First time landing at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER)? The layout is easy to read. There is essentially one terminal (Terminal 1, with Terminal 2 a short covered walk next door), and the railway station sits right underneath it, so you reach the trains without stepping outside. The quick route into the city centre is the FEX airport express, which reaches Berlin Hauptbahnhof in about 30 minutes. One ticket covers the whole journey: an ABC ticket, around €5. If you are flying in from outside Europe, you will also meet the new EES biometric border, so leave a little slack on a first arrival. Here is the walk from your seat to the city, step by step. Fares and times are current for 2026.
Landing and finding your way around
Nearly every flight arrives at Terminal 1, a single large building under a wavy roof. A few use Terminal 2 right beside it, a short covered walk away. The terminal stacks over a few levels, and a newcomer only needs one rule of thumb: arrivals, baggage, the exits and the trains are all down, while shops and restaurants sit up on the check-in floor. Follow the signs and you will not get lost. For gates, maps and walking times, see our terminals guide.
| Level | What you’ll find there |
|---|---|
| E2 (upper) | Departures and gates (after security) |
| E1 (main) | Check-in and the Marktplatz: shops, food and services |
| E0 (ground) | Arrivals, baggage claim, exits, the taxi rank and bus stops |
| U2 (underground) | The train and S-Bahn station “Flughafen BER”, directly below Terminal 1 |
Passport control and the new EES border
Arriving from outside the Schengen area? You clear passport control first. Since April 2026 that means the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES): a face photo and fingerprints on your first entry, replacing the old passport stamp and adding a few minutes at the desk. Fly in from another Schengen country and you skip border control entirely, heading straight to the bags. How long to budget, and what the queues are actually like, is covered in our EES guide. ETIAS, the online authorisation people keep asking about, is not required yet in early 2026.
Bags, then straight down to the trains
Baggage reclaim is on the arrivals level (E0), just past border control. Collect your case, walk through the doors, and you are in the arrivals hall, with taxis and buses waiting outside. Here is what makes BER painless for a newcomer: the station is downstairs in the same building (level U2). Follow the little train symbols down and you reach the platform with no roads to cross, no shuttle and no weather. Travelling light makes it simplest of all. If you are hauling everything, there is staffed luggage storage in the terminal, which beats dragging a case around the city.
The ABC ticket trap (and how to avoid a fine)
This is the part newcomers get wrong. Berlin divides its network into zones A, B and C. The airport sits in zone C, while the centre is in zones A and B, so the ticket you need is an ABC ticket. A single fare is about €5 in 2026 and is valid on the train, S-Bahn, bus and tram for the whole ride. Buy a cheaper AB ticket by mistake and it will not cover the airport zone, which is how visitors end up fined.
Get yours from the red-and-yellow VBB/BVG machines on the station level (cards and cash, with an English menu) or in the BVG app. One local habit is worth knowing: validate a paper ticket in the small stamping box on the platform before you board. If you would rather skip tickets altogether, a fixed-price private transfer or taxi takes you door to door, and for a few days of sightseeing the Berlin WelcomeCard bundles travel with attraction discounts.
Getting from the airport to the city centre
From the platform under Terminal 1 you have several good options. The standout is the FEX, a direct train to Berlin Hauptbahnhof in roughly half an hour, twice an hour. The S-Bahn (lines S9 and S45) is slower but turns up constantly and reaches the eastern half of the city, and regional trains stop here too. For every option set side by side with live times, see our full Berlin Airport to city centre guide.
| Option | To the centre | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| FEX (Airport Express) | ~30 min to Hauptbahnhof | ~€5 (ABC ticket) | Fastest to the main station |
| S-Bahn (S9 / S45) | ~40–50 min | ~€5 (ABC ticket) | Frequent; reaches many districts |
| Regional train (RE / RB) | ~30–40 min | ~€5 (ABC ticket) | Direct to several stations |
| Taxi | ~45–60 min | ~€60–70 | Door to door, late hours, heavy bags |
| Private transfer | ~45–60 min | Fixed (see calculator) | Groups, no ticket fuss |
First-timer tips and common mistakes
A few habits make the first arrival smoother. Buy an ABC ticket, not AB; it is the single most common slip. Validate the paper ticket, or it counts for nothing. Read the platform board rather than guessing, because FEX, regional and S-Bahn services share the same tracks and the next train is not always yours. Landing after midnight? The trains thin out, but the night network keeps the airport connected, and if you are tired a taxi is the simplest call. Do not go hunting for a cash machine on the way out either, because Berlin takes cards almost everywhere, ticket machines included. For live flight information and the basics, there is our arrivals page.
Sources
- Berlin Brandenburg Airport (official site)
- VBB: tickets and fare zones
- German Federal Police: EES at the border
Fares, times and border procedures verified in June 2026 but can change; confirm with the official sources before you travel. This is an independent guide and is not affiliated with the airport.
