Berlin: Schoenefeld airport to hotel. Toddlers+ train.....crazy?
 

Hi,
We are 4 adults and 2 children (age 2 and 4) arriving to Berlin. Would taking the train to the center of Berlin be a crazy, exhausting thing to do? or should we take a taxi (van) costing 4 times the price?

My experience with train stations in London is the rude discovery of how non-child friendly the stations can be. Up and down stairs, no elevators. A complete nightmare with a stroller.

Are the transfers from one train line to another easy to do?

Feedback please. Thanks.

We are 4 adults and 2 children (age 2 and 4) arriving to Berlin. Would taking the train to the center of Berlin be a crazy, exhausting thing to do? or should we take a taxi (van) costing 4 times the price?>>

4 x the price of the train? I doubt it, with 4 adults.

for me, it's a "no brainer". after any plane journey, particularly with kids, I'd take cab.

regards, ann

If by center, you mean Berlin Mitte, there's a massive array of cabs right when you leave the station and it's only a very short distance. "No brainer" correct! If you want to go anywhere else, Berlin Südkreuz is the best place to change trains.

Happy:

First about the Fare: it is €16.10 for your whole group (up to five adults, kids under six ride free). Just get a "Kleingruppenkarte" for Zones A to C. As an added feature, this ticket will be valid for unlimited travel for the rest of the day on the complete network of Berlin and Potsdam.

As to the train:
Point 1: Don't take the S-Bahn from the airport to the centre but a red RB14 train bound for Nauen (far fewer stops and shorter transit time, although less freqent).

Point 2: the railway station is a 10 minutes' walk from the terminal building. Luggage trolleys are available.

Point 3: it depends, where you are going to. Major stations do have lifts and/or escalators, minor ones do not. Also consider how far your hotel is from the station you leave the train.

You may want to check the Berlin transport authority's English website at: http://www.bvg.de/index.php/en/index.html

Hope this helps, enjoy your trip

Phil.

If you have 6 people how much luggage and baby stuff will you have. You will need 2 people to hang onto the kids - which leaves the other 2 adults to deal with the luggage for 6 people. I can;t imagine how this could be a good idea.

Public transit in Berlin is great - but not with 2 small kids to be controlled plus piles of luggage.

Spring for a few bucks so you don;t have to angst about this.

i wasn't going to tell you this as i wanted to spare my blushes and maintain the myth that I'm a savvy traveller, but I remember a long queue of taxis [they are all cream in berlin] as we arrived at the airport in Berlin. we stupidly decided to go to get the train, lugged our not very heavy luggage along to the station, bought our tickets and went to the platform to wait for the train. and wait and wait.

eventually i went off to practice my german on a poor unsuspecting guard, who informed me that we'd been waiting on the wrong platform. Duh.

so we lugged the by now heavier luggage across to the other platform and got on the train. and then had to get off at the hauptbahnhof [can't remember which one exactly] and get a cab to finish the journey anyway because DH was refusing even to try to use the underground.

Net cost in € - approximately what a cab would have cost.

Net cost in time - at least and hour wasted.

Net cost in tempers - you can guess!

they have quite a lot of "people-carrier" size cabs which should be able to take you all and your luggage.

I'd take the train. I assume you have a double stroller, that leaves the other parent to pull the heavy bags. We've done it in major cities in Europe. One day, we changed trains 7 times, with 2-3 large rolling duffels, carry-ons, a double stroller and a 2 & 4 year old. It was fun going up and down all the stairs w/ the stroller and the bags! With another couple to help out, it should be no problem!

At the transit authority's website bvg.de you will also find a network map with info on accessibility of subway and suburban train stations. Most relevant stations have elevators or ramps. You will see the respective icons near the stations' names on the map.

Getting a cab would still be the easiest way to go from the airport, though. Costs to Berlin's central districts are €30-40, depending on your final destination.

At the taxi rank, there will be no line. But you don't have to wait until a van cab eventually pulls up. If you spot one in the queue of taxis, go straight to the car.