A traveller using a yellow ticket machine on a Berlin train platform

BerlinWalk • Berlin Tickets

Berlin Ticket Machine Simulator

Learn the machine before the platform gets busy. Practice the touchscreen step by step, or take the Challenge with real visitor situations.

01Read the zoneAB, ABC, airport or Potsdam
02Choose the ticketSingle, 24-hour or group
03Finish the journeyPay, collect and validate

Berlin's biggest ticket trap is not the machine, it is the zones. The city is A and B; the ring of Zone C around it holds BER airport and Potsdam. Get the zone right and the rest is easy.

A B C City centre BER Airport ✈ Potsdam
Zones A · B · C. Anything touching Zone C (airport, Potsdam) needs an ABC ticket.
🎫 Fahrscheine · Tickets public transport

BVG / VBB Ticket Machine

Touch the screen to begin

The screen is idle until you tap it. On the real machine it usually shows a rolling advert, not a menu.

Step 1 · Choose language

Sprache · Language

Real machines offer German, English, French, Turkish and Spanish. This simulator continues in English whichever flag you press.

Step 2 · Choose your ticket

Step 3 · Confirm

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Step 4 · Payment

How do you want to pay?

Machines take coins from 5 cents to 2 euros and notes up to 20 euros, plus girocard, Visa, Mastercard, and usually Apple or Google Pay.

Done · One last thing

EINZELFAHRAUSWEIS AB BERLIN
VALIDATED

Validate before you board

A paper ticket from the machine is not valid until you stamp it. Push it into the small yellow or red box on the platform (it says Bitte hier entwerten / Please validate here) before you step on the train.

🪙Coin & note slot5c–2€ coins, 5/10/20€ notes. Change is limited.
💳Card readerInsert or tap; PIN for most cards.

Not sure which ticket?

Answer two quick questions and I will point you at the right fare, then you can try it in the machine.

1 · Are you travelling to or from BER airport (or Potsdam)?
2 · How far are you going right now?
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Quick facts for tourists

  • 🟡U-Bahn platforms have BVG machines; S-Bahn platforms have red DB machines. Both sell the same AB/ABC tickets that work on every U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram, and bus.
  • ✈️BER airport and Potsdam are in Zone C, so buy an ABC ticket for either.
  • 🖐️Touch the dark screen to wake it, then choose English.
  • 🟨Paper tickets must be stamped before boarding. Riding without a valid ticket is a 60 euro fine.

🏆 The ticket challenge

Five real situations a Berlin visitor actually faces. For each one, pick the ticket and zone you would buy from the machine. You get instant feedback and the next move on the real machine.

  • Landing at BER, heading into the city
  • A normal trip across town
  • A day trip out to Potsdam
  • A full sightseeing day
  • Five friends out for the day

Prices checked — · 2026 VBB fares for the Berlin AB/ABC zones; they can change. Check current prices at the official BVG / VBB fares. This is a practice tool, not the real machine.