Search Flights from San Francisco to Berlin

Located 21 km from the city center, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is a major transit center for passengers, particularly those traveling from Asia. San Francisco International is the second busiest airport in California, following Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Every year SFO handles a significant number of both domestic and international flights. There are a variety of transportation alternatives passengers can utilize to get to and from the airport.  

San Francisco International Airport stands out for the comfortable and exceptional services it offers. The airport features services aimed at meeting your every need, from comfortable passenger lounges, to restaurants that offer a wide variety of cuisines and a vibrant array of stores where you can go shopping.

San Francisco International Airport is accessible by taxi, bus, train, rental car, and personal car as the airport contains parking lots that offer short-term and long-term parking options.

Train

There are two rail systems that you can use to get to San Francisco International Airport from the city center. The first is the rapid-rail system, the BART. The BART starts running in the early hours of the morning, providing easy and fast transportation between SFO and the northern and southern parts of the city.

The other rail system that you can use to get to SFO is the CalTrain. This train departs on the hour, every hour, every day of the week, until 10 pm. This train provides transportation between San Francisco and San Jose and SFO.

Taxi

One of the most convenient and fastest transportation alternatives to get to SFO from the city center is by taxi. Taxi fares are calculated based on the kilometers traveled. A taxi from downtown San Francisco can cost between 42 and 62 dollars and takes about 20 minutes. For more information on taxi companies and their contact information please visit San Francisco International Airport’s website.

Bus

SamTrans buses provide transportation between the San Francisco city center and the airport. These public buses are operated by San Mateo County and run between San Mateo, various parts of San Francisco and San Francisco International Airport. SamTrans lines KX, 292, 397, and 398 run directly to the airport terminals. Buses stop at the arrivals and baggage claim level of Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 and at Level 1 of the International Terminal.

Rental Car

Renting a car is another transportation alternative to get to the airport. There are many rental car companies located in the city. You can drop off your rental vehicle at the Rental Car Center before your departure. From the Rental Car Center the AirTrain Blue Line provides access to the airport terminals and it operates 24 hours a day, every day of the week. Rental car companies that you can choose from include Alamo, Dollar, Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, National, Budget, Fox and Thrifty.

Bike

San Francisco International Airport contains bike assembly stations and parking areas for those who want to access the airport by bike. The BART and SamTrans rapid rail systems provide passengers with bike/transit options and the airport features marked bicycle routes. Bike lovers can easily access the airport by bicycle.   

Airport Information

San Francisco International Airport is located 21 km from the city center. The airport covers an expansive area and operates domestic and international flights out of 4 terminals, Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3, and the International Terminal. The AirTrain automated system provides free transportation between each terminal, as well as the Rental Car Center and BART station. The AirTrain Red Line links all terminals, terminal garages and the BART Station. The AirTrain Blue Line links the Rental Car Center with all terminals, terminal garages, and the BART Station. SFO also contains a variety of services and amenities to meet passengers’ pre-flight and post-flight needs.

The airport features health services in the terminals, rental car offices, banks, a lost and found, wireless internet, charging stations, clothing stores where you can go shopping, restaurants and cafes, the Aviation Museum & Library, rotating exhibitions, spa services, children’s play areas, free yoga rooms, a market, and much more. 

Berlin Brandenburg Airport, which is planned to be put into service on October 31, 2020, has three terminals. The terminals 1 and 2 are centrally located between both runways, while the Terminal 5 is situated at the north end of the airport. T1 and T2 are directly adjacent to each other, and it is possible to walk to T5 from these two terminals.

From all terminals, you can easily reach every region of Berlin at any time by private car, bus, car-sharing, car rental or public transportation.

Regional and S-Bahn Trains

BER Airport is connected to the railway and highway network from many points. Airport Express and regional trains carry passengers to Berlin Central Station from the station at Terminal 1 four times per hour.

You can reach Berlin Hauptbahnhof from the airport by using the airport express and regional trains that depart four times per hour. This transportation lasts about 30 minutes. In addition, the train lines S9 and S45 S-Bahn provide transportation service to the city center from the airport every 20 minutes.

Regional Train Routes

FEX (every 30 minutes): BER T1-2, Ostkreuz-Gesundbrunnen- Hauptbahnhof

RE7 (every hour): BER T1-2 Wünsdorf-Waldstadt-Berlin city center- Bad Belzig-Dessau

RB14 (every hour): BER T1-2, Berlin city center-Nauen

RB22 (every hour): Königs Wusterhausen-BER T1-2, Potsdam-Golm

S-Bahn Train Routes

S9 (every 20 minutes): BER T1-2, BER T5-Berlin city center-Spandau

S45 (every 20 minutes): BER T1-2, BER T5-Südkreuz

Express Buses

The bus routes X7 and X71 provide transportation between Rudow Metro Station and both terminals. Traveling to Terminal 1 with these buses takes about 18 minutes. In addition, BER1 (Steglitz City Hall-BER T1/2) and BER2 (Potsdam Central Station-BER T1/2 & T5) express buses carry passengers from Berlin Brandenburg Airport to the city center several times a day.

Express Bus Routes

X7 (every 5 minutes): BER T1-2, BER T5-U Rudow

X71 (every 20 minutes): BER T1-2, BER T5-U Rudow-Johannisthaler Chaussee-U Alt-Mariendorf

BER1 (additional charge), Route: BER T1-Steglitz Town hall (Travel time is around 45-50 minutes, and you can buy your ticket from the driver on the bus.)

BER2 (additional charge), Route: BER T1-BER T5-Potsdam Central Station (15 times a day. Travel time is about 55 minutes, and you can buy your ticket from the driver on the bus.)

Bus Routes

163 (every 20 minutes), Route: BER T5-S Grünau-S Adlershof-S Schöneweid

164 (every 20 minutes), Route: BER T5-S Adlershof-S Köpenick

171 (every 20 minutes), Route: BER T5-U Rudow-U Grenzallee-S + U Neukölln-S Sonnenallee-U Hermannplatz

Transportation by Private Car

If you are traveling by a private car, you can easily get to the BER terminals via the highways A113 and B96a. The direct route to Terminals 1 and 2 passes through the highway A113 using the "Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg" exit.

To reach Terminal 5, continue along the highway A113 towards the Schönefeld-Süd junction or take the highway B96a that passes by the terminal.

There are five modern car parking lots and two ground-level parking spaces at Terminals 1 and 2. All parking lots are equipped with special stairs and elevators to enable a comfortable transportation for the disabled. You can find luggage trolleys in all parking spaces and on every floor of the parking lots. Monitors containing information about the current departures and arrivals are also provided in the parking lots. Video-controlled and private security parking spaces are also found in the parking lot P1.

In Terminal 5, you can find three-storey parking spaces and a modern parking lot. The parking lot is equipped with parking and color-coded guidance system, elevators and a luggage car station. 38 extra-large parking spaces are also provided (XXL).

Car Sharing and Rental

You can also benefit from car sharing and rental services for traveling from the terminal to the city center. Car2Go/Drive Now, Miles and Sixt companies offer service with their vehicles at the airport. The parking spaces of the vehicles are located in the parking lot P56 at Terminal 5. At Terminals 1 and 2, you can find the vehicles in the parking lot P4.

Taxi

Passengers arriving at Terminals 1 and 2 can use the north and south taxi rows in front of T1 at the E0 level. At Terminal 5, you can find taxi stands in front of the terminal area L.

You can contact an employee of the airport service provider APCOA for a taxi suitable for passengers and disabled people who need a private taxi or a car with a child seat or larger capacity.