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Berlin's integrated public transport is divided in 3 tariff zones (ABC). To travel within the city, including from Tegel airport to the hotels, you only need an AB ticket. Tickets can be bought at automated booths in most stations (accept credit cards), and on Metro (need coins). You can use the same ticket to travel on buses, metro, S-Bahn, U-Bahn. More information, including PDF maps, are available on [https://www.berlin.de/en/public-transportation/1772016-2913840-tickets-fares-and-route-maps.en.html this website]. A mobile app is available on stores ("BVG FahrInfo Plus") and allows to create routes between stations, or you can use directly the [https://www.bvg.de/en BVG] website. | Berlin's integrated public transport is divided in 3 tariff zones (ABC). To travel within the city, including from Tegel airport to the hotels, you only need an AB ticket. Tickets can be bought at automated booths in most stations (accept credit cards), and on Metro (need coins). You can use the same ticket to travel on buses, metro, S-Bahn, U-Bahn. More information, including PDF maps, are available on [https://www.berlin.de/en/public-transportation/1772016-2913840-tickets-fares-and-route-maps.en.html this website]. A mobile app is available on stores ("BVG FahrInfo Plus") and allows to create routes between stations, or you can use directly the [https://www.bvg.de/en BVG] website. | ||
====Getting around Berlin==== | |||
You’ll rarely hear from your Berlin-based colleagues (or anyone else actually living in the city instead of the suburbs) that they prefer or even enjoy taking the car anywhere. Many don’t even own a car unless they truly need it because driving in Berlin is not a lot of fun with busy traffic, lots (looooots!) of construction sites, a bunch of one-way streets and barely any free parking spaces. When exploring the city, we recommend that you use public transportation instead, which takes you everywhere and is pretty reliable. Or you rent bikes and even add some exercise to your city tour. | |||
In order to make sure that you know your transportation options, here’s an overview of what you may use — and how. | |||
=====Buying tickets===== | |||
Most types of public transport require you to buy your ticket before entering the respective vehicle. You can find ticket machines at the stations or buy a ticket at shops in one of the larger train stations. The machines usually inform you in German and in English, which makes them easy to use. | |||
You’ll be able to buy different types of tickets depending on where you go and duration of their validity, from just one ride up to 6 days. If you plan to use public transportation for several days in a row it’s definitely recommended to get a multi-day ticket because the relative price will be lower. | |||
Of course, there are also some peculiarities to each type of transportation when it comes to paying the fees: | |||
U-Bahn & S-Bahn: After buying a ticket at the machine, which you’ll most likely find on the platform or, if it’s a larger train station, in the entry area, you may need to validate it at an extra machine. They’re usually located on the platform, as well. | |||
Bus: Most bus stations don’t have ticket machines but you can buy one from the driver. | |||
Tram: Some trains have ticket machines inside; however, they don’t always work. | |||
Please also take into account where you’re actually planning to go when buying a ticket. Berlin has 3 fare zones: A (city center), B (wider Berlin city area) and C (outside of the actual Berlin city area; Brandenburg). Unless you’re only exploring the area around the All Hands site, you’ll probably want to get “AB” tickets. | |||
=====U-Bahn (the subway)===== | |||
The “U-Bahn” is our local subway system, which connects the entire city area, taking you almost everywhere within just a few minutes. There are 10 lines overall, named U1 to U9 (plus the kind of odd U55 that only connects very few stations). Big “U” signs all over Berlin help you spot the next station. | |||
The BVG (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe, the Berlin transport company) offer a fully interactive route map on their website. If you prefer a printed version, you can pick one up for free at one of their customer centers; the main office is located in the subway station “Alexanderplatz” in the city center. Or you just download their app, which is available for all major OS. You can also buy tickets via the app. | |||
Pro tip: You may want to download the Berlin map in your favorite navigation app. Given that your phone plan may not apply to Europe (or it’s ridiculously expensive to go online), this can actually save your day because public WiFi isn’t as widely available in Germany as e.g. in North America. | |||
=====Tram/Straßenbahn===== | |||
The tram is Berlin’s overground train service within the city. There are 22 lines overall: 9 so-called MetroTram lines (names consist of “M” plus a line number) and 13 streetcar lines (where the name is a simple number). They complement the U-Bahn and S-Bahn system by running on important routes that are not covered otherwise. | |||
Given the size of the Berlin city area, you’ll most likely need to switch between trains and types of public transport, which includes the trams. They’re usually easy to find since they’re comparatively loud, painted in shining yellow and, well, run on overground tracks through pedestrian zones and next to roads used by cars. Also, big red signs with the word “tram” on them guide the way. | |||
=====S-Bahn===== | |||
The S-Bahn is another overground train but covers longer distances than the tram. Also, you can only hop on at the larger train stations and its tracks don’t go through the city center. | |||
You’ll probably want to take the S-Bahn when visiting the neighbourhoods that are further out, doing a day trip to Potsdam or going to Schoenefeld Airport. If Berlin’s 3rd airport, BER, ever happens to open, transport from the city will also be covered by S-Bahn. | |||
=====Other trains===== | |||
Are you planning a trip through Germany or even beyond? Then you may want to consider taking one of the trains of the Deutsche Bahn (German railway company). | |||
Trains leave from the 7 long-distance train stations in Berlin. You can buy tickets online (bahn.de) or at the machines in each of the stations. If you’re planning a longer trip or want to travel during peak times, it’s recommended to buy your ticket in advance, add a seat reservation and take sufficient provisions for the trip since food and drinks at the “Bord-Bistro” are ridiculously expensive. | |||
Pro tip: If you bought a seat reservation in advance and there’s someone sitting in your spot, don’t be shy and ask them to get up. It may be awkward but it’s totally normal. Also, the reservation goes away if you don’t claim your seat within a certain amount of time after getting on the train. | |||
Even though it carries about two billion passengers annually, it’s unlikely that you’ll experience amazing service or punctuality on your Deutsche Bahn trip — which is at least a little bit funny given that it used to be owned by the government of a country that’s mostly known for its efficiency. Just kidding ;) German trains are quite comfortable to use, prices are okay and from Berlin, you’ll arrive in most other larger cities in Germany and the neighbouring countries within comparatively short times as the trains can go up to 300 km/h. | |||
=====Busses===== | |||
Just like in any other country, busses combine all of the inconveniences of public transportation and driving a car in the city: it’s crowded, you may need to stand for a pretty long time and it takes forever to get to your destination. Still, busses are used a lot (at least in Berlin) because they cover many short routes where there’s not S-Bahn, U-Bahn or Tram service. | |||
When entering a bus in Berlin, operated by the aforementioned BVG, you’re theoretically required to show your ticket to the diver; some don’t really care while others are quite strict about it. Beyond that, there are a couple of additional rules you should be aware of before stepping into a BVG bus: | |||
* Don’t stand anywhere close to a door unless you feel prepared to deal with the rage of the bus driver. They don’t mind yelling at someone in the very back of the bus or even interrupt their route until the respective person behaves as they’re expected to. | |||
*This applies to your luggage just as much as to you as a person. | |||
*Make sure to monitor the route closely. If you want to get off the bus you need to push the button to request a stop soon enough or stay on the bus until the driver finishes their tour. | |||
Pro tip: If you get on a bus that isn’t too crowded let the driver know where you want to go and take a seat nearby. They’re not all grumpy. Some of them are actually quite friendly and helpful when you approach them directly. | |||
=====Taxi & Uber===== | |||
Uber has grown to become the most successful driving services in many countries. It is available in Berlin, as well, but prices don’t differ largely from regulars cabs. This is because all drivers need to have a taxi license, which is expensive and leads to higher service prices. When calling a driver in Berlin you have several choices: | |||
*Get a regular taxi. You can call one over the phone (+49 30 20 20 20), find a taxi stop, or stop a taxi on the street (if you’re lucky). Just make sure to have some cash on you as most of them don’t take credit cards. | |||
*Call a taxi via the Free Now app. Formerly known as mytaxi, this app offers a similar service as Uber. The main difference is that you can either pay cash or need to be connected to the internet in order to pay through the app at the end of your ride: while you agree on a price with your Uber driver before getting into their car, a FreeNow driver, just like any other taxi driver, will charge you for the actual distance/time it took to get you to your destination, which isn’t clearly determined before your arrival. | |||
*Use an Uber -- as long as you’re in Berlin. The app works as usual even though prices may be higher. However, please be aware that Uber is only available in Berlin, Hamburg and Düsseldorf but no other German city. | |||
=='''Hotels'''== | =='''Hotels'''== | ||