Travel tips for Erasmus in Berlin

Airport – City Center

The airport express trains (FEX, RE7, and RB14) are the fastest way to reach Berlin city center from the Flughafen BER station, which is directly below Terminal 1 in level U2. The trains run every 30 minutes between around 4 am to 11 pm and cost €3.30 each way.

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Berlin Brandenburg Airport has a train station in each terminal, which provides quick and efficient connections to the center of the German capital and the surrounding areas. From Terminal 5, the station is a 10-minute walk away. S-Bahn trains and the regional train to and from Potsdam stop here, but not the Airport Express, which only arrives at Terminals 1-2.

From Berlin Brandenburg Airport, there are express buses without intermediate stops to the nearby subway station Rudow and other buses that instead connect the airport to other stops making stops at other stations. The express buses X7 and X71 connect both terminals of Berlin Airport with the subway station Rudow. There are buses that connect the airport to the city of Berlin with intermediate stops. The buses depart and arrive exclusively at Terminal 5 every 20 minutes.

If your flight lands late in the evening or leaves early in the morning, you can use the two night lines N7 and N7X to travel between the airport and Berlin and vice versa.

At Berlin Airport, there are taxis waiting for you in front of each terminal.

Public transport system

Metro, Bus, Tram, and City Trains are great allies for anyone who chooses to live in Berlin.

Berlin has an intricate but understandable public transportation network that consists of:

  • U-Bahn (subway)
  • S-Bahn (city trains)
  • Straßenbahn (streetcar)
  • Bus
  • Regional Trains (RE)

The city is divided into three fare zones called A, B, and C, and Berlin Airport is located in zone C (people mostly stay in A and B zones). Tickets for public transport in Berlin can be purchased at any S-Bahn or U-Bahn station. It is also possible to buy tickets on the streetcars and buses directly from the driver. To travel in all three zones, the price of a single S-Bahn ticket is 3.60 euros, the single ticket is valid for two hours, and allows unlimited transfers. The day pass, at a cost of 7.70 euros, allows unlimited travel from the current day until 3 a.m. the next day. Berlin's night-time public transport network U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains run from Sunday to Thursday until approximately 00:30. Night buses and streetcars run from midnight until approximately 4:30 am. Night buses are marked with an N and the line number. On Friday, Saturday nights, and during the Holidays, U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains run all night except for a few lines. There is also the possibility of renting bikes.

Accommodation

Regarding accommodation in Berlin:

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Try to give preference to the sites that have secured deposit payment method. It means that the deposit to book the room/apartment is kept by the intermediary company (for example, in the case of Airbnb). They won't give the deposit to the landlord till you don't confirm that everything is ok once you enter the flat.

Try not to stay in the center of the city because prices are higher.

If you use sites with no secured deposit method, try not to give money in advance.

You can also stay in hostels at the beginning and try to find a room when you are in Berlin. In this way, if you have the chance, you can go and visit in person the place you want to rent.

You can look for in the following pages:

Other useful information

  • Emergencies, ambulance, fire: tel. +49 30 112
  • Emergency doctor service: tel. +49 30 31 00 31
  • Police: tel. +49 30 110
  • Non-urgent police matters: tel. +49 30 46 64 46 64