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Berlin’s largest airport is situated a mere 8 km (5 miles) to the north-west of the city centre. Though it is a relatively small airport, Lufthansa, Deutsche BA, British Airways, KLM, Air France, Iberia and Alitalia and others all operate direct flights here. There are no intercontinental flights to Berlin. A taxi from the airport to Ku’damm costs around €13 and takes about 20–30 minutes (depending on traffic). Less expensive and nearly as fast is the journey by bus – Nos X09 or 109 (about €2.10) stop everywhere in the centre.

Located approximately 20 km (12 miles) southeast of Berlin, in Brandenburg province, this airport is served by charter and East European airlines. S-Bahn lines S9 or S45 will take you directly to the city centre. A taxi trip from Schönefeld is not recommended because it is too far out of town.

The small historic city airport south of Kreuzberg provides regional connections to medium-sized German towns and to Scandinavia. From Flughafen Tempelhof take U-Bahn line U6 from Platz der Luftbrücke station or bus No. 119 to Ku’damm.

Lufthansa has an office downtown on Ku’damm, while other airlines like Deutsche BA have ticket offices at Tegel airport.

Most long-distance trains from Germany and Western Europe arrive at Bahnhof Zoo in the western part of the centre. There are excellent connections from this station to other parts of town by S- and U-Bahn, and taxis are always waiting at the taxi ranks outside the station.

Ostbahnhof is the point of arrival from Eastern Germany or Eastern Europe. S-Bahn lines S5 and S7 will take visitors straight to the main Bahnhof Zoo station.

Trains from Southern and Eastern Europe arrive at this station, and many through trains from the West stop here, too. This is the best place to arrive if your final destination is in the eastern part of the city.

The coach station near Funkturm in Charlottenburg offers fast and inexpensive coach connections to all German and European cities.

If you’re travelling to Berlin by car, you will have to get there via Berliner Stadtring, an orbital motorway around the city. From the north you will reach the city motorway on the A111 motorway via Stolpe in the direction of Autobahndreieck Funkturm; from the south you will reach the centre on the A115 – the famous Avus motorway.

The speed limit on the orbital Berliner Ring is mostly 100 km/h (62.5 miles per hour); on the urban motorways in Berlin you are limited to 80–100 km/h (50–62.5 miles per hour). There are frequent radar checks.