Getting to Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt (BER) is easiest and cheapest by Airport Express train (FEX) from downtown Berlin Hauptbahnhof central main station. Regional trains, S and U Bahn trains, and buses are further cheap public transportation options when traveling to Berlin Airport.
NOTE: These public transportation options from Berlin Airport are available only from 14 December 2025 and in 2026 — until then, check travel details at Public Transportation to Berlin Airport.
Public transportation, especially trains, provides the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to get to Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER). From mid-December 2025, the Airport Express trains (Flughafen Express FEX) are the fastest transportation for most travelers to downtown Berlin Hauptbahnhof and many parts of the city. Regional and S-Bahn trains are also useful for travelers to Berlin, while the U-Bahn and bus combination works very well for many other parts of Berlin. Direct trains connect Berlin Brandenburg Airport with Potsdam, Oranienburg, Wismar, Rostock, and a few other cities in Germany. Taxis and airport transfer shuttle services are also available – pre-booked airport transfers are around €60 for a trip from the airport to Berlin Mitte or the Kurfürstendamm area.
The basic public transportation fare to Berlin Brandenburg Airport from downtown Berlin is a standard ABC ticket. The Berlin Welcome Card is a good savings option that includes transportation and discounts at sights in Berlin. Surcharges are payable on express buses and long-distance trains (e.g. ICE, IC, EC) but not on U, S, RB, RE, or FEX trains and Berlin public transportation buses (BVG).
Berlin public transportation ticket prices in 2025: €3.80 for AB and €4.70 for ABC tickets.
Getting to Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BER) on Public Transportation
Berlin Brandenburg International Willy Brandt Airport (BER) replaced Berlin Tegel (TXL) and Berlin Schönefeld (SXF) airports as the only airport serving the capital of Germany. All flights depart and arrive at Berlin Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 — Terminal 5 is permanently closed. The public transportation options to both airport terminals are the same, as the terminals are basically the opposite ends of the same building. Trains, buses, and taxis stop at the center.
The official name for the train station in the basement of Berlin Airport is now only Flughafen BER — Terminal 1-2 was dropped from the name.
Trains to New Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BER)
Trains are the best and easiest option for most passengers traveling to Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BER). However, the U-Bahn is also a very good option if a metro stop is closer than an S-Bahn station.
The airport terminal train station, “Flughafen BER“, is in the basement of the airport’s main terminal with the distance between the train and check-in counters as short as 50 meters.
The following trains are available from Berlin Airport:
- Flughafen Express Trains (FEX) — the best option for most travelers with a train every 15 minutes taking 23 minutes to the Hauptbahnhof.
- Regional Trains — limited use for tourists, except to Potsdam.
- S-Bahn Trains — FEX trains are faster to downtown but S9 trains stop more frequently.
- U-Bahn Trains — require short bus ride first.
- Intercity Trains — not a good option to Berlin, as ABC tickets are not valid, but hand to Rostock and Dresden.
By Airport Express Train (FEX) to Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg (BER)
From mid-December 2025 and in 2026, the routing of the Berlin Airport Express trains (FEX) has changed. It is now the fastest and usually best option for traveling from the Airport to downtown.
The Flughafen Express (FEX) trains connect the airport and Berlin Hauptbahnhof central station four times per hour in 23 minutes. En route, the FEX trains stop only at Potsdamer Platz and Südkreuz.
You may also use the hourly regional express train RE20 on the same route.
The previous FEX services via Ostkreuz and Gesundbrunnen are no longer in operation.
The Airport Express trains are regional trains (Nahverkehr) and regular Berlin transportation tickets may be used. (ABC tickets are no longer accepted on InterCity trains between the Airport and Hauptbahnhof.)
→ See By Airport Express Train to Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) for more information on the routes and stops of the Airport Express trains. Use German Railways timetables to Berlin Brandenburg Airport or BVG to include U-Bahn trains, trams, and buses to the final destination in Berlin.
S-Bahn Trains to Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg (BER)
Two S-Bahn trains stop at Berlin Brandenburg International Airport to provide easy access from many parts of Berlin not directly served by the Airport Express trains.
- S9 – S-Bahn trains run from Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BBI / BER) via Ostkreuz to Spandau. S9 trains run right through central Berlin and stop at the traditional Stadtbahn stations. Travel time to the Hauptbahnhof on S9 is 50 minutes. S9 trains run three times per hour.
- S85 – S-Bahn trains run from Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BBI / BER) on the old East Berlin train route.
→ See S-Bahn Trains at Berlin Airport for more details.
The S-Bahn trains stop at both Flughafen BER (Terminal 1-2) and S Schönefeld station (previously SXF and Flughafen BER Terminal 5, which is now permanently closed) — if using the wrong stop, simply take the next train, the fare is covered. (Note that a further stop between the two airport Terminal stations — Waßmannsdorf — has no links to the airport.)
U-Bahn Trains to Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg (BER)
The closest U-Bahn (metro) station to Berlin airport is Rudow on line U7. A simple bus connection is available between Flughafen BER and Rudow U-Bahn train station.
Buses X7 and X71 (N7 at night) provide the 10-minute ride between Berlin Brandenburg Airport and Rudow to bring passengers to the Berlin metro system. During most of the day, buses and U-Bahn trains operate every five minutes. U7 provides a useful service to many travelers and is worth considering if the final destination is close to an U-Bahn station rather than one of the main S-Bahn stations. The metro to bus change at Rudow station is very simple with services running very frequently.
→ See also By Bus and U-Bahn to Berlin Brandenburg Airport for a more detailed description. To many parts of Berlin, the U-Bahn is a better option than it may appear at first.
High-Speed Deutsche Bahn Trains to Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BER)
High-speed ICE, IC, and EC trains of German Railways should eventually also stop at Berlin Brandenburg International Airport. This will be great for passengers arriving from other parts of Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
However, the number of long-distance trains stopping at the airport remains dismally low.
Regular Berlin ABC public transportation tickets may no longer be used on this IC train on the section Flughafen BER and Berlin Hauptbahnhof.
Buses to Berlin Brandenburg Airport
A few bus services to Berlin Brandenburg Airport are worth noting as they provide useful services to parts of Berlin where using the trains will require detours and transfers.
Routes that are likely to be of use to some foreign travelers include:
- Bus X7 — airport to Rudow U-Bahn station in 10 minutes — every 5 minutes.
- Bus X71 – airport to Rudow U-Bahn station, Johannithaler Chaussee, and the U Alt-Mariendorf — three times per hour.
- Bus 164 to Köpenick (from Terminal 5).
- BER2 to Potsdam — (surcharge)
(Bus X7 and X71 no longer stop at Schoenefeld (bei Berlin) on the way to BER T1-2. Use the S-Bahn train between Schoenefeld S-Bahn station and Berlin Airport — walking is not an option.)
→ See also By Bus and U-Bahn to Berlin Brandenburg Airport for a more detailed description of available bus services.
Travel from Potsdam to Berlin Airport
Travelers going to Potsdam with its lovely palaces, including Sans Souci from the time of Frederick the Great, can bypass traveling to downtown Berlin. Regional train RB22 goes directly from Flughafen BER to Potsdam. The more expensive Airport Shuttle Express Bus BER2 provides an alternative to the train when traveling to Potsdam.
→ See Transportation from Potsdam to Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BER) for more details.
Transportation to Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) in 2025 (and 2026)
Public transportation from Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) to Berlin generally requires an ABC ticket — €4.70 in 2025. Many further deals and passes are available to travelers.
NOTE: If traveling after 14 December 2025 and in 2026, the Airport Express (FEX) train is getting faster, and routes are changing. See Transportation to Berlin Airport in 2026 for details.
- Public Transportation Options to Berlin Airport (from 2026)
- By Train to Berlin Brandenburg Airport (Airport Express / S-Bahn) — usually the best option (new service from 2026)
- By Bus and U-Bahn Trains to Berlin Brandenburg Airport — worth considering if not close to an S-Bahn station (from 2026)
- By Train or Bus from Potsdam to Berlin Brandenburg Airport
- Prebook Berlin Airport Private Shuttle Transportation at Suntransfers
- Check train schedules at German Railways / Deutsche Bahn or BVG
Public Transportation to Berlin Airport BER Terminal 5 (previously Schönefeld SXF)— Terminal 5 closed permanently.
Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BBI / BER) was in planning (and construction) for many years. The airport is right on the border between the two German states Berlin and Brandenburg, which explains the inclusion of the latter in the airport name. The IATA code for Berlin Brandenburg International Airport is BER, previously used as code for the whole Berlin area. Willy Brandt was added by the state governments to honor the former West Berlin mayor and West German chancellor – like most other German airports that honor persons, the full name will probably very rarely be used in practice. (BBI was used in the planning phase until it became clear the small airport Biju Patnaik in India has no intention of giving up its IATA code.)