Berlin Hotels

Tipping

Service charges are usually added to restaurant and hotel bills in Berlin, thus making tipping unnecessary. It is standard to tip taxi drivers, usually 5-10% of the fare.

Transportation Air

Berlin has three major airports: Tegel Airport, Tempelhof Airport and Schönefeld Airport.
Tegel Airport is situated in northwest Berlin, approximately eight kilometers (five miles) from the city center. This airport primarily serves Western European destinations and North American destinations. Buses to various destinations leave every 5 to 10 minutes. A taxi rank is situated immediately outside the arrivals' hall. The traveling time for the bus as well as a taxi is around 30 minutes.
Tempelhof Airport is located five kilometers (three miles) from the city. The airport is adjacent to the U-Bahn station (the station is called Platz der Luftbrücke and not Tempelhof.) with quick connections of 10 to 20 minutes to the city center. Day buses stop near the airport, and night buses depart from Platz der Luftbrücke. Taxis are available in front of the main hall.
Schönefeld Airport lies 24 kilometers (15 miles) from the city. Schönefeld used to be the primary airport for East Berlin and now handles flights mainly to Eastern Europe and Asia, as well as many charter flights to sun destinations.
The easiest way to get to the city is with the AirportExpress Schönefeld train. The train departs every 30 minutes (from Monday to Friday between 05.10 and 01.40 and on Saturday and Sunday between 05.40 and 01.40) and stops at four stations in East Berlin before terminating at Bahnhof Zoo. A free shuttle bus, departing daily from 04.30 to 23.30, connects the airport and the station. The station is also served by S-Bahn trains and some mainline and local rail services. Taxis are available 24 hours a day. The journey time for trains and taxi's is approximately 30 minutes.

Public Transport

Berlin is a city of great distances, making the U-Bahn (subway) and S-Bahn (commuter rail) ideal ways to travel. Most of the lines operate between 05.00-00.30, with some running throughout the night. Day tickets are available for frequent use. It is important to stamp your ticket before traveling by a validating machine found on all platforms. The tickets can also be used on buses.
Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) runs comprehensive and efficient rail services, including high-speed InterCityExpress (ICE) trains. Berlin is part of this InterCityExpress (ICE) network, with fast trains to various destinations. Supplements are payable on ICE, IC and EC trains. Daily, there are 60 different connections to the neighboring European countries which originate in Germany.
The main and busiest station in Berlin is the Bahnhof Berlin Zoologischer Garten (Bahnhof Zoo), which is located at Hardenbergplatz 11, in the Western center of the city. Facilities include a travel center (open daily from 06.00 to 22.00), tourist information, post office, bank, restaurant, buffet, café, shops, florist, newsagents and left-luggage. The other major mainline stations are Bahnhof Lichtenberg, Weitlingstrasse 22 and Ostbahnhof, Am Ostbahnhof 9 in East Berlin.

Car

Germany is covered by an excellent and extensive system of motorways (named 'A' for Autobahn) and major roads (prefixed 'B'). There are no tolls or speed limits on the Autobahnen but a maximum of 130kph (81mph) is recommended. The main roads leading to Berlin fare the A24 (from Hamburg), A2 (from Hanover), A9 (from Leipzig and Munich), A13 (from Dresden) and A12 (from the Polish border). Autobahn 10 is an orbital motorway that circles the entire city. Parking can be problematic on Saturday, particularly in the shopping areas. Leaded petrol is unavailable; unleaded petrol with a lead additive can be found at some petrol stations.

Weather

During the summer daytime temperatures reach a pleasant 23 degrees Celsius (74 degrees Fahrenheit) and rainfall is minimal. The winters are cold but rarely extreme and even though snowfall is common throughout most of Germany, it doesn't often cause any inconvenience in Berlin.

Banks

Banks can be found on almost every corner in Berlin. Normal business hours are 9:00am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday; some of them have longer hours on Thursdays. Most of the banks in the city have 24-hours ATM’s. The exchange rate at the ATM’s is very good, so the only extra fee you'll pay is whatever your bank at home charges for international withdrawals

Currency The currency used in Germany is the Euro. Notes come in denominations of €100, €50, €20, €10 and €5 and the coins in use are €2, €1, 0.50C, 0.20C, 0.10C, 0.05C, 0.02C and 0.01C.