Transport in Berlin.
In Berlin all public transport tickets are spread for all kinds of transport: for buses, trams, metro (U-Bahn), high-speed surface trains (S-Bahn) and ferries. All transport is scheduled to the minute, working hours: from 4.30 a.m. to 12.30 daily. On weekends and holidays, the central subway lines provide a 24-hour service. At night you may use night buses and trams, but don’t forget that the interval between buses and trams doubles.
Metro in Berlin.
In Berlin the first subway was opened in 1902. Opinions divided before the
construction of the metro. Some architects proposed to build a subway like in
London, but the city authorities were against it, because new lines could
damage the relatively new underground drainage system. But the project of
elevated metro like in New York, which offered Werner von Siemens, was a great
idea of this problem-solving, and the city administration, accepted his
project. At present, there are about 173 stations and 9 lines, 151.7 km long.
On most major transit stations in metro, you may have a snack in fast food,
exchange money in bank or buy some various useful items in shops.
Do not forget the fact, that from
stations S-Bahn, from the same platform you may depart by train to different
places. That’s why, before your trip, look through the subway map and pay
notice of the special window in the train, displaying the destination station.
From S-Bahn station you may change to U-Bahn. The working hours in metro: from
4.00 a.m. to 2.00 a.m. The fare in city and its suburbs is divided into zones A, B and C. Zone A – is the center of the city. AB - all regions in Berlin, zone ABC – the city and its suburbs. All tickets are sold
by zones: A, AB, ABC, BC and just C. You may buy tickets at
the ticket machine at the station or at the bus stops. Ticket machines
accept banknotes of 20, 10 and 5 € and all kind of coins. At each stop, you
will find maps with routes and surrounding areas, so-called zoning maps, on
which you may choose your route. All tickets can be
used for all kinds of transport within the administrative boundaries of Berlin
from the first trip.
1. Single
fare, zone AB, which gives you an opportunity to
go in any direction within 2 hours from the moment of
punching, the ticket price - 2. 60 €.
2. Single
ticket «short trip», includes three stops on the metro or six stops on the bus.
3. Tageskarte
ABC, a day pass. You can buy tickets online: http://www.tageskarte-gemeinde.ch
4. Welcome
Card ABC, offers a trip for 5 days.
5. City Tour
Card. This card is for zones A and B for all public transport in Berlin, and gives you
50% discounts at museums and attractions. For more information, please visit: http://www.citytourcard.com
Buses and trams.
There is quite a good difference
between metro, if you have no opportunity to buy tickets beforehand, you may
pay the fare to the driver on the bus or tram. You shouldn’t punch your
tickets, because it is already punched, but if you buy your ticket beforehand,
do not forget to punch it, or you may be fined. If your ticket has already
punched, show it to the driver of the bus, it’s not necessary to show tickets
to the driver of the tram. Tickets for children to 6 years old are not paid.
When you arrive to Tegel Airport (Berlin
Tegel Airport), you may take a taxi or a bus.
Bus TXL runs from Tegel
airport to Alexanderplatz, it runs every 10 minutes to 22:00, and at night it
takes a long time interval. This bus route is the most convenient way to get to
your hotel, because you are able to travel along the main sights of Berlin by
this bus route. For half an hour you will see the main streets and the main
square of Berlin.
Bus
routes № 128, 108 and X9 run to the nearest stations S-Bahn and U-Bahn.
You may
get more information about Berlin transport system on site: http://fahrinfo.vbb.de/bin/query.exe/en
