The fastest link between central Berlin and Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) is the FEX airport express train: since December 2025 it has connected Berlin Hauptbahnhof with the station directly beneath Terminal 1 in around 23 minutes, running every 15 minutes via Potsdamer Platz and Südkreuz. A VBB (the Berlin-Brandenburg public transport association) single ticket Berlin ABC (fare zone covering Berlin plus surroundings incl. BER; from € 5) covers all trains, S-Bahn and buses; a taxi to the city centre costs from € 45.
Ideal for early flyers and business travellers who want maximum terminal proximity with four-star comfort.
Ideal for early-morning flyers and transit passengers who want to reach Terminal 1 in minutes without a shuttle.
The station “Flughafen BER Terminal 1-2” sits directly beneath Terminal 1 (level U2), just a few minutes’ walk from the check-in halls, and equally close to the Steigenberger Airport Hotel and the IntercityHotel BER Terminal 1+2 on Willy-Brandt-Platz.
Since the December 2025 timetable change, the FEX has used the newly opened Dresdner Bahn line and is considerably faster than before: Hauptbahnhof–BER in approx. 23 minutes, Potsdamer Platz–BER in approx. 19 minutes, Südkreuz–BER in approx. 14 minutes. Together with the RE20 it runs daily from around 4:30 a.m. to 0:30 a.m., every 15 minutes, plus night trains at 1:22 and 2:22 from Flughafen BER.
Coming from further afield, for example by IC from Rostock or Dresden or by coach from Poland? See Travelling to BER from afar.
Several regional lines also stop at Terminal 1-2: the RE20 runs hourly during the day on the same route as the FEX (Hauptbahnhof–Potsdamer Platz–Südkreuz) and continues towards Lübbenau/Cottbus; it then replaces one FEX service per hour. Lines RB24 and RB32 together provide a train every 30 minutes via Schöneweide, Ostkreuz, Lichtenberg and Hohenschönhausen, convenient for eastern Berlin. The RB22 connects Potsdam with BER once an hour.
The S-Bahn is slower but stops more often: the S9 runs every 20 minutes via Ostkreuz through the city centre to Spandau, and the S85 every 20 minutes via Ostkreuz towards Pankow or Frohnau. The former S45 line was discontinued with the timetable change.
BER lies in fare zone C. For journeys to or from Berlin you need a Berlin ABC ticket; an AB ticket is not valid. A single ABC ticket costs from € 5 (as of 2026). Buy it at ticket machines or in the VBB, BVG and S-Bahn apps; paper tickets must be validated before boarding.
| Option | Frequency | Time to central Berlin | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| FEX | every 15 min | approx. 23 min (Hauptbahnhof) | ABC from € 5 |
| RE20 / RB22 / RB24 / RB32 | hourly / every 30 min | depends on destination | ABC from € 5 |
| S9 / S85 | every 20 min each | depends on destination, slower than FEX | ABC from € 5 |
| Taxi | n/a (on demand) | depends on traffic | from € 45 |
Taxis wait outside Terminals 1 and 2. Expect fares to central Berlin from € 45 depending on destination and traffic; guide values are from € 58 to Alexanderplatz and from € 63 to Kurfürstendamm. Fixed-price fares are so far only available for rides to BER, not from the airport.
If you want to know the fare beforehand or land late at night, you can book a transfer in advance instead: the price is set at booking and the driver waits in the arrivals hall.
By car, BER is reached via the A113 motorway. Multi-storey and surface car parks sit right next to the terminals; booking a space online in advance is usually cheaper than paying at the barrier.
Arriving without a car? Rental cars are handed over at the airport itself, usually from the time you land.
There is no general airport shuttle into the city at BER; the FEX does that job. The airport itself lists the FEX, regional trains RE20, RB22, RB24 and RB32, S-Bahn lines S9 and S85, express buses X7 and X71, and several city and regional bus lines.
Only one service is called a shuttle by the airport: the BER2 express bus to Potsdam, which carries a surcharge. There is no shuttle between the terminals either, because none is needed: Terminals 1 and 2 sit next to each other and are signposted for walking from arrivals level E0.
Hotel shuttles are a different matter: some hotels run their own, though far from all of them, and not always free of charge. Which ones do, and what they cost, is in the fact check on BER hotels with shuttle service.
From southern Berlin, express buses X7 and X71 run from the Rudow underground station (U7) to Terminal 1. At night, buses N7, N7X, N36 and N60 keep the airport connected while trains and S-Bahn pause.
All flights are handled at Terminals 1 and 2, which stand directly next to each other. The former Terminal 5 (the old Schönefeld airport) has been out of service since 2021 and, following a decision in late 2022, will remain permanently closed; its station is once again called “Schönefeld”. For hotels on the northern side of the airport, such as the Holiday Inn Conference Centre and the IntercityHotel Berlin Airport Area North, this S-Bahn station (S9/S85) is the nearest stop. Which building applies to your flight, and why taxis and shuttles always stop at Terminal 1, is covered in Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 at BER.
Yes. Since 1 January 2026 the Deutschlandticket costs from € 63 a month, is sold only as a personal, non-transferable subscription and is valid nationwide on local transport and in 2nd class on regional trains. That covers the FEX, the RE20, the RB lines, the S9 and S85 and express buses X7 and X71 to BER, so you do not need an extra ABC ticket (single fare from € 5.00). One exception is the BER2 AirportShuttle from Potsdam, which needs a surcharge on top of the VBB fare or the Deutschlandticket, paid to the driver as you board. Fares change, so check the current terms with VBB before you travel.
According to the airport, the FEX runs around the clock, every 15 minutes from roughly 4 a.m. to 1 a.m. (jointly with the RE20 until December 2026). Check exact night connections in the VBB planner. Night buses leave from stops A4 and A6-7 on arrivals level E0 in front of Terminal 1: the N7 every 30 minutes from U Rathaus Spandau via U Rudow (at weekends it runs only between U Rudow and the airport, with the U7 running through the night from Rudow), the N60 every 30 minutes from S+U Alexanderplatz, on weekday early mornings also the N7X every 15 minutes from S+U Zoologischer Garten (towards the airport only), and the N36 hourly from Königs Wusterhausen; at weekends the S9 runs through the night as well. Check your connection on the day in the VBB journey planner, and for a very early flight count on a night at a hotel by the terminal rather than on the last night bus.
Not at the terminals themselves but at bus stop B, opposite Terminal 1. Every bus that is not part of the public transport network departs from there: long-distance coaches (FlixBus at bays B05 to B08), tour buses and shuttles to hotels, trade fairs and car parks. It is 400 m or a three-minute walk from Terminal 1 and 600 m or a seven-minute walk from Terminal 2; cross Hugo-Junkers-Ring at the traffic lights. Luggage trolleys are available at the entrances and exits, and the station on level U2 in Terminal 1 is directly opposite. Private cars are not allowed at stop B, so use the terminal drop-off roads for pick-ups.
No. Since the December 2025 timetable change, no regional trains call at Schönefeld (bei Berlin) station; the FEX, RE20, RB22, RB24 and RB32 all run through to Flughafen BER Terminal 1-2. There you change on level U2 to the S9 or S85 and ride two stops back to Schönefeld via Waßmannsdorf, about eight minutes, with each line running every 20 minutes. Coming from south-east Berlin, take the S-Bahn from the start, since it calls at Schönefeld anyway. For hotels north of the airport, such as the Holiday Inn Conference Centre or the IntercityHotel Berlin Airport Area North, Schönefeld is the nearest station.
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