Berlin 2026

[MattyH]

Hello, there are a couple of vintage threads but can I ask which lines in Berlin are decent to ride and look out of windows at interesting things in Berlin? Going early May.

 

[The exile]

Well, for looking out at (generally) interesting things, the Stadtbahn through the middle is hard to beat!

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

If you're lucky you can try the new S15 line between Hauptbahnhof and Gesundbrunnen. Was supposed to open two days ago (and also in early 2025, and also...), but opening was postponed at last minute. They still say "first half of 2026" though

 

[StephenHunter]

If you want something a bit different and heritage - the line from Lichtenberg to Kostrzyn connects to a 600v DC overhead heritage line.

Startseite - Buckower Kleinbahn e.V.

www.buckower-kleinbahn.de

The small town of Buckow lies on the shores of Lake Schermützel in a valley basin surrounded by the rolling hills of the "Märkische Schweiz" (Brandenburg Switzerland) and eight other lakes. Since July 26, 1897, a 5-kilometer railway line has connected the two towns of Buckow and Dahmsdorf near Müncheberg on the Berlin-Küstrin line. Originally opened as a 750mm narrow-gauge railway, it became a full-gauge line on May 15, 1930, a state-of-the-art electric railway at the time. The narrow-gauge line had become too small for the burgeoning day tourism and the large numbers of visitors of that era. Its capacity limits had long been exceeded. The small railway had to be replaced by a "proper" railway. Regular passenger service ended on September 27, 1998. However, since September 14, 2002, passenger trains have once again been running between Müncheberg and Buckow, now under the management of our association. Perhaps our website will encourage you to visit us in person. We look forward to your visit.

 

[30907]

Berlin's railways wouldn't normally class as scenic, but there are some decent rural tramlines in the Eastern suburbs which are covered by the zones ABC day ticket, Woltersdorf being the most interesting IMO.

 

[The Pelican]

A core feature of Berlin is a western half with lots of U bahns and two trams and an Eastern half with lots of trams and two U bahns. No other city has preserved it's tram system in one half, and modernised it away to an underground in the other half. That provides a great contrast between the two halves. Somewhere like Warschauer Strasse is a really classic tram street, with routes to a wide variety of places. Similarly, Nollendorfplatz or Wittembergplatz are impressive U bahn junctions, equivalent to Earls Court or Finsbury Park on the London tube. But neither of those two systems covers every part of the city.

The U bahn in general is particularly historic, sharing a division between smaller and larger trains with the London Underground, and with some attractive elevated stations.

Similarly, the history of how the city went from having a London or Paris (or Moscow, Chicago) style ring of termini to one east west line and one north south line for long distance trains is really interesting.

 

[k-c-p]

The tram lines Rahnsdorf-Woltersdorf and Friedrichshagen-Schöneiche-Rüdersdorf are worth a visit due to the mix of rolling stock in use.

 

[The exile]

Berlin's railways wouldn't normally class as scenic, but there are some decent rural tramlines in the Eastern suburbs which are covered by the zones ABC day ticket, Woltersdorf being the most interesting IMO.

Though it’s now got brand new trams (boo hoo!).

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Apr 2026 ==

A core feature of Berlin is a western half with lots of U bahns and two trams and an Eastern half with lots of trams and two U bahns. No other city has preserved it's tram system in one half, and modernised it away to an underground in the other half. That provides a great contrast between the two halves. Somewhere like Warschauer Strasse is a really classic tram street, with routes to a wide variety of places. Similarly, Nollendorfplatz or Wittembergplatz are impressive U bahn junctions, equivalent to Earls Court or Finsbury Park on the London tube. But neither of those two systems covers every part of the city.

The U bahn in general is particularly historic, sharing a division between smaller and larger trains with the London Underground, and with some attractive elevated stations.

Similarly, the history of how the city went from having a London or Paris (or Moscow, Chicago) style ring of termini to one east west line and one north south line for long distance trains is really interesting.

Have a look at some of the Underground stations on the line down to Krumme Lanke. Really palatial - built by the then independent municipality of Charlottenburg on an “anything you can do, we can do posher” basis.

 

[rvdborgt]

I can also recommend the tram line from Köpenick to Alt-Schmöckwitz.

 

[bluegoblin7]

Though it’s now got brand new trams (boo hoo!).

Both Woltersdorf and Schoeneiche are still worth a visit - at Woltersdorf there have been several days recently operated exclusively by the legacy Gothawagen T57s due to ongoing teething issues with the Moderus Gammas. It’s also not unusual to see a T57 out in the evening covering either the Berliner Platz shorts or meal breaks later at night. Whilst without the charm of the T57s, the Gammas are still worth a visit due to their quirkiness - modern, low-floor vehicles but with only a single section.

Schoeniche are pressing on with the introduction of the ex-Heidelberg Duewags pressing on. There’s often still a Tatra KTNF6 out most days although the variety is much removed from a few years ago.

The third of the ‘little’ tramways, Strausberg, is also worth a visit, particularly for the unique electric trolley-powered ferry. This sits outside the D-ticket but is novel. All three of the eastern systems can easily be done in a day, and explored well too.

 

[The Pelican]

Potsdam also has an interesting tram system, similar to the small systems in quite a few East German cities. It has a nice loop around one of the squares in the centre. Friedrichshagen had an independant tram system which then got connected to Köpenick's, which then got connected to the Berlin system, so it's a good question if the Berlin and Potsdam systems will ever connect! Potsdam was part of East Germany, but just outside West Berlin, which means that it would have been hard to connect it to the Berlin system during the cold war!

 

[StephenHunter]

Potsdam also has an interesting tram system, similar to the small systems in quite a few East German cities. It has a nice loop around one of the squares in the centre. Friedrichshagen had an independant tram system which then got connected to Köpenick's, which then got connected to the Berlin system, so it's a good question if the Berlin and Potsdam systems will ever connect! Potsdam was part of East Germany, but just outside West Berlin, which means that it would have been hard to connect it to the Berlin system during the cold war!

Speaking of railways and the Wall, the Palace of Tears at Friedrichstrasse is well worth visiting.

Tränenpalast

The Tränenpalast (The Palace of Tears) at the East Berlin Friedrichstraße Station gives an emotional look into life during the division Germany and the consequences hereof.

www.visitberlin.de

Parting tears. This is what the partition of Germany meant for many Berliners and their personal stories can be found in the Tränenpalast.
Exiting the GDR. Checking in in the hall at Friedrichstraße railway station. Luggage and passport control. It sounds so rational and bureaucratic but means much more: leaving friends and family, tearful goodbyes – which is how the Tränenpalast acquired its nickname.
Immediately after the construction of the Berlin Wall, the GDR erected the check-in hall at Friedrichstraße railway station in 1962. It was used for passengers crossing from East to West Berlin. The glass and steel pavilion was very much in keeping with the architecture of the era.
Only passengers who wished to travel to West Berlin on the S-Bahn or U-Bahn could access the Tränenpalast. Policemen checked passports and visas, customs officers checked luggage and finally passports were checked thoroughly once more before onward travel was permitted.