Getting around in Berlin

Public transport

A new city is a new challenge and Berlin is no exception. You have to figure out how to get from one location to the other in a small amount of time. The first step in any city is to get a good map. You can do so from hotels, tourist info centers and you should check the website BVU.de for maps and schedules of the U-bahn, S-bahn, trams and busses. On the website, you can calculate the fastest way between one point and another and you can check the ticket fares. To get around in Berlin you can easily use the buses, the trams, the underground service or the trains. If you want to travel in a more comfortable manner, you can take a taxi. They are not too expensive. Taxis with a yellow light on top are available, but you can also take one from a taxi rank. If you get lost, you can call the BVG customers service from some U-bahn and S-bahn stations. You should also know that there are buses and trams that run all day and all night. To find a public transport line look for an orange plate and a white M.

Finding a well-connected apartment in Berlin

When you are searching for Berlin cheap hotels or a holiday apartment in Berlin make sure they are in zone A or B of the city. These are well connected with trams, buses, trains and the underground service. If the cheap hotel in Berlin that you booked is somewhere in the center of the city you have nothing to worry about, you will be able to get around easily and you will probably have a taxi rank or a 24h transport line somewhere close.

General advice

If you are used to house numbers that run in one direction, forget about that in Berlin, as on many streets on one side the numbers ascend and on the other they descend. If you want to find a certain number on a street, go to the street corner and check the numbers that are written there. The names of the local points usually contain the word street, square or park so Strasse means street, Platz means square and Schloss means castle. When in doubt ask a police officer, a taxi driver or local people for directions.