Berlin is the capital of Germany and its biggest city as well,
and it's very definitely well worth a visit.
I made a video about it a few years ago, and it lasts a full hour.
But so many attractions are spread out over such a wide area
that you're simply not going to get the most out of it by walking.
Driving in an unfamiliar city can be a nightmare,
so realistically you're going to be using public transport.
This, then, is my guide to Berlin's public transport and how to use it.
Fortunately, the system is a lot simpler than it looks at first sight,
and is usually fairly efficient —
although I have to say, at least at the height of the tourist season it can get quite full.
The most important modes of public transport are:
Buses can be single-decker or double-decker,
and serve even the most remote parts of Berlin.
Trams serve mostly former East Berlin.
Bus and tram stops are identified by signs like these.
This sign indicates a bus stop for night services only.
This stop is temporarily out of service,
this is a temporary stop,
and this is a stop for a rail replacement bus.
The U-Bahn is a metro system that normally runs below ground,
but sometimes runs above ground.
It mostly serves central and western parts of Berlin,
and stations are where you see signs like these.
The S-Bahn is a mass-transit rail system that normally runs above ground,
but sometimes runs below ground.
It connects central Berlin with outer districts and suburbs,
and stations are indicated with this logo.
The most important bus and tram services are designated "Metro".
They run throughout the day at least once every ten minutes,
and about every half hour during the night.
They have numbers beginning with the letter M.
Buses with numbers beginning with X are limited stop express services,
so make sure that it actually does stop where you want it to.
There's also the express bus service from central Berlin to Tegel Airport,
which has the designation TXL.
Night bus and tram services have numbers beginning with N.
In all other cases, trams have double-digit numbers, buses have three-digit numbers.
On buses, the rule is that you board at the front.
If you need to buy a ticket from the driver you keep to the right;
if you already have a ticket you keep to the left
and show your ticket to the driver as you file past.
If you have a baby buggy or are in a wheelchair,
you should normally board at the middle of the bus.
As a rule, buses are wheelchair accessible, but not all trams are.
Some of them were built in Czechoslovakia in the 1980s
and refurbished in the 1990s, and are still operating today.
On buses and trams you push a button
to signal to the driver that you want to get off at the next stop.
If nobody pushes a button, and there's nobody at the stop waiting to get on,
the vehicle will simply not stop.
If it does stop but the doors nearest you don't open, simply push the nearest button.
On the buses, you exit at any door except the front door.
On trains, the doors don't open automatically:
you have to push a button or, in a few cases, pull a lever.
Trams also have buttons on the outside to open the doors.
This map shows all the U-Bahn, S-Bahn and local rail lines in Berlin.
U-Bahn lines have numbers beginning with U,
S-Bahn lines have numbers beginning with S,
and each line has its own colour.
Also, local rail lines have numbers beginning with RB or RE;
and RE trains are limited stop.
To find the right platform for your train, you need to know the line number
and the name of the last stop in the direction that you're travelling.
Compass directions are not used in Germany.
For example: if you're at Hallesches Tor and you want to get to Kurfürstendamm,
you need to follow signs for the U1
and then find the platform for trains bound for Uhlandstraße.
Buses and trams also use the same basic principle:
the stop that you need is identified by line number and terminus.
An exception to this is the S-Bahn ring,
which goes all the way around central Berlin and has no terminus.
Instead, it has two numbers:
the S41 goes clockwise and the S42 in the other direction.
Sometimes to find your platform you may need to walk along another platform.
For example, if you're looking for the U9 at Kurfürstendamm and you go down this entrance,
you first have to walk the entire length of the U1 platform.
U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations are not always connected to each other.
For example: at Potsdamer Platz,
even though the S-Bahn station and the U-Bahn station are right next to each other,
there is no connecting tunnel.
If you're changing to the U-Bahn and you follow this signs to this exit,
you'll find the U-Bahn station very well hidden here.
There are no ticket barriers at stations,
but there are spot checks on the trains and they are very strict.
Not having ticket barriers does, of course, avoid bottlenecks;
but it also make it very easy to accidentally board a train without a valid ticket.
Be very careful, and make absolutely certain that you do have a valid ticket before you travel.
The tariff system is very simple. There are three zones.
Zone A covers the area inside the S-Bahn ring;
zone B covers the rest of Berlin;
and zone C covers surrounding towns and cities, including Potsdam.
You can buy tickets for all three areas,
or for two areas — AB or BC.
If you're in zone C, there are also local tariffs,
but they're not valid in Berlin.
This also applies to Potsdam, which has its own ABC system,
so do double-check to make sure that you are buying the right ticket for your journey.
There are a lot of different types of ticket,
so here are the most important ones for visitors:
The short journey ticket is valid for one journey
of up to 6 bus or tram stops or 3 S or U-Bahn stops;
no interruptions or transfers are allowed.
The single ticket is valid for one journey lasting up to two hours.
Transfers and interruptions are allowed, but not round trips:
you're not supposed to visit or go through the same stop or station a second time.
The 4-journey ticket is quite simply four singles or four short journeys;
it's just a little bit cheaper that four individual tickets.
The day ticket is valid for any number of journeys up to 3 am the following day.
The group day ticket is the same, but valid for up to five people.
The 7-day ticket is valid until midnight on the seventh day.
Welcome Cards and City Tour Cards are available for 48 hours, 72 hours, 4 days and 5 days.
There is also a Welcome Card for six days,
and a 72-hour Welcome Card that includes entry to all the museums on Museum Island.
The Welcome Card comes with coupons for discounts at 200 shops and restaurants,
a tour guide and a city map.
The City Tour Card comes with discounts at certain tourist attractions, and a map.
If you have a ticket for two zones and you want to visit the third zone,
you can buy an extension ticket.
This is valid for up to two hours for one journey to your destination:
so when you come back, you have to buy a new extension ticket.
Short journey, single and day tickets are available from bus drivers
and from vending machines on board trams;
and they are then automatically valid for immediate travel.
However, vending machines on trams only accept coins,
and bus drivers may not always be able to make change.
And yes, it's cash only.
You can buy all of these tickets from vending machines at stations.
They look like this on the U-Bahn
and like this on the S-Bahn.
These accept debit cards, but not credit cards.
These tickets, though, must be validated before you can actually use them,
and this is where tourists very often get caught out.
Your ticket will have a blank space
and an arrow showing you how to insert it into the validation machine,
which looks like this on the S-Bahn,
and like this on the U-Bahn and on buses and trams.
You'll find these things on or near station platforms,
on trams near the doors,
and on buses just behind the driver's seat.
This is important.
If you don't stamp your ticket, it is not valid.
But you do only need to stamp it once, unless of course it's a 4-journey ticket.
Alternatively, you can download the BVG travel app and buy your tickets that way.
Day tickets, 7-day tickets, Welcome Cards and City Tour Cards
can be bought up to 30 day in advance.
All other tickets are valid for almost immediate travel.
I say "almost immediate":
not many people realize this,
but in fact it's not valid for the first two minutes after purchase.
This is to prevent people boarding without a ticket
and then buying one as soon as an inspector appears.
You can also obviously buy tickets at ticket offices,
which you'll find at certain stations.
If you have already bought a Welcome Card or a City Tour Card,
simply show it to staff there in order to pick up your coupons and city guide.
If you are caught without a valid ticket you'll be asked to show ID,
which means a passport or a German identity card.
You will also be charged a so-called "enhanced fare",
which is currently €60.
Unfortunately, there have been reports in the media
of ticket inspectors who are not as honest as they should be,
and tourists are an obvious target for them.
So make sure you understand what is supposed to happen.
You can pay the €60 immediately in cash.
If you do, you must be issued a receipt which includes a case number and other details.
Also, it functions as a single ticket to allow you to complete your journey.
If you don't pay immediately, you'll be issued a bill for €60
and instructions on how to pay it.
Obviously, if you want to continue your journey, you will then have to buy a new ticket.
Don't be pressured into paying cash.
But if you do pay immediately, make sure you get that receipt.
If you're flying into Berlin, you'll obviously need to get from the airport into town.
The brand new Berlin-Brandenburg Airport — if it ever opens —
will have its own S-Bahn station right under the terminal.
Until then, Berlin has two airports, Schönefeld and Tegel —
neither of which was built for the amount of traffic that they're currently seeing.
Schönefeld Airport is in zone C,
which is important because it means that if you have an AB ticket,
you'll need an additional extension ticket to get to or from the airport.
There are buses from the main entrance at terminal A,
and this might be an option if your destination is in the borough of Neukölln.
The X7 shuttles between the airport
and Rudow U-Bahn station, which is the terminus of the U7;
and bus 171 travels the whole length of Neukölln from south to north.
Most people will want the trains.
Just go down this walkway to the station
and follow the markings to the S-Bahn,
or, for a slightly faster but less frequent service, the RE and RB trains.
By the way, this crowd of people is where the ticket machines and ticket office are.
Tegel is closer to central Berlin and is in zone B.
A planned U-Bahn line was never actually built, and so there are only buses.
The bus stops are by the entrance to terminals A and B.
The TXL is an express bus that will take you to the central station and central Berlin.
The 128 is convenient for northern districts.
The X9 will take you to the Zoo, which is the focal point of what used to be West Berlin.
And the 109 will also take you there via Schloss Charlottenburg and the Ku'damm.
If you arrive by coach,
the Central Coach Station is in fact some way out to the west, next to the Trade Fair.
It's within easy walking distance of Kaiserdamm U-Bahn station
for services into central Berlin;
and Messe Nord S-Bahn station, which is on the S-Bahn ring.
Public transport in Berlin is extensive,
and a very efficient way of getting from one place to another.
But be very certain that you have a valid ticket before you travel.
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