Berlin City Guide

Public transport

Operator. Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) operates the U-Bahn, tram, bus, and the six ferry lines. The S-Bahn is operated separately by S-Bahn Berlin GmbH (a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn). Both companies are part of the Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB), which sets a joint fare for all modes of transport in Berlin and Brandenburg. A single ticket is valid across companies for U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram, bus, and ferry.

Network. Ten U-Bahn lines, S-Bahn, trams in the east and a dense bus network. One ticket covers everything.

Modes of transport. U-Bahn · S-Bahn · Tram · Bus · Ferry

Operating hours. On ordinary weekdays, the U-Bahn runs from around 4 am until 1 am, every 5 minutes during the day and every 10 minutes in the late evening. On the nights from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday, the U-Bahn runs around the clock, then every 15 minutes. Tram and bus follow similar basic operating hours, though individual lines run for shorter or longer periods. The S-Bahn supplements the network with its own frequencies, densest during peak hours.

Night service. As soon as the U-Bahn stops running on weekday nights, night buses prefixed with N (N1 to N9) essentially take over the route of the corresponding U-Bahn line U1 to U9. This replacement principle applies on nights from Sunday to Friday. On the two weekend nights, Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday, the U-Bahn and several S-Bahn lines run continuously every 15 minutes, so no continuous night-bus replacement service is needed for the U-Bahn during that time. Exact departure times for the individual night bus lines could not be confirmed with an approved official source, see gaps.

Buying tickets. Tickets are available from ticket machines at U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations and on trams, as well as via the BVG Ticket app and at BVG sales points or customer centers. Bus drivers do sell tickets directly on board, but by card payment only, cash is not accepted on the bus.

App and payment. The official BVG Ticket app lets you buy all common single and day tickets directly on your smartphone, paid via Apple Pay, Google Pay, SEPA direct debit, PayPal, or credit card. The stationary ticket machines accept German girocards, common credit cards, and Apple Pay and Google Pay, and there is also a rechargeable BVG stored-value card. On the bus, only card payment is possible, no cash.

Which ticket. For the city zone AB (standard fare, as of 1.1.2026), the following applies. Short trip 2.80 euros, single ticket 4.00 euros (2 hours, one direction, transfers allowed), 4-trip ticket 12.40 euros (3.10 euros per trip), 24-hour ticket 11.20 euros. The 24-hour ticket thus costs as much as 2.8 single tickets. For up to 5 people traveling together there is the 24-hour small-group ticket AB for 35.30 euros. Anyone traveling into fare zone C (for example to BER airport or to Potsdam) needs the ABC variants, single ticket 5.00 euros, 24-hour ticket 12.90 euros. A single connecting ticket for Berlin costs 2.40 euros.

Fare zones. Zone AB covers the entire core city up to and beyond the S-Bahn ring, which is enough for a normal day of sightseeing. BER airport lies in fare zone C, for which an ABC ticket is required.

Tip. Bus 100 passes almost every sight and costs an ordinary fare.

Links

• BVG – All tickets and fares
• BVG Ticket app
• BVG network maps and lines
• BVG journey planner
• VBB – Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg
• VBB fare, valid from January 1, 2026 (PDF)
• S-Bahn Berlin GmbH
• Network map

Getting there

Main station

Location. Europe's largest crossing station, with long-distance trains on two levels at right angles.

Long-distance trains. Berlin Hauptbahnhof is open continuously, including at night and on holidays. On site there is a DB travel center for ticket purchase and information, a DB Lounge (6 am to 10 pm), a bike rental service with 15 stations within 700 meters, luggage storage, free WiFi throughout the station, and around 30 food and 35 retail businesses. The Bahnhofsmission offers free travel assistance around the clock. Specific destination stations and frequencies for individual ICE/IC lines could not be confirmed with schedule details via the verified official sources, see gaps.

Opening hours. The station is open around the clock. The DB Lounge is open from 6 am to 10 pm, the DB travel center serves customers during the day.

Airports

Local quirks

• Sunday is flea market day. Mauerpark, Boxhagener Platz, and RAW-Gelände run on Sundays. Shops stay closed, markets don't.
• No turnstiles, but plainclothes checks. Berlin has no access barriers at any U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram, or bus station. Passengers validate their own ticket and are spot-checked by plainclothes inspectors. Without a valid or validated ticket, a penalty fare of 60.00 euros applies, and if you can't pay in cash on the spot, a down payment of 10.00 euros is possible.
• The airport lies outside the city fare zone. BER is in fare zone C, not in zone AB, which covers the rest of the city. A normal Berlin AB day ticket is not sufficient for the trip to or from the airport, an ABC ticket or a connecting ticket is required for that.

Good to know

Currency

EUR €

Emergency number

112

Plug type

C · F

Time zone

Europe/Berlin

Driving

right

Speed limits. built-up areas 50 km/h, outside towns 100 km/h, motorway no general speed limit (advisory speed of 130 km/h, not subject to fines)

Many motorway sections have no fixed maximum speed, which surprises drivers from almost every other country. By law, the 100 km/h rural limit explicitly does not apply on the motorway. Signposted limits at roadworks, curves, or in built-up areas, however, are strictly enforced with speed cameras and section control.

Tipping. Five to ten percent, said when paying rather than left on the table.

Tolls. No tolls for cars. The Warnow tunnel in Rostock and the Herren tunnel in Lübeck charge a fee.

Access restrictions. Many city centres are environmental zones open only to vehicles with a green sticker, foreign vehicles included. The sticker is available at test centres and garages.