How to Get From Berlin Airport to City Center: Stress-Free Tips (2026)
Getting from Berlin airport to city center is pretty easy, and you have several options. The FEX airport express train is the fastest, but it’s not always the best option depending on where exactly you’re going in Berlin. That’s because as an express train, it only has four stops, including Berlin Brandenburg Airport.
This blog post will explain how to get from Berlin Brandenburg Airport to city center using the airport express train, regional trains, Sbahns, and more. Plus there’s info about how much tickets cost, and even some sample routes to help you get from BER Airport into Berlin.
Note: I’ve seen a lot of inaccurate info about some of the trains that do and do not go to Berlin Brandenburg terminals 1-2. I’ve also seen people quoting incorrect info from ChatGPT, such as the wrong ticket type and outdated train numbers. Since I live in Berlin, I check routes often and update this article as often as I can. This includes the most recent route changes as of mid December 2025.
Let’s get you out of the airport and into Berlin as quickly and easily as possibleTop ways to get from the Berlin Airport into the city
With several different ways of getting from BER Airport into Berlin, you might be confused about which is the best option. So before I get into the nitty gritty of HOW to get from the airport to the city, here’s a quick look at the options and who they’re best for:
They’ll even wait for an hour after the time you scheduled for the pickup, which is helpful if your flight is delayed. Who is it good for?
- If you’re nervous about using public transportation
- If you’re traveling with a group
- If you’re traveling with a lot of luggage
- If you’re landing late at night and you’re nervous about using public transport at night
Airport Express Train (FEX, which stands for Flughafen Express) or another regional train: Taking one of the trains is the cheapest option. They are safe and usually very reliable. There are differences with the routes depending on whether you take the FEX or another regional train, but I’ll get into that later in the blog post. Who is this option good for?
- Anyone who is comfortable using public transportation, or at least comfortable trying it even if it’s your first time
- Budget travelers
- Travelers looking for the most sustainable/environmentally friendly option
Uber and similar apps: If you’d prefer to be picked up by a car but you’re looking for something a little cheaper than Welcome Pickups, Uber and FreeNow are good options. I haven’t used them from the BER Airport, but friends have said it costs the same or less than a taxi. Who is this option good for?
- If you’re nervous about public transport
- If you have a lot of luggage
- If you know you’ll have data on your phone to use the apps
And then there are other options, including Sbahn, bus + Ubahn, taxi, but the options above are the best options for most people. I’ll get into more details about each option later in the blog post, so keep reading.
How many airports are in Berlin?
Up until late 2020, you would find directions for how to get from Berlin Tegel Airport to the city center or how to get from Berlin Schönefeld Airport to the city center. I still sometimes see other blog posts that talk about these two airports, but they have been closed now for several years.
But in late 2020, after more than a decade of delays and drama, the Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) finally opened, and the other two airports closed. Berlin now has only one operating airport.
Luckily this just makes it that much less complicated to get from the Berlin Airport to the city center.
Helpful German for your airport journey
The word for airport in German is Flughafen. You’ll see this often. Flughafen Express is the FEX train, or the airport express train.
Berlin airport to city center
There are several different ways to get from the Berlin airport to city center. The one you choose depends on where exactly you’re going in the city, because even the city center in Berlin is quite large.
The center is where most of the tourist attractions are. It includes the areas around Alexanderplatz, Gendarmenmarkt, and Potsdamer Platz.
But if you’re staying in Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, or Charlottenburg, these are still in zone A and still pretty central. More about zones a bit later in the article.
There are several options for how to get from the Berlin airport to the city centerIf you’re nervous about using public transport, or if you’re traveling with a lot of luggage or a group of people, reserving a car might be a better option for you. Welcome Pickups is a great choice for airport transfers in Berlin.
Let’s take a look at the various options for getting from BER to Berlin’s city center.
How far is Berlin airport from Berlin city center?
The distance from Berlin Airport to city center is roughly 30 km/18.6 miles to the Berlin Hauptbahnhof (Central Train Station) or to Alexanderplatz. This can take about an hour by car, or 35 minutes to an hour by train depending on which train you use.
What zone is Berlin Brandenburg Airport?
Berlin Brandenburg Airport is located in zone C of Berlin’s transport system. And since BVG now only sells tickets for either zones AB or zones ABC, you’ll need a ticket that’s valid for zones ABC in order to get from the Berlin airport to the city center.
But what do the zones mean?
The Ringbahn Sbahn line is that brown loop on the mapZone A is the center of Berlin. It includes the Ringbahn (the Sbahn line that circles the center of Berlin) and everything inside of it. Most of the tourist attractions, like the East Side Gallery, Museum Island, Brandenburg Gate, and even Charlottenburg Palace, are in zone A.
Zone B is the section of Berlin outside of that. It reaches from outside the Ringbahn (circle Sbahn line) until the border between Berlin and Brandenburg. Berlin and Brandenburg are separate states, so if you’re looking at a map, it’s easy to find that border.
Zone C is the section of Brandenburg that is very close to Berlin. It includes Potsdam, Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, and the Berlin Brandenburg Airport.
I promise there are a lot more than just this one ticket machineSo you probably only need zones AB for normal sightseeing days, but for any day you’re going to or from the airport, you’ll need a ticket that covers zones ABC.
There are plenty of ticket machines in the airport, and the machines have an English option, so you shouldn’t have a problem buying a ticket for your journey into the city.
Video: How to get from BER Airport into Berlin city center
Some pieces of my video are a little old, like prices shown on the ticket machine, but it’s still helpful for how to use the ticket machines, how to find the train platforms, and more.
And you can also check out this video I made that shows you how to use the BVG Fahrinfo app for getting around the city.
How much is the train from Berlin airport to city center?
Since the airport is in zone C, you will need an ABC ticket, even if you’re staying in zone B. A single ABC ticket costs 5 euros in 2026.
Is public transport safe?
Yes, taking public transportation – that’s the Sbahns, Ubahns, buses, regional trains, airport express train, and more – is safe in Berlin.
Public transport in Berlin is generally safe
I don’t drive in Germany, so I use public transportation all the time, and 98% of the time, I feel perfectly safe.
Of course, nothing is 100%, and you have to be aware of your surroundings and keep an eye on your belongings. But in general, it is safe to take the train from the airport into Berlin.
To learn more about using public transportation for your time here, check out my post about getting around in Berlin.
Getting through the airport
Once you land in BER airport, it’s pretty easy to follow the signs. Like most airports, you’ll see signs pointing you towards baggage claim and ground transportation.
Then if you’re going to take a train from the airport into Berlin, look for signs like the one below showing the little train icons for DB (Deutsche Bahn) and the S for Sbahn.
Follow the signs for trains: DB & S (Deutsche Bahn & Sbahn)I noticed these seemingly helpful feet (pictured below) on the ground directing you to the trains. And I thought, this is great, this should be really helpful for people.
Not as helpful as you might hopeBut then I realized they only exist on the train platform. So once you’ve already made your way through the airport and down the escalator to the trains.
These would be a lot more helpful if they started up in the airport somewhere, but no, they don’t pop up until you’re already where you need to be. If you make it all the way to the train platform where you can literally see the trains, you don’t need these feet.
FEX airport train
FEX stands for Flughafen Express, which is the airport express train. Flughafen means airport in German. This is a red regional train that starts at the airport (terminal 1-2) and the new route as of mid December 2025 makes stops at Südkreuz, Potsdamer Platz, and Berlin Hauptbahnhof.
The FEX train gets you from the Berlin airport to city center quicklyThe FEX train runs every 15 minutes between 4am and 1am and takes about 25 minutes from the airport to Hauptbahnhof. You can get out at Südkreuz or Potsdamer Platz to switch to a different Sbahn or Ubahn.
There’s plenty of space for luggage on the FEX train. It’s a double decker train, and the lower level has big sections designated for luggage, plus there are luggage racks for smaller items above the seats on both levels.
Regional trains
There are a few regional train routes that run from the Berlin airport to the city center, and this could be a good option if you’re staying closer to one of the stops on those routes, or if there’s a long wait for the next FEX train.
The RE20 takes about 25 minutes to get from the airport to Hauptbahnhof. It makes stops at Südkreuz, Potsdamer Platz, and Berlin Hauptbahnhof, as well as a few station outside the city south of the airport. It only runs once an hour though, and it isn’t any better than the FEX route.
The RB24 and RB32 have different routes but both include stops at Schöneweide and Ostkreuz in eastern Berlin. Ostkreuz is a big interchange station where you can switch to the Ringbahn or the east/west Sbahns (S3, S5, and S7) to get to other parts of Berlin. These two trains each only run once an hour though.
Check the train departure signs to see when the next train leaves the airportSbahn
The Sbahns are the (mostly) above ground trains which are helpful for getting around in Berlin. Two lines, the S9 and the S85, leave from the airport and travel into Berlin’s city center.
The S9 takes 50 minutes to reach Hauptbahnhof from the airport, and it also stops at places like Warschauer Str, Ostbahnhof, Alexanderplatz, Hackescher Markt, and several others. It continues beyond Hauptbahnhof, ending the Spandau station in the northwest corner of Berlin.
The S85 takes about 36 minutes to reach Ostkreuz from the airport. After Ostkreuz, it continues north to several stops on the Ring before heading north. This is a good option if you’re staying in Friedrichshain or Prenzlauer Berg.
Since the Sbahns take longer than the FEX train or the regional train, they’re not ideal options. However, they do travel to other parts of the city, and if those stations are your actual destination, it could be easier and less stressful to use the Sbahn to avoid having to switch somewhere.
Bus plus Ubahn
If you’re truly trying to get from the airport to Berlin city center, the bus is not an efficient option. But there might be situations where you need the bus, like if there’s a rail strike.
I’m sorry our airport isn’t betterBus lines X7, X71, and N7 (the N means it’s a night bus) have departures from the BER airport, and you can use the bus to reach the U7 Ubahn line. Take any of these buses to the U Rudow station, switch to the U7, and from there you can switch at many other stations such as S&U Neukölln or Hermannplatz.
It doesn’t happen often, but if there is a Deutsche Bahn rail strike, none of the train options will run, or they will have fewer departures. The Sbahns are technically part of the Berlin transport system, but they’re actually operated by Deutsche Bahn. This is when the bus to U7 route is a good option to have. Luckily strikes don’t happen often.
Hello BERWelcome Pickups from the Berlin Airport
Maybe taking public transport is a little intimidating to you, especially if you’ve just gotten off a long flight. And maybe you’re worried about the uncertainty of getting a taxi.
Or maybe you’re traveling with a lot of luggage or you have several people in your group. Public transportation might not sound so fun in these situations.
Having a ride already secured specifically coming to pick you up can save you a lot of stress. Welcome Pickups is a great option for getting from the Berlin Airport to the city center, wherever you’re staying.
They are priced similar to a taxi, but it’s a car and driver waiting only for you and your group. When you book an airport transfer, your driver will wait up to one hour after the time you set to be picked up. This is great in case your flight is delayed.
Don’t set the pick up time for the time your flight is supposed to land. It will always take some time to get off the plane and through the airport, plus extra time if you have to wait for checked baggage.
Check out Welcome Pickups to book your comfortable Berlin Airport transfer.
Taking a taxi from Berlin airport to city center
If you’d rather not deal with the trains, there’s always the option to get a taxi. However, it’s worth noting that there is a short supply of taxis that are licensed to travel from the airport to the city center since the airport is located in Brandenburg, which is a different state.
How much is a taxi from Berlin Airport to city centre? Well, a taxi from the airport to Berlin city center can cost anywhere from 50 to 80 euros depending on exactly where you’re going.
Taking Uber from BER Airport into Berlin
If you’re used to using Uber, you can do that for your ride from the airport. I almost always use public transport, unless I have a super early flight, which is when I use Welcome Pickups. But friends have told me Uber can be cheaper than a taxi, but then sometimes it’s roughly the same price as a taxi. It’s really going to depend on exactly where you’re going in Berlin.
Another company I’ve heard good things about but haven’t personally used yet is Free Now. Like Uber, you can use the app to request a ride. Friends of mine use it frequently and recommended it for airport rides, especially if you have a lot of luggage. Or there’s Bolt, which is a similar competitor of Free Now.
Traveling beyond Berlin
Flixbus at Berlin airportAre you flying into Berlin but going somewhere else? You have options too.
A few long distance trains (train numbers starting with IC) stop at the Berlin airport and travel on to destinations such as Dresden or Rostock. Local transport tickets are not valid on these trains.
If you’re traveling further by train, check out Deutsche Bahn for train tickets and routes.
FlixBus also has several bus routes that stop at the airport. The long distance buses are in a parking lot outside the front of the airport, and from here you can reach other parts of Germany, Poland, and many other destinations.
If you’re traveling from Berlin to Dresden or from Berlin to Leipzig, Flixbus could be a good option, especially for budget travelers.
It’s always a good idea to compare FlixBus with Deutsche Bahn to see which one works best for you based on both time and price.
Example routes from Berlin Airport to the city center
I can’t give directions for every possible hotel or transit station, so it’s best that you download the BVG app to check for the exact route you need. But I have provided a few examples of how to get from Berlin Airport to Mitte and the Zoo station to help get you oriented.
How to get from Berlin airport to Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz is a common transfer point for many Ubahns and Sbahns in Berlin. The TV Tower is located here, it’s near lots of Berlin attractions, and there are lots of hotels nearby or within one or two stops on transport.
TV Tower behind Alexanderplatz stationOption 1: From the Flughafen BER Terminal 1-2 station, hop on the FEX train and get out at Potsdamer Platz. From here, look for the Ubahn line U2 going towards Pankow. This will get you to Alexanderplatz in about 10 minutes. The whole route takes about 35 minutes including one switch.
Option 2: If changing trains feels stressful, you could take the S9 Sbahn from BER airport to Alexanderplatz. This has no transfers and takes about 45 minutes, so it’s a little longer but could be less stressful.
How to get from Berlin airport to Potsdamer Platz
Now that the routes from the airport have changed, it’s super easy to get to Postdamer Platz. The FEX runs several times an hour, and the second stop after leaving the airport is Potsdamer Platz. Or you can take the RE20, if the timing works out for you, but it only runs once an hour. Either way, you should get to Potsdamer Platz in about 20 minutes.
Fun fact: The first traffic light was used in Berlin. Here’s a replica at Potsdamer Platz.How to get from Berlin airport to Zoologischer Garten
Zoologischer Garten is the station closest to the Berlin Zoo. When the city was divided, it was the main train station in West Berlin, so it’s still a busy station today.
To get from Berlin Brandenburg Airport to the Zoo Station, you have a few options.
Check out the Berlin ZooOption 1: The most direct train is the S9 Sbahn. It runs from the airport through the center of the city and stops at Zoologischer Garten, taking about 56 minutes to get there. This is the slowest option but the easiest one since there are no switches.
Option 2: If you don’t mind having to switch trains in exchange for saving some time, take the FEX to Potsdamer Platz, and then switch to the U2 Ubahn line going towards either Ruhleben or Theodor-Heuss-Platz (NOT Pankow) to Zoologischer Garten. The whole route should take about 35 minutes.
Option 3: Similar to option 2, you can also take the FEX train from the BER Airport to Berlin Hbf and then switch to the S3, S5, S7, or S9 Sbahn lines to the Zoo station. These Sbahns will have different end destinations/directions, but you can take any on the same platform going to Potsdam/Spandau/Westkreuz. Just make sure it is NOT the platform going towards the airport. This route also takes about 35 minutes. I personally prefer switching at Berlin Hbf instead of Potsdamer Platz, but if it’s your first time here, it’s likely that either one could be a bit confusing.
FAQs about getting to/from the Berlin Airport
Here are some frequently asked questions about getting between the Berlin Airport to the city center.
How far is the Berlin Airport from the city center?
The BER Airport is about 30km (18 miles) from the Berlin Hauptbahnhof (Central Train Station). It’s about 26km (17 miles) from Alexanderplatz.
How long does it take to get from Berlin Airport to city centre?
It takes between 30 minutes to one hour to get from the BER Airport to the center of Berlin. Journey time depends on which mode of transportation you choose and traffic conditions if you’re in a car.
How much is the train from Berlin Airport to city center?
A train ticket from the airport to the city center costs 5 euros in 2026. You’ll need a ticket that covers zones ABC.
What zone is Berlin Airport in?
Berlin’s transport system is divided into three zones, A, B, and C. The airport is in zone C, while most of the tourist attractions are in zone A.
How much is a taxi from Berlin Brandenburg Airport to city center?
Taxi fares vary depending on where you’re going, but in general, it can cost anywhere from 50 to 80 euros or more to get from the airport into central Berlin.
How many airports does Berlin have?
Berlin only has one airport. In the past, we had more than that, most recently there were two operating at the same time. But BER has been the only airport in Berlin since late 2020.
Where to stay in Berlin
Berlin has lots of great neighborhoods for you to stay in and explore. If you’re visiting Berlin for the first time, it might be best for you stay somewhere central.
Many of the attractions are in Mitte or easily connected to Mitte by Berlin’s public transport, so you should stay somewhere in that region. Here are a few hotels we recommend.
For a more detailed look at the different neighborhoods and our hotel recommendations, check out our guide to where to stay in Berlin.
Or read my full review of the 25Hours Hotel in Charlottenburg with fantastic views of the Zoo and Tiergarten.
Book a tour for your trip to Berlin
- Private Tours of Berlin with Matti: As a lifetime Berlin resident and local Rick Steves guide, Matti really knows Berlin. Tell him you heard about his tours from Berlin Travel Tips!
- Third Reich Berlin Walking Tour – Hitler and WWII: Learn about Berlin’s WWII history with an expert guide.
- Berlin TV Tower Skip-the-Line Ticket: Offering some of Berlin’s best views.
- Discover Berlin Half-Day Walking Tour: See Berlin’s highlights with a knowledgeable tour guide.
Or check out my full list of fantastic tours in Berlin, including food tours, history tours, boat tours, and more.
Berlin Travel Resources
I want you to have the best trip to Berlin, and hopefully this information about how to get from Berlin Brandenburg Airport to the city center is helpful. But there are lots more tips on the site!
- 101 Best Things to do in Berlin
- 23 Impressive Castles in Berlin (And Nearby)
- 27 Best World War II & Cold War Sights in Berlin
- 29 Fun Day Trips From Berlin
- 75 Things to Know Before Visiting Berlin: Essential Berlin Travel Tips
- What to Wear & What to Pack for Berlin, Germany: Your Ultimate Berlin Packing List
- How to Get Around in Berlin: An Easy Guide to Berlin Public Transportation
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Ali Garland is a long term resident of Berlin, and she shares her Berlin expertise and insider advice on Berlin Travel Tips. She’s been living in Germany since 2011, and in 2015, she and her husband moved to Berlin where they now live with their small dog. They even bought an apartment in Berlin in 2021 – Berlin is definitely home now! Ali’s goal is to show you everything you need to know for enjoying a trip to Berlin. Read more Related Posts
