Public transport in Berlin

Publish date: 09-03-2021
Public transport in Berlin

Public transport in Berlin consists of city trains (S-Bahn), underground (U-Bahn), trams, buses and ferries. Berlin is transported by BVG (Berlin Transport Services). Company official website: https://www.vbb.de/

Berlin city is divided into 3 zones - A, B un С.

Ticket prices depend on the areas you travel to. A is the center of Berlin, B is the middle part, C is in the suburbs. Please note that Tegel Airport is in Zone B and Schönefeld Airport located in Zone C.

 All ticket prices will be listed by zone down below.

Zone map: 

Most kinds of tickets must be validated. The only exception is that it is not necessary to validate the tickets that were purchased in the vehicle (purchase date will already be written there).

Before boarding the Berlin Underground, the ticket must be validated by a validator, located on the platform. Trams and buses have validators inside.

Validator examples are shown in the images below:

Metro and public transport tickets are checked by controllers. The fine for a ride without a ticket is 60 euros. If you have not validated the ticket or it has already expired - it will be equated to a trip without a ticket and you will have to pay a fine.

Even on tickets with an unlimited number of vehicle changes, return travel is prohibited. If you have a route from point A to point B and you have validated the ticket at point A, you cannot be on the transport back to point A. This does not apply to time tickets that are valid for a day or more.

More information on public transport in Berlin can be found at bvg.de and sbahn websites. 

The most popular public transport in Berlin are U-Bahn (underground) and S-Bahn (city rail trains). Berlin transport works from 4:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m (24 hours a day at weekends).

Luggage transportation is included in the ticket price. Bicycle transportation should be paid separately.

Bus at a bus stop in BerlinBus at a bus stop in Berlin

Some public transport stops has electronic displays:

Berlin public transport stop signBerlin public transport stop sign

Where you could buy tickets

Tickets can be purchased from ticket machines at suburban train and metro stations. It is also possible to buy a ticket inside a tram and a bus.

Tickets can also be purchased at points of sale, the addresses of which are given here.

More information on ticket machines in Berlin can be found in this article.:

Ticket types and prices in 2021

Ticket for 1 trip

Valid for 2 hours, unlimited number of journeys.  

Suitable for S-Bahn, U-Bahn, regional trains, trams, buses and ferries on the Berlin transport network.

Zone Standard price Discounted price*
Berlin AB 3,00 € 1,90 €
Berlin BC 3,50 € 2,40 €
Berlin ABC 3,80 € 2,70 €

* Here and below the discount price is for children aged 6 to 14 years. Children aged 0 to 5 travel for free.

If you need several tickets, it is more advantageous to buy a block for 4 trips (each will have 2 tickets with 2 confirmation sections).

Zone Standard price Discounted price*
Berlin AB  9,40 € 5,80 €
Berlin BC 12,60 € 8,60 €
Berlin ABC 13,80 € 9,80 €

 

Ticket for 1 short trip

The ticket is valid for up to 3 S-Bahn and U-Bahn stops or up to 6 stops by bus or tram. Transfers are only allowed on S-Bahn and U-Bahn with 3 stops - this is the total maximum number of stops on the route.

Zone Standard price Discounted price*
Berlin ABC 2,00 € 1,50 €

4 short travel tickets:

Zone Standard price Discounted price*
Berlin ABC 6,00 € 4,60 €

 

One day ticket

Unlimited number of trips on the selected day in the selected areas. Valid on the day of approval + until the next day at 3.00 a.m.

Zone Standard price Discounted price*
Berlin AB 8,80 € 5,60 €
Berlin BC 9,20 € 5,90 €
Berlin ABC 10,00 € 6,10 €
Entire VBB network 23,00 € -

 

Day ticket for small groups (up to 5 people)

Unlimited trips for 5 people (or less) per day.

Zone Price
Berlin AB 25,50€
Berlin BC 26,00 €
Berlin ABC 26,50 €

Valid on the day of validation + until the next day at 3.00 a.m.

 

Ticket for 7 days

Validity begins at 00h on the first day printed on the ticket and ends at 24h on the seventh day.

Zone Standard price Discounted price*
Berlin AB 36,00 EUR -
Berlin BC 37,00 EUR -
Berlin ABC 43,00 EUR -
Berlin ABC + 1 rural district 47,50 EUR 39,00 EUR
Berlin ABC + 1 rural district + 1 town 58,00 EUR 42,00 EUR
Entire VBB network 72,00 EUR 51,00 EUR

 

Extension ticket

If you already have a valid ticket for AB Zone and you need to enter Zone C, you can purchase this type of ticket, this allows you to stop buying the new ticket again. (Or, if you have a BC ticket, you have to go to Zone A). But be careful, because both tickets expire when the main ticket expires.

Extension tickets Standard price Discounted price
Berlin A  €1.80 €1.40
Berlin C €1.80 €1.40
24h ticket A €3.70 -
24h ticket C  €3.70 -
Potsdam --> Berlin AB²  €3.00 -

 

Other tickets

There are other types of tickets that are less relevant for tourists.

There are also special tourist tickets for the Berlin WelcomeCard, Berlin joycard, QueerCityPass Berlin, Berlin CityTourCard and EasyCityPass Berlin. Its prices start from 15 euros and in addition to travel give certain discounts and benefits when visiting museums and other objects. Descriptions and prices of all cards can be found here.

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