Travel Information
Travel to Berlin
Berlin has two major airports: Tegel and Schönefeld. Both allow access into town, either by bus from Tegel (the bus lines TXL goes into the center of town, and other buses are also available for other destinations), or by S-Bahn (part of the local subway/rail system in Berlin) from Schönefeld.
It is also possible to arrive by train, in which case the central station (Hauptbahnhof) is only one station away from Friedrichstraße, where you can take the U6 subway line one station north to Oranienburger Tor, which is the station closest to the conference venue (see the map under Venue).
Transportation within Berlin
Berlin has an excellent public transport system consisting of under- and overground trains (U-Bahn and S-Bahn), trams and buses. A normal single ride costs € 2.10 for zones AB (not including Schönefeld, which is in zone C). A day ticket for zones AB costs € 6.10, while a 7-day ticket costs € 26.20. These tickets are valid in the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram and bus.
You can find more detailed, up to date information on travel in Berlin in English here: http://www.visitberlin.de/english/berlin-infos/e_bi_stadtinfos_nahverkehr.php, including the useful map of all lines. There is also an online trip planner with train and bus times here: http://www.vbb-fahrinfo.de/hafas/query.exe/en.
Hotels
The university is located in the center of town (in the Mitte area), near Friedrichstraße, and the conference building itself is near the Charité Hospital in the Oranienburger Tor area. There are very many hotels in the area, but here are a few suggestions we've had good experiences with:
- The 3-star Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Hotel (http://www.dietrich-bonhoeffer-hotel.de/) is probably the most convenient option situated near the conference venue
- Another 3-star hotel one station away from the conference building is the Hotel Zarenhof (http://www.hotel-zarenhof.de/).
- The somewhat more expensive 4-star ParkInn hotel at Alexanderplatz (http://parkinnalexanderplatz.berlinhotels.it/) is centrally located and also three metro stations away, but you will have to change once (or alternatively walk for about 20 minutes from Friedrichstraße).
- The university guest house is also close to the conference venue and prices are very reasonable, however it has only few vacancies and serves no breakfast (a kitchenette is available for your own food though)
- If you are planning on staying longer in Berlin or generally prefer some space and getting your own breakfast, you might want to look at getting a small "holiday flat" (Ferienwohnung). A very reasonably priced option (ranging between € 50-100 a night) located nearby is offered by Piepenburg (http://www.piepenburg-verwaltungen.de/seiten/a1000.php). The page is in German, so calling may be the best way to clarify details.