Berlin

From Burden's Landing

Things You Should Know

Berlin Taxi's do not take credit cards, you will need to travel with Euros.

It is not as common in Germany for restaurants to take credit cards, many resturants operate on a cash only basis.

Average temperature in Berlin will be in the mid 30F in the evenings, and mid 50F during the day. Rain is likely, so plan for rain.

Tipping

Restaurant bills always include a service charge (Bedienung), but most people add 5% or 10% unless the service was abhorrent. At hotels, bellhops are given about €1 per bag and it's also nice to leave a few euros for the room cleaners. Tip bartenders about 5% and taxi drivers around 10%.

Tipping in other situations (unless otherwise indicated):

  • Taxi driver: 5%-10% (at least €1)
  • Housekeeping: €1-2 per day
  • Carrying luggage: €1 per piece
  • Public toilet attendants: €0.30-0.70

Credit Cards

Germany is still a largely cash-based society. Although major credit cards are becoming more widely accepted in central Berlin, it's best not to assume that you'll be able to use one - enquire first. Even so, a piece of plastic is vital in emergencies and also useful for phone or Internet bookings. Report lost or stolen cards to the following:

American Express (01805-840 840)

MasterCard (0800-819 1040)

Visa (0800-811 8440)

Transportation

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, €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 (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.

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.

Public transport ticketing

Berlin uses a zone system, but you are unlikely to need to go beyond zone A & B, except on trips to wikiTravel: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.

Several options are available for unlimited travel. Prices listed here are only for zones A and B, prices for A, B, and C cost marginally more. Check the machines for the actual prices:

A Tageskarte (day card) (€ 6.10).

Quadruple card "4 Fahrten Karte" (4 single trips bought at once for a reduced price) €8

Purchasing tickets

All tickets are available at vending machines at U- and S-Bahn platforms. English and other European languages are available. Payment is mostly by local bank cards and coins, and banknotes. If you need assistance most larger stations have staffed ticket counters where you can ask questions and buy tickets. Buses will accept cash, and make change for tickets. Hotels may sell tickets as well.

Validating tickets

You need to validate your ticket using the machines on the U- and S-bahn platforms or in the bus. The machines are yellow/white in the U-Bahn and the bus, and red on S-Bahn platforms. Validation simply means the machine prints a time stamp onto the ticket. Once validated, a ticket which is still valid will not have to be re-validated before each single trip. Whilst it might be tempting to try to avoid buying a ticket, be advised that plain-clothed inspectors do patrol the trains and that there is a €40 fine if you are caught with an unvalidated ticket. If caught attempt to show a state/providence id if you are from outside the EU this will make it less likely that your ticket will ever be mailed to you.

Places to Stay and Work

I stayed at Hotel Berlin and Motel One Berlin-Urania for the Wikimedia Chapters Meeting in April 2010. They're both close to each other near Kurfürstendamm, close to the U1/U2 lines near Nollendorfplatz.

St. Oberholz in Mitte is cafe central for geeks.

Food

See Also