Does a Eurail Global pass include subway/bus travel within Berlin?


My friend has purchased the Global pass and is travelling across various cities in Germany and Austria. Does the global pass include subway travel within Berlin for 5 days? if not, what kind of pass should be purchased?

Thank you.
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this question
  • Jeff (Official Rep) August 12, 2013 21:04
    Hi Mary,

    Rail passes generally do not cover metro systems and buses within cities in Europe; however, there is a notable exception in Germany. Any rail pass that includes Germany will cover travel on the 'S-Bahn' trains that operate within major German cities (except for many of the S-Bahn lines in Berlin, in which case you would just use your pass to board any of the regional trains that run along the same routes as the S-Bahn). In Berlin, a pass that includes Germany is valid to cover travel on the main S-Bahn line that cuts east-west across the city and the S-Bahn line that cuts north-south (these two lines intersect at the Hbf station in the heart of Berlin). The S-Bahn lines throughout Berlin that feed into these two lines are the ones that are not covered by any rail pass.

    In contrast, rail passes that include Germany do not cover the 'U-Bahn' subway trains operating within German cities.

    For travel on the U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines in Berlin that aren't covered by a rail pass that includes Germany, you would purchase a Berlin Welcome Card. The Berlin Welcome Card covers the S-Bahn and U-Bahn networks, as well as buses and trams in zones A, B, and C in Berlin. You can purchase the Berlin Welcome Card here: This pass has a validity period of up to 72 hours.
    • Jeff (Official Rep) August 22, 2013 18:58
      In Berlin, there are only two S-Bahn routes that would be covered with a Eurail Global Pass (or any pass that includes Germany, for that matter).

      The S-Bahn lines in Berlin that are covered are as follows:

      1.) The main S-Bahn lines that cut east-west across the city along the corridor between the Zoologischer Garten station, the Hbf (Hauptbahnhof) station, the Friedrichstrasse station, the Ostbahnhof station, and the Lichtenberg station. This includes S5, S7, and S75, but only between Zoologischer Garten and Lichtenberg.

      2.) The S-Bahn lines that run north-south between the Gesundbrunnen and the Südkreuz station. These lines intersect with the east-west line mentioned above at Friedrichstrasse. These lines include S2, S25, and S1 (though S1 doesn't go all the way to Südkreuz, so it would only be valid up to Friedrichstrasse). On these lines, the pass would not be valid to any stop north of Gesundbrunnen and any stop south of Südkreuz.

      The S-Bahn lines throughout Berlin that feed into the lines mentioned above are the ones that would not be covered with a rail pass. With that said, there are regional trains that run along these same routes, which would be covered by a rail pass.
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