💡 The Short Version: BER is in fare zone C, so you need a Berlin ABC ticket: €5.00 single, €12.90 for 24 hours. The station, Flughafen BER, is under Terminal 1 on level U2. The Airport Express (FEX) reaches Berlin Hauptbahnhof in 22 to 23 minutes, Potsdamer Platz in 19 and Südkreuz in 14, every 15 minutes from 04:00 to 01:00, and the hourly RE20 takes the same route. The S9 takes 43 minutes to Alexanderplatz and 50 to Hauptbahnhof, every 20 minutes. The X7 bus runs to U Rudow every 5 to 10 minutes. Taxis run on the meter from the ranks in front of Terminal 1. Until 12 December 2026 the Stadtbahn works shorten, divert or cancel some FEX and RE20 trips. Or pre-buy a card: the WelcomeCard for zones ABC covers the airport zone and is €34.50 for 48 hours at berlin-welcomecard.de; GetYourGuidead lists it from €45.50. The WelcomeCard or Museum Pass page does the sums.
BER to the centre, compared
All the public-transport options use the same Berlin ABC ticket, and the fares are in Berlin public transport. BER has one railway station, Flughafen BER, under Terminal 1 on level U2. From Terminal 2, go to the arrivals level E0 and follow the signs to Terminal 1. The bus stops A1 to A8 are on the arrivals level of Terminal 1 (ber.berlin-airport.de).
Terminal 1 at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, with taxis waiting beneath it. Photo: Arne Müseler, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de.
| Option | Journey | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airport Express (FEX) | Hauptbahnhof 22 to 23 minutes, Potsdamer Platz 19, Südkreuz 14 | Every 15 minutes, 04:00 to 01:00 | Route via Südkreuz and Potsdamer Platz to Hauptbahnhof |
| RE20 | The same route and times | Hourly, 04:00 to 21:00 | Continues to Lübbenau and Cottbus; with the FEX, four trains an hour until December 2026 |
| S-Bahn S9 | Alexanderplatz 43 minutes, Hauptbahnhof 50 | Every 20 minutes | Calls at Schöneweide, Treptower Park, Warschauer Straße, Ostbahnhof, Alexanderplatz, Friedrichstraße, Hauptbahnhof and Zoologischer Garten |
| Express bus X7 | To U Rudow (U7) | Every 5 to 10 minutes | Change to the U7 for the city |
| Express bus X71 | To U Alt-Mariendorf (U6) | Every 20 minutes | Change to the U6 for the city |
| Taxi | Metered | Ranks at Terminal 1, level E0 | North and south ranks |
Until December the FEX leaves BER at :01, :16 and :46 past the hour and the RE20 at :31, each reaching Hauptbahnhof in 22 or 23 minutes. Other trains from BER are the RB22 (Potsdam to BER to Königs Wusterhausen, hourly), the RB24 (Eberswalde to Ostkreuz, Schöneweide and BER, hourly) and the RB32 (Oranienburg to Ostkreuz and BER, hourly), and the S85 from Frohnau runs every 20 minutes.
Until the timetable change on 13 December 2026 the closure of the Berlin Stadtbahn shortens, diverts or cancels some FEX and RE20 trips, and BER’s own notice sends travellers to the VBB journey planner (ber.berlin-airport.de). Check the trip on the day.
Trains: the Airport Express and the RE20
€5.00 ABC · Hauptbahnhof in 22 to 23 minutes
The fastest way into the centre is the Airport Express, which runs under the name FEX, with the RE20 on the same line. Both leave from Flughafen BER for Südkreuz, Potsdamer Platz and Hauptbahnhof. Stay on for Hauptbahnhof if your hotel is near the Reichstag, which is a ten-minute walk from the station, or get off at Potsdamer Platz. A paper ticket from a machine must be validated before you board; an app ticket is activated before the journey.
A Flughafen-Express train at the BER station platform. Photo: Arne Müseler, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de.
The S-Bahn
€5.00 ABC · Alexanderplatz in 43 minutes
The S9 is slower than the FEX but goes where the FEX does not: east through Treptower Park, Warschauer Straße, Ostbahnhof and Alexanderplatz, then west through Friedrichstraße and Hauptbahnhof to Zoologischer Garten, Charlottenburg and Spandau. For Alexanderplatz, Ostbahnhof or Warschauer Straße it is the direct train.
An S-Bahn train at the S-Bahn platform of the BER station. Photo: Global Fish, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Buses
€5.00 ABC · X7 to U Rudow · X71 to U Alt-Mariendorf
The X7 runs from BER to U Rudow, where the U7 goes on into the city, and the X71 runs to U Alt-Mariendorf, where the U6 does. After the last trains the night buses take over: the N7 between Rathaus Spandau, Rudow and BER (at weekends only Rudow to BER, because the U7 runs all night), the N7X on weekdays from Zoologischer Garten, and a night bus from Alexanderplatz via Treptower Park. The BER2 goes to Potsdam Hauptbahnhof 16 times a day in about 60 minutes, with a surcharge paid on the bus (ber.berlin-airport.de).
Taxis
Metered · north and south ranks in front of Terminal 1, level E0
Licensed taxis wait at the north and south ranks in front of Terminal 1 on level E0. BER says to take only a vehicle marked as a taxi at the ranks. Taxis run on the meter at the Berlin tariff, which Taxi Berlin publishes. Its fixed-price taxi covers journeys within Berlin and from Berlin to BER, not from BER. Every Berlin taxi must accept three common debit or credit cards, and boarding at a barrier-controlled loading bay at BER adds €1.50 (ber.berlin-airport.de, taxi-berlin.de). Bolt and its partner services are in the Jelbi app.
Which to take
- Fastest to Hauptbahnhof: the Airport Express, 22 to 23 minutes.
- For Alexanderplatz, Ostbahnhof or Warschauer Straße: the S9, with no change.
- For the U7 or U6 lines: the X7 or the X71.
- After the last FEX at 01:00: the S9 and the night buses N7 and N7X.
- With a lot of luggage: a taxi from the rank.
- Left luggage: at BER in Terminal 5, section M, and in Terminal 1 on level U1, hourly or daily. The Tourist Info desks are on the ground floor of Terminals 1 and 5.
From Hauptbahnhof to your hotel
Berlin Hauptbahnhof, at Europaplatz 1, is the main station for long-distance, regional and S-Bahn trains, and the Reichstag is a ten-minute walk. From there the S-Bahn and U-Bahn go on to every area: Berlin public transport has the tickets, the zones and the night service. A single ticket is valid for 120 minutes in one direction, with changes, so it also covers the onward ride to your hotel.
What to book before you go to Berlin lists the sights that need tickets and has the entry rules for Germany, where to stay in Berlin compares the areas, and the day trips from Berlin leave from Hauptbahnhof. The Reichstag dome is a ten-minute walk from Hauptbahnhof, and free things to do in Berlin lists what costs nothing.
Common questions
How do I get from BER airport to central Berlin?
By train from the station under Terminal 1. The Airport Express (FEX) and the RE20 take 22 to 23 minutes to Berlin Hauptbahnhof, 19 to Potsdamer Platz and 14 to Südkreuz, and the S-Bahn line S9 takes 43 minutes to Alexanderplatz and 50 to Hauptbahnhof. All use the same ticket: Berlin ABC, €5.00.
Which ticket do I need from BER to the city centre?
A Berlin ABC ticket, because BER is in fare zone C. A single is €5.00 and a 24-hour ticket €12.90; an AB ticket does not cover the airport zone. A paper ticket from a machine must be validated before the journey.
How often do the trains run from BER?
The Airport Express runs every 15 minutes from 04:00 to 01:00, and until December 2026 it and the hourly RE20 jointly run four trains an hour. The S9 runs every 20 minutes. Until the timetable change on 13 December 2026 the Stadtbahn closure shortens, diverts or cancels some FEX and RE20 trips.
Is there a taxi rank at BER and is there a fixed fare?
Licensed taxis wait at the north and south ranks in front of Terminal 1 on level E0. They run on the meter. Taxi Berlin's fixed-price taxi covers journeys within Berlin and from Berlin to BER, not from BER.
Can I get a bus from BER?
Yes. The X7 runs to U Rudow, where the U7 continues into the city, every 5 to 10 minutes, and the X71 runs to U Alt-Mariendorf every 20 minutes. The BER2 bus goes to Potsdam Hauptbahnhof 16 times a day, in about 60 minutes, with a surcharge paid on the bus.
