Berlin Transportation

From the 1st of April Schonefeld Airport has been changed to zone C for public transport, so make sure you have the correct ticket.
If you are not very good with the ticket machines there is a shop in airport which sells tickets. As you exit the custom hall in terminal A, into the main concourse, turn left, the shop is newsagents which has a BVG sign outside. If you decide to catch the Airport Express into town, remember this is an ordinary service and not a special train. There is a real time notice board of the train services in the covered walkway on the route to the station.

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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

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I thought the public transport system in Berlin was going to be complicated but its simple compared to London. I found the ticket machine at Schoenefeld Airport and after few goes managed to get the choice of ticket I required. Most visitors only require a ticket for zones A & B but if you want to visit some of the sights out of town such as Potsdam you will need zone C as well. The machines I used only took notes up to 20 euros. Having obtained the required ticket you need to validate it when you first use it. On the buses you enter via the front door and show the ticket to the driver, this is not required for the trams where the driver is locked in the cab. In 2 weeks I saw the ticket inspectors strike 4 times. They are not just men in their 20’s who look the business, who are inspectors, I also saw a groups of men and women in their 50’s & 20’s checking tickets, so be warned they accept no excuses. At the smaller S Bahn Stations you can have trains on different routes on the same lines and the indicators boards do not always work. At the larger stations you may have to check for the correct platform. The underground is easier and with a more frequent service but sometimes the train does not go to the end of the line, so always check. As the different underground lines tend to run in different tunnels you sometimes have to walk some distance when changing trains. On the upside is an easy system once you get use to it, with a fast frequent service and in 2 weeks I can say it never felt like you were packed in like a sardine, seats being available more often than not.

This gives one and adult and up to 3 children unlimited travel on Berlin's metro system for 48 or 72 hours. Great value, especially if you are planning on seeing a lot of different sights. It also comes with a book of coupons offering discounts at many Berlin attractions.

Always rely on public transportation in Berlin, or Germany for that matter. The sign in the photo looks confusing but with a little focus reading it/them is very easy to learn.

Berlin's transportation information is also online and in English! I've included the link below. It is chocked full of valuable information. The site in German is: http://www.bvg.de/

Have a great trip!

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We took the one hour tour from Nikolaiviertel to Kanzleramt. The tour was done live, German and English with interesting little tidbits of information that one gets either a) from doing a helluva lot of reading beforehand, or b) from a good tour guide. The building nicknamed "Angie's Waschmaschine" was a particularly memorable comment.

Although the weather was as the Germans so charmingly put it "wechselhaft", we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. "Wechselhaft" goes something like this: first sunny, then a couple minutes later cloudy and cold, then a few minutes later sunny and warm again.

We ended up on an ancient boat with a smokestack that had to be lowered every time we passed under a bridge. It was great! Next time we go to Berlin we will probably take one of the longer tours.

A welcome card is a must if you want to travel around in Berlin. It's good for subway, buses and every other public transport. We took 3 day welcome card and it cost 21 euros. You get also discount in museums, zoo and other tourist attractions with the card.

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If you fancy something different and feel lazy you should try one of the numerous boat trips that ply the rivers and lakes around Berlin. Most sell food & drink onboard whilst you look at the city from a different angle. It’s a great opportunity to take photos and a commetary may be provide though probably only in German.