Berlin is a large, sprawling city, and sooner or later you'll need to use its efficient, if expensive, public transport system. The fastest part of this is the S-Bahn , which shares with mainline trains the distinctive elevated tracks which cut right through the heart of the city. There are also some underground stretches in the centre, while in the outskirts it runs at ground level. As its name implies, the U-Bahn , whose stations are generally much closer together, is predominantly an underground system, but also has some elevated track. Free coloured maps of Berlin's Schnellbahnnetz (the entire network of S-Bahn, U-Bahn and mainline trains) can be picked up from the cubicle outside Bahnhof Zoo, and from the kiosks on station platforms. Buses cover most of the areas which cannot be reached by train, and also provide handy linkages: #100 and #200, which run between Bahnhof Zoo and Alexanderplatz, are particularly useful for sightseeing purposes. Eastern Berlin's tram network survives from prewar days, and has been extensively modernized in the last few years.

Tickets and passes
Tickets are valid on all forms of transport within the system, including regional mainline trains, and can be bought from the orange-coloured machines at the entrances to all U- and S-Bahn stations, and from manned kiosks at the larger stations. The...
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