Berlin’s transport map looks harder than the city actually is. Almost everything a visitor wants sits inside one ticket zone, the trains run late, and from Oranienburger Straße most of the centre is reachable without changing more than once.
The two networks that matter
The U-Bahn runs underground and serves the dense middle of the city. The S-Bahn runs mostly above ground and covers longer distances, including the ring that circles the centre. Trams fill in the east, and buses cover the gaps. They all take the same ticket, and you can move between them freely within the time your ticket is valid.
From our Oranienburger Straße building, the two closest rail stops are Oranienburger Tor on the U-Bahn and Oranienburger Straße on the S-Bahn — different stations, similar names, a short walk apart. Hackescher Markt is the next one along and connects more lines.
Zones, and the one thing that catches people out
Berlin is divided into zones A, B and C. A and B together cover the whole city as most visitors experience it. A single AB ticket is what you want for a normal day.
Zone C is where it catches people out: Brandenburg Airport sits outside AB, so an airport journey needs an ABC ticket. Buying an AB ticket and travelling to the airport on it is the most common mistake visitors make here, and inspectors do check.
What is close enough to walk
The point is less the individual numbers than the shape of it: from this part of Mitte, the things people come to Berlin to see are a short walk or one stop away, and you can plan a day without a car.
- Museum Island
- 14 min / 1.0 km · on foot
- Hackescher Markt
- 3 min / 190 m · on foot
- Alexanderplatz
- 12 min / 850 m · on foot
- Brandenburg Gate
- 29 min / 2.1 km · on foot
A few habits that make it easier
Stand on the right on escalators and leave the left clear. Let people off before you board. If you have a paper ticket, validate it in the small box on the platform before you get on — an unvalidated ticket counts as no ticket. And download an offline map or route before a late journey; phone signal underground is patchy.
Berlin’s transport runs all night at weekends, and on night buses during the week. You will rarely be stuck.
Photograph: Folco Masi · Unsplash License
