GERMANY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 646

• The €1.40 short-ride ticket (Kurzstrecke) covers a single ride of six bus stops or three
subway stations (one transfer allowed).
•The€8.20 four-trip ticket (4-Fahrten-Karte) isthesameasfourbasicticketsatasmall
discount.
• The day pass (Tageskarte) is good until 3:00 the morning after it expires (€6.30 for
zones AB). For longer stays, consider a seven-day pass ( Sieben-Tage-Karte; €27.20 for
zones AB), or the WelcomeCard (described below), which is good for up to five days and
also includes sightseeing discounts. The Kleingruppenkarte lets groups of up to five travel
all day (€15 for zones AB).
•Ifyou'vealreadyboughtaticketforzonesAandB,andlaterdecidethatyoualsowant
to go to zone C, you can buy an “extension ticket” (Anschlussfahrschein) for €1.50 per ride
in that zone.
• If you plan to cover a lot of ground using public transportation during a two- or three-
day visit, the WelcomeCard (available at TIs) is usually the best deal. For longer stays,
there's even a five-day option. It covers all public transportation and gives you up to 50 per-
cent discounts on lots of minor and a few major museums (including Checkpoint Charlie),
sightseeing tours (including 25 percent off the recommended Original Berlin Walks), and
music and theater events ( www.visitberlin.de/welcomecard ) . The Berlin-only option covers
transit zones AB (€17.90/48 hours, €23.90/72 hours). If you're a museum junkie, consider
the WelcomeCard+Museumsinsel (€34/72 hours), which combines travel in zones A and
B with unlimited access to the five museums on Museum Island. Families get an extra price
break: The ABC version (€36/72 hours) is valid for one adult and up to three kids younger
than 15.
Buying Tickets: You can buy U- and S-Bahn tickets from machines at stations. (They
are also sold at BVG pavilions at train stations and the TI, and on board trams and
buses—drivers give change.) Erwachsener means “adult”—anyone 14 or older. Don't be
afraidoftheautomatedmachines:Firstselectthetypeofticketyouwant,thenloadthecoins
or paper bills. As you board the bus or tram, or enter the subway system, punch your ticket
in a red or yellow clock machine to validate it (or risk a €40 fine—which may increase to
€200 in 2014; for an all-day or multiday pass, stamp it only the first time you ride). Be sure
to travel with a valid ticket. Tickets are checked frequently, often by plainclothes inspect-
ors. Within Berlin, Eurailpasses are good only on S-Bahn connections from the train station
when you arrive and to the station when you depart.
TransitTips: TheS-Bahncrosstownexpressisariverofpublictransitthroughtheheart
of the city, in which many lines converge on one basic highway. Get used to this, and you'll
leap within a few minutes between key locations: Savignyplatz (hotels in western Berlin),
Bahnhof Zoo (Ku'damm, bus #100), Hauptbahnhof (all major trains in and out of Berlin),
Friedrichstrasse (a short walk north of the heart of Unter den Linden), Hackescher Markt