BER Airport to Berlin City Centre
by Public Transport

Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) has excellent public transport links. The fastest connection takes just 23 minutes to the city centre — and your WelcomeCard or EasyCityPass ABC covers the entire ride.

🚄 23 min FEX to Hauptbahnhof

🚃 ~50 min S-Bahn to Alexanderplatz

🎲 Zone ABC Ticket required

BER is located in fare zone C. You need a ticket valid for zones ABC to travel between the airport and the city centre.

Your Options: FEX, S-Bahn & Bus

BER Terminal 1-2 has a train station directly underneath. Just follow the signs to the platform level. Here are the three main ways to reach the city centre.

★ Fastest

FEX — Airport Express

Travel time 23 min to Berlin Hauptbahnhof

Frequency Up to 4x per hour

Key stops BER → Südkreuz (14 min) → Potsdamer Platz (19 min) → Hauptbahnhof (23 min)

Hours ~4:00 AM to ~11:00 PM (night service via Stadtbahn)

The FEX is the fastest and most comfortable option for most visitors. It runs non-stop through the Dresdner Bahn tunnel and arrives in the heart of Berlin.

S-Bahn — S9 & S85

Travel time ~50 min to Alexanderplatz (S9)

Frequency Up to 6 trains per hour (S9 + S85 combined)

S9 route BER → Ostkreuz → Alexanderplatz → Friedrichstraße → Hauptbahnhof → Zoo → Spandau

S85 route BER → Schöneweide → Ostkreuz → Pankow / Frohnau

The S-Bahn is slower but runs more frequently and later into the night. Great if your hotel is along the S9 ring (Ostkreuz, Warschauer Straße, Friedrichstraße) or if you arrive outside FEX hours.

Bus — X7 & X71

Travel time ~20 min to S Rudow (U7 connection)

Frequency Every 10–20 min

Express bus X7 connects BER to S+U Rudow, where you can transfer to the U7 subway towards Neukölln, Hermannplatz or Kreuzberg. Useful if your destination is in southern Berlin.

Why You Need a Zone ABC Ticket

Berlin’s public transport is divided into three fare zones. BER Airport sits in zone C — so a standard AB ticket will not get you there.

❌

Zone AB

Covers the city centre and outer districts — but not BER Airport.

Single ticket: 4.00 €

✅

Zone ABC

Covers the city centre, outer districts and BER Airport. This is what you need.

Single ticket: 5.00 €

⚠️

Travelling with an AB-only ticket on the FEX, S9 or S85 to/from BER counts as riding without a valid ticket. Inspectors are active on these routes and the fine is 60 €.

How much does the airport transfer cost?

A single ABC ticket costs 5.00 € per person, per direction. For a return trip, that is 10.00 € per person — and it does not include any other rides during your stay. This is where a travel card pays off.

Berlin S-Bahn station in golden evening light

Skip the Ticket Machine — Your Travel Card Covers the Ride

Both the Berlin WelcomeCard ABC and the EasyCityPass ABC include unlimited public transport in zones A, B and C. That means your airport transfer is already covered — in both directions. No extra ticket needed.

✅ Airport transfer included (FEX, S-Bahn, Bus)

✅ Unlimited rides during your entire stay

✅ Valid on all BVG and S-Bahn lines

✅ Activate on your phone before you land

Our recommendation

Budget alternative

★ Best value

WelcomeCard ABC

Airport + City + Potsdam

Unlimited transport + 170 discount partners

from 45,50 €

WelcomeCard ABC

EasyCityPass ABC