Deutsche Bahn - Ticket to ride
 

Thanks to invaluable advice here, I am in proud possession of DB saver tickets, just arrived in mail. Warsaw to Berlin.

I know the train conductor will validate the main ticket on board, but the final bit of journey is on Berlin's S Bahn and I don't understand how ticket validation is handled then.

Thanks to all the previous posters - going back years - who made this easy for me.

If the ticket is valid and it includes a segment on the S-Bahn you simply get on the train and ride.

Thanks Dukey, the DB site offered the S Bahn stop as a destination but I see the ticket itself just references "Berlin."

Now I'm thinking DB was just giving courtesy information, and we'll buy metro passes once in Berlin.

Actually you may probably use your train ticket to travel on the S-bahn.

"TIP 1: If you have a valid rail pass and the day of use has been entered on the select pass, you can use the S-Bahn without needing to buy another ticket. You may not ride the U-Bahn (subway), bus or tram with your rail pass." --from BerlinWalks website

If so, it must work like the Eurostar into Brussels, where onward journey is covered?

Berlin Walks has it a bit wrong I think - some S-Bahn lines can be ridden with a valid railpass but not all - the exact wording I've seen says S-bahns between mainline rail stations - thus not like in most German cities all S-Bahns - I asked about this in Berlin not long ago and they said they same thing - that said I've ridden many S-bahns with a railpass without any problems (but have never been checked either on these honor system trains

"Berlin could mean any mainline station in Berlin and thus any S-Bahn that connects them"

For loads of great info on German trains check out these sites - www.seat61.com and www.ricksteves.com.

A train ticket to/from "Berlin" is valid only on the S-Bahn between Westkreuz and Lichtenberg (East-West crosstown line "Stadtbahn") and between Gesundbrunnen and Schöneberg or Südkreuz (North-South line, mostly in tunnel) and on the entire Ring line.
If your final destination or starting point is on any of those sections, you can take the S-Bahn for free to those long-distance railway stations also on those sections.
As said before, subways, buses or trams are excluded from this.

Thanks everyone; I will ride confidently to my S-Bahn stop, DB ticket in hand.

I believe Berlin Walks has it wrong about railpasses being valid on s-Bahn lines in general because the wording Cowboy gives is exactly like the wording on railpass conditions.