If laid out in a single line, Berlin’s train and tram tracks would stretch from Berlin to the Zugspitze mountain in the Alps. When there’s no train or tram heading where they want to go, Berlin residents catch a bus or ferry.
Two companies operate the majority of Berlin’s public transportation services. The Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) is responsible for 10 underground trains, 22 tram lines, 154 bus lines and 6 ferries. The S-Bahn Berlin GmbH operates 16 commuter train services. Both companies – together with about 40 other transportation burg – are members of the Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB) transportation network.
When you buy a ticket, it’s valid on all public transport services in the VBB network. The VBB network is divided into hexagon-shaped units of the same size. The city of Berlin and the surrounding region are organized into three tariff zones: Zone A covers the inner city, including the S-Bahn ring; Zone B goes to Berlin’s border and Zone C reaches another 15 km into the region, including Potsdam. You can buy tickets for the combined zones AB, BC or ABC, as needed. With an AB ticket, you can travel throughout Berlin for two hours (in one direction only).
You can find detailed information about tickets and prices at bvg.de, s-bahn-berlin.de plus vbb.de.
Public transport contacts
BVG – Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe
BVG Call Center
Mo-So 7 bis 23 Uhr
›› Tel. 030/19 449, www.bvg.de
BVG customer service
›› Mitte, Holzmarktstr. 15, Mo-Mi. 9.30-17.00/ Do 9.30-17.45/ Fr 9.30-14.00
›› Mitte, U-Bhf. Alexanderplatz, Zwischendeck, Mo-Fr 6.30-21.30, Sa-So 10.00-18.00
›› Spandau, U-Bhf. Rathaus Spandau, Mo-Fr 6.30-20.30
›› Köpenick, S-Bahnhof, Elcknerplatz 1, Mo-Fr 6.30-20.30, Sa 10.00-18.00
›› Marzahn, Busbahnhof, Mo-Fr 6.30-20.30
›› Tiergarten, U-Bhf. Zoologischer Garten, Mo-Fr 6.30-21.30, Sa-So 10.00-18.00
›› Alt-Tegel, U-Bahnhof, Berliner Straße 1a, Mo-Fr 10.00-18.00
BVG Abo-Service
In all BVG customer centers.
BVG lost property
Friedrichshain, Rudolfstr. 1-8,
Mo, Di, Fr 9.00-18.00, Do 9.00-20.00,
Tel. 030/19 449
S-Bahn Berlin
S-Bahn call center
Tel. 030/297-433 33, www.s-bahn-berlin.de
S-Bahn customer service
›› Customer service at S-Bahnhof Ostbahnhof, Friedrichshain, Koppenstr. 3, Mo-Fr 08.00-20.00, Sa & So 09.00-18.30
›› Customer centers with season ticket service at many S-Bahn stations.
Lost property
42103 Wuppertal, Döppersberg 37,
Hotline: 0 900/199 05 99
VBB – Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg
VBB call center
Tel. 030/25 41 41 41, Mo-Fr 8.00-20.00,
Sa-So 9.00-18.00, www.vbb.de
VBB-Infocenter
Public transport helpdesk.
›› Charlottenburg, Hardenbergplatz 2, 10. Etage, Öffnungszeiten: Mo-Fr 8.00-20.00, Sa & So 9.00-18.00
Buying tickets
Tickets can be bought at BVG and S-Bahn sales points, in travel shops and from ticket machines in subway and train stations as well as from many newspaper kiosks in Berlin. Tickets can also be bought in all the VBB customer centers. Smart phone users can also get key tickets on their phones.
