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Berlin Metro: Using the U-Bahn and Its Key Lines

By The Travel FieldbookPublished on Updated on 5 min read
A Berlin U-Bahn train of the IK class at a station platform.
An IK-class train on the U5 at Berlin Central Station. (JoachimKohler-HB · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited)

Berlin’s U-Bahn connects the main railway station with central sights and links the eastern and western centres. U5 serves the landmark corridor from Hauptbahnhof to Alexanderplatz, while U2 connects Alexanderplatz, Potsdamer Platz and Zoologischer Garten. Choosing the right platform means looking for the line number and the train’s destination, not just the name of the station you want.

When to use the U-Bahn

The U-Bahn is Berlin’s underground railway, although some stretches run above ground. The S-Bahn is a separate urban rail service: its signs and platforms are distinct, even where both share a station.

Walk between nearby sights, but use the U-Bahn for longer trips across Berlin, including between the eastern and western centres, with luggage or back to accommodation outside the centre. At Alexanderplatz, the blue U sign identifies access to the underground network.

A sign for the U-Bahn station at Alexanderplatz in Berlin.
The subway sign identifies Alexanderplatz station in Berlin.
Taxiarchos228 · FAL · Edited

Choose your destination station, find its line, then identify the direction by the train’s terminus. Have a valid ticket ready before boarding. BER Airport has no direct U-Bahn service: the airport journey needs another rail service, with the fare zones explained below.

U2 hours and overnight services

U2 first-departure example
03:03, Pankow towards Ruhleben
U2 daytime interval
Generally 5 minutes; denser weekday peaks
U2 evening interval
Typically 10 minutes
U2 late-night interval
Typically 20 minutes

U2 departures vary by station, direction and day. For an early start from another station, use that station’s departure times rather than the Pankow example. The departure pattern distinguishes Monday–Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

ServiceNightsPeriodSection / interval
U2 and U5 trainsFriday/Saturday; Saturday/SundayOvernightRespective lines
N2 busSunday/Monday–Thursday/FridayApprox. 00:30–01:00By segment: 15 or 30 min; some unserved
N2 busSunday/Monday–Thursday/FridayApprox. 01:00–04:00By segment: 15 or 30 min; some unserved
N2 busSunday/Monday–Thursday/FridayApprox. 04:00–04:30By segment: 15 or 30 min; some unserved
N5 busSunday/Monday–Thursday/FridayApprox. 00:30–01:00Hauptbahnhof–Alexanderplatz/Memhardstr.; 30 min
N5 busSunday/Monday–Thursday/FridayApprox. 01:00–03:00Alexanderplatz–Wuhletal; 15 min
N5 busSunday/Monday–Thursday/FridayApprox. 03:00–04:00Sections extending Wuhletal towards Riesaer Str.; 30 min

On the nights covered by the buses, N2 and N5 provide alternatives when their corresponding trains stop running. Their starts and finishes are coordinated with U2 and U5. For N5, choose the section that serves your journey: its early main-station section gives way to later eastern sections. For N2, match your boarding stop and direction to the service period, as some stretches are not served throughout.

The weeknight replacement network covers U1, U2, U3, U5, U6, U7, U8 and U9 routes. U4 is the exception to that regular pattern. At Alexanderplatz, distinguish the U5 platform from the surface stops needed for a night bus.

The U5 platform at Alexanderplatz station in Berlin.
A platform on the U5 at Alexanderplatz, one of Berlin’s U-Bahn stations.
IngolfBLN · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Edited

U2 and U5 stops for visitors

StationLineDirection for central journeysPlace served
HauptbahnhofU5Hönow (eastbound)Main railway station
BundestagU5Hönow / HauptbahnhofReichstag; parliamentary quarter
Brandenburger TorU5Hönow / HauptbahnhofBrandenburg Gate
Unter den LindenU5Hönow / HauptbahnhofUnter den Linden boulevard
MuseumsinselU5Hönow / HauptbahnhofMuseum Island
Rotes RathausU5Hönow / HauptbahnhofRed Town Hall
AlexanderplatzU5Hauptbahnhof (westbound)Alexanderplatz; TV Tower
AlexanderplatzU2Ruhleben (westbound)Eastern centre
Potsdamer PlatzU2Ruhleben / PankowPotsdamer Platz
Zoologischer GartenU2Pankow (eastbound)Western centre; Berlin Zoo

From Hauptbahnhof, follow U5 signs rather than signs for the long-distance platforms. The line puts the parliamentary quarter and Brandenburg Gate on the same journey as Museum Island and the Red Town Hall. Choose the exit for your sight once you reach its station. The platform itself is only part of the journey.

Name
Hauptbahnhof U-Bahn station
Location
Hauptbahnhof, Europaplatz 1, Berlin Maps
Essential fact
The U-Bahn station within Berlin’s main railway station.

Museumsinsel is the U5 stop for the museums on Museum Island. Its deep-blue vaulted ceiling, dotted with lights, makes the platform distinctive before you head above ground to the museum buildings.

The platform inside Museumsinsel U-Bahn station in Berlin.
The platform at Museumsinsel station in Berlin-Mitte.
Geoprofi Lars · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited

At Alexanderplatz, you can change from U5 to U2 for Potsdamer Platz and the western centre. Follow the line number and interchange signs inside the station, rather than assuming the next platform serves your train. Allow extra time for walking within larger stations, especially with luggage.

Name
Alexanderplatz U-Bahn station
Location
Dircksenstraße 2, Berlin Maps
Essential fact
The U-Bahn interchange beneath Alexanderplatz.

Google Street View, 2022-07.

The U2 journey from Alexanderplatz to Potsdamer Platz takes about 14 minutes, and from Potsdamer Platz to Zoologischer Garten it takes about 13 minutes. Both are direct, with no change of train. These journeys include walking portions at the stations, but add time for waiting and for anything you stop to visit.

Potsdamer Platz lets you break the trip around its square and nearby cultural buildings. Zoologischer Garten brings you to the western centre, near the zoo and the shopping area around the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. For the reverse journey, use the eastbound U2 platform.

Single and 24-hour tickets

Adult AB productFareValidity
Single ticket€4.00120 minutes from validation
24-hour ticket€11.2024 hours from validation or printed start

A single ticket permits one journey in one direction, including changes and interruptions. It cannot cover a return journey or a round trip, even if you are still within its validity period. The 24-hour ticket permits unlimited journeys during its validity.

  • For one or two separately ticketed journeys, singles cost less: €4.00 or €8.00, compared with €11.20 for the 24-hour ticket.
  • For three separately ticketed journeys within a 24-hour period, choose the 24-hour ticket: three €4.00 singles total €12.00, compared with €11.20.

Both products cover U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams, buses and ferries within AB. Zone A covers the centre up to and including the S-Bahn Ring, while zone B extends outside the Ring to Berlin’s city limits. AB therefore covers travel within the city. A journey between central Berlin and BER Airport requires ABC.

Berlin U-Bahn platform at Potsdamer Platz, served by the U2.
The U2 at Potsdamer Platz station in Berlin.
IngolfBLN · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Edited

Buying tickets and boarding

Pay at a U-Bahn station machine or buy digitally in the BVG Ticket-App. Station machines accept cards, contactless or with a PIN, coins and the BVG prepaid card. Banknotes are accepted only at selected machines, so a card or coins gives you an alternative if you arrive carrying notes.

The BVG Ticket-App sells both standard single and 24-hour tickets, and BVG Fahrinfo and Jelbi also offer ticket purchases. Buying a ticket and making it valid are separate steps where activation or stamping is required.

Before boarding and during inspection

Do

  • Stamp paper tickets at a platform validator before starting your journey.
  • Activate standard single and 24-hour app tickets before boarding; if already activated at purchase, no further activation is needed.
  • Keep your valid paper ticket or active digital ticket available to show an inspector.

Don’t

  • Treat an unstamped paper ticket as valid.
  • Wait until you are on the train to activate an app ticket.
  • Assume open access to the platform means you can travel without a ticket.

U-Bahn platforms have ungated access, but inspections take place. Locate the platform validator before approaching the train if you are using paper tickets. Let passengers leave before you board, then move away from the doors so others can enter. With luggage, keep the doorway clear rather than stopping there to organise your bags.

A BVG HK-class train at Nollendorfplatz station in Berlin.
A BVG HK-class train on the U4 at Nollendorfplatz in Berlin.
Jcornelius · CC BY 4.0 · Edited

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: services, fares and charges, and key figures.

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