Berlin Flights

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If flying in or out of Berlin via Schoenefeld there are several public transport options including an Airport Express service from the Hbf via Alexanderplatz and Ostbahnhof. The Airport Express runs every thirty minutes with a journey time of about the same.

If travelling from the south of the city the best option is to either pick up the U7 to Rudow and then the bus onwards from there or the S9 from Ostkreuz. Journey times will obviously depend on your start station.

You should note that Schoenefeld is in zone C and so you will require an extra ticket if you only have an AB pass.

The airport website has the basic information and links to the VBB journey planner.

When you get to the Schoenefeld public transport terminus there's a well-signed covered walkway to the airport itself.

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We flew to Berlin Tegel from London Heathrow by British Airways, having got a good package deal on Lastminute.com. The flight in both directions was fine, with no greater problem than a 30 minute delay on the return leg. The flights lasted around an hour and a half, and light refreshments were served (a drink and a bag of crisps or biscuits).

Tegel is a small airport for such a major city, and is one of its two main airports; you might find yourself arriving at Schönefeld instead, which is also quite small. There are plans to open a new major airport to serve the city, Berlin Brandenburg International (BBI) as neither of the existing hubs (nor even-smaller Templhof) is really up to the job these days. An added issue with Tegel is that you are not even able to travel directly to the centre by train but must instead take one of several buses, depending on your eventual destination.

As we were staying in the eastern half of the city we decided that the TXL bus would be the best for us. If you’re not sure and haven’t researched in advance, there is a bus information desk in the airport – follow the bus signs to find it, and the best exit for the bus stops. You can’t buy tickets at the desk, so don’t waste time queuing if you know what bus you want; instead go straight to the machines outside. These are just regular city buses, so the fares are the same as everywhere in the city. A single ride to anywhere in the centre cost €2.30 (in May 2011) and is valid for up to two hours in zones A and B, so if like us you need to change to the U-bahn or S-bahn (more on these in my other transport tip), hang on to your ticket and don’t buy another one. If you know you’ll be doing several more journeys on the day of your arrival, check out the various multi-ride options too. And do make sure you validate your ticket once you get on board – insert it into the slot on one of the small machines, in the direction indicated, so that the date and time are stamped on to it.

We had just missed a bus, but only had to wait about eight minutes. Just the same, the bus was full, and as a regular bus was not really set up for carrying lots of luggage. Consequently the first part of the ride was rather uncomfortable as we had to wedge our bags into the space in front of the seat where our legs should have been! But this eased after a while and we were able to enjoy the second part of the ride, spotting some landmarks such as the Reichstag building and Brandenburg Gate on the way. We could have got off and changed for the S-bahn at the Hauptbahnhof (which was the route we took on our return) but instead did so at the Alexanderplatz, which was just two stops from our hotel near the Ostbahnhof. This is a major interchange and quite confusing when you’re unused to the system, but a helpful information desk and a good map soon saw us on our way!

The whole journey from airport to hotel took us about an hour, with the bus ride being about 45 minutes. If this all seems a bit too much hassle (although it really isn’t!), or you have loads of luggage and/or small children, you could consider the airport shuttle as a slightly cheaper alternative to taxis: http://www.visitberlin.de/en/article/book-your-airportshuttle-here-online.

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I flew here from Luton Airport with Easyjet. When you leave the terminal there is a long covered walkway to the left and this leads to the train station, its about 300m. Go down the ramp or steps and buy a ticket from the machines there. 30 minutes later you will be in the center of Berlin.

Its quite a large airport with four small terminals. Easyjet operates out of Terminal 2 only but its only a one minute walk from Terminal 1. There are shops and all the usual airport accessories. My only complaint is there are nowhere near enough seats for people to wait before departure or at the departure gate, but isn't that the same everywhere. When we returned our departure time came and went but still not a peep from anyone at the airport... Now if I ran it.....lol

Except once when I was on a road trip with caravan and another time when I was on a group trip by bus I have arrived at Berlin Schönefeldt by air. The flight is a couple of hours from Sweden and for that short a distance I do not care for much else than safe and cheap.

Normally I check prices and flight schedules for Germanwings and AirBerlin from Stockholm Arlanda and Ryanair from Stockholm Skavsta when I plan my trips to Berlin. All three airlines operates in other countries in Europe too so you should check if they are an alternative for you.

I have never traveled with AirBerlin because their flights have been on the wrong days/hours or have not been able to compete prizewise with the two others. I have used both the others and even though I have 2-3 hours more by car to Skavsta than to Arlanda, Ryanair has been the best options a couple of times.

As always with budget airlines you should read the terms and conditions regarding luggage etc carefully and be aware of extra costs before you do the booking, but as long as you do this I am sure you will have pleasant trip.

1.) SCHÖNEFELD BBI AIRPORT (SXF)

contact:
Flughafen Schönefeld
Mittelstraße/Am Seegraben
Phone: +49 1805-00 01 86 (0,14€/min. , rates from abroad may vary)
www.berlin-airport.de

getting there:

TRAINS:
Airport Express
RE 14 (every 30min)
RB 22 (every 30min)
RE 7

S-BAHN:
S9
S45

BUSES:
X7 to U-Bahn Rudow
SXF 1 to Südkreuz
162 to S-Bahn Adlershof
163 to S-Bahn Schöneweide
171 to U-Bahn Herrmannplatz
N7 to U-Bahn Rudow
N60 to S-Bahn Adlershof

For public transportation into Berlin check your individual routes at www.bvg.de.

CAR:
Rentals available at the airport( for example: Sixt, Europcar)

TAXI:
approximately 30-35€ in 45-90min

2.) TEGEL AIRPORT (TXL)

contact:
Flughafen Tegel
Saatwinkler Damm
Phone: +49 1805-00 01 86 (0,14€/min. , rates from abroad may vary)
www.berlin-airport.de

getting there:

TRAINS:
No trains

BUSES:
TXL via Hauptbahnhof(Main Station) to Mitte
128 to U-Bahn Jakob-Kaiser-Platz (U7)
109 to U-Bahn Kurt-Schumacher-Platz (U6)
X9 to Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten

For public transportation into Berlin check your individual routes at www.bvg.de.

CAR:
Rentals available at the airport( for example: Sixt, Europcar)

TAXI:
approximately 20-25€ in 45-75min

3.) TEMPELHOF AIRPORT
closed since October 31st 2008

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This is the first time I flew with Air Berlin and I hope to do more often. It is a company as always, offer free drinks and a snack on all its flights, newspaper (all German) and sweets when you boarding into the plane. Air Berlin flies from Malaga to Berlin Tegel Airport 4 times per week, the flight takes about 3 hours. Besides the food and drink also make music videos, movies and cartoons.

Es la primera vez que volé con Air Berlin y espero hacerlo mas veces. Es una compañía como las de siempre, ofrecen bebidas gratuitas y un bocadillo en todos sus vuelos, periodicos (todos alemanes) y caramelos al subir al avión. Desde Málaga Air Berlin vuela a Berlin Tegel, el vuelo dura unas 3 horas. A parte de la bebida y comida también ponen videos musicales, peliculas y dibujos animados.

Three Airports will covert to one from 2011

http://www.berlin-airport.de/EN/index.html

Tegal - main airport used by the big name carriers, taxi or buses X09 and 109 to/from the city.

Schenefeld - used by low cost and Eastern Europe carriers, taxi or Airport Express Train to/fom the city.

Tempelhof - used for German regional and ScandInavia connections, taxi, train U6 or bus 119 to.from the city

Starting in 2011, all air traffic will pass through Schoenefeld Airport and it is possible Tegal and Tempelhof will be closed.

There are three international airports: Tegel, Tempelhof and Schönefeld. Tegel and Tempelhof are close to the city, Schönefeld is about 18 km south-east of Berlin. This airport is mostly used by low-cost airlines.

We arrived at Schönefeld. It's a small airport with some shops, cafes and a Burger King. There is a good connection to the city. However, you will need to walk for about five minutes from the terminal to the bus, S- and U-Bahn stations. There is a ticket machine at the airport where you can get a single, day ticket or multi-day pass.

We took the Airport Express to the city, which is easy and quick. Take a ticket for zone AB, price: 2.10 euro. Don't forget to validate your ticket at the train station before entering the train! The train takes about half an hour to the city center.