Berlin is a huge city. You can make use of the excellent bus, tram, train and underground services to get around. Taxi services are also easy to use and a bit less expensive than in many other big Central European cities. You can hail a cab the yellow light on the top shows the cab is available, or find a taxi rank Taxistand. Taxi drivers are in general able to speak English. If you ask for a short trip Kurzstrecke, as long as it's under 2km and before the taxi driver starts the meter running, the trip normally is cheaper, â¬4. This only applies if you flag the taxi down on the street, not if you get in at a taxi rank.
Check the Berlin route planner (http://www.fahrinfo-berli...) in English to get excellent maps and schedules for the U-Bahn, buses, S-Bahn and trams, or to print your personal journey planner. The route planer can also calculate the fastest door-to-door connection for you destination for any given day and hour. The Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe BVG have a detailed fare list on their web site (http://bvg.de/index.php/en/).
If you don't know how to get somewhere, or how to get home at night, call +49 30 19449, the Customer Service of the BVG. There are also facilities in most U-Bahn and some S-Bahn stations to contact the Customer Service directly. In 2005 the BVG introduced Metro lines buses and tram that run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All lines are marked with a big orange plate and a white M.
It's also worth noting that the house numbers do not necessarily run in one direction up or down. On a lot of streets, the numbers ascend on one side and descend on the other. Especially on long streets, check the numbering scheme first: you can find the name of the street and the numbers on that block at nearly every street corner.
Different from what is usual in some English-speaking countries, Germans usually add the word for "street", "square", "park", etc. when they mention the name of a locality. Thus, they would not simply refer to "Kurfürsten" when talking about KurfürstenstraÃe Kurfürsten Street, as this could also mean "Kurfürstendamm", which is a different road at a different place. "Schloss", which simply means "palace", could refer to any of the palaces in Berlin, as well as to one of the two roads called "SchloÃstraÃe", a shopping centre called "Das Schloss", or the "SchloÃplatz" in the Mitte district.
By Underground
The Berlin U-Bahn subway/metro is something to behold; it is so charmingly precise! There are no turnstiles to limit access, so it is technically possible to ride without a ticket, but if caught by a ticket checker you will be fined â¬40 so it is probably not worth the risk. All U-Bahn stations now have electronic signs that give the time of the next train, and its direction based on sensors along the lines.
Detailed maps can be found in every U-Bahn station and on the trains. Don't be confused by the alternative tram maps. U-Bahn stations can be seen from far by their big, friendly blue U signs. Together with the S-Bahn which is administered by Deutsche Bahn and mostly runs aboveground, the U-Bahn provides a transportation network throughout greater Berlin that is extremely efficient and fast. On weekend Friday to Sunday, as well as during the Christmas and New Year holidays, all U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines except line U4 run all night, so returning from late night outings is easy, especially given the average start time of most 'parties' in Berlin 11PM to 1AM. During the week there is no U-Bahn or S-Bahn service from appr. 1AM to 4:30AM, but metro trams/buses and special Night Buses parallel to the U-Bahn line run every half an hour from 12:30AM to 4:30AM.
By Tram
The trams StraÃenbahn are mostly found in East Berlin, as in the West the tram lines were removed to facilitate more vehicular traffic. If you don't have a ticket already, you can buy one inside the tram.
Two types of tram service are available. Metrotrams frequent more often as well as by night. Tram routes not so identified stop more frequently and may even include picturesque single-track rides through forested areas far east of the Mitte district.
By bus
Although buses are the slowest form of public transport, the yellow double-decker buses are part of Berlin's transit landscape and they will take you to almost anywhere in Berlin. Besides the normal metro buses, there are also express buses indicated by an X, but these don't halt at every stop.
The most famous bus line, especially for tourists, is bus route 100 or 200, which leaves from Zoo Station "Berlin Zoologischer Garten" or, if you want to go the other way round, Alexanderplatz. This crosses most of historic Berlin, including many of the sites listed here. For the price of a city bus ticket or daily pass, it's possible to see many of the landmarks of Berlin from one of these yellow double-decker buses. Sit up top as it's easier to see the Bundestag, as well as the many historic buildings on Unter den Linden. If you're lucky, you'll get the legendary bus-driver who delivers a commentary in Berlin-accented German on the trip. Line 200 takes nearly the same route, but it goes through the modern quarters around Kulturforum Philharmonie, museums and Potsdamer Platz. Either ride is a must for any visitor to Berlin.