When it comes to getting around Berlin, you’re pretty much spoilt for choice. Be it subway, train, bus, tram (and even ferry if you happen to be in the right area), your transport options are myriad and with a 24 hour timetable, they are also able to keep you moving across land and water, most times of the day. It’s a system that many Berliners harbour much secret pride for, airport issues aside.
In a city that is constantly being renovated and improved, using the transport network also means keeping on top of who runs what, and how and where you can check times and get around. Three main companies control the transport network around Berlin – the BVG, S-Bahn Berlin and Deutsche Bahn.
BVG (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe) controls the bulk of transport, handling the buses, trams, underground and ferry routes in the city. Having recently revamped their website, their transport planner does incorporate the other transport providers, with S-Bahn’s and some regional trains also included in your search results.
The inner city trains, known as the S-bahn provide the quickest routes to most main points in the city. If you are planning on heading from one side of the city to another, generally, an S-Bahn will be your best friend, and especially if you are planning a day trip to somewhere like Wannsee or even Potsdam.
If you want to speed things up even more on trips that happen to be a little bit further from the city, you may even want to take a regional train. For this, your best bet is Deutsche Bahn, who control the regional and inter-city routes that will connect you to the rest of Brandenburg, Germany and even Europe.
Riding around the city a lot can tot up, and so if you are planning a visit, we’d definitely recommend picking up a Berlin Welcome Card, which will allow you to ride the majority of the inner city network over 2, 3 or 5 days. Not only will you get a discount on your travel, the Welcome Card also entitles you to plenty of savings at the bigger Berlin attractions.
Tram photo copyright BVG & Sven Lambert
All other photos copyright BVG & Oliver Lang