How to get from Berlin Airport BER to City Centre and more Insider Tips

Welcome to Berlin. Now that you made it to the airport the next question is how to get from the airport BER to Berlin city centre – as cheap and quickly as possible of course.

With our help you will find the quickest and cheapest route not only to city centre, which is Berlin Hauptbahnhof (train station), but also to other destinations in Berlin.

Depending on where you are staying in Berlin, it might be better to chose a different mode of transport.

All international travelers are now landing either in the main Terminals 1 or 2 at the BER.

Your quickest and cheapest option from BER to the city will almost always be by train.

Insider Tip

BER to city centre options

1. Cheapest and quickest option to get to the city centre is by train. See below for all options.
2. Another option is taking the bus to Berlin city centre
3. Take a cab (no Uber are allowed to stop at the airport as of now)
4. Use carsharing

BER airport to city centre by train

Between BER airport and the central train station Hauptbahnhof there is an express train service Flughafen-Express (FEX) every half hour.

The trip between the airport BER and the central train station takes only 30 minutes and costs just 3,80€.

All you need is an ABC ticket, which you can get on the BVG app or buy at one of the many ticket vending machines.

Additionally to the FEX, there are other train services connecting Berlin city centre.

RB14 runs between BER airport and Nauen in the North-West of Berlin.

On the way there are several stops which include Ostkreuz, Alexanderplatz, Hauptbahnhof or Spandau.

This train takes a bit longer than the Airport-Express but is very convenient if you are staying closer to Alexanderplatz.

RE7 follows a similar route through Berlin as the RB14 but after Charlottenburg turns south and connects Babelsberg and some other cities in Brandenburg with the airport.

Similar to the RB14 this train is very convenient if you are staying close to Alexanderplatz.

Both RB14 and RE7 usually run once every hour, so this way you should not be waiting for a train to Hauptbahnhof for more than 15min maximum at the BER airport.

And if that is not enough already, the S-Bahn also connects the BER airport with the city centre.

S9 and S45 are connecting BER airport with Berlin city centre every 20 minutes.

If you are staying close to Neukölln or Friedrichshain the S-Bahn could even be a quicker option for you to get to the city from BER.

BER airport to city centre by bus

Taking the bus from BER airport to city centre is not recommended as you would need to switch transportation on the way.

However, as sometimes trains might be delayed or there might be constructions, this is an option you should always keep in mind as a backup.

Also, if you happen to stay in Neukölln, Rudow, Alt-Mariendorf or other areas more to the South these buses are your quickest mode of transport.

Tickets can also be purchased using the BVG app and cost 3,30€ for the ABC ticket.

The bus connections include Expressbus X7 (which connects you with the U-Bahn system at U-Bahnhof Rudow U7), X71, 163, 164, 171, 743 and 744.

On top of this there will be 2 Express bus lines that cost some extra and are called “Airport Shuttle”.

These Airport Shuttles BER1 and BER2 will connect Rathaus Steglitz and Potsdamer Hauptbahnhof with BER airport.

BER airport to city centre by cab

Your next option, and by far the most convenient but also most expensive one, is taking a cab from the airport to city centre.

Once you follow the directions to the taxi stop you will not be able to miss all the taxis waiting outside the terminal in an orderly line (very German, we know).

Taxis all are running with a Taxometer and they are to be trusted that they take the fastest route to town.

A trip to city centre should be around 40-50€ and not take more than 45mins (depending on the traffic of course).

BER airport to city centre by carsharing

The most comfortable way to get from the Berlin BER airport to the city is probably by carsharing.

There is a big dedicated car park at the airport just for carsharing cars, which means you will almost always find some cars parked there, no matter how early or late you arrive at the airport.

Our recommendation is to sign up with Miles (Use the code “g1peJm2Cf2” to get a 20€ signup bonus with Miles*) for the simple reason that they are by far the cheapest carsharing option at the airport.

You are not charged any additional fee to park at the airport or to start your journey from there.

And with the 20€ signup bonus with our code your ride from the airport to the city centre is almost for free.

ShareNow* and SixtShare* are two other carsharing options, however they are adding an additional 5-7€ airport fee to your ride.

The advantage of carsharing in Berlin is that you can basically park anywhere you like within the Ring (and also a few areas outside the ring) for no additional cost.

Just drive to your destination, park the car and enjoy your time in Berlin.

Terminal 1 & 2 – Overview

As of 2024 only Terminal 1 and 2 are still open, while the old Schönefeld airport Terminal 5 is permanently closed.

Terminal 1: This is the new main Terminal at BER and the reason, why the cost exploded and the airport opened with a huge delay.

This new huge building had some issues with the fire extinguishers and the ventilation system that made it unsafe to open to the public.

Now that these issues are solved Terminal 1 is the main Terminal for most of the flights from Berlin.

EasyJet was actually the biggest airline at Terminal 1, which is funny, as there is a connected Terminal 2 which was designed for low budget airlines.

So you see, it might be confusing why EasyJet flies from Terminal 1 and Ryanair from Terminal 2.

Terminal 2: As already mentioned this Terminal was completed during Corona times and due to lower passenger numbers only opened once numbers of travellers finally recovered again.

You can access Terminal 2 from Terminal 1, which might make sense if you see that the security lines in Terminal 2 are way too long.

Terminal 3 and 4: Not yet built, but will be also, such as Terminal 2, be in the area of the main Terminal 1 and probably accessible from Terminal 1 and 2.

So give it a few years and then you might also find a Terminal 3 and 4 in Berlin.

Terminal 5: This terminal is not connected with Terminal 1 or 2 and is the actual old Berlin Schönefeld main terminal.

Unfortunately this Terminal is a couple of hours away from Termina 1 and 2 and there is no train station anymore for the FEX or any other of the Regios.

The good news is that, due to lower passenger numbers after corona, this Terminal 5 will never be reopened.

Cheat the system and jump the queue at Security

One thing we learned the hard way, travelling in 2022 and 2023 means queuing up for 1h or more at security, even at 11am on a Wednesday morning (no public holidays by the way), there is a better solution than standing in line.

You can now book a time slot for security in Terminal 1, which will cut down your waiting time to 5-10 minutes.

And best of all, this service is completely free of charge.

Just visit their website and book the best time slot possible. This system is called BER The Runway and is the best invention ever.

Cheat the long passport controls

If you are flying to the UK or any other non-Schengen country, you would usually go upstairs in T1 right after the security controls and queue up for passport controls.

However, we highly recommend, especially if you have an American Express Platinum card or are member of Priority Pass (read below for more information), that you first go to the Mövenpick Cafe in Terminal 1, where you can spend 23€ for yourself or 46€ for you and a friend for free.

Then, instead of walking all the way back to the stairs right after the security controls, you can just go to the upper level using the stairs opposite of the Mövenpick Cafe.

There are some hidden passport controls, that are really always completely empty, and you can save 15mins walking + the additional time you would spend waiting in the queue at the other control station.

Eat for free at the Mövenpick Cafe

As already mentioned, there is a way that you can get free food (23€ per person) at the Mövenpick Cafe.

Well, technically it is not 100% free, as you will need to have an American Express Platinum card, which costs 60€ per month, but this money is very well spent!

Just by flying twice a month with a fellow traveller friend, you will already have more money to spend in the Cafe than you pay for the monthly fee.

And best of all, what most people dont know, you can even get the free food when you arrive at the airport!

Most people think it is only possible to get that free 23€ or 46€ on the day they are leaving Berlin, but we know that you can also get the free food on the day you arrive in Berlin.

Continue reading about the American Express Platinum Card and all the bonuses that come with it.

*Since I love to keep my website as up-to-date as possible for you awesome readers, my content may contain affiliate links. All the links in this post marked with ‘*’ are such affiliate links. Even though I might receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you, all opinions on my website remain my own.

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