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Getting Around
Public Transport
Berlin has a highly integrated transport system comprising U-Bahn (underground), S-Bahn (commuter rail), bus, tram and ferry services, with easy connections to regional and mainline rail services. The Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB), Hardenbergplatz 2 (tel: (030) 2541 4141; fax: (030) 2541 4112; e-mail: info@vbbonline.de; website: www.vbbonline.de), co-ordinates activities among the Berlin transport providers and those of the surrounding region.
Berlin’s Eastern and Western city centres are linked by the main east-west axis of the S-Bahn, which is crossed by the north-south lines at Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse and intersects the S-Bahn ring at Bahnhof Westkreuz and Bahnhof Ostkreuz. Operated by S-Bahn Berlin GmbH (tel: (030) 2974 3333; website: www.s-bahn-berlin.de), which has offices at Nordbahnhof (tel: (030) 2971 9843) or 2974 3333), the trains run daily 0500-0030; the S1 and S7 run around-the-clock at the weekend.
The other public transport services are operated by the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe - BVG (tel: (030) 19449 or 2562 2562; e-mail: info@bvg.de; website: www.bvg.de) and generally run daily 0600-2300. There are nine U-Bahn lines, which operate daily 0500-0030; the U9 and U12 run around-the-clock at weekends. Bus services crisscross the city, while the network of 28 trams only operates in East Berlin. There are three seasonal and three year-round ferry services to the ports of Hamburg, Kiel, Lubeck and Rostock, which are linked by road and rail to Berlin. The BVG has an information centre in the pavilion at Hardenbergplatz, in front of Bahnhof Zoo (open daily 0600-2200), as well as a counter at Tegel airport.
Tickets are priced for either two or three zones - almost all visitors will use the AB tariff. The standard single fare is €2.10, valid for two hours on all forms of transport. A short journey costs €1.20 (valid for three S-Bahn/U-Bahn stops or six bus/tram stops). Nearly all tickets are available for purchase from automated machines at stations and stops, as well as from service desks and, in the case of buses, from the driver. Bus drivers only sell day tickets, two-hour and short distance tickets.
A number of passes are also available. A day ticket, valid until 0300 on the following day of purchase, costs €6.10. Seven-day tickets are valid until 2400 on the seventh day and cost €22. Available from the tourist information office (see Sightseeing), the WelcomeCard costs €19 and is valid for 72 hours. It also includes reductions on many attractions and performances in Berlin and Potsdam.
Taxis
Beige Mercedes Benz sedans make up most of Berlin’s taxi fleet. Outside the main centres, it is better for visitors to find a taxi rank rather than try to flag down a taxi. Taxis are also available by telephone from Taxi-Funk Berlin (tel: (030) 69022 or 443 322), Funk Taxi Berlin (tel: (030) 261 026; website: www.funktaxi-berlin.de), Würfelfunk (tel: (030) 210 101; website: www.wuerfelfunk.de) and Taxi Vorbestellung (tel: (030) 4228 2828; website: www.taxihaus.de). The initial charge for a taxi is €2.50, rising by €1.50 every kilometre (€1 after the seventh kilometre). A journey from the Ku’damm to Unter den Linden costs approximately €10. It is standard for passengers to tip taxi drivers, usually 5-10% of the fare.
Limousines
Chauffeur and limousine hire is available from Autovermietung Minex (tel: (030) 857 7700 or 8577 7073; fax: (030) 8577 7070; website: www.minex.de), which charges from €42 per hour for a Mercedes S-Class sedan or €357 for an eight-hour day. Limousine hire is also available from MC Prestige Limousine Tours (tel: (030) 262 8259; fax: (030) 262 8269; website: www.mcprestigelimo.de), with prices from €51.13 per hour for a Mercedes S-Class, and €71.58 for a stretch limo, and United Limousines GmbH (tel: (030) 343 4600; fax: (030) 3434 6060; website: www.united-limousines.com), charging €203 for three hours in a Mercedes E-Class and €487 for three hours in a stretch limo.
Driving in the City
Weekday rush hours are from 0700 to 0900 and 1600 to 1900 (until 2300 in some of the popular nightlife districts). The one-way system can be difficult to negotiate but there are plenty of larger, two-way avenues in central Berlin that are easier to use. Parking can be problematic on Saturday, particularly in the shopping areas. Parking lots in the Ku’damm area charge €1.50-2 for the first hour and have day rates of €9-10.
Car Hire
All of the major car hire firms are represented in Berlin and all have multiple locations throughout the city. Some of the most central are Europcar, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 19-21 (tel: (030) 240 7900 or (01805) 800 000 (charged at 12 cents per minute) or (030) 417 8520; website: www.europcar.de), Hertz, Budapester Strasse 39 (tel: (030) 261 1053 or (01805) 333 535 (charged at 12 cents per minute) or (030) 4170 4674; website: www.hertz.de), Sixt, Nürnbergerstrasse 65 (tel: (030) 212 9880 or (01805) 262 525 (charged at 12 cents per minute); website: www.e-sixt.de), and Avis, Budapester Strasse 41 (tel: (030) 230 9370 or (01805) 557 755 (charged at 12 cents per minute) or (030) 4101 3148; website: www.avis.com).
Drivers usually must be over 21 years old and require a valid national driving licence. Rates for hire start at around €75 per day (including tax and insurance) and €275 per week. Third party insurance is included.
Bicycle Hire
Bicycles are plentiful in Berlin - the flat terrain and extensive network of bicycle paths make cycling in the city a pleasure. Cycling maps, information and assistance are available at Das Radlerzentrum, run by the cycling lobby group Allgemeine Deutscher Fahrrad-Club (ADFC), Brunnenstrasse 28 (tel: (030) 448 4724; website: www.adfc-berlin.de), Monday to Friday 1200-2000 and Saturday 1000-1600. There are a number of bicycle hire outlets, including City Bike, Uhlandstrasse 106A (tel: (030) 861 5237; fax: (030) 8639 4363; e-mail: info@citybikeservice.de; website: www.citybikeservice.de), and Berlin by bike-Fahrradstation (tel: (01805) 108 000 (charged at 12 cents per minute); website: www.fahrradstation.de), which has offices at Rosenthaler Strasse 40-41 (tel: (030) 2838 4848), Friedrichstrasse 141-142 (tel: (030) 2045 4500), Auguststrasse 29A (tel: (030) 2859 9661), and Bergmannstrasse 9 (tel: (030) 215 1566). Bicycle hire costs around €10 per day or €50 per week (insurance included.
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