For many years, Germany has starred in the list of the most favorite countries among tourists from Israel, and as such, dozens of flights depart in its direction every week, the vast majority of which land in its capital, aka Berlin. So you have arrived in Berlin – congratulations. What now? Well, first of all you have to get from Brandenburg Airport to the city center.
How do you do it? All the details are here:
A bit about Berlin Brandenburg International Airport
The Berlin Brandenburg International Airport will probably be remembered in local history as an embarrassing and sad case of a series of stupid mistakes that caused a great delay in the plans, postponing its opening by no less than nine years and doubling the budget allocated for its construction 3 times the original plan.
This is an airport that was originally intended to replace the three Berlin airports that preceded it, due to the large increase in incoming and outgoing tourism, which led to too much activity beyond capacity. The date on which it was supposed to open was planned to be the end of 2011, but in practice, due to a series of malfunctions and events, it only opened its doors towards the end of 2020.
Among the various failures that led to this significant postponement and spending a lot of money that was not planned, you will find serious safety defects – mainly fire safety defects, automatic doors that did not work properly and escalators that turned out to be too short. who knows? Maybe a day will come when the architects will look back and laugh? time will tell.
So how do you get from the airport to the city center?
As someone who is destined to be the largest and busiest field near Berlin, Berlin Brandenburg Airport is well connected to the city center and offers several convenient options with which you can get around, when in the end the choice among the options is a consideration of how much money you want to invest in the matter of transportation and of course the time available to you.
a train
It is connected to the city’s train line and offers transportation both by the high-speed train and by the suburban train (which is considered slower but stops at many stations, even those that are considered less busy and touristy), is easily accessible by the A113 and B96a highways, and of course offers a taxi and shuttle service that will take you right Up to the district of your choice.
If you don’t want to get stuck in traffic or be at the mercy of rush hour – the most recommended way is of course by train. In addition, this option is also not expensive compared to the various alternatives and the frequency of the trains leaving the airport makes the issue the most profitable.
You can easily reach the platform of the trains departing from the airport using signage or by the information stations available to visitors at the airport. These will lead you to the six train platforms, from which the high-speed trains (IC/ICE) and the suburban trains (S-Bahn) depart, with the average travel time to the city’s central train station being about half an hour.
cab
Compared to choosing the train, traveling by taxi will probably be the most expensive, but if you travel in a group it can prove to be the most affordable and comfortable. In the context of comfort, this is an especially recommended option for those who travel with small children, carry heavy luggage or if rainy and stormy weather occurs on your way and you want to get right to the door of the hotel without staying in the cold outside.
The airport’s licensed taxi area is located outside Terminal 1, on platform E0. Pay attention to get on these taxis (according to the custom the first taxi in the convoy because it is the one that waits longer for the passengers) and if you need a special taxi such as one suitable for people with mobility difficulties or a vehicle in which a safety seat is installed for children, contact the ushers who are on site and they will be happy to assist you.
In this context, it is important to note that the airport’s licensed taxis work subject to the regional transportation regulations and therefore, by law, they are supposed to charge according to a predetermined rate, so if God forbid there is an argument about the payment – pay the requested amount, ask for a receipt and you can file an orderly complaint And if justice is with you, get your money back.
As for the receipt – even if everything is fine, it is recommended to ask for one, it will serve you in case you want to contact the taxi company in case of forgetting, losing or stealing equipment and also for tax purposes.
Car Rental
If you are traveling in the city in a group vehicle or would like to visit sites outside the city and do not want to rely on the public transportation service, this is an option worth considering, where the most important tip is to make sure to reserve the vehicle in advance so that you can enjoy a comfortable vehicle and in accordance with your budget. And of course, don’t forget to take out appropriate insurance that will also cover cases of theft or accident.
The main roads that connect the airport with the city center are the A113 and B96a roads.
Shuttle
Last but not least, you have the option of using the airport shuttle service or the one offered by the hotels. The airport service will drive you to the main hotels and key points in the city, while the hotel’s private shuttle service will bring you right to the entrance of the accommodation without stopping at additional stations.
Although this is an option that is not cheap compared to the alternatives, it is convenient and accessible and there are hotels that offer it for free – so if you consider the transportation with the price of the accommodation, it may turn out to be worthwhile.
