Germany: City Transport

City Bus Travel in Germany

There are extensive municipal bus services in the major cities, mostly integrated with the U-Bahn (subway) S-Bahn (suburban trains) and trams.

Some cities such as Berlin, Munich and Hamburg run all-night services.

Bus and tram stops are marked by a green "H" (for Haltestelle) and display the name of the stop, bus numbers and destinations, a map of the city transport network and timetables. There are fewer services on weekends and national holidays.

In Berlin the double-decker number #100 and #200 buses pass many of the city's main tourist attractions.

Travel cards are usually valid for buses, trams, U-Bahn and S-Bahn.
Purchase tickets from ticket machines at bus stops or pay single fares to the driver as you get on and enter your ticket or travel pass in the validating machine.

There are on-the-spot fines for non-compliance and traveling without a valid ticket issued by (usually plainclothes) ticket inspectors.

Bus Travel to Germany

For full details of international bus and coach services from the UK and other countries to Germany see our extensive Buses to Germany section.

Trams

As well as buses, trams (streetcars) run in many cities, both above and below ground (where they are also called U-Bahn).

Cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Nuremberg have separate metro-style subway networks running distinct underground trains rather than trams.

Stuttgart has both a separate, distinct subway system with trains that run above and below ground (train numbers prefaced by 'U') and also trams that run above/below ground.

Ticketing procedure for trams is the same for buses: purchase tickets from ticket machines at tram stops or pay single fares to the driver as you get on and enter your ticket or travel pass in the validating machine.

Trams run only in the eastern side of Berlin.

City Rail Travel in Germany U-Bahn S-Bahn

Most large German cities have a well-integrated network of underground subways (U-Bahn) and suburban, commuter trains (S-Bahn) - short for Schnellbahn.

In general, rail passes such as the Eurail Pass are valid on the S-Bahn but not on the U-Bahn. The average price of a single ticket is usually around 2 Euros across Germany but one-day, three-day or weekly passes or special discount cards such as the Berlin WelcomeCard represent much better value for travelers and are valid on all forms of public transport.

Changing from S-Bahn to U-Bahn lines and vice versa can be a little confusing as the platforms are often on different levels.

Look out for the signs of station entrances at street level: a white 'S' on a green background for S-Bahn and a white 'U' on a dark blue background for U-Bahn.

The honor system ticketing procedure for trains is the same as other means of urban transport: purchase tickets from ticket machines at stations or at your hotel and enter your ticket or travel pass in the red validating machine.

There are on-the-spot fines for non-compliance and traveling without a valid ticket issued by ticket inspectors. Children up to 6 travel free and those under 14 at a reduced rate.

Rail Travel to Germany

For full details of international train services from the UK and other countries to Germany see our extensive Trains to Germany section.

Taxi

Taxis are often cream colored Mercedes in Germany with flag fall (Grundtarif) anything up to 2.50 Euros and around 1.30-1.50 Euros per kilometer. Taxis can be hailed on the street, picked up at designated taxi ranks or booked by telephone. The 'Taxi' sign on the car roof is illuminated if the cab is free.

Rates can be higher at weekends or for journeys outside city limits. It is possible to flag down a moving taxi and ask for a Kurzstrecke (short trip), for which you pay 3 Euros for a ride of 2km.