On a train to Berlin

Joseph Hollick

Berlin's climate is continental: winters are bitingly cold, summers hot. Given the climatic changes of recent years, it’s hard to be very precise about weather patterns. One thing you can count on is that it can be bitterly cold between December and February (often below freezing) and hot in the summer in July and August. Winter is a very romantic time to visit Berlin, especially in the 4 weeks before Christmas when the Christmas street markets are in full swing. Even in the bleakness of January and February, it’s easier to evoke the cold war history of the city; and imagine you are being tailed as you walk down deserted streets! Then again, the city blossoms in spring as Berliners emerge from winter hibernation; Berlin is an amazingly green city with many streets tree-lined and lots of forest to explore. The fact is: don’t let the weather influence your timing too much - Berlin has attractions at all times of year!

Airports

There are three airports near Berlin; Tegel, 8 km northwest of Berlin, Tempelhof (a real monument) is about 8 km from Berlin and the formal eastern Berlin airport Schonefeld you find 22 km southeast from Berlin.

Berlin's three airports can all be reached by train or bus which will save you stacks on taxi fares. Berlin has an efficient network of suburban trains and buses reaching every corner of the city and the surrounding areas.

Trainstations

The main central station in Berlin is the Hauptbahnhof (former Lehrter Stadtbahnhof) opened 2006. It is located right in the middle close to the old Berlin city east of Brandenburg Gate and the new Berlin city at the Potsdamer Platz. One can reach all parts of Berlin by public transport.

You can also go to the Zoologischer Garten station which connects to the western city with lots of Hotels, or Ostbahnhof which is i the eastern part of the city close to the famous student areas Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg.