Planning your Journey

Berlin is easy to reach by plane, coach or train. You can travel from the airport to the city centre easily, using public transportation.
 

By plane

Berlin has two airports, Berlin-Tegel (TXL) and Berlin-Schönefeld (SXF). Both airports have good international connections linking them with most European cities and many cities across the world. However, it may be worth booking a flight to Frankfurt (FRA), the largest airport in Germany. A large number of international airlines have direct flights to Frankfurt, so sometimes it is the most inexpensive option. There are direct connections from Frankfurt airport to Berlin, either by plane or train. The train journey from Frankfurt to Berlin takes around five hours.
 

By train

Berlin is also very well connected to the rest of Europe via the rail network. It takes around eight hours to travel from Berlin to Paris by train and around ten hours to Vienna. You can buy train tickets online on the Deutsche Bahn website or at the station.

If you book in advance you may be able to buy train tickets at reduced rates ("Sparpreis") that are significantly cheaper than the standard ticket price. However, if you choose one of these tickets you will have to select a specific train when booking. If you miss this train, your ticket is no longer valid.

Standard-price tickets ("Normalpreis") are generally much more expensive. They are valid for a particular route and day, but with a flexible departure time. This means that you do not have to decide what time you wish to travel before you book. This flexibility may be particularly useful if it is for a connecting journey from the airport, as flights are sometimes delayed or your arrival may take longer than planned.

Some airlines also offer "Rail&Fly" tickets which include the cost of the train.
 

In Berlin: From the airport to city centre

Berlin has excellent public transportation services. Commuter trains ("S-bahn") and underground trains ("U-bahn") generally run from 4:00 a.m. to 0:30 a.m., and all night on Fridays and Saturdays. Some buses also run all night during the week. The website for Berlin public transport provides information about prices and connections, as well as a map of the route network.

From Tegel airport you can take buses TXL (airport bus), X9, 109 and 128 to the city centre. You can change to the S-bahn or U-bahn at a variety of bus stops.

From Schönefeld airport the easiest option is to take the regional trains RB 14 and RE 7 ("Airport Express"). The airport express runs every day from 4:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and stops at various places in Berlin city centre including the "Ostbahnhof", "Friedrichstraße" and "Hauptbahnhof" stations.

 

Do you have other questions?

If so please contact the International Scholar Services.