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

BerlinTools by Walk of Berlin

Try your first Berlin ticket

Rehearse the machine, or check what you know. No real ticket purchase.

Which zones does my journey need?

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. For journeys between central Berlin (Zone A) and BER or Potsdam (Zone C), choose ABC. BC can cover journeys between B and C that do not pass through A.
🎫 Tickets public transport

Your choice changes the machine screens. The guide beside the machine and Challenge stay in English.

BVG / VBB Ticket Machine

Touch the screen to begin

Tap to wake the screen. A real machine may show an advert while idle.

Step 1 · Choose language

Choose the machine language

Step 2 · Choose your ticket

Step 3 · Confirm

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Step 4 · Payment

How do you want to pay?

Practise choosing cash or card. This simulator takes no payment and does not issue a travel ticket.

Done · One last thing

EINZELFAHRAUSWEIS AB BERLIN
VALIDATED

Validate before you board

If your paper ticket is not already validated, stamp it before boarding. Look for the small yellow or red validator on the platform marked “Bitte hier entwerten”.

🪙Coin & note slot5c–2€ coins, 5/10/20€ notes. Change is limited.
💳Card readerInsert or tap; enter your PIN if asked.

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 between central Berlin and 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. From central Berlin (A), buy ABC. A journey confined to B and C can use BC.
  • 🖐️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.