From the airport to the city centre Berlin

Since autumn 2020, Berlin has had just one airport: Willy Brandt Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, known as BER.

Numerous routes are available to reach different parts of the city. The S9 S-Bahn line serves a large number of stations throughout the city, including Alexanderplatz, Hauptbahnhof and Zoologischer Garten. The S45 takes you to the Ring (Berlin's circular line). There are also Express trains (RE7, RB14, RB22) which only serve the major stations, and are therefore faster. The new FEX express line takes you to Ostkreuz in a quarter of an hour and Hauptbahnhof in 30 minutes. To calculate the best route, you can use the BVG (Berlin Transport Company) or VBB (Berlin and Brandenburg Transport Company) apps, both available in English.

For all these routes, you'll need an ABC ticket, as the airport is outside Berlin, in zone C. It costs €3.80, with a reduced fare of €2.70.

Given the distance from the airport, a cab ride is rather expensive. Consider at least €40 to reach a central point of the city.

Arrival by train Berlin

Deutsche Bahn (www.bahn.de) has a virtual monopoly on mainline rail services. Other companies are only to be found at local level. Your train will probably take you as far as the Hauptbahnhof main station. From there, you can take several S-Bahn lines such as the S3, S5, S7 or S9, streetcars to East Berlin and a host of buses. Chances are, your train also serves other stations within Berlin. Find out which regional station is closest to your accommodation. Since May 2023, a new ticket has been available, the Deutschland Ticket, allowing you to use all regional and local buses and trains throughout Germany for 49 euros a month.

Public transport Berlin

Berlin has an excellent public transport network, managed by the BVG (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe). To get around the city, there are several options: the U-Bahn (subway), the S-Bahn (a kind of RER), the streetcar and the bus. All are covered by the same ticket.

The U-Bahn, marked by a white U on a blue background, runs from 4am to 1am. It also runs all night on Fridays and Saturdays, as well as on public holidays, with varying frequencies.

The S-Bahn, marked with a white S on a green background, links Berlin and its suburbs, crossing the city from north to south (S1 & S2) or east to west (S3, S5, S7 & S9), serving major stations such as Alexanderplatz and Friedrichstraße. The Ringbahn is an S-Bahn that circles the city. The two circular lines travel the same route, but each in a different direction (S41 clockwise, S42 anti-clockwise). To find your way around, look for the direction of the arrow on the platform sign. The Ringbahn also distinguishes between zone A (inside the Ring) and zone B (outside the Ring).

Buses run from 4.30 a.m. to 1 a.m. An M in front of the line number indicates a Metrobus, i.e. a more frequent bus (about every 10 minutes), and an X indicates an Express bus serving fewer stations. Some bus lines run all night, approximately every half-hour, following the metro lines (for example, the N7 bus follows a similar route to the U7 metro line). Tickets can be purchased directly from the driver.

Streetcars run almost exclusively in the east of the city and, like buses, sometimes have an "M" in front of their line numbers. They're a great way to get around Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrischain. They run all night long.

Depending on the length of your stay, there are several types of ticket to choose from. A single ticket(Einzelfahrschein) costs €3 for a journey of up to 2 hours in one direction. The Tageskarte, the day ticket (24 hours from stamping), costs €8.80 for one person in zones A and B (i.e. the whole city) and €25.50 for a group (up to 5 people). A weekly ticket - 7 consecutive days - costs €36 for zones A and B. If you only travel occasionally, consider buying a book of four tickets for €9.40.

NB: a transport ticket can only be stamped once. The very first time, and then never again! If you recompost it, you risk a severe fine. Stamping only serves to determine when a ticket becomes valid. The easiest way to buy a ticket or pass is from the ticket machines at U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations.

Children under 6 travel free of charge on Berlin's transport network. Up to the age of 14, they benefit from a reduced fare.

Bike, scooters & co Berlin

With 600 km of cycle paths, Berlin is a paradise for cycling enthusiasts, who feel safer than in the bus lanes of Paris. What's more, the city is practically flat. If you want to become a true Berliner, one who rides a bike even in winter or pulls their children around in specially equipped carts, rent a bike! It's a great way to discover the city, and for a small extra charge you can put it on the S-Bahn and U-Bahn. Hotels sometimes offer bike rentals to their guests.

When it comes to renting bikes in the city, there's no single provider, comparable to the Parisian Vélib. Several companies share the market. You'll see Lidl, Nextbike, Call A Bike (Deutsche Bahn's service) and others on the streets. To rent them, simply download the app on a smartphone, and follow the instructions for payment and bike unlocking. It's the same for the new electric scooters that made their appearance in Berlin in 2019. Several providers: Tier, Lime, etc.

To rent a bike, the easiest way is to go to Berlin On Bike (www.berlinonbike.de) in the Kulturbrauerei in Prenzlauer Berg. Rentals cost between €10 and €15 for 24 hours. A few rules to observe when cycling: don't ride on the sidewalk, keep both hands on the handlebars, don't use a hands-free kit, don't drink and drive, use the cycle paths if available and respect the highway code.

With a driver Berlin

Berlin has around 7,000 cabs! So it's easy to find one, and usually all you have to do is raise your hand in the street for a cab to stop. Otherwise, you'll find ranks at railway stations and near major thoroughfares (Gendarmenmarkt or Potsdamer Platz, for example). The fare is €3.90, then €1.79 per kilometer for the first 7 kilometers, then €1.28 per kilometer. For a short journey (2 km), ask for a "Kurzstrecke", which costs €6.

By car Berlin

Getting around town by car is easy, but parking is more complicated in some areas. You have to pay to park in the city center. Beware of illegal parking: cars are quickly removed, then you have to go to the police station and pay a fine to find out where it is. Since January1, 2010, Berlin has tightened its policy of restricting the number of polluting vehicles allowed into the city center. Only cars with a green sticker, which applies only to vehicles purchased after January1, 2006, are allowed on the roads. The sticker and authorization can be obtained from the Prefecture and various authorized centers. If you drive into town without one, you run the risk of being fined. For further information, visit www.berlin.de

Accessibility Berlin

Subway accessibility for people with reduced mobility is much better in Berlin than in most French cities. Most stations have elevators (the subway map identifies them with a small symbol) and over 100 stations have orientation systems for the visually impaired. All buses are accessible to wheelchair users. If you're in a wheelchair, the bus driver will come out to open a ramp for you.

Tourist traps Berlin

Don't feel obliged to buy a tourist ticket as soon as you arrive at the station or airport. The Berlin Tourist Office is very keen on selling its Welcome Card, but if you just want to get around the city, you won't need one, and you're better off using the BVG's regular tickets.

Another decisive piece of information for your orientation in Berlin: many streets have the same name! For example, there's a Weserstraße in Neukölln, but also in Friedrichshain. The same goes for Oderstraße. Schloßstraße exists in Charlottenburg, as well as in Steglitz, and so on. In addition, there are many streets with similar names: for example, Karl-Marx-Allee in Friedrichshain and Karl-Marx-Straße in Neukölln, Bismarckstraße in Charlottenburg, Bismarckallee in Grunewald and Otto-von-Bismarck-Allee in Tiergarten! And this list is far from exhaustive!