How do I get around Berlin?

The U-Bahn and S-Bahn are run by two operators (BVG and Deutsche Bahn) but share a single ticket system. One ticket works on both networks, plus the city's trams, buses, and the Spree river ferries. Nine U-Bahn lines and 15 S-Bahn lines reach every district, and the Ringbahn (S41 clockwise, S42 counter-clockwise) forms a 37-km loop through Ostkreuz, Südkreuz, Westkreuz, and Gesundbrunnen in about 60 minutes. On Friday and Saturday nights, every U-Bahn and S-Bahn line runs through until morning, roughly every 15 minutes. Sunday through Thursday, the last trains leave around 12:30am and night buses (N1, N2, and so on) take over the same routes. The U1 and U2 run elevated through Kreuzberg, and from those open-air platforms above Kottbusser Tor you can see straight down Admiralstrasse while the warm smell of Döner drifts up from the shops below. You'll hear the recorded "Zurückbleiben bitte" as the doors slide shut.

A single AB ticket costs 3.50 EUR and stays valid for 2 hours of travel in one direction. The AB day ticket (Tageskarte) runs 9.50 EUR and covers unlimited rides until 3am the following morning. If you're staying a week or longer, the Deutschlandticket is currently 58 EUR per month and covers all local transit across Germany, not only Berlin. You can buy it through the BVG app. For single and day tickets, the yellow machines at every station accept contactless cards and cash. Mind you, Berlin has no turnstiles and no gates. You walk straight onto the platform. But plainclothes inspectors (Kontrolleure) check tickets on board, and the fine for riding without one is 60 EUR. They tend to focus on tourist-heavy lines like the U5 to Alexanderplatz and the S-Bahn to Brandenburger Tor. Validate paper tickets at the small red or yellow boxes before boarding. The BVG app activates mobile tickets automatically, so there is nothing to stamp.

Uber and Bolt both operate in Berlin, though German regulation means they dispatch licensed rental cars with professional drivers, not private vehicles. Fares run 15-30% below traditional taxis. A Bolt ride from Alexanderplatz to Bergmannstrasse in Kreuzberg costs around 10-12 EUR. A metered taxi covers the same 4 km trip for about 14-16 EUR, with the flagfall at 4.30 EUR and roughly 2.80 EUR per kilometer for the first 7 km. FREE NOW is the local taxi-hailing app and might get you a car faster in western districts like Charlottenburg where Bolt coverage tends to be thinner. That said, you will rarely need ride-hailing during the day. The train is faster and costs a fraction. Save it for weeknight returns after 12:30am, when the U-Bahn has stopped and you would rather not wait 20 minutes for a packed night bus at Warschauer Strasse.

Berlin sits on a glacial plain. The terrain is almost perfectly flat, which makes cycling practical even if you haven't been on a bike in years. Nextbike runs about 1 EUR per 15 minutes, and you'll find docking stations every few hundred meters in Mitte, Friedrichshain, and Prenzlauer Berg. Lime e-scooters are everywhere. The dedicated bike lanes along Frankfurter Allee and through the Tiergarten feel safe, though the cobblestone stretches in parts of Kreuzberg and Neukölln will rattle your teeth and your handlebars. Walking works within a single neighborhood. Prenzlauer Berg's grid from Kastanienallee to Helmholtzplatz takes maybe 20 minutes on foot. But Berlin is nearly 9 times the area of Paris. Alexanderplatz to Charlottenburg Palace is 10 km. From Kreuzberg to the Mauerpark flea market in Prenzlauer Berg is 5 km. The distances between interesting neighborhoods will catch you off guard, and that is where the U-Bahn earns its keep.

BER airport sits outside the AB zone, in zone C. Your AB day ticket will not work on the airport train. You need either an ABC single (4.40 EUR) or an ABC day pass (10.60 EUR). The FEX airport express reaches Berlin Hauptbahnhof in about 30 minutes and runs every half hour. The S9 takes closer to 50 minutes but connects directly to Ostkreuz and Friedrichshain if your hotel is in the east. At BER Terminal 1, follow signs down to the Bahnhof level. The platform is directly under the terminal. No shuttle, no bus transfer. You step off the escalator and the cool underground air hits you and the train is right there. Worth noting, the airport itself has limited food options past security. Grab a Brezel and coffee from the Ditsch stand on the platform level before you board, because navigating Hauptbahnhof's 5 floors with luggage on an empty stomach is no one's idea of a good arrival.