S-Bahn

A geographic representation of the S-Bahn lines; the ring looks somewhat like a dog's head if you squint

If you need to get around the city quickly, take the S-Bahn.

S- and Regionalbahn station Alexanderplatz

The Ringbahn that goes all around Berlin in a circle (or as local politicians would have it "a dog's head") lets you get to other parts of the city really fast. If you're looking for the way, use BVG.de, that site includes Buses, U-Bahn, S-Bahn, Tram and even ferries. You can simply enter departure address and arrival address to see the optimum connection, it's an excellent service.

The S-Bahn originates from a circular railway ("Ringbahn") and an East-West trunk ("Stadtbahn") built in 19th century to provide better connectivity between the terminus stations (similar to the way train stations are laid out in Paris or London today) which were later quadruple tracked with two tracks electrified for S-Bahn service (and later two tracks electrified with the mainline system) and in the 1930s a North-South Tunnel was added exclusively for the S-Bahn. The four stops where those intersect are named (x-)kreuz (x being the cardinal direction) with the exception of the Northern one which is officially Bahnhof Gesundbrunnen but sometimes referred to as "Nordkreuz". So there is Ostkreuz, Westkreuz, Südkreuz and Gesundbrunnen. The S-Bahn was neglected in the West during most of Berlin partition (see infobox for the reasons why) and some routes that were abandoned in this era are still not rebuilt and maybe never will. The S-Bahn is being expanded, however, and the network is now seamless: the former border is hardly ever notable to the casual observer. In the centre, most S-Bahn lines  S5 ,  S7 ,  S75  run on an east-west route between Ostkreuz and Westkreuz via the stops Warschauer Straße, Ostbahnhof, Jannowitzbrücke, Alexanderplatz, Hackescher Markt, Friedrichstraße, Hauptbahnhof, Bellevue, Tiergarten, Zoologischer Garten, Savignyplatz and Charlottenburg. Other lines run along a circle track around the city, most notably the  S8  and the  S41 ,  S42 ,  S45 ,  S46  lines, and there's also a north-south connection  S1 ,  S2 ,  S25  from Gesundbrunnen through Friedrichstraße and Potsdamer Platz to Südkreuz or Schöneberg.

S-Bahn woes

All of Berlin's public transit systems have been affected by the city's turbulent history in one way or another but probably none more than the S-Bahn. Based upon tracks mostly built during the Kaiserreich, the S-Bahn started to become distinct from other trains during the Weimar Republic and was expanded by the Nazis ahead of the 1936 Olympics - based on plans already existing before their power grab. It got damaged in the war (not least by some Nazis blowing up the North-South tunnel flooding the S-Bahn and much of the U-Bahn in the process) but much less than through later politics. Upon partition, "Deutsche Reichsbahn" was granted the rights to operate the S-Bahn in all sectors of the city. Deutsche Reichsbahn would thus remain the name of the GDR state railway until reunification. In 1949 the workers on the S-Bahn in the West went on strike and while the issue was resolved, it showed problems to come. The wall went up in 1961 and on that day several connections were severed and some lines have not returned to service since. The construction of the wall also showed people in West Berlin just what the East was capable of and just how powerless they were. The S-Bahn however was an easy way to hit the East: it had been a fairly steady source of hard currency until that point but now a broad consensus from right wing press to social democratic politicians were in agreement to boycott the S-Bahn. Slogans like "we won't pay for Ulbricht's barbed wire" discouraged people from riding and bus or subway lines were intentionally run parallel to the S-Bahn. The GDR did not raise fares for propaganda reasons and to keep the last few riders riding, but the increasing decay and shoddy safety of stations and trains contributed to only tourists and malcontents riding the S-Bahn in the West. The East Berlin S-Bahn however was expanded and frequently used - becoming one of a few things better on the other side of the wall. All this might've gone on for ever, but in 1980 the West Berlin S-Bahn workers went on strike again. The GDR authorities tried everything from cutting service to all the carrots and sticks in their arsenal, but ended up having to admit defeat. Several lines closed in 1980 have similarly not yet seen a return of service. By 1984 the East German authorities had finally convinced West Berlin to take the S-Bahn as a gift and the BVG would run the S-Bahn for a few years until it became part of Deutsche Bahn AG upon reunification. In the 2000s sloppy repair schedules and attempts to cut costs led to yet another round of chaos but the issue was resolved and these days the S-Bahn mostly does what it is supposed to do.

Regional trains (RB, RE) run along the same central east-west connection, but stopping only at Lichtenberg or Karlshorst, Ostbahnhof, Alexanderplatz, Friedrichstraße, Hauptbahnhof, Zoologischer Garten, Charlottenburg and Spandau or Wannsee, as well as other lines connecting north-south from Jungfernheide or Gesundbrunnen through Hauptbahnhof, Potsdamer Platz and Südkreuz to Lichterfelde-Ost. Long distance trains mostly run to Hauptbahnhof, often with one or two extra stops at other stations.

The Berlin U-Bahn (commonly understood to be short for Untergrundbahn - "underground railway") is a network of ten lines across the city. They are numbered from 1 to 9 with the prefix "U" ( U1  U2  U3  U4  U5  U6  U7  U8  U9 ), with the additional line U55 ( U55 ) in operation until its route gets connected to the U5 sometime 2020. You may find the U-Bahn network slightly less logical and convenient to use than in other European capitals, as Berlin's troubled history made its mark on it and many key locations remain unconnected, which is why using buses, trams and S-Bahn to complement the U-Bahn is probably necessary for efficient travel throughout Berlin. However as those systems are fully integrated (see above), you can do so with only one ticket or type of ticket. Generally speaking in the east trams are more widespread while the west relies more heavily on U-Bahn, but that has been slowly changing since 1990.

Despite the name "underground", some 20% of the network is actually made up of overground stretches running over characteristic viaducts throughout the city, adding a certain flavour to Berlin's cityscape. This arrangement is similar to many older subway systems which include elevated or even at-grade sections like the Hamburg system or the M2 / M6 lines in Paris. Unlike light rail systems or the Berlin tram however, all parts of the network have their own right of way and subways don't have level crossings.

Detailed maps can be found in every U-Bahn station and on the trains. U-Bahn stations can be seen from far by their big, friendly blue U signs. Together with the S-Bahn (which is administered by Deutsche Bahn and mostly runs aboveground), the U-Bahn provides a transportation network throughout greater Berlin that is extremely efficient and fast. On weekends (Friday to Sunday), and during the Christmas and New Year holidays, all U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines (except line U4 and U55) run all night, so returning from late night outings is easy, especially given the average start time of most 'parties' in Berlin (23:00 to 01:00). During the week there is no U-Bahn or S-Bahn service from c. 01:00-04:30, but metro trams/buses and special Night Buses (parallel to the U-Bahn line) run every half an hour 12:30-04:30.

There are no turnstiles to limit access to U-Bahn stations: it is technically possible to ride without a ticket. But if caught by a ticket checker you will be fined €60 (see "Validating tickets" above) so it is not only illegal but probably not worth the risk to ride without validating your ticket. Nearly all U- and S-Bahn stations now have electronic signs that display the expected arrival of the next train (and its direction), based on sensors along the lines.

Design-wise, U-Bahn stations are about as diverse as you'd expect for a system that started operations when the Kaiser reigned and has been expanded in phases of overflowing as well as empty municipal coffers. Quite a handful of stations built before World War II were designed by the Swedish architect Alfred Grenander (died 1931) whose designs are much lauded and who included some useful features like having each station dominated by a certain color which - where it is still visible to the untrained eye - helps in quickly recognizing a station. From the mid 1960s to mid 1990s most stations built in West Berlin were designed by Rainer G. Rümmler (1929-2004) who gave each station a much more individual look compared to Grenander who preferred to vary only small details like the color of the tiles. There are of course other stations, designed by other architects and for the new U5 extension station "Museumsinsel" a rather grandiose design has been chosen that will surely impress visitors when the station opens.

By tram (streetcar)

The trams (Straßenbahn) are mostly found in East Berlin, as the West Berlin tram network was shut down in the 1960s in an effort to make the city more car friendly. If you don't already have a ticket, you can buy one inside the tram. Since reunification there has been a gradual "reconquista" of areas once served by trams in West-Berlin and in some parts of Mitte it is hard to tell from trams alone where the wall used to be. In outlying districts of West Berlin, however, trams are still nowhere to be found - in stark contrast to the East, where they provide much needed access to planned bedroom communities from East German times. The red-red-green coalition sworn in in 2016 has stated a firm commitment towards more trams and there are plans to expand and improve the network before the end of the parliamentary term in 2021.

There are two types of tram. Metrotrams usually have a 24/7 schedule as well as higher frequencies during daytimes, although stops are more spread out. Metrotrams are marked by an "M" in front of their line number (e.g., M10). "Regular" trams stop more frequently and even incorporate picturesque single-track rides through forested areas far east of the Mitte district.

Despite being called "tram" the network has almost all characteristics of light rail and new lines are always built with their own right of way, making travel times faster than by bus. Even compared to some other trams in other German cities, the newest generation of Berlin trams have impressive acceleration, so take care when boarding and try to get a seat or hold onto something, especially if you're not sure on your feet.

By Bus

Berlin's buses are a very important form of public transportation, as they complement the light rail systems wherever they were removed (trams in the West) or remain incomplete. Due to the heavy loads and demands of narrow streets, Berlin is one of the few cities in Europe to use double-decker buses extensively - over 400 of the 1400 buses in operation in Berlin are double-deckers. A ride in a Berlin double-decker should be on the to-do list of every first-time visitor to Berlin. Unlike other world cities, you should not flag down buses at stops in Berlin, even if there are multiple routes serving the stop. Some drivers may consider it an insult to their professionalism. A frequent problem with buses, particularly busy lines during rush hour and especially in the West (where they have to cope with levels of patronage more common for light rail lines) is bunching. As many buses come every five minutes during busy times, the first bus will get most of the passengers, meaning the bus behind catches up, which means the second bus gets even less passengers catching up even more, until finally two or three buses come a minute apart or even at the same time and then no bus comes for 15 minutes despite a nominal 5 minute headway. BVG are rather self-deprecating about the issue but aside from building new tram lines there is very little that can be done about it. Boarding fast and getting away from the door area is the best you can do to mitigate the issue.