Air
Berlin has three airports. Tegel is about five miles north-west of the city and is the main destination for domestic and international carriers. Schoenefeld, about 13 miles out, handles mostly international charter flights. Tempelhof, four miles south-east of the city centre, is the main hub for flights within central Europe. As all three airports are so close to the city, connections are straightforward and the German transport system is the envy of the rest of Europe. From Tegel, the Jet Express Bus numbers 128, 109 and X9 run to city centre destinations, including Unter den Linten and Französische Strasse. The journey’s about half-an-hour and the fare about 4 Euros. A useful website to plan your journey is www.fahrinfo-berlin.de. From Schoenefeld, there’s a selection of bus routes that operate from outside each of the terminals to downtown Berlin. From Tempelhof, a number of buses and the U-Bahn (subway system) provide a quick and comfortable way of travelling into the city centre. Taxis are an alternative at all three airports. Full information can be found on the Berlin airports website: www.berlin-airport.de
Train
Rail is a leisurely alternative to an airliner if travelling in to Berlin from a European destination. From London, for instance, one route would be London to Brussels by Eurostar from Waterloo and then Brussels to Berlin by one of German Railways’ excellent modernised sleeper trains. The total journey time would be about fourteen hours. It is, of course, possible to take a train from other European capitals, such as Amsterdam or Paris. Timetables and booking arrangements can be found on the German Railways website, www.bahn.de
Road
Driving to Berlin from European destinations could also be a pleasant option. Witness the testimony of one British motorist: “I have driven to and from Berlin several times, and enjoyed it tremendously. Every motorway services area in Germany is spotlessly clean, staffed with courtesy and patience and the food is top, fresh and interesting. Stopping anywhere was a pleasure.” Berlin is probably easier to drive around than many other big cities in Europe, although roadworks, particularly in the eastern part, can be a problem. The A10 ring road round Berlin links the city with other German and foreign cities, including the A11 to Szczecin in Poland; the A12 to Frankfurt; the A13 to Dresden; the A9 to Leipzig, Nuremberg and Munich; the A2 to Hanover and the A24 to Hamburg.
