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How to get from Tegel airport to Berlin city centre (near Stadtmitte metro station, to be more exact) on public transport?

I'd like it to be:

  • Quick
  • Straightforward (as few changes as possible; easy to find at the airport)
  • Decently priced (the airport isn't very far, so a couple of € perhaps suffices?)

Wikipedia lists many options, but it's not clear what best suits my criteria above. (Feel free to mention taxi price & travel time too, for comparison.)

Bonus question: what are my options late at night (say, 01:00 am)?

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  • @tricasse seems to have covered it pretty well. There are two stations on the transport map, Alt-Tegel and Tegel (U6 and S25 respectively), that share the name of the airport but are not near the airport (unless you like 2 hour walks). I've met some people at the TXL airport who nearly missed their flight after making this mistake.
    – Stuart
    Commented Sep 18, 2012 at 12:45
  • Taxi's in Berlin are so cheap, that I would recommend taking a taxi, especially when you are with more people. Last month we paid 16 euro to get from Tegel to Berlin.
    – user141
    Commented Aug 20, 2013 at 13:18
  • @andra: Compared to the tariffs of the public transportation the cabs are very expensive. A ticket for train, subway and bus (no matter how often you change) for 2h is 2.7€.
    – user937284
    Commented Feb 25, 2015 at 10:36
  • @ectomorph If you take exact matches, yes taxi's are expensive. But compared to the time spent on commuting, the story changes. As said with 4 fellow passengers I paid 4 euro and got to the airport within 30 minutes. Personally I would consider paying only 1.3Euro extra to get to the airport worth the investment
    – user141
    Commented Feb 25, 2015 at 12:48
  • @andra: okay - but we all love mother nature right? :)
    – user937284
    Commented Feb 25, 2015 at 12:51

3 Answers 3

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There is an express bus running from Tegel, called very appropriately TXL. It runs to Alexanderplatz (trip takes 25 min), and passes a few hundred meters from Stadtmitte at Unter den Linden. The closest stop would be Unter den Linden/Friedrichstraße. One ride costs 2.40 € for an adult. (The same ticket will be valid for 2 hours on U-Bahn or S-Bahn within zones A & B; see comments.)

For the night lines, see this map at BVG, the Berlin public transportation company. If you read German, you can have more info on this page of the same site.

You'll also find a map of the bus stops at Tegel here.

You can also generate a timetable for your trip using the journey planner by VBB, the union of public transportation companies in Berlin. At Unter den Linden, the first TXL bus passes at 04:27 to arrive at Tegel at 04:49 Monday-Friday; the last at 00:05 at Unter den Linden arrives at 00:30 at Tegel; it runs every 10 minutes at rush hours.

Most of the time, taxis take 15 minutes less than the bus, and are around 20 €.

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  • Thanks! If I take the TXL, can I continue with the same ticket on U-Bahn? Apparently not? So the taxi only takes some 10 minutes (to Alexanderplatz)?
    – Jonik
    Commented Sep 17, 2012 at 18:09
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    Actually, you CAN continue using the same ticket on the U-Bahn. The ticket you'll probably buy at the airport is an "Einzelfahrschein" (single ticket) for zones A & B. You can use this on the U-Bahn or S-Bahn in these zones for two hours after purchasing. Just don't backtrack to the place you purchased the ticket, or you might get in trouble.
    – GScott
    Commented Sep 17, 2012 at 21:01
  • @GScott: I assumed you'd need another ticket, because the VBB journey planner gives that impression (it says 2.40 + 1.50 €; see screenshot). Or maybe there are different kind of tickets you can buy?
    – Jonik
    Commented Sep 17, 2012 at 22:03
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    2.40 is the adult price, and 1.50 is the reduced fare (for the Einzelfahrschein zones A & B). I completely agree that the website is confusing and it should explain what the two prices are for!
    – GScott
    Commented Sep 17, 2012 at 22:36
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    @GScott: you can also take the Tram, the Bus and the Regio with this kind of ticket.
    – user937284
    Commented Feb 25, 2015 at 10:38
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ToAndFromTheAirport.com is a great site for this type of question.

Their page on Berlin lists multiple options for getting to/from Tegel (scroll down to find the section for Tegel/TXL).

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    Thanks. I'd like to have the key info right here on Travel SE though. :) (Also, as the question says, which of the multiple options best fits my criteria?)
    – Jonik
    Commented Sep 17, 2012 at 17:01
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    I hadn't heard of that website, but I checked it for my current hometown and was sadly disappointed by information that's years old.
    – MastaBaba
    Commented Sep 17, 2012 at 17:32
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Eventually, Berlin will open their shiny new airport, Berlin Brandenburg Airport, which is down in the south east of the city (next to Schönefeld). When it does open, transport should be easier.

For now, Tegel Airport is fairly well connected by public transport, but only by using a bus to get to the S-Bahn or U-Bahn. Tegel Airport is located just south of the town of Tegel, which is to the north of the city. Tegel (town) is well served transport wise, having both the U6 U-Bahn and S25 S-Bahn. The stops (Tegel / Alt-Tegel) are close together (5 minute walk), but they're both in the town. It's a short walk from there to the north edge of the airport. It's a very long way from there all the way round the airport perimeter to the terminal, which is on the south.... If you have made the mistake of ending up in Tegel the town when aiming for the airport, it's about half an hour to correct your mistake. Take the U6 south (entrance is a short walk, sign posted from the S25 station, and you can even pop into the amazing Tegel Market that you pass on your way, if you're not really late!). Get off at Kurt-Schumacher-Platz station, walk up to the surface following the signs for the 128 bus. Take the 128 bus to the airport, takes about 10 mintues.

In your case, you'll be starting at the airport, so there's not that problem (well, until your return!). There are 3 buses that leave from Tegel Airport to link you to the rest of the transport network. Bus 128 goes to the U-Bahn at Kurt-Schumacher-Platz (ideal for the northern suburbs), the TXL bus goes into the city via a few stations, and the X9/109 goes to Zoologischer Garten via Jakob-Kaiser-Platz (good for the west of the city). There is a BVG kiosk in the airport, near the exit to the buses. You can buy tickets there (including multi-day passes, which you might well want), and they can give you maps and advice. Expect a short queue though, it's popular!

I'd suggest you take a look at the TXL bus page which describes the route and times, then download the BVG train+select bus map (downloads are in the bottom right of the page). Most likely, the TXL bus will be your best bet, but it's worth exploring the other options too briefly, especially if you might be returning from elsewhere in the city.

Finally, don't forget you can use the BVG Journey Planner to look up times, routes and fares for your route. Type in the airport and the address where you want to get to, tell about 30 minutes after your flight lands, and see what it recommends!

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