want to use this fare.
You can get a free taxi call that is made on the streets when you order it through the cab call line or through an app like mytaxi (you can even pay for the ride through the app). In Berlin, Uber uses an official taxi company and has the same standards as a regular cab.
In any taxi you can pay your fare with a credit or debit card. And don't forget to ask the taxi driver for a receipt - this will allow you to identify the car you were traveling in if you accidentally left something in the car.
Transport opening hours
You will be surprised by the different modes of transport. They are all included in the BVG, so you can use public transport in Berlin with a valid ticket or pass at any time.
Berlin's transport system works day and night. Trains and buses run every 10-20 minutes during the day, and more often in the center.
Service is a bit limited at night. On weekdays, S-Bahn and U-Bahn trains operate from approximately 4:30 am until 1:00 am the next day, but there are certain night buses that run on this route later. Weekend Groundand underground transport operates 24 hours.
Regarding U-Bahn (underground trains) and S-Bahn (ground trains) opening hours: it starts on weekdays from 4:30 am to 1 am during the working week and 24 hours a day on weekends and public holidays.
At night, buses follow U-Bahn train routes. Trains run every 5 minutes during rush hour and every 10-15 minutes at other times. You can plan your trip using the map found in all guidebooks and stations, or look online with the Berlin trip planner.
Besides buses and trams, Berlin's public transport also has ferries on the Spree River. The same ticket can be valid for one of the six ferry lines at different points on the river. Although this is not always the fastest way to get to the place, it is beautiful and picturesque. Some ferry lines operate only in summer.
Tickets
There are many types of tickets and it is worth planning in advance which tickets for public transport in Berlin you will buy. The following types are available:
- Reduced - travel ticket for children, students and seniors.
- AB - travel area for central Berlin and suburbs.
- BC - travel area for suburbs and Potsdam.
- ABC - tariff area for all three.
- Single tickets valid for two hours one way.
- Public transport tickets in Berlin for four trips, which are slightly cheaper thanfour single tickets.
- Cheap short distance tickets (Kurzstrecke) up to three train stops or six bus or tram stops.
- Daily, weekly or monthly travel cards that give you unlimited travel while the ticket is valid.
- Group ticket that gives unlimited travel per day for up to 5 people.
- There is also a Berlin Welcome Card that gives you unlimited travel for three days, as well as discounts on many of the city's main sites.
The best option - the one that saves you money - is to buy a ticket valid for a longer period of time. Depending on how long you plan to stay in Berlin, you can buy either a daily ticket, a seven-day ticket, or a monthly pass for a month.
If you would like to visit some museums during your stay in Berlin, then it will be more advantageous to purchase the Berlin Welcome Card, a transport ticket in Berlin specially designed for tourists. It includes sightseeing by public transport.
Although difficult to sort out, tickets are valid for any form of public transport in Berlin. You don't have to worry about buying a separate ticket if, for example, you need to travel by bus and subway.
Tips & Driving Rules
How to use transport in Berlin?
There are no conductors in Berlintherefore, you must purchase a ticket before the start of the trip. This can be done at the cash desks located directly on the stopping platforms.
To drive or travel around Berlin, it will be much more convenient to download the BHG FarhInfo Plus app, available on Android or iOS. It includes a traffic schedule and a map of the network.
This is the easiest and most environmentally friendly way to get a ticket. The fact is that cars on trams only accept coins. The driver can only accept cash, but this does not mean that he will have change.
Purchasing tickets
You can buy tickets or welcome cards at the following locations:
- at the box office of some stores;
- on the subway;
- at ticket machines throughout the city;
- if you ride the tram, then in the machine inside the tram;
- if you are on the bus, at the driver's.
Ticket machines at stations and new trams accept coins and German debit cards. Credit cards are not accepted, except for ticket offices located throughout the city and at airports.
If you don't have a German bank card, your only option is to pay in cash. The machines accept any coin from ten cents and above, as well as 5, 10 and 20 euros.
Ticket machines are easy to use. They are usually found at the entrances to stations, shops, metro platforms or trams. Ticket machines have instructions in several languages, includingsale of tickets for Berlin transport in Russian.
They must be confirmed before entering the transport.
Ticket mark
Once you've bought your ticket, there's one more important step you need to take before boarding a train, bus or tram: mark and validate your ticket, thereby activating it to start your journey.
This one, if you are not on the bus, in which you will show your ticket to the driver. In other cases, it is unlikely that someone will control your ticket, but it is still very important to remember that it must be validated and noted.
To do this, find the special check machines, insert the top of the ticket into the slot that says "Please check here" (these machines are usually located next to the ticket machines on the platform).
If you failed to validate your ticket or if you didn't have time or simply forgot to do it, you become a "hare" (as they say in Russia) or "black" (as they say in Germany).
Since special services in Berlin quite often check and identify stowaways, it is quite possible to get a fine. If you are caught during one of the checks, you will have to pay a fine of 60 euros. If you have a ticket, but you forgot to mark it, you may be lucky - it will be checked and marked by the controller himself, who will spare the ignorant tourist (but only if you can explain to him that you did not do it on purpose).
Ticket price
For adults in zones A and Bthe following rates:
- Single ticket: €2.60.
- Quadruple ticket: 8, 80 euros.
- Short period ticket: 1.50 EUR.
- One-day ticket: 6.70 euros.
- Seven-day ticket: €28.80.
- Monthly ticket: €77.00
- Group ticket (5 people for 1 day): 16, 20 euros.
Prices for public transport in Berlin and types of tickets are subject to change. You can find out most of the ticket prices on the official websites.
That's all the information about public transport in Berlin. How to use buses, trams, metro and taxis, you can find out by reading this article.
