Transportation

Searching for a place to live is one of the greatest ways to get to know a new city and how to navigate it. I have taken buses, trams, metros and trains all around Berlin. I now know the difference between the

The DB trains — go over ground, are fairly fast and go longer distances

the U bahn trains — go underground and are similar to the metro in Washington DC,

the S Bahn trains — go over ground and are slower than the DB trains

The tram — is yellow, goes over ground in the middle of the street with the cars

Buses – self-explanatory

Tickets – The idea with tickets is the honesty policy. You are supposed to buy a ticket, stamp it in the date stamping machine before you ride any mode of transportation. One great thing is if you buy a day ticket or a “Tageskarte,” it is good for all modes of transportation.

Today I learned that if you buy a ticket, it is only good for that day (When you buy a ticket, the date you purchase the ticket is printed on the top. Unless you buy a ticket specifically for another day, in which case that date is printed at the top.) Every so often, and it is more often than not, authorized personnel will come through the train, bus, tram or U/S bahn and check your tickets. If you are caught without a ticket it is 40 Euro. (A typical day pass is 7 Euro.) The man checking tickets, pointed to the incorrect date atop my ticket, and then ripped it up and gave me a very sad look. Luckily I was with a German friend who explained that I had know idea what I was doing, and I bought too many day tickets a few days prior.