Berlin Brandenburg Airport ground transportation
Berlin Brandenburg Airport (Willy Brandt) is the capital's single airport, about 18 km southeast of Mitte, with its own station directly beneath Terminal 1. The FEX Airport Express runs to Berlin Hauptbahnhof in 23 minutes, the S9 and S85 S-Bahn lines thread through the whole city, and the RE20, RB24 and RB32 regional trains add fast links via Südkreuz or Ostkreuz — all on one flat VBB ABC ticket (€5.00 in 2026, the same fare on every rail line, with no express surcharge). This guide compares price, time and frequency for every popular destination.
Berlin Brandenburg Airport to Berlin city centre
Berlin Hauptbahnhof / City Centre is 24 km from BER, about 23 min at the quickest. BER to Berlin Hauptbahnhof is about 24 km by rail; the FEX Airport Express does it in 23 minutes for a €5.00 ABC ticket — the fastest, cheapest way into the city.
| Option | Time | Fare | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| FEX Airport Express (DB Regio / VBB) Cheapest | 23 min | €5 | Every 15 min · 04:00–01:00 |
| S9 S-Bahn | 50 min | €5 | Every 20 min · ~03:00–02:00 |
| Licensed Berlin taxi (metered) | 45 min | €60–75 | 24/7 on demand |
| Welcome Pickups · Blacklane | 45 min | €55–80 | 24/7 · pre-booked |
| Sixt · Europcar · Hertz · Avis | 40 min | €35–60 | Desks at Terminal 1 |
Where are you heading?
Every destination from BER: cheapest way and taxi fare
| Destination | Distance | Cheapest way | Taxi | Fastest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin Hauptbahnhof / City Centre | 24 km | FEX Airport Express (DB Regio / VBB) · €5 | €60–75 | 23 min |
| Mitte (Brandenburg Gate / Museum Island) | 22 km | S9 S-Bahn · €5 | €60–75 | 30 min |
| Alexanderplatz | 20 km | RE8 / RB23 (DB Regio) · €5 | €58–72 | 25 min |
| Friedrichshain / Kreuzberg | 18 km | S9 S-Bahn · €5 | €50–65 | 30 min |
| Potsdamer Platz | 21 km | FEX Airport Express (DB Regio) · €5 | €60–75 | 19 min |
| Charlottenburg (City West / Zoo) | 30 km | FEX + S-Bahn · €5 | €65–80 | 45 min |
| Checkpoint Charlie | 26 km | S-Bahn S9/S45 or FEX + U6 (VBB, ABC ticket) · €4.7 | €50–65 | 45 min |
| Prenzlauer Berg | 22 km | S9 + U2 / tram M2 · €5 | €58–72 | 40 min |
| Potsdam | 35 km | RB22 (DB Regio) · €5 | €75–95 | 50 min |
Buying tickets in Berlin
Berlin Brandenburg (BER) sits in fare zone C, so you need an ABC ticket to reach the city centre. A single ABC costs €5.00 (2026); a 24-hour ABC is €12.90 and pays off fast. Buy from the red/yellow machines in the T1 station hall or in the BVG, VBB or Jelbi app before boarding the FEX, RE, S-Bahn (S9/S85) or bus. Machines and app take contactless cards. Paper tickets must be stamped in the yellow validators on the platform; app tickets activate automatically.
Taxi scams & safety in Berlin
BER is low-scam. Use the official taxi rank outside T1; fares to Mitte run roughly €60-75 on the meter, with no fixed price, so watch for detours. Ignore anyone touting rides inside arrivals. Uber, Bolt and FreeNow all operate here, dispatching licensed cars from the signposted ride-hail pickup, not the taxi rank. The real risk is fare-dodging: riding with an unvalidated or wrong-zone (AB instead of ABC) ticket draws a €60 on-the-spot fine from plain-clothes inspectors.
Step-free access in Berlin
BER was built recently enough that step-free access was designed in rather than retrofitted, and it shows on the rail platforms.
- FEX (Airport Express) is the best balance of speed and access: step-free from the terminal to the train, wheelchair spaces in every carriage and level boarding from the platform. Berlin Hauptbahnhof in about 30 minutes.
- S9 and S45 S-Bahn services also serve BER step-free if you prefer the slower, cheaper ride. They run every 20 minutes.
- In the terminal, wheelchair users have a separate entrance at every boarding-pass control point, avoiding the queue barriers, and accessible toilets are marked throughout both terminals.
Because both rail options board level, this is one of the airports where no advance booking is needed to travel independently.
Berlin Brandenburg Airport transport — FAQ
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