If you have never been to Berlin surely one of the first questions you will ask yourself is how to get around Berlinhow to use public transport and which one transport map is more suitable for your needs.
Berlin is a large metropolis, transport is functional and works very well but it could be difficult to orient yourself the first time. For this reason I decided to write one short guide which will help you orient yourself and move around the German capital.
Exactly, like many other cities in Northern Europe, for example Amsterdam or Copenhagen, too Berlin gives the pleasure of letting yourself be beautifully discovered in bicycle.
Seeing Berlin on two wheels is healthy, fun and would make you discover the city exactly like many Berliners do.
Those who don’t want to cycle or visit the city in climatically hostile periods will be happy to know that the Berlin’s public transport network is functional and allows you to reach any area of the city you want at any time of day or night.
A transport system that seems clear to me today, the first period seemed nothing short of Machiavellian to me.
Thanks to the fact that I still had to understand the difference between Subway ed Trainrespectively metropolitan e urban railwaythese two networks on rails joined to the tram and busmakes the city easily accessible in all its areas.
In this post you will find out how to get around Berlinwhich subscriptions choose and which passes I recommend to save on public transport and entrance fees to the main attractions of the German capital.
Save on public transport tickets and entrance fees
Before proceeding with the description of public transport and explaining it to you how to get around BerlinI want to give you some dispassionate advice.
If you plan to visit Berlin in 3 or more days and want to see as much as possible you will definitely need to use public transport every day and several times a day.
In this case to save money I highly recommend you buy it Berlin Welcome Card (starting from €24 for 48 hours) which includes not only theunlimited use of vehicles but also many discounts, including Berlin museums. Savings are guaranteed and it is certainly much cheaper than buying single tickets.
The areas of Berlin (A, B and C)
The transport network is divided into three concentric zones, A, B and C.
The areas of tourist interest are limited to A and B, while C must be considered if you want to go to Postdam e all’Schonefeld airport. I remember that theTegel airport instead it is located in zone B.
The same ticket is valid on all means of transport (U-bahn, S-bahn, tram, bus, regional trains), lasts 90 minutes and is valid only in one direction.
On U-Bahn, S-bahn and trains the ticket must be purchased and stamped before boarding, while on trams and buses it is possible to purchase it on board.
There are no turnstiles at the stationsthis does not mean that it should not be stamped, there are many plainclothes checks and no one is exempt from fines, so be careful not to be clever!
How to get around Berlin by BGV public transport
Public transport in Berlin works very well and allows you to really go anywhere in the city.
Tickets are divided into two main categories which I will delve into below:
- Ordinary tickets – Classic tickets to purchase by trip, day, week or month
- Tourist tickets – Transport cards which include unlimited transport and entrances to the main attractions of Berlin (museums, cruises on the Spree etc) and numerous discounts.
I children up to 6 years old are freefrom 6 to 14 people pay a reduced rate (20-30% less than the full price), one dog per person and one piece of luggage are allowed on the vehicles, if you travel with a bicycle you need a separate ticket (the Bicycle map).
Weekly, monthly and annual tickets they allow two people to travel, therefore the second person free of charge, every day after 8 pm and all day on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. This does not apply to day tickets!
To calculate the travel route, the official Berlin transport website is: BGV
Getting around Berlin with ordinary tickets (zones A and B) – Prices and carnets
Berlin’s public transport is operated by BVG. On the official website you can calculate the routes and download the super useful application when you are out and about and want to understand which means of transport to take and where, especially in the case of trams and buses.
I Berlin public transport tickets they are found in numerous versions, obviously the best choice depends on what you want to see, the neighborhood where to sleep in Berlin, and the actual use you will make of it which depends on your travel plan (here you will find the details on what to see in Berlin) .
You can choose between different types of tickets. From single journeys to weekly or monthly passes, the choice is wide.
The available tickets are these:
- One way (Einzelfahrausweis) – €3 (AB), €3.50 (BC) and €3.80 (ABC) – The ticket is valid for 120 minutes
- 4 single tickets – €9,40 (AB), €12,60 (BC) e 13,80 (ABC)
- AC extension – €1,40
- Corsa Breve (short-haul) – €2 – travel for a maximum of 3 stations with S-Bahn or underground, changes allowed, without stops or 6 stations with tram, changes not allowed
- Daily ticket (Tageskarte) AB – 8,80
- Day ticket for groups of up to 5 people (Kleingruppenkarte) – €25
- Weekly ticket (Weekly ticket) FROM – €36
- Monthly subscription (Monthly pass) FROM – €86
- Monthly subscription valid from 10.00 in the morning to 03.00 the next day – 10 (Uhr-Ticket) – €63
Getting around Berlin with tourist tickets (the Welcome Card) – Travel on public transport and entry to museums
Berlin, how most of the European capitals think about tourists by offering solutions transport + discounts for museums or attractions at advantageous and convenient prices (I wrote about this for both Amsterdam and Rome for example).
My advice is to take advantage of these passes which, even without discounts, are incredibly convenient, given that they include unlimited transport and free entry, or with significant discounts, to the main attractions of Berlin.
Among the numerous cards I recommend you choose from Welcome Card, in the 24, 48 and 72 hour variants, and the Map Museum Island valid only for 72 hours (if you don’t know which museums to visit I recommend reading this post)
These tickets allow you to travel on all public transport and also offer discounts to visit museums, attractions and restaurants and shops. There are substantial differences between them, not only in terms of costs.
The convenience is therethe important thing is to choose the card that offers discounts for the attractions you are interested in.
Let’s see the details of the two cards together to understand which one is right for you.
Berlin Welcome Card
The Welcome Card, starting from €20 for 48 hours per personvalid for 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 days, allows you to travel freely on public transport in the AB or ABC zones and take advantage of discounts between 25% and 50% at over 200 affiliated partners.
Together with the Card you will also receive one Pocket travel guide, where you will find numerous travel tips and information on what to do and see in the city. The card is super convenient, just think that with just the means you would spend a lot more.
The daily transport pass in fact it costs €8. By purchasing the Welcome Card, although it does not include entrance fees to the Museum Island, it offers a super advantageous discount, €18 for entry to all the museums on the island, making the pass one of the best cards around.
The WelcomeCard includes free entry for children under 6 years old and free transport for up to 3 children between 6 and 14 years old.
*** This card does not offer discounts for Pergamon
Berlin card Museum Island
Berlin has more than one hundred museumsbeyond what is known Pergamonart and history lovers could spend entire days here between one museum and another, I wrote the dedicated post about museums where you can find the selection of the 10 best museums in Berlin that you shouldn’t miss.
If you fall into this category, you are most likely card Museum Islandavailable only in the 72 hour version, is an excellent solution.
The pass includes the use of Berlin public transport for 3 days and thefree entry to the museums of Museum Island, including the Pergamon.
For more information and to purchase cards online click on: Welcome Card – Welcome Card (Museum Island and Transport) – Berlin Pass (Free access to 60 attractions)
Getting Around Berlin – Important Things to Remember
You will most likely use public transport in Berlin, so I leave you with some useful information
- The Subway e la S-Bahn it works 24/7 during the weekend while during the week they close from 1 am and reopen at 4 in the morning.
- I trams traveling on rails they travel all night without interruption. From midnight to morning (4.30 or 6.30 depending on the day) they run every 30 minutes.
- The bus they pass by the stops every 10/15 minutes, they travel all night, passing every 30 minutes. Night buses can be recognized by the N at the stop and on the bus.
- I Taxis are cream coloured and stop on the street, a ride up to 2 km costs €4.00 if taken on the street, €3.20 if taken from a taxi station. There are numerous taxi companies, the rates are unified, this is the official website: Taxi Berlin
- I U-Bahn and S-bahn tickets they must be stamped before arriving at the platform, plainclothes checks are frequent and no excuses are accepted. Even if there are no turnstiles, I recommend validating your ticket.
- The official website for calculating public transport routes in Berlin is BVG.de
