Getting to Berlin

Europe is very well linked to Berlin with various low-cost carriers offering daily non-stop flights to this city.

If you have already booked your flights, check how to get to the city center.

There are various low-cost airlines that fly to the capital of Germany from the United Kingdom including the following airlines:

Although Berlin is Germany’s capital and has a population of over 3 million people, it is not considered one of the country’s major hubs; therefore, there are few direct flights between the US and Berlin. However, over the years more non-stop flights are becoming available, such as those from New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami. Chicago, Washington, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, and Philadelphia are some of the cities that offer one-stop flights.

The main airlines that fly to Berlin are the following:

Air Canada Rouge offers nonstop flights between Toronto and Berlin. The connection works four times a week from June to October.

Other carriers that offer stop-over flights include Lufthansa, British Airways and KLM.  

Booking an airport transfer service is the easiest and most comfortable way of getting to Berlin’s city center. The professional chauffeur will be waiting for you at the arrival terminal with a sign with your name on it and will take you to your hotel in the shortest possible time (approximately 20 minutes). You’ll also avoid any language barriers.

The TXL Express Bus is the cheapest option to get to the city center.
The bus departs every 10 or 20 minutes from 4:50 am to 11 pm. A single journey costs € 2.80 and takes between 30 and 40 minutes, depending on the traffic.
There are also other urban buses that travel between Tegel Airport and various parts of the city, including lines 128, 109 and X9.

If you’re tired from a long journey, you might prefer to take a cab to the city center. The journey by taxi takes around 20 minutes and usually costs between € 25 and € 35.

Booking an airport transfer service is the easiest and most comfortable way of getting to Berlin’s city center. The professional chauffeur will be waiting for you at the arrival terminal with a sign with your name on it and will take you to your hotel in the shortest possible time (approximately 35 minutes). You’ll also avoid any language barriers.

The Airport Express is the quickest and cheapest way to get to central Berlin from Schönefeld. A train departs every 30 minutes to Berlin Hauptbahnhof and the journey takes a little less than half an hour.

The train has several stops including Spandau, Zoologischer Garten, Hauptbahnhof, Friedrichstrasse, Alexanderplatz, Ostbahnhof and Karlhorst.

Since Berlin Schönefeld Airport is in the city’s “zone C”, you can either purchase a single A-B-C ticket or get a travel card for zones A-B to use during the rest of your stay and buy an extension for zone C for € 1.60.

You can also take the S-Bahn to the heart of Berlin, but we recommend the Airport Express, as it costs the same, and is much faster.

Taxis cost practically the same as an airport transfer service but are less comfortable, so the only reason to take a taxi is if you have not had the time to book a transfer service before your flight.

Berlin’s local buses from Schönefeld to central Berlin are not a good option, as they are slow and stop too many times before getting to the centre.

The fastest and most convenient way to get from Brandenburg Airport to the centre of Berlin. When you hire a transfer service, the driver will wait for you at the airport holding a sign with your name on it and take you to your hotel in the shortest possible time. In this way, you'll also avoid hidden costs and any language complications.

From Brandenburg Airport Terminal 1 you can take the RE7 and RB14 trains to Potsdamer Platz in about 40 minutes. The frequency is 5 or 10 minutes and the ticket price is € 3.80 each way.

You also have the option of taking the S-Bahn S9, although the frequency is less than that of the regional trains.

From Terminal 5, you can't take the regional trains, but you can use the S-Bahn, which leaves every 20 minutes (the station is about a 10-minute walk across a footbridge). From there you can take the S9 or S45 train for € 3.80 each way. It'll take you about 40 minutes to get to Alexanderplatz.

Taxis from Brandenburg Airport to the city centre cost about the same as the shuttle service, but don't have the same advantages, so we would only recommend it if you weren't able to book the transfer in time.

We don't consider the bus to be the best option for getting from the airport to the centre of Berlin, as it is slower than the previous options and is not cheaper.