Getting here

Currently Berlin has two airports, Tegel (TXL) and Schönefeld (SXF). Whilst the Wall divided the city, the former used to be the main airport in the West and the latter in the East. Both airports are scheduled to close at some point in the future to be replaced by the new Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (BER) – the latest estimate is late 2016 or early 2017. Unfortunately this new and ultra-modern airport was scheduled to open in 2010 but has been plagued by all sorts of delays. For now, it gleams, unused, across from Schönefeld.

Tegel is convenient for its closeness to the city centre, as it is literally minutes from the heart of Berlin. Being a small airport is also easy to navigate and perfect if you are in a hurry. Main airlines like British Airways or EuroWings (part of Lufthansa) are based here. If arriving at Tegel you can take one of the public buses 109 (or the express X9) to Zoologischer Garten (Zoo) or the TXL JetExpress to Hauptbahnhof, Alexanderplatz and Brandenburg Gate. Alternative a taxi is a viable alternative, being so close to the city centre.

Schönefeld is where the low-cost airlines are based and it’s a fair distance to the south-east of the city. The best way of getting to the centre from the airport is to use the regional train that stops about 200 mts from the terminal; you can catch an RE7, RE14 or RE22 service to Berlin Hauptbahnhof (every 30 minutes – 30 minutes journey) and onwards to Alexanderplatz and Zoo (about 45-50 minutes journey). A taxi will set you back at least €40-45 depending on traffic and location.