So, I didn't want to interrupt the interesting discussion on when the new BER will actually open, so I hope you don't mind me starting a new thread to ask my question.

I'm scheduled to fly into Berlin in late June on Aeroflot from Moscow. I originally bought the ticket assuming this would be the new airport, but obviously now that's not going to happen. The problem is that I need to catch a train rather quickly after landing, and I don't know where I'm going to be.

Aeroflot's website is not helpful (it seems to assume I'll be in the new airport), and my ticket says BER, so again, no help. Wikipedia lists Aeroflot as one of the airlines that uses Sch�nefeld, so that's the best clue I've found.

If anyone happens to have flown Aeroflot into Berlin recently, or knows which airport they fly to, I'd be greatly obliged to have that confirmed. Also, it seems a fairly easy walk over to the bahnhof to catch the train? Has anyone done that and can tell me what my odds are of catching a train within an hour and a half of landing (with 2 kids and a big suitcase or two - not good, I'm sure ).

Thanks in advance for any help!

no matter which airport you fly into you will have access to public transport. Tegel has buses that run to Zoologischer Garten is a pretty major stop, and Schoenfeld has an SBahn that goes into Hauptbahnoff via an Airport Express...it's pretty tough to get lost so either way you will be fine.

Hopefully it is Tegel...it's the easiest airport to operate in (in the world) and you will be in Mitte from there with bus and subway in 45 minutes

PS, if you are staying at a hotel in the east you might want to consider a cab which is pretty affordable and trumps the inconvenience of two kids, train station and large suitcase. the public transport is best when it's a carry on situation....(IMHO)

The last time I was at SXF, Aeroflot was flying out of there. You can go to the website for Berlin's airports and look up the flight schedules for the cities served. You didn't mention where it is that you are going on the train? If it's using a IC or ICE train, then
your choices are generally limited to the Hauptbahnhof and either the Sudkreuz/ Gesundbrunnen or Spandau/Ostbahnhof extensions. SXF only has regional train service that will take you to the Ostbahnhof and Hauptbahnhof stations. But whatever you do, avoid using the S-Bahn trains out of SXF.

According to the Aeroflot website, they currently fly out of Sch�nefeld. I strongly suspect they will continue to do that until the new airport opens.

The train station at Sch�nefeld is about 300 meters from the terminal building. You shouldn't need more than 10 minutes to get there.

There used to be many direct trains from Sch�nefeld to the main station (Hauptbahnhof), but there don't seem to be any now. Most train journesy require one connection. Even with this connection, the time needed to get from Sch�nefeld to the Hauptbahnhof is approx. 45 minutes. Trains run about every 10 minutes. For more details on this, check out the railroad website, http://www.bahn.de/i/view/overseas/en/index.shtml.

I am not sure why Fanjet warned against the S-Bahn trains. They are indeed local trains, stopping at every station, but because of the way the schedule is now set up, getting a normal train won't save you more than 10 minutes. And the regular trains don't run nearly as often as the S-Bahn.

If you post your details: arrival date, time, and final destination, we could better estimate your chances!

Why???

Of the major long distance railway stations, both Ostbahnhof and Suedkreuz are closer to SXF than Berlin main station. Worth checking if your reserved/preferred train runs calls at either station.

Wow, thanks for all the help. This must be the most helpful forum for newbies ever!

Anyway, I think I've confirmed that it's SXF (though I will give a huge to expedia's customer service reps on that score, one of whom insisted that I would be flying into the new BER, much to my amusement).

Perhaps I should have been clearer in my OP; I'm actually trying to catch a long-distance train across Germany. My flight lands at 17:10, and the deutschebahn website lists a train leaving Berlin-Sch�nefeld Flughafen (I presume that's the station at the SXF that david7031 referred to?) at 18:50.

So, I'm a bit pessimistic, but is there anyone out there who thinks that I might have a shot at getting me, my wife and two boys out of the plane, grabbing our bags from the check, hopefully walking right through customs and right over to the train station and catching a train west towards Hannover in 1 hour and 40 minutes?

If I miss the 18:50 train, the next option is at 20:22, and that puts me pulling into my final destination past 1 am (not something likely to make for happy 5 year-olds). I suppose we'll do that if we have to, but I'm wondering if we have any shot at the earlier train, and thought maybe someone on here who has done it could give me a guess at my odds.

The other option is taking a taxi straight into town to the Berlin Hbf, skipping the airport link. That train leaves at 19:48 from the Berlin Hbf, and is the same one I'd be on if I get the train at the aiport at 18:50. Would my chances of that be better (17:10 to 19:48 from airport to Berlin Hbf)?

Thanks again for being SO helpful, in advance this time. Oh, and while I'm at it, has anyone actually done Germany by train? Do I really need to prebook the train tickets online, or am I OK doing it when I get there (I don't want to prebook and then miss the train, obviously)? Promise I'll stop bugging all of you now.

If the train system runs normally, this should be easy.

It depends. If you want to get a cheap rate (which is bound to a specific train) you have to book it early.
If it is more important (and I think that's the case) to be a bit more flexible, you can buy a fullflex rate anytime you want. (online, travel agent, trainstation)
It could be wise to book some seats in advance (for a small amount of money). (with a flexible ticket you can use any train but it is possible that you don't get a seat.)
It is the same issue as flying on a cheap fare vs. full flex fare.

HTH

S.

The OP is traveling with his family and transfering to an ICE train (presumably). The S-Bahn line at SXF only feeds into the Ringbahn. It doesn't feed into the main east-west line, and hasn't done so in a couple of years (ever since DB started reconstructing the Ostkreuz station). From my recollection the SXF S-Bahn ends up at Pankow station (feeding into the eastern section of the Ringbahn). And IIRC, there is a S-Bahn line during morning and afternoon rush hours that goes to the S�dkreuz station. That means he would have to transfer trains if he took the S-Bahn. IIRC, the ICE trains to Hannover start at the Ostbahnhof station and stop at the Hauptbahnhof and Spandau stations. Which is where the Regional Bahn trains go directly from SXF.

And to the OP, if your train to Hannover starts at the Ostbahnhof station, and you plan on taking a taxi instead from the airport, it will be less expensive to take a taxi there (and quicker) than going to the Hauptbahnhof. Plus, the Ostbahnhof station is much easier to navigate than the Hauptbahnhof.

That's interesting.

When I go on the bahn.de website to input, I've stated that I'd like a train leaving "Berlin-Sch�nefeld Flughafen" and arriving at my final destination (which is Bielefeld, over near Hannover).

The train I'd like to get, the 18:50 one that I'm worried I won't make, says that it's a "Regional Express" or RE train as far as Berlin Hbf, and then an ICE on to Bielefeld.

The other train, the later one that leaves at 20:22, is a "Regionalbahn" or RB train to somewhere called Berlin-Spandau, then an ICE over to Hannover, and then I have a couple of regional connections to get to Bielefeld.

I confess to being completely clueless about this. At this point I'm hoping to take the taxi in to the Berlin Hbf as a way to make this easier. However, if I have a chance to get the RE train to the same location, should I do it? Is that the same as the "S-Bahn" you refer to in your post?

I think if I'm understanding you correctly, it is not. In other words, there is an S-Bahn train that I should avoid, and instead I should get the Regional Express directly to the Berlin Hbf. Have I got that right? And if so, how do I make sure I don't screw it up? Are the trains clearly labelled as "S-Bahn" or "Regional Express" or what have you?

Thanks again for your help.

Yes, take the regional to Berlin HBF(Hauptbanhof). This is pretty much Berlin Central Station and is quite large. I believe the ICE will probably be on the bottom floor, but check the boards to see what track(Gleis) your train will be leaving from. The regionals go further outside the city than most S-Bahns. The ICE is the intercity express and stops usually only a couple times in any one city. The S-Bahns also stop a lot more, go slower, etc. etc. I take the Regional from Berlin-Spandau to Nauen to work everyday. Actually, if you took that train, you'd be on the one I take occasionally...lol. Anyways, riding the Regional is just as easy as riding an S-Bahn, just as always have your tickets ready to show if they check them.

What you should be doing is looking up trains from Berlin Ostbahnhof or Hauptbahnhof to your final destination first, then trains between SXF and your station of embarquement in Berlin.

Hi Kochevnik,

I do have a few comments here...

First of all, Schoenefeld is a small airport. You should have your baggage and be through Immigration and Customs in one hour, tops. Unless your plane is very late, you will have no problem getting to the Berlin - Schoenefeld Airport station in time for the 18:50 RE (Regional Express) train. This will take you directly to the Central Station (Hauptbahnhof or Hbf), where you will have 30 minutes to change platforms and get to your ICE train, which departs at 19:48.

As I mentioned before, the train station is a 5-minute walk from the airport terminal building. Even with small children, you should be able to do it in 15 minutes!

Now, unfortunately, the 19:48 ICE train (which departs at 19:37 from the Ostbahnhof) is the last good connection of the day. It will take you directly to Bielefeld, arriving there at 22:20.

The only other connection is the 21:07 ICE from the Hauptbahnhof (20:56 from Ostbahnhof), whcih only gets you as far as Hannover. From Hannover, you then have to take two RE trains, first from Hannover to Minden, then from Minden to Bielefeld, and you don't arrive until 1:05 in the morning. (Exception: If you are arriving in Berlin on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, that 21:07 ICE goes directly to Bielefeld.)

As far as getting from Schoenefeld to the Hauptbahnhof, there are RE trains running approx. every 30 minutes, and the trip takes approx. 30 minutes.

You didn't day exactly what date you are arriving. If you give me that info, I will give you a more exact answer, adjusted to the exact arrival date. Not all trains run daily, so this is important. If you don't want to post it here, just PM me.

I personally would not take a taxi to the Central Station, because you can run into heavy traffic, and I think the train is more certain. (Although they can also be late!) But that is my personal preference; I know some people prefer taxis. And if you take a taxi, you only have to worry about luggage once.

Those are my two cents. (Well, maybe 3 cents! )

First of all, thanks to all the extremely helpful people who answered.

If it matters, I get there on the 20th of June, which is a Wednesday. After reading the responses, I'm feeling more optimistic about my chances of making the earlier train than I was going into this whole thing.

Fanjet's point was exactly right about looking first for the long-distance train and then worrying about getting to the main Hbf on time. I should have started that way!

largeeyes' point about the bottom floor at the main HBF is useful, so thanks for that, I'll keep a lookout for where I leave from. david7031, a huge thank you for the info on the size and usual wait at customs/immigration. I recently went on a trip where I waited almost two hours just for immigration (Bangkok - it was awful!), so it's a relief to hear that something like that isn't likely. Very interesting to hear your thoughts about taxis vs RE train as well.

So, here's what I'm thinking, after processing all your input. I'm thinking of buying the tickets for the 19:48 train from Berlin HBF to Bielefeld. Flight arrives at 17:10, in an ideal world we'll be through baggage claim/customs/immigration and walking out of the airport by 18:15.

If that happens, I have an hour and a half to get to the HBF, so I'll just walk over and get on the RE. Do I have to buy a ticket ahead of time? I'm assuming I can get one on the platform.

If we're delayed somewhere along the line, then we'll have to plan on the fly. I'm guessing the thing to do if, say, I don't get out of the airport until 19:00 is to grab the first taxi we spot and try to get there on time. Alternately if there happens to be a train leaving within 10 minutes, we could do that, but I'm suspecting that if it's a longer wait than that it will be faster in the taxi. I'd rather avoid the taxi if I can because my budget is limited and that's 40 E I'd rather not spend, but if it means missing the train or catching it then obviously it's worth it.

Thanks again to everyone who posted thoughts!