The airport is located in northwest Berlin, eight kilometres (five miles) from the city centre. Tegel primarily serves Western European destinations, handling flights from 36 scheduled airlines flying to 84 destinations and 26 charter airlines flying to 62 destinations.

Major airlines: Lufthansa (LH) is Germany’s principal airline (tel: (01803) 803 803 (24-hour call centre); (01803) 000 074 (arrivals and departures); website: www.lufthansa.com). Other airlines flying to Tegel include Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, buzz, CSA Czech Airlines, Deutsche BA, Iberia, KLM, LOT Polish Airlines, Malév, Olympic Airways, Swissair and Turkish Airlines.

Airport facilities: The airport offers two snack bars, a bistro, a champagne bar and a restaurant. Other facilities include a post office, bank/bureaux de change, ATMs, florist, newsagents, duty-free shops, left-luggage, baby-care rooms, 24-hour first aid, travel agents, tourist information and an art gallery. There are Novotel and Holiday Inn hotels near the airport. Car hire is available from Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National and Sixt.

Business facilities: The conference centre (tel: (030) 4101 3316) on the third floor has four function rooms (capacity 150) and a media centre with photocopier, fax, computers with Internet access and printers. Secretarial and translation services can be arranged. There are also four business lounges in the airport, located in the Airport Gallery above the main hall.

Transport to the city: The JetExpressBus TXL leaves the airport every ten minutes (0600-2310) for Potsdamer Platz, Friedrichstrasse and Unter den Linden (journey time – 20-25 minutes; cost EUR3.10/DM6.20). Bus 128 connects to the U6 line at Kurt-Schumacher-Platz, while Bus 109 and express bus X9 depart every 5-10 minutes (0500-0000) and connect to the U7 at Jakob-Kaiser-Platz before continuing on to Bahnhof Zoo (journey time – 30 minutes on the X9 bus).

Taxis are plentiful at the airport and there is a taxi rank immediately outside the arrivals’ hall. The fare into Berlin is about EUR15-20/DM30-40.

Berlin-Schönefeld (SXF)
Tel: (01805) 000 186.
Website: www.berlin-airport.de

The airport is located in the southeast of the city, 18km (11 miles) and 22km (13.5 miles) from the Eastern and Western centres respectively. Schönefeld was the primary airport for East Berlin and now handles flights mainly to Eastern Europe and Asia, as well as many charter flights to sun destinations. 23 scheduled airlines fly to 53 destinations and 41 chartered airlines fly to 59 destinations.

Major airlines: Airlines serving the airport include Aeroflot, Britannia, buzz, Condor, El Al, Hapag Lloyd and Turkish Airlines.

Airport facilities: The airport offers a restaurant, bars, florist, post office, bank/bureau de change, ATMs, newsagents, duty-free shop and first-aid facilities. Services available 24 hours a day include left-luggage, snack bar, nursery and hotel reservations. There are Aparthotel and Albergo hotels near the airport. Car hire is available from Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National and Sixt.

Business facilities: As well as one business lounge, conference rooms are available at the Konferenzzentrum Flughafen Berlin-Schönefeld GmbH (tel: (030) 6091 2222), a ten-minute walk from the terminal. Fax facilities are available at special credit-card telephones.

Transport to the city: The easiest way to get to the city is with the AirportExpress Schönefeld train, which runs every 30 minutes (Monday-Friday 0510-0140, Saturday-Sunday 0540-0140) and stops at four stations in East Berlin before terminating at Bahnhof Zoo (journey time – 30 minutes; cost – EUR2.10/DM4.20). The airport station is located 500m (550 yards) from the airport and there is a free shuttle bus connecting the two every 10 minutes (daily 0430-2330). The station is also served by S-Bahn trains 9 and 45 and some mainline and local rail services. Bus 171 connects the airport with the U-Bahn line U7 at Rudow. Taxis are available 24 hours a day and cost about EUR30-35/DM60-70 (journey time – 30 minutes).

Berlin-Tempelhof (THF)
Tel: (01805) 000 186.
Website: www.berlin-airport.de

The airport is located in the south of the city, three kilometres (two miles) south of Potsdamer Platz. 15 scheduled airlines serve 25 destinations and five charter airlines serve a total of nine destinations. Most flights are on smaller jets to short-haul domestic and European destinations.

Major airlines: Airlines serving the airport include Crossair, DAT (Delta Air Transport), Eurowings and Luxair.

Airport facilities: The airport offers three lounges, snack bars, florist, bank/bureau de change, ATMs, newsagents, duty-free shop, left-luggage, first aid, hairdresser, baby-care room, tax refund office and travel agents. Car hire is available from Avis, Europcar, Hertz, National, Sixt and Westfehling.

Business facilities: There are a couple of small conference rooms as well as a 200-seat auditorium (tel: (030) 4101 3316). Fax facilities are available at special credit-card telephones.

Transport to the city: The airport is directly connected to the U-Bahn network on the U6 line (the station is Platz der Luftbrücke, not Tempelhof), with quick connections to the city centre (journey time – 10-20 minutes). Bus 119 departs every 10 minutes to the Ku’damm area; buses 104, 184 and 341 (to Potsdamer Platz) also stop near the airport. Nightbuses N4 and N76 leave from Platz der Luftbrücke. Taxis are available in front of the main hall for around EUR10/DM20.

Approximate flight times to Berlin: From London is 1 hour 45 minutes; from New York is 8 hours 25 minutes (plus stopover); from Los Angeles is 11 hours 45 minutes (plus stopover); from Toronto is 8 hours 30 minutes (plus stopover) and from Sydney is 21 hours 55 minutes (plus stopover).

Arrival/departure tax: This is included in the ticket price.

Until the massive new Lehrter Bahnhof Station – which will link the main north–south and east–west lines – is completed in 2006, the busiest station in Berlin will continue to be Bahnhof Berlin Zoologischer Garten (or, simply, ‘Bahnhof Zoo’), located in the Western centre of the city. Facilities include a travel centre (daily 0600-2200), tourist information, post office, bank, restaurant, buffet, café, shops, florist, newsagents and left-luggage. Bahnhof Zoo is located at Hardenbergplatz 11 (tel: (030) 2974 9241; fax: (030) 2974 9159). Ticket and information offices at Bahnhof Schonefeld, near the airport, are open daily 0530-2200 (tel: (030) 2972 9528; fax: (030) 2972 9654). The other major mainline stations are Bahnhof Lichtenberg, Weitlingstrasse 22 and Ostbahnhof, Am Ostbahnhof 9 in East Berlin. Some mainline services also stop at Bahnhof Spandau to the west and Bahnhof Wannsee in the southwest.

Rail services: Berlin is part of the InterCityExpress (ICE) network, with super-fast trains to Hanover (journey time – 1 hour 35 minutes) and Frankfurt am Main (journey time – 4 hours 5 minutes). ICE trains also go to Hamburg, but at present their running time is little faster than the other services (journey time – 2 hours 10 minutes) and cost more. An expanding web of high speed trains serve destinations across Western Europe with tickets available in the UK from Rail Europe (www.raileurope.co.uk). Supplements are payable on ICE, IC and EC trains.

Transport to the city: The main stations are all located on the S-Bahn spine that arches from west to east across the city. Connections to the U-Bahn network and north–south S-Bahn lines are available either directly or via a short journey on the main east–west line. Taxi ranks and buses are available outside the main stations.

The Allgemeine Deutsche Automobil Club (ADAC) (tel: (01805) 101 112; fax: (01805) 302 928; website: www.adac.de) provides breakdown services throughout the country. In the Berlin area, Auto Club Europa (ACE) (tel: (01802) 336 677; website: www.ace-online.de) can also offer assistance.

Emergency breakdown services:
ADAC (01802) 222 222
ACE (01802) 343 536

Routes to the city: Autobahn 10 is an orbital motorway that entirely circles the city. The A111 and A115 connect it to the A100 – which wraps part way around the Western centre – from the north and south, respectively. The main roads leading to Berlin from outside the orbital are the A24 (from Hamburg), A2 (from Hanover), A9 (from Leipzig and Munich), A13 (from Dresden) and A12 (from the Polish border).

Driving times to Berlin: From Hamburg – 3 hours 15 minutes; Dresden – 2 hours 25 minutes; Frankfurt am Main – 5 hours 50 minutes.

Coach services: Eurolines international coach services are operated by Bayern Express & P Kühn Berlin GmbH (tel: (030) 860 960; website: www.deutsche-touring.com or www.bex-berlin.de). Buses on both international and domestic routes arrive at the Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof (ZOB) am Funkturm, located on Masurenallee near the western end of the Ku’damm and the Messe Berlin. The station has a restaurant and snack bar; information and tickets are available from the ZOB-Reisebüro (tel: (030) 301 0380; fax: (030) 3010 3820). Taxis are available and U-Bahn station Kaiserdamm and S-Bahn station Witzleben are located nearby. There is a general coach information line (tel: (01805) 250 254).

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) 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 Friedrichstrasse Station and intersects the S-Bahn ring at Westkreuz and Ostkreuz stations. The trains, 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), run daily 0500-0030; the S1 and S7 run around-the-clock at weekends.

The other public transport services are operated 0600-2300 by the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) (tel: (030) 19449 or 2562 2562; e-mail: info@bvg.de; website: www.bvg.de). There are nine U-Bahn lines, which operate 0500-0030; the U9 and U12 run around-the-clock at weekends. Bus services criss-cross the city, however, the network of 28 tram lines exists only in East Berlin. There are three seasonal and three year-round ferry services.

The BVG has an information centre in the pavilion at Hardenbergplatz in front of Bahnhof Zoo (0800-2200) and a counter at Tegel airport.

Tickets are priced for either two or three zones – almost all visitors will use the AB tariff: the standard fare is EUR2.10/DM4.20 valid for two hours on all forms of transport. A short journey costs EUR1.20/DM2.50 (valid for three S-Bahn/U-Bahn stops, or six bus/tram stops). A number of passes are available. A day ticket, valid until 0300 the next day, costs EUR6.10/DM12. Seven-day tickets are valid until 0000 on the seventh day and cost EUR22-28/DM44-55. A WelcomeCard is valid for 72 hours and includes reductions on many attractions and performances in Berlin and Potsdam; it costs EUR18/DM35.20.

Taxis
Beige Mercedes Benz sedans make up most of Berlin’s taxi fleet. Outside the main centres it is better to find a taxi rank than to wait and try to flag down a taxi. Taxis are also available by telephone (tel: (030) 69022 or 261 026 or 210 101 or 210 202 or 443 322). The initial charge is EUR2.50/DM5, rising by EUR1.50/DM3 per kilometre (EUR1/DM2 after the seventh kilometre). A journey from the Ku’damm to Unter den Linden will cost about EUR10/DM20. It is standard to tip taxi drivers, usually 5-10% of the fare.

Limousines
Chauffeur and limousine hire is available from Autovermietung Minex (tel: (030) 857 7700; fax: (030) 8577 7070; website: www.minex.de), who charge from EUR42/DM82 per hour for a Mercedes S-Class sedan or EUR357/DM898 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) and United Limousines GmbH (tel: (030) 343 4600; fax: (030) 3434 6060; website: www.united-limousines.com), who charge EUR200/DM400 for three hours for a sedan and EUR480/DM960 for a stretch limo

Driving in the City
Weekday rush hours last 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 EUR1.50-2/DM3-3.50 for the first hour and have day rates of EUR9-10/DM18-20.

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; website: www.europcar.com); Hertz, Budapester Strasse 39 (tel: (030) 261 1053 or (01805) 333 535; website: www.hertz.com), Sixt, Nürnbergerstrasse 65 (tel: (030) 212 9880 or (01805) 252 525; website: www.e-sixt.com), and Avis, Budapester Strasse 41 (tel: (030) 230 9370 or (01805) 557 755; website: www.avis.com). Drivers must usually be over 21 years old and require a valid national driving licence. Hire charges start at around EUR75/DM150 per day (including tax and insurance) and EUR275/DM550 per week.

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 is available Monday-Friday 1200-2000 and Saturday 1000-1600 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).

There are a number of places to hire bicycles, including City Bike, Uhlandstrasse 106A (tel: (030) 861 5237; fax: (030) 8639 4363; e-mail: info@citybikeservice.de; website: www.citybikeservice.de), and Fahrradstation (tel: (01805) 108 000; 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 about EUR15/DM30 per day or EUR50/DM100 per week (insurance included).

Florence Hotels
London Hotels