Berlin: ground transportation from airport
 

I am arriving at Tegel airport on 11 May and staying in West Berlin near the Zoo Bahnhof. What are my best options for getting from the airport to the Bahnhof/West Berlin. Taxi? Bus? Other? What do they cost?

Bus X9 takes you in about 20 minutes. There is also bus TXL that takes you to Tiergarten stop very close by. You can check routes and schedules at http://tinyurl.com/67cvcc

I took the TXL bus from Tegel to Friedrichstasse/Unter den Linden. It was about 2.3 euros.

If I can take the bus, so can you. You should have seen the looks I got from the backpackers when I hoisted my Louis Vuitton luggage up on the luggage racks.

C'est la vie.

Have fun in Berlin,
Thingorjus

Youse know, I got da same kindsa looks when I put up my stuff in da bag from da Acme and it bursted and da six pack of Genny Cream Ale fell outs it. I'da thunk those Berliners woulda had more class - go figure, haina?

Thanks for the info. Does anyone know where I find Bus X9 at the airport? Seamus, I had trouble working the URL to find that information.

You go inside the terminal building to the central hall. Opposite check-in counters 20ff there are the doors to the outside. There is the bus stop. Easy to find. Not to miss.

Great information!! Thanks! Now can anyone tell me whether we will need exact change to board the bus, or whether the driver can give us change?

>Now can anyone tell me whether we will need exact change to board the bus, or whether the driver can give us change?

You must not enter the bus without a valid ticket. Ticket machines are evrywhere, though. No, you don´t need exact change for them, but you will need coins.

I've taken X9 several times, and always paid to the driver. Those airport shuttles are exceptions that you don't have to have a ticket in advance, I guess. No need to have exact change.

You don't need exact change, and you can pay the driver, but they can get a bit crabby if you pay with large bills. But if you have time while you wait for the next bus, you can also get your ticket from the machines at the bus stops. They "understand" English -- sometimes better than the drivers ;-)

The airport buses operate under the regular fare system, so you don't need a special ticket or pay a surcharge. And you can transfer to any subway, streetcar, etc. (even though you won't have to).

In Berlin, you must board buses through the front door, and present a valid ticket to the driver (or buy it), and/or validate tickets you bought in advance.

But if you want to use public transportation for the whole duration of your stay, you can already buy any sort of day or multi-day pass from the booth of the transit authority BVG at the exit traveller1959 mentioned.

I just paid the driver. I didn't have time to get a ticket from the machine because the bus was just pulling up.

Thin

As usual, everyone is providing me with great information for which I'm most appreciative. It looks as if we will use the X9. Now I have to determine whether to buy one of the multiple fare passes for the day or several days. We arrive in Berlin Monday and leave by train Friday. I may be pushing my luck with this posting, but does anyone have suggestions what type of fare pass, if any, would work well?