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Getting Around Berlin: Trains, Tickets and Taxis

By The Travel FieldbookPublished on Updated on 5 min read
The platforms and tracks inside Berlin Friedrichstraße S-Bahn station.
Berlin Friedrichstraße S-Bahn station, serving the city’s urban railway network. (Michael.F.H.Barth · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited)

Berlin’s sights spread beyond the centre around Brandenburg Gate and Museum Island. The U-Bahn and S-Bahn connect these central stops with outlying neighbourhoods, while buses and trams reach places between railway stations.

Walking or taking transport

CriterionWalkingRailBus and tramHired bicycleTaxi
Useful journeysCentral sightseeing clusterAcross districtsBetween rail stationsParks and neighbourhoodsDirect late return
LuggageCarry it throughoutManage station accessLimited onboard spaceLight bags onlyChoose vehicle size
Limited walking staminaRequires sustained walkingStation walks; lifts varyShort stop walksPedalling; traffic confidenceLeast walking
Typical costFreeSingle: AB €4.00; ABC €5.00Single: AB €4.00; ABC €5.00About €15–€25/day; standard bikeAbout €15–€30; short city ride

Walking is the default within a central sightseeing cluster. Brandenburg Gate to Museum Island is about 1.7 km, about 23 minutes on foot. Unter den Linden links the gate with the museum quarter. Allow room for stops rather than treating the walk as a transfer.

The promenade along Unter den Linden in Berlin.
The promenade on Unter den Linden, a central Berlin boulevard.
Leonhard Lenz · CC0 · Edited

U-Bahn: the underground

Central corridor
U5: Hauptbahnhof–Alexanderplatz
Ticket
Local-network ticket

The U-Bahn, Berlin’s underground, connects districts. U5 links the main railway station with the historic centre, taking about 8 minutes from Hauptbahnhof to Museumsinsel without a change.

StopLineDirection from HauptbahnhofPlace served
HauptbahnhofU5HönowMain railway station
Brandenburger TorU5HönowBrandenburg Gate
MuseumsinselU5HönowMuseum Island
AlexanderplatzU5HönowAlexanderplatz square

At Hauptbahnhof, follow U5 signs through the intermediate level to its separate underground platform, rather than boarding on the mainline platforms. Both Hauptbahnhof’s U5 stop and Museumsinsel have lifts for step-free access.

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

From Brandenburger Tor, you can continue on foot along Unter den Linden. For the return journey towards the main railway station, take U5 towards Hauptbahnhof.

Brandenburger Tor underground station in Berlin.
The U-Bahn station at Brandenburger Tor.
Tim Rademacher · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited

S-Bahn and regional trains

LinePeriod or stretchService
S7Day until about 22:0010 min; otherwise 20 min
S7Fri/Sat nights; Wartenberg–Warschauer Straße30 min
S41Beusselstraße Mon–Fri, excluding holidays04:13–23:58
S41Beusselstraße Saturday04:06–23:58
S41Beusselstraße Sundays/public holidaysOvernight from 00:08; morning from 04:08
S41Day/evening; weekday peaks10 min; peaks 5 min
S41Some day/evening periods5/5/10 min
S41/S42Nights before Sat/Sun15 min
S42Mon–Fri about 05:00–10:45; until about 20:45 after midday patternAbout 5 min
S42Mon–Fri about 11:00–14:00; weekends about 12:00–20:005/5/10 min; otherwise 10 min
S9Daily; citybound/to BER20 min; until about 02:00/from about 03:00
S9Fri/Sat and Sat/Sun nights; whole line30 min

The S-Bahn’s central east–west corridor crosses Berlin above ground. The Ringbahn, the circular railway, runs clockwise as S41 and anticlockwise as S42.

Boarding stopLine/directionPlace served
AlexanderplatzS9 → SpandauZoologischer Garten
BER Terminal 1–2S9 → SpandauCentral Berlin
BER Terminal 1–2FEX → HauptbahnhofMain railway station
HauptbahnhofS7 → AhrensfeldeAlexanderplatz

Alexanderplatz to Zoologischer Garten takes about 15 minutes on S9 towards Spandau. From BER Terminal 1–2 to Alexanderplatz, take FEX, the Airport Express, and change at Hauptbahnhof to S7 towards Ahrensfelde: about 35 minutes station to station.

A Berlin S-Bahn train at Alexanderplatz station.
The S-Bahn station at Alexanderplatz in Berlin.
Michael.F.H.Barth · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited

BER’s railway station serves airport trains including S9. Regional RE and RB trains also carry local passengers, but they are distinct from long-distance trains.

Name
BER Terminal 1–2 railway station
Location
Melli-Beese-Ring, Schönefeld Maps
Essential fact
The railway station beneath BER Airport’s Terminal 1.

Buses and trams

Buses and night buses

ServiceDay / periodInterval
200Mon–Fri 04:30–05:00 / 05:00–07:0020 / 12 min
200Mon–Fri 07:00–22:30 / 22:30–23:0020 / 12 min
200Mon–Fri 23:00–00:0020 min
200Sat 05:30–09:00 / 09:00–22:3020 / 12 min
200Sun 07:00–10:00 / 10:00–22:3020 / 12 min
200Sat/Sun 22:30–23:00 / 23:00–00:0020 / 12 min
200Daily final servicesAbout 00:30
N1–N9Sun/Mon–Thu/Fri nights30 min

Buses 100 and 200 are ordinary local services passing landmarks. Night buses replace corresponding U-Bahn lines on the nights shown above, while on weekend nights, S-Bahn and U-Bahn services run continuously.

StopRoute / directionPlace served
Alexanderplatz100 → Zoologischer GartenBrandenburg Gate
Alexanderplatz200 → Potsdamer PlatzPotsdamer Platz
A BVG double-decker bus on line 100 passes the Brandenburg Gate on Unter den Linden.
A BVG line 100 bus on Unter den Linden, with the Brandenburg Gate behind it.
Geoprofi Lars · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited

Trams and Metrotrams

M1 stretchPeriodInterval
Combined central sectionDay/evening; dailyAbout 7–10 min
Schillerstraße / Rosenthal Nord branchesDay/evening; dailyAbout 15–20 min
Both branchesMany overnight periodsAbout 30 min

Trams are not free: use an ordinary local-network ticket. M1 serves Prenzlauer Berg. Its M prefix means MetroTram. Berlin tram lines, boarding and night travel covers useful routes and how to ride them.

StopLine / directionPlace served
Hackescher MarktM1 → Schillerstraße / Rosenthal NordPrenzlauer Berg
A BVG M1 tram at Hackescher Markt in Berlin.
An M1 tram at the Hackescher Markt junction in Berlin.
Kurt Rasmussen · Attribution · Edited

Taxis

Street hail
Illuminated taxi sign
Other access
Taxi rank, phone or app
Ordinary city fare
Taximeter

You cannot negotiate an individual fare with the driver for an ordinary Berlin city ride. A fixed-price arrangement can instead be made before the ride. The short-distance flat-rate option applies only to taxis hailed on the street, not rank or ordered taxis.

A short city ride typically costs about €15–€30, depending on distance and traffic. Ask for a vehicle that accommodates your bags and passengers, because luggage capacity varies with vehicle size.

A cyclist rides along a busy Berlin street beside a taxi.
A taxi on a Berlin street, with a cyclist passing in front.
Mhajr Invincible · Pexels License · Edited

Hiring a bicycle

Hire a bicycle from a Berlin rental shop, distinct from app-based sharing. A standard bike usually costs about €15–€25 a day, while e-bikes and extras cost more. Choose cycling if you are comfortable at city junctions.

Blue cycle-only, shared pedestrian-and-cycle, and segregated-path signs make the path compulsory in your direction. Adults may cycle on pavements only where signs permit it, at walking speed with pedestrian priority.

At dusk, after dark or in poor visibility, use an approved, non-dazzling white front light and red rear light, with reflectors fitted. Attach detachable lights, but flashing lights are prohibited.

Watch for turning vehicles at junctions, cross tram rails as close to a right angle as possible, and lock the frame to a fixed stand.

A bicycle street on Linienstraße in Berlin.
Linienstraße in Mitte, designated as a bicycle street.
Fridolin freudenfett · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited

Zones, tickets and day passes

Adult ticketZonesFareValidity
SingleAB€4.00120 minutes
SingleABC€5.00120 minutes
24-hourAB€11.2024 consecutive hours
24-hourABC€12.9024 consecutive hours

Zone A covers the centre within the S-Bahn ring, B extends to Berlin’s city boundary, and C covers the surrounding area. AB covers the city, but choose ABC for journeys between central Berlin and BER.

Ordinary tickets cover U-Bahn, S-Bahn, buses, trams, public ferries and eligible RE and RB regional trains within their zones, rather than long-distance trains.

A single permits transfers and interruptions after validation, but only for travel in one direction, with no return or round trips. A 24-hour ticket starts at validation or its printed start time, not at midnight.

  • Walking costs nothing, while singles cost less for one or two separately ticketed journeys.
  • For three separately ticketed AB journeys: 3 × €4.00 = €12.00, versus €11.20 for the pass.
  • For three separately ticketed ABC journeys: 3 × €5.00 = €15.00, versus €12.90 for the pass.
  • Choose the pass for three or more separately ticketed journeys within its validity window and zones.
A ticket machine for the Berlin S-Bahn.
The machine is identified in the supplied metadata as an S-Bahn Berlin ticket machine.
Anselm Schüler · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited

Buying tickets and boarding

Do

  • Buy tickets covering every zone you travel through.
  • Stamp unvalidated paper tickets in a yellow or red validator before rail boarding, outside the train.
  • Buy app tickets before boarding and activate before travel unless already active.
  • Keep your phone operational and present the mobile ticket with photo ID at inspection.

Don’t

  • Treat ungated stations as free travel.
  • Stamp a paper ticket again if it is already validated, as bus or tram tickets may be.
  • Wait until inspection to activate a digital ticket.
  • Rely on a flat battery to explain an unusable ticket.

Buy from station machines, BVG customer centres, shops, sales outlets or BVG apps. BVG Fahrinfo provides journey planning and live service information, while BVG Ticket sells singles and 24-hour tickets.

Sources & fact-checking

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

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