Getting to Gay Berlin and Getting Around

Berlin has two airports. Tegel International Airport (ICAO: EDDT, IATA: TXL) located in the north-west of the city it's the main airport for flag carriers (Lufthansa, BA, Air France-KLM, Delta etc) and hub for domestic flights as well. The original airport was designed as a hexagon but today two other terminals try to handle the flights of Air Berlin (most flights in Terminal C) and other budget carriers (mostly in terminal D). All flag carrier flights leave from the main terminal building A (Terminal B nowadays contains just the bus gates of Terminal A for Non-Schengen flights), and is also where all airlines lounges are.

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Buses from Tegel International Airport operate to S+U Alexanderplatz, Hauptbahnhof (bus TXL), and S+U Zoologischer Garten (buses X9 and 109) for the standard ticket fare. Caution! Do not take any train to the "Tegel railway (S-Bahn) station", which is not connected to the airport, but rather to the suburban village called Tegel. It is not possible to walk or to otherwise get easily to the airport from that station. Tegel International Airport does not have any railway station. Any indication to a Tegel railway station refers to the remote S-Bahn station, even if railway staff at stations in other cities might tell otherwise.

Schönefeld (ICAO: EDDB, IATA: SXF) The former East Berlin airport southeast of the city center is the base for most low-cost airlines (e.g. easyJet, Ryanair and Germanwings) and charter flights in addition to traffic from Eastern Europe

The airport is served by the S-Bahn and regional trains. Normally The S-bahn trains will take You to the center of Berlin but right now (oct. 2009), renovations on the Ostktreutz train station has stopped this service and You need to go by S-bahn to Ostkreutz and change there. There are also less regular but faster regional trains that cost the same and stop at these major train stations too. In S-Bahn and regional trains between the airport (zone C) and the city (zone A,B), the public transport ticket (zones A,B,C for €2.80) can be used. Stamp the ticket to validate it before boarding.

The construction of the new Airport Berlin Brandenburg International has started at Schönefeld and the new airport is scheduled for opening in autumn 2011. After the opening all air traffic in the Berlin-Brandenburg region will be bundled at BBI and the Tegel airport is going to be closed down.

The Berlin public transport system is efficient, if expensive, and the combination of buses, trams, ferries, the U-Bahn (underground) and S-Bahn (commuter rail) reaches every part of the sprawling city and its surrounds. The U-Bahn and S-Bahn are the best ways of getting around; buses cover the parts of the city that cannot be reached by train, and East Berlin has a network of modernised, pre-war trams.

Berlin uses a zone system, but you are unlikely to need to go beyond zone A & B, except on trips to Potsdam or to the Schönefeld Airport (SXF). This is a very large area. The public transport system (U, S-Bahn, bus, tram) uses a common ticket.

Standard tickets (€ 2.10 for A & B) are valid for any travel within two hours of validation, in a single direction, within the appropriate fare zones. There is no limit to transfers. For a single journey you can buy a cheap Kurzstrecke for €1.30, but this is only valid for 3 stops on the U-Bahn or S-Bahn (six stops by bus or tram); no transfers are permitted.

Driving in Berlin is easier than in most big cities, but in general is still not recommended, as traffic is heavy and parking difficult. Taxis are plentiful, but it is cheaper to hail one in the street than to call ahead at one of the many call stands around the city. Cycling is also recommended, especially in West Berlin, which is well-equipped with cycle paths and trains have special cars where bicycles can be carried.

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