Editing Berlin (section)

== Getting Around ==
[[File:U-Bahn_S-Bahn_02_2013.png|400px|thumb|right|U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines of the inner city of Berlin, as of February 2013]]Public transportation generally goes almost everywhere in whole Berlin. Read more and plan a journey at the [http://www.bvg.de/index.php/en/index.html BVG Website].

=== Tickets ===
Tickets for public transport can be bought at every S- and U-Bahn station from machines, at ticket offices on the main stations. Daily tickets or tickets for short rides can be bought in buses and trams as well (vending machines in trams only accept coins, also often at stations). Tickets are valid for all ways of public transport within the chosen area (A, B and C), including interchanges between different transports.

==== Zones ====
* Zone A is central Berlin (inside circle line), Zone B everything else inside Berlin's city borders, Zone C is everything outside of Berlin (eg. Schönefeld Airport and Potsdam)
* There are no tickets for single zones, but for combinations AB, BC and ABC. For most trips inside Berlin, you'll need a '''Zone AB''' ticket, but '''ABC''' when arriving at Schönefeld Airport or planning to visit Potsdam.

==== Short term tickets ====
* '''Short trip fare''' (Kurzstrecke) is valid for either 3 stops with U- or S-Bahn (changes allowed), or 6 stops with tram or bus  (changes '''not''' allowed). Costs €1.70
* '''Single tickets''' (Einzelfahrschein) is valid for 2 hours. Officially you can not travel back towards the station you started, so it's a one-way ticket. Costs €2.70 (AB), €3.00 (BC) or €3.30 (ABC).
* '''4-Trip-ticket''' (4-Fahrten-Karte) is the same as 4 single tickets, but slightly cheaper when bought in this way.
* '''Day ticket''' (Tageskarte) can be used for an entire calendar day, until 3:00am next day (note that day tickets in Berlin are '''not''' valid for 24 hours as in some other places, so don't buy in the evening!). Costs €7.00 (AB), €7.30 (BC) or €7.60 (ABC).
* '''Small group day ticket''' (Kleingruppen-Tageskarte) is a daily ticket for group of up to 5 persons. It pays itself back when traveling with 3 or more persons. Costs €17.30 (AB), €17.50 (BC) and €17.80 (ABC)

==== Long term tickets ====
* '''7-Day-ticket''' (7-Tage-Karte VBB-Umweltkarte) is valid for an entire week. With this ticket you can travel with an additional adult or 3 children between 8:00pm end 3:00am on weekdays, all day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Costs €30.00 (AB), €31.10 (BC) or €37.20 (ABC).
* '''Monthly ticket''' (Monatskarte VBB-Umweltkarte) is valid for an entire month. With this ticket you can travel with an additional adult or 3 children between 8:00pm end 3:00am on weekdays, all day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The ticket is transferable and some people offer their monthly ticket (or the part that's left) on the internet. Costs €81.00 (AB), €82.50 (BC) or €99.90 (ABC).
* '''10am Monthly ticket''' (10-Uhr-Karte) is a limited version of the monthly ticket. You can not take other people on the same ticket. Furthermore, you're only allowed to travel after 10:00am. Therefore the price is cheaper than the regular monthly ticket: €59.10 (AB), €60.20 (BC) or €62.50 (ABC).

==== Special tourist tickets ====
* '''Berlin WelcomeCard''' 24/48 hours, 4/5/6 days - Next to travelling, you can use this card to get discounts at touristic attractions, in restaurants and free entrance at some museums (with 3/5-day ticket). Can not be bought at ticket vending machines. [http://www.visitberlin.de/en/welcomecard Read more]
* '''Berlin CityTourCard''' 48/72 hours, 4/5/6 days - Next to travelling, this card provides some discount on some touristic attractions. This ticket can also be bought at ticket vending machines. [http://www.citytourcard.com/en Read more]

For more information on tickets and pricing: [http://www.bvg.de/index.php/en/17181/name/Fares+Overview.html BVG Tickets]

====Important information on public transportation tickets====

*Most of the tickets have to be validated (stamped) before use. If you forget, the fine is 60 Euro (same if you have no ticket)
*Except for Friday and Saturday night, all S-Bahn trains stop driving after approximately 1 o'clock
*Except for Friday and Saturday night, all U-Bahn trains are replaced by night buses (U1->N1; U2->N2; etc.)
*At some stations, people are selling tickets. Although they don't all look that bonafide, they resell tickets other people used. They should be still valid. If you are planning to buy those tickets, check if they are still valid. Also, it's officially forbidden to resell tickets, so you might be involved in a small crime by doing it.

=== From Airport to City ===
For the time being, Berlin has 2 major airports, 'Tegel' in the northwest and 'Schönefeld' in the southeast. They are well connected with public transport. Always make sure to check at which one you're arriving and leaving.

====Schönefeld Airport (SXF)==== 
[http://www.berlin-airport.de/en/travellers-sxf/to-and-from/buses-and-trains/local-public-transport/index.php transport information]

* Schönefeld Airport is directly connected with S-Bahn. Line '''S9''' connects the airport with the eastern and northern part of the city (for the center, change at Ostkreuz). Line '''S45''' connects the airport with the southern part of the inner-city. Both lines pass stations located on the S-Bahn circular railway (Ringbahn), which makes it easy to travel to other parts of the city, changing trains just once. 
* Express trains '''RE7''' and '''RB14''' bring you quickly into central locations (stopping at Ostbahnhof, Alexanderplatz, Friedrichstraße, Hauptbahnhof and Zoologischer Garten), the ticket and price is the same as S-Bahn.
* There are also buses '''X7''' and 107 that connect you to '''U7''' stop Rudow, which will be easier to get to some locations.
* If you are stuck there late at night or have to be there extremely early, there's bus N7 from Schönefeld and then following the U7 line all the way to Spandau.

''Ticket:'' from Schönefeld Airport, you'll need a "Zone ABC" ticket to get to anywhere in Berlin (the ticket is valid also when changing to other S-Bahn trains, U-Bahn, Trams or Buses)

====Tegel Airport (TXL)====
[http://www.berlin-airport.de/en/travellers-txl/to-and-from/buses-and-trains/local-public-transport/index.php transport information]

Tegel Airport is accessible by bus. There are 2 express buses: 
* Bus '''X9''' between Tegel and 'S+U Zoologischer Garten' (for western Berlin), or change at 'S+U Jungfernheide' to S-Bahn circle line or U7.
* Bus '''TXL''' between Tegel and 'Hauptbahnhof' (main train station) and 'S+U Alexanderplatz' (for central and eastern Berlin). Best change at Hauptbahnhof to S-Bahn, the route to Alexanderplatz is slow.
* There are also 2 normal bus lines: '''128''' in the direction of 'U Osloer Straße' and '''109''' in the direction of 'S+U Zoologischer Garten'.

''Ticket:'' from Tegel Airport, you'll need a "Zone AB" ticket to get to anywhere in Berlin (ticket is valid for the Bus and changes to S-Bahn trains, U-Bahn, Trams)

'''Taxi'''

Expected price for a [[Berlin#Taxi|taxi-ride]] from/to the airports is between €20,00 and €35,00, depending on the start/destination location.

=== Public Transportation network ===
==== Underground / U-Bahn ====
The subway/underground in Berlin is called the U-Bahn. The U-Bahn is efficient and reliable and it covers the major areas of the city.

Most U-Bahn trains drive frequent, every 5 or 10 minutes. In the late evening and night the frequency can be reduced to one train every 15 or 20 minutes. Except for Friday- and Saturday night, the U-Bahn stops working after approximately 1:00h. All lines are then replaced by night buses, which drive every 30 minutes and follow the same route as the U-Bahn (some minor exceptions).

==== Stadtbahn / S-Bahn ====
The suburban "rapid transit" network is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_S-Bahn S-Bahn]. The main lines in the center consist of a circle line (Ringbahn, S41 clockwise, S42 counterclockwise) and the central branches from east (Ostkreuz) to west (Westkreuz) and from north (Gesundbrunnen) to south (Südkreuz), going through all the imporant central train stations (Zoologischer Garten, Hauptbahnof, Friedrichstraße, Alexanderplatz, Ostbahnhof). It connects with the U-Bahn network in many locations. The basic differences to U-Bahn (which won't matter for you in most situations) is that it's run by the German Railway company (DB) and not by the city of Berlin (BVG), and that it goes to some more remote places outside of Berlin. Tickets are always valid for both networks including Trams/Buses

====Tram (Straßenbahn/Metro)====
The tram in Berlin is called Straßenbahn (street train), or sometimes Metrotram. The tram network especially is big in the eastern part of town. The trams drive in the 'gaps' of the U- and S-Bahn net, while crossing many of their stations on the way.

====Buses====
Buses normally drive in the 'gaps' of the U- and S-Bahn net. Most people only take buses if they have to go to area's that are on the outskirts of town.
The exceptions are bus lines '''100''' and '''200'''. These bus lines are well known for the ''touristic'' route they are following. It crosses several points of interest, and therefore used by many tourists as a cheap alternative for the sightseeing buses.


=== Taxi ===

There are fixed prices for taxi's in Berlin. There's no difference between day- and night prices. The prices are calculated as follows:
*Basic price: €3,20
*Per kilometre (first 7): €1,65
*Per kilometre (after 7): €1,28

You'll pay additional if:
*''you're travelling more than 4 persons: €1,50 per extra person''
*''the taxi has to wait for you: €25,00 per hour''
*''you have big luggage: €1,00''
*''you are paying with credit card: €1,50''
*''you are coming from Tegel Airport: €0,50''
'''The common taxi companies:'''
*[http://www.taxi-berlin.de Taxi Berlin] (+49 30) 20 20 20
*[http://www.taxifunkberlin.de Taxi Funk Berlin] (+49 30) 44 33 22
*[http://www.funk-taxi-berlin.de Funk Taxi Berlin] (+49 30)26 10 26

===Bicycle===
Berlin is relatively easy for cycling and visiting Berlin by bicycle is a great option in Summer, especially for not-so-central locations like Tempelhofer Feld, Sowjetisches Ehrenmal etc. Advantages are that Berlin is 99% flat and there are many roads with separate bike paths. Disadvantages are that you can be surprised by the distances, very cold winters (cycling when there is snow gets to hardly possible as mostly bicycle paths are not cleared well), sometimes strong winds, and you should always be very careful to watch for cars and traffic even if you have the way of right (most accidents happen with cars/trucks turning right and not seeing you approaching on the bike lane).

If you're lucky, you can borrow a bike for free through [http://bikesurfberlin.blogspot.de BikeSurfBerlin] and [http://www.bewelcome.org/groups/1021 BikeSurfBerlin Group in Bewelcome].<br/>
Otherwise there are a lot of places to rent bicycles. The rental prices are unfortunately quite steep, often around 10€ per day (cheaper when renting for several days). Here's a list of all known bike-renting places, sorted [http://www.adfc-berlin.de/service/adfc-branchenbuch/fahrradverleih/fahrradverleiher-von-a-z.html alphabetically] or by [http://www.adfc-berlin.de/service/adfc-branchenbuch/fahrradverleih/fahrradverleiher-im-bezirk.html district]