Born to Travel In all european big cities, public transport is a real treasure, and if those cities also have an underground transport network, it’s even better for the tourist who wants to get to different parts of the city quickly and cheaply. You already know that we make a lot of use of public transport and that we always devote a special column to it, but what you don’t know is that Berlin has given us headaches. Berlin’s public transport map is a crazy mess of lines and routes, totally unfamiliar terms like S-BAHN and U-BHAN and subway stations with really hard-to-pronounce names. On our first visit, I was completely los and not infrequently we got on the wrong trains, as we often had a headache when connecting at different stations. On the second trip I can’t say it was any clearer to me, but we were accompanied by two friends, locals, and it was a bit easier. So, I did my homework, wrote down everything that needed to be written down, to give you A Complete Guide To Public Transport in Berlin
A Complete Guide To Public Transport in Berlin
Although we stayed in the city centre, most of the time we had to change two metro lines to get to our destination. In addition, we also had to pay close attention to which direction we were going or whether we needed the U-Bahn or S-Bahn – two terms unfamiliar to us.
Example: we wanted to get to Brandengurger Tor, and from the station we were at we had to take the green line ( it’s easier for me to remember them by colour than by numbers or name) and we couldn’t find it. We kept going back and forth through the subway station until we realized that we needed the S-Bahn and not the U-Bahn.
Dictionary of terms:
S-BAHN – Stadtbahn – It is a type of urban-suburban railway.
U-BAHN – underground
Metro stations and major routes – To make it easier for you, we’ve listed all the metro stations and s-bahn and u-bahn lines for the most important sights:
S1 – for Potzdamer Platz and Brandenburger Tor gate
U2 – Potsdamer Platz and Hausvogteplatz station – for Gerdamenmarkt
U6 – Kochstrasse station – for Checkpoint Charlie
U5 – Rotes Rauthaus station – to Berliner Dom, DDR Museum, Alexander Platz and Museum Island (Museumsinsel)
S3, S5, S7, S9, (S75) – Warschauerstrasse station – for East Side Gallery – Berlin Wall and Zoo (Tiergarten station)
U7 – Richard Wegner Platz station – for Charlottenburg Palace
S9, S45 – Brandenburg Airport – Flughafen Brandenburg Berlin
Zones, prices and passes
On the public transport map you will find that Berlin is divided into three zones – A, B and C. Zones A and B correspond to the central area of the city, while zone C includes the city of Potsdam and Brandenburg Airport.
The cost of a trip is calculated according to the area in which the trip takes place, so we find the following prices:
- 2.90 euro/journey for AB zones
- 3.30 euro/journey for BC areas
- 3.60 euro/journey for ABC areas
- 1.90 euro/short journey (3 stops by U-bahn and S-bahn) and 6 stops by bus (without changing bus)
- If you think you’ll be using public transport more often, then a 1-day or 7-day pass would be the best option.
Tageskarte (a card valid for one day) costs €8.80 (zones A and B) and €10 (zones A, B and C) respectively – It’s good to know that these cards are not for 24 hours, but are valid from the first use until 3:00.
7-day pass – 34 euro (zones A and B) and 43 euro (zones A, B and C).
*Prices and routes are according to those on fahrinfo.bvg.de. For more info. visit this link.
From Brandenburg Airport to Berlin city center
How to get from the new airport – Berlin Brandenburg Airport – to the city centre (Alexander Platz): S-Bahn – Line S9 – departure from terminals 1,2,5, to Alexander Platz. A trip costs 3,60 euro.
Good to know! It is very important to validate your ticket before boarding the metro/bus/train. Otherwise a fine of €60 applies.
A Complete Guide To Public Transport in Berlin
That said, I hope you find my article useful when you get to Berlin.
Read more: