Berlin Brandenburg Airport offers a genuine three-way choice: an excellent train connection, reliable taxis, and pre-booked transfers. The train changes the equation compared to airports without rail links.
Side-by-side comparison to city centre
| Factor | FEX train | Taxi | Pre-booked transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (1 person) | 5.00 EUR | ~55-75 EUR metered | Fixed at booking |
| Price (4 people) | 20.00 EUR | ~55-75 EUR metered | Fixed at booking |
| Journey time | 30 min to Hauptbahnhof | 30-50 min | 30-50 min |
| Door to door | No — station to station | Yes | Yes |
| Luggage handling | Self-service | Driver loads | Driver loads |
| Child seats | N/A | Rarely available | On request |
| Booking needed | No | No | Yes |
| Runs at night | Until ~midnight | 24 hours | 24 hours |
Fixed-price private transfer
BER Berlin - Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
From€71for 2 passengers
Other destinations
The train is hard to beat on value
The FEX runs every 30 minutes, takes 30 minutes to Hauptbahnhof, and costs 5.00 EUR — the Berlin ABC ticket, because the airport sits in fare zone C (VBB/BVG, from 1 January 2026). For solo travellers and couples heading to central Berlin, this is the obvious choice. You save comfortably over 50 EUR and the journey is fast and reliable. The station is directly under Terminal 1 with escalators and lifts from the arrivals level.
The S-Bahn (S9) takes longer at about 50 minutes to Alexanderplatz but serves more stops, which is useful if your hotel is near an S-Bahn station in eastern Berlin. It costs the same 5.00 EUR ABC ticket as the FEX — it is a different route, not a cheaper one, and an AB ticket will not cover it.
When a taxi wins
Taxis make sense when you have heavy luggage, are heading to an address far from a train station, or when the FEX has stopped running. Berlin taxis are metered on the published Senate tariff (4.30 EUR base plus 2.80 EUR per km for the first 3 km, 2.60 EUR per km from 3 to 7 km, and 2.10 EUR per km beyond that, plus a 1.50 EUR surcharge on all journeys from BER (Berlin Senate tariff via berlin.de)), which puts the ride from BER to most central locations at roughly 55-75 EUR before waiting time. There is no night surcharge. During off-peak hours, the trip takes about 30 minutes, matching the train.
Taxis also close the gap for groups of three or four. A metered fare of around 60 EUR split four ways is about 15 EUR per person against 5.00 EUR each on the train — more, but you get door-to-door service with your luggage in the boot.
When a transfer makes sense
Pre-booked transfers are worth the premium for specific needs: child seats, a guaranteed vehicle type (MPV or van for groups), meet-and-greet service, or very late arrivals. The driver waits in the arrivals hall, monitors your flight, and handles luggage. For business travellers or families with young children, this convenience justifies the extra cost over a taxi.
The transfer is also useful for destinations outside Berlin, such as Potsdam or locations in Brandenburg, which fall outside the Berlin taxi tariff entirely — no published fare covers them, so agree the price first or fix it at booking.
Bottom line
Take the train if you can. It is fast, cheap, and efficient. Take a taxi if you have luggage reasons or the train is not running. Book a transfer if you need specific services that taxis cannot provide. Berlin makes the choice easy because the train option is genuinely excellent.