Berlin’s trams connect Hauptbahnhof with the Natural History Museum and run through Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg. They are ordinary public transport, not sightseeing services: choose the line for where you want to get off, then leave time to enjoy the destination.
The M1 journey from Hackescher Markt towards Eberswalder Straße is affected by track works. For Mauerpark, allow for replacement buses as well as the final walk. On any tram, having the right ticket matters just as much as boarding in the right direction.
Trams and MetroTrams
- Coverage
- Mainly eastern Berlin
- MetroTrams
- M-prefixed lines, including overnight services
- Tickets
- Shared local-network tickets within purchased fare zones
Berlin has both numbered tram lines and MetroTrams. Walking suits nearby sights within one neighbourhood, while trams help with longer journeys, luggage or limited walking stamina. Use U-Bahn or S-Bahn where their route is more direct. The selected MetroTrams run daily through the night, not just at weekends.
| Line / days | Daytime | Evening | Overnight |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 Mon–Fri | 06:00–20:00: 20 | Section-dependent | 00:30–04:30: 30 outer; generally 20 central |
| M1 Sat | 10:00–19:00: 20 | 19:00–20:00: 30; 20:00–00:00: 20 | 00:30–05:00: 30 outer; generally 20 central |
| M1 Sun | 09:00–09:30: 10 central / 20 outer; 09:30–00:00: 30 | 30 until 00:00 | 00:30–07:00: 30 outer; generally 20 central |
| M5 daily | Mon–Sat: generally 10; some weekdays 5; Sun: 20–30 | 20–30 | 00:30–04:30: approximately 30 |
| M10 Mon–Fri | 05:00–07:00: 10; 07:00–20:00: 5 | 20:00–21:00: 10; 21:00–00:30: 15 | 00:30–04:30: 30; 04:30–05:00: 15 |
| M10 Sat | 06:00–10:30: 5; 10:30–20:00: 10 | 20:00–00:30: 15 | 00:30–06:00: 10 |
| M10 Sun | 07:00–10:30: 7/7/6; 10:30–20:00: 5 | 20:00–00:30: 10 | 00:30–07:00: 10 |
M5’s daytime departures begin around 04:30 and end around 00:30, with overnight departures continuing between them. Allow more waiting time after an evening out, particularly on M5 and weekday M10 services.
Kurt Rasmussen · Attribution · Edited
M1, M5 and M10: useful stops
| Line | Board → alight | Direction | Place served | Ride |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | Hackescher Markt → Eberswalder Straße | Towards Prenzlauer Berg | Prenzlauer Berg / Mauerpark | Affected by works |
| M5 | S+U Hauptbahnhof → U Naturkundemuseum | Naturkundemuseum in onward stops | Natural History Museum | about 6 minutes |
| M10 | S+U Hauptbahnhof → Warschauer Straße | Warschauer Straße | Northern / eastern inner city | — |
From the central network, M1 would normally connect Hackescher Markt with Eberswalder Straße for Prenzlauer Berg. Use the replacement-bus arrangements for this journey rather than expecting an uninterrupted tram ride.
M5 takes you to Naturkundemuseum for the Natural History Museum. M10 towards Warschauer Straße is useful for stops across the northern and eastern inner-city districts, but the S-Bahn is more direct for the end-to-end journey from Hauptbahnhof to Warschauer Straße. Time inside a museum or exploring a district is separate from the ride.
For both M5 and M10, board at S+U Hauptbahnhof on Invalidenstraße, on the main station’s north side. Match the line number with the destination display and the onward stop list: your alighting stop should appear ahead of you. On M5, look for U Naturkundemuseum in that list rather than relying on the line number alone.
- Name
- Hauptbahnhof tram stop
- Location
- Outside Berlin Hauptbahnhof on Europaplatz. Maps
- Essential fact
- The tram stop outside Berlin’s main railway station.
Ingolf from Berlin , Deutschland · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Edited
At Eberswalder Straße, leave the transport interchange for the final walk to Mauerpark. The park entrance is about 600 metres away, about 7 minutes on foot. The walk is a separate part of the outing, so allow for it before arranging to meet someone in the park.
- Name
- Eberswalder Straße tram stop
- Location
- Pankow, Berlin Maps
- Essential fact
- The tram stop beside Eberswalder Straße U-Bahn station in Prenzlauer Berg.
Tickets and boarding
Once you have chosen your tram and alighting stop, choose the ticket for the whole journey, including any change. A direct ride and a journey involving another tram do not have the same short-trip entitlement.
Tickets for short journeys
| Adult ticket | Fare | Validity | Changes | Interruptions | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin AB single | €4.00 | 120 minutes from validation | Permitted | Permitted | One-way; no round / return trips |
| Tram short trip | €2.80 | Up to 6 tram stops | Not permitted | Not permitted | Continuous journey |
Berlin AB covers the inner city and the rest of Berlin within the city boundary. If you need to change trams, choose the single ticket rather than a short-trip ticket. The short-trip allowance applies to the stops travelled on one tram, not to a combination of rides. For a museum outing on M5, choose the ticket for your outward journey separately from the return, because time spent visiting does not turn a one-way ticket into a return ticket.
Buying, validating and boarding
Do
- Bring coins for the onboard tram ticket machine; card payment is unavailable.
- Open “Tickets” in the app and activate before travelling, unless purchase has already activated it. Subscriptions are exempt.
- Stamp unvalidated paper tickets in a small metal validator on the platform or in the tram.
- For onboard paper purchases, read the ticket or machine’s validation indication: these may already be validated.
- Present your valid ticket and any accompanying certificate or prescribed ID; give personal details and show identification if requested.
Don’t
- Rely on card, phone-wallet or prepaid-card payment at the tram machine.
- Treat an unactivated app ticket as valid.
- Stamp an already validated onboard ticket again.
- Leave required supporting documents behind.
Passengers open the doors themselves once they are released. Press the outside door-opener button to board, and inside, use the green stop-request button to alight. Let people leave before stepping aboard.
For step-free boarding, wait near the front of the stop and clearly signal the tram staff. Use the first or second door marked with the wheelchair symbol, and staff deploy the ramp or operate the lift. Press the wheelchair stop button before your destination so the doors stay open for your exit and staff can assist.
Jacek Rużyczka · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Edited
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: services and fares and charges.
- Hauptbahnhof (BVG area map)
- S+U Hauptbahnhof: Haltestelleninfo
- Tram-Linie M1: Fahrplan, Haltestellen & Störungen
- Tourist tickets | BVG
- Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB) — service
- VBB-Tarifbroschüre, effective 1 January 2026
- Tür auf, Tür zu. Technik, die verbindet.
- Barrierefrei durch Berlin – deine Fragen, unsere Antworten | BVG
- M1 timetable, valid from 14 December 2025
- M5 timetable (valid from 14 December 2025)
- M10 MetroTram timetable
- FAQ for tourists
- Single ticket
- VBB (Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg) — fares and charges
- Kurzstrecke – App laden, Ticket kaufen & los | BVG
- Short-trip ticket
