Berlin Transportation Tips by Turtleshell

Which Ticket to Choose?

<br>Which ticket to choose, of course first and foremost depends on your travel itinerary and whether you are alone, with your spouse or your entire family.

Berlin Welcome Card
This is supposed to be the card for the Berlin visitor. It's valid for either 48 or 72 hours and sells for EUR 16.50 or 21.50 respectively and offers a bunch of discounts, that, however are mostly useless in my opinion, as i.e. the state owned museums offer better discount rates. Those discounts digffer from time to time so check BVG's website or ask for further information when upon arrival.
Perhaps the Welcome Card is an option for single travellers and couples. But take a look at other options as well.

CityTour-Card
Very similar to the Welcome Card, this ticket comes with less coupons but those are generally a bit more suitable for tourists. Prices EUR 15.50 (48 hours) or 20.50 (72 hours).
up to 3 children aged 6 - 13 years may be taken along for free, in addition.
CityTour-Card Museumsinsel provides free admission to all museums on the Island of Museum. This ticket is valid for 72 hours and sells for EUR 29.90.
www.citytourcard.com
Please note that the state owned museums in Berlin come with a special offer of their own: For EUR 15, you have admission to all state owned museums (including those on the island) on three consecutive days.

Kleingruppenkarte (Small Group Ticket)
The Small Group Ticket is a day pass for up to five people that sells for EUR 15.90. It pays off if more than two adults travel together, i.e. parents with one child aged 6 or older.

Umweltticket (translates loosely into Pro-environment Ticket)
This ticket is valid for 7 days and sells for EUR 26.20. The good thing is: The ticket is not only transferable, but on weekends and public holidays, you can take another adult and up to three children aged up to 14 with you. Same applies for working days from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.
if you calculate carefully, this ticket could be far more interesting for you than the Welcome Card.

4-Fahrten-Karte
Valid for four trips in one direction. The day pass is usually the better option, unless you won't do more than two trips a day. Goes for EUR 8, as opposed to EUR 2.10 for a single ticket. So you'd save 40 Cent at best.

Standard tickets
For the sake of completeness and to compare prices:
Standard day pass: EUR 6.10
Single ticket: EUR 2.10 (1.40 reduced; valid for 2 hours in one direction)
Short trip: EUR 1.30 (1.00 reduced; valid for three stops on the S-Bahn or Underground, 5 stops on trams and busses.

Please note
Children below six years of age travel free of charge.
Tickets need to be validated before entering a train, and validate your ticket only once.

Many of Berlin's main sights are located in the "Mitte" ("center") area and are easily reachable by foot. Therefore, if you choose an accomodation somewhere around Brandenburg Gate, you won't need to rely on public transport every day.

Mode: AROUND

Type: Subway/Metro

Website: http://www.bvg.de

Bus 100 and 200

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I'm sure I'm 1,974th member who adds this to his tips, but here you go again.

Bus 100 and 200 are usual double-decker buses (hence, any usual BVG ticket will be valid), and both routes apparently were invented to ruin providers of sightseeing tours.

Both link Zoologischer Garten (Zoo station) with Alexanderplatz, using slightly different routes. Combined, they virtually cover all main sights Berlin has to offer. If you are going to spend only one day in Berlin, buy a day pass and take bus 100 from Alex(anderplatz) to Zoo Station and the 200 to go back to Alex. At Alex, catch the subway to Eberswalder Strasse (which is a 7-minute ride on the U2) to have a beer in Berlin's In-district Prenzlauer Berg.

A discription of the route can be found here:
Berlin Tourist Information

Mode: AROUND

Type: Bus

Website: http://www.visitberlin.de/english/sightseeing/e_si_berlinprogramme_hauptstadt.php?

General Information

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Tariff zones:
Berlin's tranportation network is divided (pardon the pun) in three tariff zones, A (innermost), B and C (outskirts).
Funny enough, it's not possible to buy a ticket for only one tariff zone. It's either AB or BC or ABC. AB basically covers Berlin without its suburbs and should be the best choice for tourists. That is, even if you arrive at Schoenefeld airport, which is somewhat outside of Berlin. While the airport itself is situated in the C-zone, it's only a 5-minute walk to Schoenefeld Station, located in the B-zone.
The only reason to buy a ticket that covers the C-zone would be to visit Potsdam with Sanssouci Palace and the Dutch Quarter. In this case, just purchse an extension ticket for the C zone the day you want to visit Potsdam.

Where to buy:
There are ticket vending machines at every subway or S-Bahn station, as well as on trams. Bus drivers sell tickets, too (at no additional charge). Some hotels have tickets in stock.

Validation:
Validate your ticket BEFORE entering the train, and only ONCE, even if you change trains.
Each ticket is valid for basically all modes of transportation, including some ferries.

Children:
Children below six travel free of charge. Same goes for luggage and baby carriages, albeit not for bicylces.
Children aged 6 - 14 (as well as dogs) pay a reduced fare, unless it's an already discounted ticket. In this case, children pay the full fare, whereas one dog is usually allowed to travel free.

Handicaped people:
Most buses are lower floor buses, so wheelchair-users won't face much trouble. The typical double-decker bus, however, has a ramp and is quite crampy.
Whether or not a particular S-Bahn or subway station is easily accessible for wheelchair users (or other people who need an erscalator) can be seen on the network map.

Prices for standard tickets:
Standard day pass: EUR 6.10
Single ticket: EUR 2.10 (1.40 reduced; valid for 2 hours in one direction)
Short trip: EUR 1.30 (1.00 reduced; valid for three stops on the S-Bahn or Underground, 5 stops on trams and busses.

Timetable:
http://www.fahrinfo-berlin.de/ (English)

Safety / Reliability:
Generally a non-issue.
I never felt particularely comfortable at Schoenefeld Station nor at Ostbahnhof, but this is more due to the somewhat sad GDR architecture. Most trains have surveillance cameras, emergency intercom systems, and security is patrolling trains quite frequently.
Trains and buses are usually clean and punctually (unless there's a strike again).
Take the usual precaution and you're fine.

It would my advise, however, not to use public transport at New Year's Eve. If you plan on spending NYE in Berlin, try to find an accomodation in either Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg or Friedrichshain, celebrate NYE just there, and walk home or take a taxi.

Mode: AROUND

Type: Subway/Metro

Website: http://www.bvg.de