Berlin public transport is fast, well organized and punctual. Trains, buses and trams are integrated into the public transport network of Berlin. Together they will help you get to any place you need to get to.
Officially, urban transport in Berlin has a rather complicated name. It is called the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe. But Berliners reduce it to BVG (Berlin Transport Service). The 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 train system. There is a ring line, an east-west corridor, a north-south line (subway), and lines going to outer quarters or cities outside of Berlin, such as Potsdam, the capital of Brandenburg. Lines are marked, for example, by S1, and stations are marked by large green S.
- U-Bahn is an underground train system, a classic subway. Underground lines cross Berlin, and some lead to places outside the city. The metro is open 24/7 from Friday to Sunday and evening on public holidays. U-Bahn lines are called, for example, U1 or U2, etc. A U-Bahn station is marked with either an autonomous U or U, followed by the name of the station.
Public transport
Berlin city 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 circular line and the city borders.
- Zone C is an area located outside of Berlin, including Potsdam and Schönefeld Airport.
You can buy a full ticket for travel in all three areas of the city (ABC) or cheaper tickets designed for travel in two zones (AB or BC). For visitors to the city, buying AB is usually the best choice.
Buses
In Berlin there is an extensive, efficient and reliable bus service throughout the city. Berlin buses run from 4:30 to 0:30, while the Nachtbus - night bus runs from 0:30 to 4:30. There are also express buses. The most famous express bus, albeit without a number, is the TXL bus from Tegel Airport to Alexanderplatz and vice versa.
The bus system in Berlin offers 151 lines scattered throughout the city. Some work every 10 minutes with 24-hour service. Buses also replace metro trains during their closing hours, running parallel to each U-Bahn station.
One of the most picturesque lines is 100 Line. It passes through the most famous sights of Berlin. Go to Alexanderplatz and take a ride on the 100 double-decker bus line 100. You can admire Unter den Linden, the Museum Island, the Brandenburg Gate, the borders of the Tiergarten, Kudamm and City West to your stop at the Zoological Garden station.
Berlin also offers sightseeing buses for regular city tours. You can take a bus to any station, get off at any of your choice and continue the city tour with the next bus at the rate.
Regular 100 and 200 are double-decker buses that are indispensable when viewing the sights of the city. In a sense, these buses operate as tourist buses. Night buses are marked with the N1 mark, and express lines are marked with the X11 mark.
Trams (street trains)
Tram lines operate mainly in the eastern regions. All of them in 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. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, several lines were added to the old border.
In areas poorly served by U-Bahn and S-Bahn, tram lines operate 24 hours a day and can be recognized by the prefix M to their route number.
Although trams are not the fastest way to get to the city, they are the best choice for trips on a hot summer day, as they are equipped with air conditioning. They are also a great way to observe city life when they travel from point A to point B.
It should be noted that only coins are accepted in ticket machines inside trams.
Water transport in Berlin
The main ports of Berlin are engaged in the transport of heavy goods and are not used for public transport. Nevertheless, sightseeing boats operate on the central part of the Spree River and on the adjacent waterway. There are short Spree tours in the city center and a three-hour map of the center through Spree and the Landver Canal. This is definitely worth a look, as it is a great way to admire Berlin's main attractions.
There are also 6 passenger ferry routes, many of which connect lakes and canals. One of the most beautiful is the F10, which crosses Lake Wannsee, from the San Vann Wannsee station to Kladov in Brandenburg. The trip takes 20 minutes and boats depart every hour. The views of the Havel River and Wannsee Beach are amazing!
Taxi
Berlin offers over 7,000 taxis that are easily recognizable by the beige color of the car.
Starting June 30, 2015, the base fare is 3.90 euros, and each of the first 7 kilometers costs 2 euros. A further kilometer costs 1.50 euros. Knowing these prices, you can evaluate your final bill for a taxi before you get in the car. The expectation of heavy traffic usually does not affect the tariff, since the meter does not take into account the time until a two-minute delay.
It is worth noting that in Berlin taxis there is a special low tariff (5 euros) called Kurzstrecke for a distance of less than 2 kilometers without stops. Be sure to inform the taxi driver that you want to go at this rate.
You can get a free taxi call, which is made on the streets, when you order it through the call line of the cabin or through the application, for example, mytaxi (you can even pay for the trip through the application). In Berlin, Uber uses an official taxi fleet and has the same standards as a regular cab.
In any taxi you can pay your fare with a credit or debit card. And do not forget to ask the taxi driver for a receipt - this will allow you to identify the car you were traveling in if you accidentally forgot something in the car.
Hours of transport
You will be surprised by the various modes of transport. They are all included in the BVG, so you can travel to Berlin by public transport with a valid ticket or travel card at any time.
Berlin's transport system operates day and night. Trains and buses run every 10-20 minutes during the daytime, and more often in the center.
Service is a bit limited at night. On weekdays, S-Bahn and U-Bahn trains run from approximately 4:30 in the morning until 1:00 the next day, but there are certain night buses that run along this route in a later period. Over the weekend, ground and underground transport is open 24 hours.
As for the working hours of the U-Bahn (underground trains) and S-Bahn (ground trains): it starts on weekdays from 4:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. during the working week and 24 hours a day on weekends and holidays.
At night, buses follow the U-Bahn train routes. Trains run every 5 minutes during rush hour and every 10-15 minutes the rest of the time. You can plan your trip using the map, which can be found in all guidebooks and stations, or watch online in the travel planner for Berlin.
In addition to buses and trams, Berlin's public transport also has ferries on the Spree River. The same ticket can be valid on one of six ferry lines at different points in the river. Although this is not always the fastest way to get to the place, but it is beautiful and picturesque. Some ferry lines operate only in summer.
Tickets
There are many types of tickets and it is worth planning ahead what public transport tickets in Berlin you will buy. The following types are available:
- Reduced is a ticket for children, students and the elderly.
- AB is the access area for central Berlin and its suburbs.
- BC - access area for the outlying suburbs and Potsdam.
- ABC - tariff zone for all three.
- Single tickets valid for two hours in one direction.
- Berlin public transport tickets for four trips, which are slightly cheaper than four single tickets.
- Cheap short-distance tickets (Kurzstrecke) to three train stops or six bus or tram stops.
- Daily, weekly or monthly travel cards that give you unlimited travel by transport while the ticket is valid.
- A group ticket that gives an unlimited number of trips during the day for up to 5 people.
- There is also a welcome card in Berlin, which gives an unlimited number of trips for three days, as well as discounts on many of the main sites in the city.
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, or a seven-day, or monthly ticket for a month.
If during your stay in Berlin you want to visit some museums, then it will be more profitable to purchase a Berlin welcome card - this is a ticket for transport in Berlin, specially designed for tourists. It includes sightseeing by public transport.
Although it is difficult to figure out tickets, they are valid for any form of public transport in Berlin. You do not have to worry about buying a separate ticket if, for example, you need to travel by bus and metro.
Travel tips and tricks
How to use transport in Berlin?
There are no conductors in Berlin, so you need to purchase a ticket before the trip. This can be done at the ticket machines located directly on the stopping platforms.
To travel or travel around Berlin it will be much more convenient to download the BHG FarhInfo Plus application, available on Android or iOS. It includes a traffic schedule and a network map.
This is the easiest and most environmentally friendly way to get a ticket. The fact is that cars on trams accept only coins. The driver can only accept cash, but this does not mean that he will have change.
Buying tickets
You can buy tickets or welcome cards at the following locations:
- at the box office of some stores;
- In the underground;
- at ticket machines throughout the city;
- if you ride a tram, then in the machine inside the tram;
- if you are traveling by bus, have a driver.
Ticket machines at stations and on new trams accept coins and German debit cards. Credit cards are not accepted, but the exception is ticket offices located throughout the city and at airports.
If you do not have a German credit card, your only option is to pay in cash. Automatic 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 located at the entrances to the station, to shops, to the subway platform or to the tram. Ticket machines have instructions in several languages, including the sale of tickets for Berlin transport in Russian in vending machines.
They must be confirmed before entering the transport.
Ticket Ticket
Once you buy a ticket, you need to take another important step before getting on a train, bus or tram: mark and confirm your ticket, thereby activating it to start the trip.
This is the case if you do not ride the bus in which you 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 confirmed and noted.
To do this, find special checkout machines, insert the top of the ticket into the slot that says: “Please tick here” (these machines are usually located next to the ticket machines on the platform).
If you were not able to confirm the ticket or if you didn’t have time or just 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 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 can get lucky - it will be checked and checked by the controller himself, who will spare the ignorant tourist (but only if you can explain to him that you didn’t do it on purpose).
Ticket price
For adults in zones A and B, the following rates:
- Single ticket: 2.60 euros.
- Quadruple ticket: 8.80 euros.
- Short-term ticket: € 1.50.
- One-day ticket: 6.70 euros.
- Seven-day ticket: EUR 28.80.
- Monthly ticket: 77.00 euros.
- Group ticket (5 people for 1 day): 16.20 euros.
Berlin public transport prices and ticket types are subject to change. You can find out most ticket prices on official sites.
That's all the information about Berlin public transport. You can find out how to use buses, trams, subways and taxis by reading this article.