Travel

Conference Location

Kosmos
Karl-Marx-Allee 131a
10243 Berlin

The venue (google map) is near Frankfurter Tor station (U5 subway and M10 tram).

Please see below for information on construction work on the U5 line which impacts the area between Alexander Platz and Strausberger Platz - this concerns anyone staying in a hotel on Alexander Platz or to the west of Alexander Platz.

Arriving to Berlin

We’re delighted to have you in what we call home, the city of Berlin. Berlin has a long history, some of it is still quite visible if you know what to look for. The most recent and visible piece of history is of course the division of Berlin during the cold war. The conference venue is located in old East Berlin, a fact that is hard to miss looking at the houses around Kosmos.

The city is also quite spread out and it’s difficult to define a single city centre, each borough (or Kiez) has it’s own characteristic feel. You will most likely arrive at one of the two airports in the city, Tegel in the north - in what used to be the French sector - or Schönefeld in the south in what used to be the Soviet sector. The two airports are at least an hour apart from each other, so when you leave make sure to go to the correct one.

  • Flughafen Tegel, 13405 Berlin link
  • Flughafen Schönefeld, 12521 Berlin link

The easiest way to get around the city is the public transport (BVG) that consists of busses, trams (only in old East Berlin) and an underground (U-Bahn) and overground (S-Bahn) train network (as well as a few ferries but you probably won’t have to worry about those). Taxis in all of Germany all tightly regulated, and as a result clean, reliable and at least in Berlin not very expensive. All taxis have a meter and are clearly marked with a yellow taxi sign on the roof. Be sure to have cash to pay for your fare.

Taxi, estimated fares to the venue:

Calculate your individual taxi fare estimation here.

Public Transport (BVG) to the venue: Airport Tegel: 2,70 € (ca. 55 min) (A/B zone) Airport Schönefeld: 3,30 € (ca. 40-50 min) (A/B/C zone) Don't forget to validate your ticket!

If you have a smartphone you can download the BVG app FahrInfo Plus from the app store for you platform, and purchase tickets through the app (data connection required).

Public Transportation within Berlin

You can get almost anywhere by using the U-Bahn (subway), S-Bahn (suburban railway), bus or tram. A single ticket is needed for all public transport services within Berlin. There are three zones in the Berlin area: A, B and C. An A/B ticket is enough for almost all trips (including to Tegel), but if you’re flying in or out of Schönefeld you will need and ABC ticket.

All tickets can be purchased at ticket machines located on platforms and stops, make sure you have enough cash, the machines do not accept foreign credit cards, and very few accept German credit cards. Prices in more detail (PDF):

  • Single tickets for short (3 stops) (Kurzstrecke: 1.70) and regular (Einzelfahrschein: 2.7 in A/B, 3.3 in ABC) trips
  • Buy single tickets in bunch of 4 (4-Fahrten-Karte) at a discount - short: 5.60, AB: 9.00.
  • Day ticket (Tageskarte): 7.0 in A/B, 7.6 in A/B/C

Conference is in A, Tegel Airport is in B, and Schönefeld Airport is in C.The innercity zone is classified as Berlin A/B. The best option is to either buy a day ticket which is valid until 4 a.m. the following morning, or a pack of 4 single trip tickets, that’s 4 individual tickets but with a discount. Tickets are valid for two hours from the time of validation.

Subway line U5 has construction work and they operate substitute bus between between U Strausberger Platz ⇄ S+U Alexanderplatz. Please plan extra time for this, and follow sign for “Ersatzbus” or “Ersatzverkehr” (Construction and interruption info for all BVG in German).

Validate your ticket before boarding an U- or S-Bahn, little white/yellow validating machines located alongside ticket machines on the platform NOT on the train. In trams and busses tickets can be validated inside the vehicle.

Plan your route:

Taxi

  • Off the street or +49-30 210101, +49-30 443322 (fare estimation)
  • For a short trip of 2km, tell the driver a “short ride (Kurzstrecke)”

New to Germany?

  • On Sundays, most stores are closed. (many restaurants are open)
  • We tip around €2 to €5 at restaurants. (unlike USA 15-20%)
  • We expect light rain and tempretures between 10-20°C (that’s 50-70°F for all you non-metric people).
  • Taxis, small restraurants, cafes, corner shops and the like rarely accept credit cards of any kind, be sure to have cash on you when you go out.

Sponsors

Become a sponsor.