© Morgana Bartolomei・Unsplash License

Germany

Berlin

A capital that wears its divided history openly. The S-Bahn and U-Bahn stitch together what the Wall once split.

Getting to and from BER (Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg)

BER sits in fare zone C, so tickets to and from the city must cover ABC - AB does not reach it. No gates: stamp paper tickets yourself before boarding. The BER lines were reshuffled in December 2025 - ignore old advice.

Updated on August 5, 2026

How to ride

  1. 1
    From arrivals, head to the station or the bus stops
    The railway station is directly under Terminal 1 on level U2; bus stops A1 to A8 are outside on the T1 arrivals level, E0.
  2. 2
    Buy a ticket covering zone ABC
    You need a ticket covering zone ABC for central Berlin. Machines stand in the terminals and at the station, or buy one in an app.
  3. 3
    Pick the train or bus that fits your destination
    FEX for Hauptbahnhof and the south, S9 or S85 for the east and the centre, and bus X7 if you are staying along the U7.
  4. 4
    Stamp a paper ticket before boarding
    There are no gates. Push a paper ticket from the machine into a validator on the platform or on board and check the stamp printed.
  5. 5
    Keep your ticket until you are out
    Plain-clothes inspectors check tickets on board without warning. Keep yours to hand until you leave the station.

Fares

Single fares2

Single ticket, Berlin ABC
The airport is in zone C. Valid 120 minutes in one direction from stamping, transfers included
5 EUR ≈ $6
Taxi to the city centre (typical)
Metered, so traffic and route move it; boarding at the airport rank adds a 1.50 euro surcharge
58〜63 EUR ≈ $65–71

Passes & multi-ride3

24-hour ticket, Berlin ABC
Unlimited rides for 24 hours from stamping - covers the airport run and getting around town
12.9 EUR ≈ $14
Berlin WelcomeCard ABC
48 hours to 6 days on S-Bahn, U-Bahn, regional trains, trams, buses and ferries in the zones chosen
34.5〜63.5 EUR ≈ $39–71
CityTourCard ABC
48 hours to 6 days, covering the same modes as the WelcomeCard; the attraction discounts differ
27.6〜59.8 EUR ≈ $31–67

Add-ons & fees2

Extension ticket into zone C
Only as an add-on to a standard AB ticket - one version for a single trip, one for 24 hours
2.4〜5.6 EUR ≈ $3–6
BER2 shuttle surcharge (towards Potsdam)
On top of a VBB ticket to Potsdam - 6.00 on ordinary tickets, 5.00 on season ones. Sold only on board
5〜6 EUR ≈ $6–7

Estimates use exchange rates as of November 4, 2026

Payment

Tap to ride
No gates to tap - cards only work for buying a ticket
IC card
There is no stored-value travel card for visitors
App tickets
The official VBB, BVG and S-Bahn apps sell tickets; no stamping needed
Paper tickets
From machines in the terminals and at the station - stamp it yourself first
Cash
Accepted at machines, though not every machine takes notes - keep coins too

Quick facts

Hours
Round the clock, sparser overnight
Frequency
Every 15-20 min
Fares from
5 EUR+

Heads-up

  • Cars touting outside the ranks may be fraudulent

    Only take a taxi from the official ranks. The airport operator itself warns that vehicles touting outside them may be fraudulent. The two ranks, north and south, are on level E0 in front of Terminal 1, and the taxis queueing there are licensed.

  • The airport stop is two stations past Schoenefeld

    Do not get off at Schoenefeld. The airport stop is two stations further on, "Flughafen BER", with Wassmannsdorf in between. Old directions still point to Schoenefeld because the former BER Terminal 5 sat there, but since December 2025 regional trains no longer stop at that station at all. If your bus terminates at Schoenefeld, change there to the S9 or S85.

Timetable

Operating hours Round the clock, sparser overnight
Typical duration About 23 minutes from Berlin Hauptbahnhof on the FEX - 19 from Potsdamer Platz, 14 from Sudkreuz
Check the official site for the latest times and service status
Editor Naotaka