The Berlin WelcomeCard is a ticket valid for all public transportation in the city. Along with the transport ticket, you will receive a Berlin WelcomeCard Guide, which comes in four languages, a map of the city and a map of the public transport network, as well as advice and suggestions for tours.
There are also associated tourist companies that offer discounts between 25% and 100% in admission fees for those who have this ticket. The list includes restaurants, theaters, boat trip operators, sightseeing tours and guides, museums, clubs and souvenir shops.
The Berlin WelcomeCard comes in seven types: there are tickets for 48 hours, 72 hours, 4 or 5 days, as well as variations according to the city zone that interests you (AB or ABC), allowing you to move freely through Berlin or Berlin and Potsdam.
How is the validity period of the Berlin WelcomeCard calculated
The physical tickets indicate: "Ab Entwertung, 48 Stunden Gültig", meaning "valid for 48 hours after validation". The validation counts from when you stamp a ticket in a ticket machine, which you can find inside buses and trams, or in platforms accessing trains and subways. The tickets are valid for 48, 72 hours, 4 or 5 days from the moment they are validated, depending on the type of ticket you have purchased.
Welcome Card for Families
Families with children should take into consideration that each adult can use their ticket to travel with up to 3 children or young people (up to 14 years) for free.
Rate
Zone Berlin AB: Berlin municipal area (including Berlin Tegel airport), valid for one person and up to 3 children between 6 and 14 years old (children under 6 years of age generally travel for free in Berlin).
Zone Berlin ABC: Berlin and Potsdam municipal districts (including Berlin Schönefeld airport), valid for one adult and up to 3 children between 6 and 14 years old (children under 6 years of age generally travel for free in Berlin).
Not all Berlin WelcomeCards offer discounts to museums. To get discounts at major state museums, such as those on Museum Island, there is a special type of WelcomeCard: the Berlin WelcomeCard Museum Island, which includes free admission to all the island's museums for 3 days. This ticket has a different price from the Welcome Card tickets that concern transportation only.
WelcomeCard tickets are really convenient when...
- You stay for 3 or more nights around the city center – which includes Charlottenburg, Mitte and Tiergarten. The museums and main attractions are generally located in the area of Mitte;
- You plan to take the public transport system for more than 3 times a day during your stay in the city;
- You are interested in visiting many attractions, in addition to the main museums.
If you stay for 2 or 3 nights in centrally located accommodations and are looking for the most convenient way to visit the most important museums, there are combined tickets for the Museum Island, which allow you to save money on both admissions and public transport.
The BVG – Berlin‘s public transport company – has ticket sales points where you can purchase Berlin WelcomeCard. You can find them at airports as well as main central station, Alexanderplatz, Zoo's train station, etc. You can also buy these tickets at BVG ticket offices and vending machines, as well as in Tourist Information points in Berlin and on the internet.
As reported on the website of the Berlin WelcomeCard: "After your online booking you will receive your voucher. By presenting the voucher at the Berlin Tourist Office of the Central Station, Fernsehturm (Television Tower), Europacenter, Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate), Kurfürstendamm and Berlin airports, you will receive the Berlin WelcomeCard and a tourist guide.
Check also:
What to do in Berlin: Tips for all kinds of visitors
