AUG 22, 2018
AUG 26, 2018
By train
Since Berlin is a rather large city with many long-distance stations, there are a number of options depending on where your train comes from.
Despite most trains calling at the central station Berlin Hauptbahnhof, this is most likely not what you want - as it'd take you a good 45 minutes to get to the hotel from there.
Berlin has a ring railway around the city centre; long distance trains will usually also stop at one of the outlying stations as well. Check your schedule for details.
From all stations, you need to get on either the S41 Ring ↻ or the S42 Ring ↺ trains and get off at Sonnenallee. All tickets bearing the destination "BERLIN" are valid for the journey to Sonnenallee.
When traveling via long-distance trains we can exclusively offer you a discounted ticket. The fixed price applies to all connections, from a german train station to the convention and back, during the convention time.
Prices (one-way):
- 49,50€ (2nd class)
- 79,50€ (1st class)
Long-distance stations are:
- North (Hamburg, Rostock): Berlin Gesundbrunnen S41 Ring ↻
- South (München, Praha, Dresden, Leipzig): Berlin Südkreuz S42 Ring ↺
- East (Warszava, Frankfurt/O): Berlin Ostbahnhof, go back to Ostkreuz, then S41 Ring ↻
- West (Frankfurt a.M., Köln, Hannover): either Berlin Ostbahnhof, take any eastward S3, S5, S7 or S75 train to Ostkreuz, then change there onto S41 Ring ↻ - or leave at Berlin Hauptbahnhof and take Metrobus M41 to Sonnenallee (if your ticket includes Berlin+City travel) or purchase a 'Berlin AB' ticket and get off at Ziegrastraße (see TXL instructions for details!)
By plane
Berlin has two international airports, Tegel (TXL) and Schönefeld (SXF). The existence of a third, larger airport called BER is purely in the hallucinating mind of the Mayor of Berlin.
Currently, TXL is taking most of the load. In fact, TXL is overloaded - so be prepared for queues, and bring some extra time. SXF isn't as bad, but it's still rather inadequate for the amounts of passengers it's handling.
Tegel Airport (TXL)
TXL area map, original file as PDF
TXL is a purpose-built airport for the former West Berlin, and is on the Western side of West Berlin, whilst the Estrel is on the Eastern side of West Berlin — you get the idea, it's a trek across most of the densely populated areas of the city. A taxi from the airport to the Estrel Hotel would typically cost you anywhere between €30 and €50, depending on traffic, the type of taxi, TXL surcharge… and you'll have to deal with Berlin taxi drivers.
However, there are other, more pleasant options:
TXL has a direct bus to Berlin city centre, appropriately called "TXL". To go to the Estrel Hotel, you require a Zone 'Berlin AB' ticket, which is €2.80 in 2017.
Main Station connection map, original file as PDF
Get off the TXL bus at Washingtonplatz/
Stay on the M41 until Ziegrastraße. This is going to take another 25 to 30 minutes.
Total travel time with the TXL/M41 buses is about 1h10 to about 1h30, depending on traffic conditions, which may vary during the day.
…we told you it was a trek through the whole city, didn't we?
Schönefeld Airport (SXF)
SXF airport is located in the Southeast, just outside Berlin city limits. While it is closer to the Estrel Hotel than TXL, it also has fewer flights - mainly budget airlines and connections to Eastern European countries.
SXF connection map, original file as PDF
From Schönefeld airport, you can either take a taxi (about €20 to €25) or use the following two trains:
- S9 - leave at Treptower Park and change to the S41 Ring ↻ and get off at the next stop Sonnenallee
- S45 - leave at Neukölln and change to the S42 Ring ↺ and get off at the next stop Sonnenallee
Do not take any of the RB or RE trains, as these will bring you to destinations further away, and getting back to the hotel from there will be a nuisance.
By car
Our hotel is not inside an environmental zone, so an environment sticker is not neccessary. However, Berlin's environmental zone starts just across the bridge from the hotel, so if you want to go anywhere in the city centre it's still recommended to get one.
The Estrel Hotel is located near the junction Grenzallee/AD Neukölln of A100 and A113.
For your convenience, we have provided a local area map, courtesy of OpenStreetmap.
Parking possibilities
Parkhaus Neukölln Arcaden
- Karl-Marx-Straße 66, 12043 Berlin
- Around 2.5 km (30 minutes) walking distance
- Opening hours: Monday 5:00 – Sunday 03:00
- Limited to 650 spots
- 2 € per day
- Website
Parkhaus Rollbergstraße
- Rollbergstraße 2, 12043 Berlin
- Around 2 km (30 minutes) walking distance
- Opening hours: Monday 7:00 – Saturday 22:00
- Limited to 300 spots
- 5 € per day
- Website
Estrel Underground
- Limited to 450 spots
- First hour is free
- Second hour is 4 €, every additional hour is 1 €
- Max. 18 € per day
- Website
For more options on local transportation, check out the BVG website.
