VARIOUS AIRPORTS
So before you arrive in Germany you might want to know a bit about the airport that you are going to land at, there are a number of
airports that you could fly into depending on your airline and country of origin. However most people will probably fly into Berlin or one of
the small airports around Leipzig.
There are two main airports in Berlin, the Berlin Brandenburg Airport at ‘Schonefeld’ and the Berlin International Airport at Tegel
(Tempelhof is being closed down in 2008 and is no longer used for passengers). These airports are commonly known as ‘Schonefeld’
and ‘Tegel’, both airports are quite small they are not major Hub airports and not on the scale of large International Airports like
Gatwick, Heathrow or Amsterdam. There are also two small airports located near to Leipzig, they are 'Leipzig/Halle' and 'Altenburg'.
TEGEL (BERLIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT) 1 BLUE
Berliner Flughafen-Gesellschaft mbH - Flughafen Tegel - 13405 - Berlin Tegel Airport Website
Tegel is located just north west of Central Berlin. The Main terminal building is octagonal in shape, finding your gate when you depart
can be a bit of a pain as you may have to walk all the way around. There are a couple of bars where you can also get a meal, a Burger
King, a few souvenir shops and a rather nice chocolate shop. Do not rush through your gate on departure, there is only a very small duty
free shop and nothing else to do or see and not many seats, leave it to the last minute before passing through.
So before you arrive in Germany you might want to know a bit about the airport that you are going to land at, there are a number of
airports that you could fly into depending on your airline and country of origin. However most people will probably fly into Berlin or one of
the small airports around Leipzig.
There are two main airports in Berlin, the Berlin Brandenburg Airport at ‘Schonefeld’ and the Berlin International Airport at Tegel
(Tempelhof is being closed down in 2008 and is no longer used for passengers). These airports are commonly known as ‘Schonefeld’
and ‘Tegel’, both airports are quite small they are not major Hub airports and not on the scale of large International Airports like
Gatwick, Heathrow or Amsterdam. There are also two small airports located near to Leipzig, they are 'Leipzig/Halle' and 'Altenburg'.
TEGEL (BERLIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT) 1 BLUE
Berliner Flughafen-Gesellschaft mbH - Flughafen Tegel - 13405 - Berlin Tegel Airport Website
Tegel is located just north west of Central Berlin. The Main terminal building is octagonal in shape, finding your gate when you depart
can be a bit of a pain as you may have to walk all the way around. There are a couple of bars where you can also get a meal, a Burger
King, a few souvenir shops and a rather nice chocolate shop. Do not rush through your gate on departure, there is only a very small duty
free shop and nothing else to do or see and not many seats, leave it to the last minute before passing through.
- FROM AIRPORT WEBSITE
Tegel Airport is currently Berlin's busiest airport and the financial backbone of Berlin Airports. Tourists and business people
alike use Tegel both because of its central location and the attractive destinations it serves. Tegel has achieved constant growth
in recent years, processing more than 11.5 million airline passengers in 2005 alone. The airport currently handles between 400
and 500 flights per day. Tegel is an extremely popular airport, especially with the premium segment. And recently added daily
non-stop flights to New York on Delta Air Lines and Continental Airlines have had an extremely positive impact
TEGEL to BERLIN HAUPTBAHNHOF
Once you have landed and got through passport control you will need to get yourself to the train station for the trip to Leipzig.
There is a new main train station in Berlin called 'Berlin Hauptbahnhof' and a bus service runs from outside the airport to the
station. Get yourself outside and look for the Bus Stop 2, see pictures below. The number on the front of the bus is 'TXL', and it
takes about 25 minutes to reach the Berlin Hauptbahnhof. There is a ticket machine next to the bus stop (with an English
Option) it costs a couple of Euro's for the trip. If you don't have time to play with the machine simply purchase your ticket from the
driver of the bus (remember to get some small denomination notes or coins before getting on the bus, you wont make any
friends if you try and pay with a €50 note). You may need to wait for the next bus as they get very full of suitcases, another should
be along quite quickly. Outside the airport you will find a queue of Taxis, all painted light dusky yellow, if you are part of a small
group then you might find it easier to jump in a cab, The taxi option is quicker and will cost you approximately €15.
More info on the new Berlin Hauptbahnhof on this page 'Berlin to Leipzig'
LATEST INFO: The Terminals at Tegel have been re-named to help people find their way to their departure gate (see diagram
below).
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SCHONEFELD (BERLIN BRANDENBURG AIRPORT) 2 BLUE
Flughafen Berlin-Schonefeld - Berliner Flughafen-Gesellschaft mbH - 12521 - Berlin Schonefeld Airport Website
Schonefeld airport is to the south of Central Berlin. A more modern airport than Tegel although once again quite small in comparison to
Gatwick or Heathrow. You will need to get yourself upstairs if you entered from the front, here you will check in your baggage (there is a
small café located before the check in gates). However if you are flying with Easyjet then check-in is on the ground floor, head into the
Airport and turn left. I advise going through the check in gates as there are a number of shops and a better café air side. NOTE: When
you pass through pass port control ensure you take your boots off, staff here seem to be sterner and less tolerant.
Flughafen Berlin-Schonefeld - Berliner Flughafen-Gesellschaft mbH - 12521 - Berlin Schonefeld Airport Website
Schonefeld airport is to the south of Central Berlin. A more modern airport than Tegel although once again quite small in comparison to
Gatwick or Heathrow. You will need to get yourself upstairs if you entered from the front, here you will check in your baggage (there is a
small café located before the check in gates). However if you are flying with Easyjet then check-in is on the ground floor, head into the
Airport and turn left. I advise going through the check in gates as there are a number of shops and a better café air side. NOTE: When
you pass through pass port control ensure you take your boots off, staff here seem to be sterner and less tolerant.
- FROM AIRPORT WEBSITE
The developments at Schonefeld are particularly impressive, proving the decision to focus on the low-cost market was an
extremely shrewd one. The airport to the south of Berlin has awoken from its prolonged hibernation and has grown into
Germany's boom airport. In 2005, it topped the 5 million passenger mark for the very first time, making Schonefeld the most
dynamic commercial airport in Germany once again. Within three years, Schonefeld has managed to triple its annual passenger
numbers from 1.7 to over 5 million. Low-cost carriers account for more than 70 percent of the air traffic at Schonefeld.
- THE FUTURE -
BERLIN BRANDENBURG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (BBI)
The Federal Administrative Court have given the green light for the expansion of Schönefeld Airport to become the new capital
city airport Berlin Brandenburg International BBI. As of 2011 the entire air traffic for the Berlin-Brandenburg region will be
concentrated at the airport in the southeast of the city. The inner-city airports Tegel and Tempelhof will be closed as a result.
When you land / take off you will see a huge building site to the side of the runway.
SCHONEFELD to BERLIN HAUPTBAHNHOF
The arrangements at Schonefeld have changed, you used to be able to get a train straight to Leipzig from the railway station
here, however you will now need to get a bus or a local train to the Berlin Hauptbahnhof located in Central Berlin. If you travel to
Leipzig from here you may have a 3-4 hour journey and various change somewhere. For a quicker trip down to Leipzig get
yourself up to Berlin and jump on the ICE train.
- To find the railway station head outside to see the covered walkway that leads the short distance to the railway station, there is a
ticket office, a couple of ticket machines and a café in the station.
I advise taking the short trip to Berlin by Regional Express (30 minutes and at a cost of €2.80) changing train to the ICE and the
one hour 15 minute trip to Leipzig. The new station in Berlin could not be easier to navigate, you will arrive on the top level, if you
look over the edge (down 3 floors) you will see that on the bottom level there are more platforms, get yourself down there as all
the ICE trains will leave from the bottom platforms (probably Platform 4).
More info on the new Berlin Hauptbahnhof on this page 'Berlin to Leipzig'
The Taxi option is available from the front of the Airport, look for the light dusky yellow cabs, the fare to Berlin Hauptbahnhof is
about €30-€40 if you are part of a group its just as cheap and far easier to use the taxis. For larger groups head to the nearest 8
seater taxi (this may piss a few taxi drivers off, especially if they are in front, but you are entitled to do this, apparently!)
ALTENBURG - NOBITZ AIRPORT 3 BLUE
Flugplatz Altenburg-Nobitz GmbH - Am Flughafen 1 - 04603 - Nobitz Altenburg Airport Website
Leipzig Altenburg is the smallest airport I have ever been too, its ex military, look for the aircraft hangers as you land. However you may
not have time as you may find yourself screaming, as the aircraft lands it will slam its breaks on very hard, due to the shortness of the
runway. The surface of the landing strip is also quite poor so as you land expect a lot of vibration. When you finally disembark via a bus
(that takes you all of 10m to the terminal!) you will find that you are outside a tin hut, inside there is the smallest of small bag conveyor
belts, if you can get near it you can grab your bag, although you may not be able to move once you do have your bags. Passport control
is at the other end of the tin hut, near to where you came in, and back through the crowd. Getting to Leipzig is quite easy although
explained nowhere. There will be a bus (or two) outside the airport; they will drop you off outside the main train station in Leipzig. I
advise getting some Euro coins before coming to Germany as you will need to pay for your bus tickets. There are no services at the
Airport (apart from Toilets), and a small café. The trip to Leipzig takes just over an hour, and to be honest it’s not the best journey you
will ever take, the bus is quite uncomfortable after a while and probably very crowed. Still it is cheap, what else would you expect after
flying with Ryan Air. Remember to get to the Station in Leipzig early on your return trip, the bus will not wait for you.
Flugplatz Altenburg-Nobitz GmbH - Am Flughafen 1 - 04603 - Nobitz Altenburg Airport Website
Leipzig Altenburg is the smallest airport I have ever been too, its ex military, look for the aircraft hangers as you land. However you may
not have time as you may find yourself screaming, as the aircraft lands it will slam its breaks on very hard, due to the shortness of the
runway. The surface of the landing strip is also quite poor so as you land expect a lot of vibration. When you finally disembark via a bus
(that takes you all of 10m to the terminal!) you will find that you are outside a tin hut, inside there is the smallest of small bag conveyor
belts, if you can get near it you can grab your bag, although you may not be able to move once you do have your bags. Passport control
is at the other end of the tin hut, near to where you came in, and back through the crowd. Getting to Leipzig is quite easy although
explained nowhere. There will be a bus (or two) outside the airport; they will drop you off outside the main train station in Leipzig. I
advise getting some Euro coins before coming to Germany as you will need to pay for your bus tickets. There are no services at the
Airport (apart from Toilets), and a small café. The trip to Leipzig takes just over an hour, and to be honest it’s not the best journey you
will ever take, the bus is quite uncomfortable after a while and probably very crowed. Still it is cheap, what else would you expect after
flying with Ryan Air. Remember to get to the Station in Leipzig early on your return trip, the bus will not wait for you.
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LEIPZIG/HALLE AIRPORT 4 BLUE
Terminalring 11 - 04435 - Leipzig Leipzig/Halle Airport Website
A small airport, not as small as Altenburg, but not as big as Schonefeld. The airport has all the features of most airports, with two
terminals, half a dozen passport control desks and a few luggage belts. There is a small café and an ATM near the main entrance.
There is a train station under the airport with a direct link to Leipzig,and also a display of when the next train arrives just past the
baggage reclaim belts. The train trip takes approximately twenty minutes. There are taxi's outside the airport, and it will take thirty
minutes to reach central Leipzig costing approximately €28.
Terminalring 11 - 04435 - Leipzig Leipzig/Halle Airport Website
A small airport, not as small as Altenburg, but not as big as Schonefeld. The airport has all the features of most airports, with two
terminals, half a dozen passport control desks and a few luggage belts. There is a small café and an ATM near the main entrance.
There is a train station under the airport with a direct link to Leipzig,and also a display of when the next train arrives just past the
baggage reclaim belts. The train trip takes approximately twenty minutes. There are taxi's outside the airport, and it will take thirty
minutes to reach central Leipzig costing approximately €28.
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