Airport Guide to Tegel (TXL)

Airport Overview

Terminal Transfer | Getting into Town | Car Parking | Information Desks | Airport Facilities

Berlin Tegel Airport (TXL) is the airport that most passengers will use when flying into Berlin. It’s conveniently located only 8km (5 miles) from the city.

As the fourth-busiest airport in Germany, Berlin Tegel handles more than 15 million passengers per year. A newer airport (Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport) is currently being built at Berlin Schönefeld Airport, and Tegel Airport is scheduled to close by June 2012 when all flights will be routed through Brandenburg Airport.

For now, passengers can enjoy a wealth of shopping opportunities and conveniences at the airport. The main building is centred on an open square and makes for easy navigation and a short commuting distance between disembarkation and exiting the terminal. Remarkably, this distance can be as little as 30 metres between exiting the aircraft and stepping into a taxi, including passport control and luggage retrieval.

Lufthansa uses Berlin Tegel as a focus airport, while Air Berlin and the charter Germania both use Tegel Airport as a central hub. There are a number of airlines including Continental, KLM, and Iberia offering flights to Berlin Tegel Airport from cities ranging from Tel Aviv and Bangkok to Reykjavik, London, New York and Beirut.

Despite its prominence Tegel Airport is still quite a small, almost intimate, airport relative to other major airports in Europe. It provides the perfect hopping-off point to explore this fascinating European city with its rich and turbulent history and dynamic modern attractions.

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Terminal Transfer

All the terminals are relatively close together (Terminal A and B are in the same building) and within easy walking distance.

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Getting into Town

Train: S-Bahn and other regional trains do not stop at Berlin Tegel and there is no direct connection to long-distance trains.

Taxis: Fares for the 20 to 25-minute journey into central Berlin costs about €20.

Bus: City buses that run to and from Berlin include route numbers X9, 109 and 128. Fares are about €2.

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Car Parking

There are a number of parking lots at Berlin Tegel Airport, all within easy walking distance to the terminal building. The numbered parking lots are for general parking and short-term parking is labelled Pk. Short-term parking in Pk costs €0.50 for the first 15 minutes and €2.50 for every 15 minutes thereafter up to a €140 charge for a 24-hour period. P1 and P2 are medium-stay parking garages. Fees start at €4 for the first hour, €8 for two hours and a further €2.50 per hour thereafter up to €29 for 24 hours and €109 per week. Parking lot P5 is for long-stay parking. The first 20 minutes is free; it then costs €3 for the first 30 minutes, €4 for the first hour, €8 for two hours and €2.50 per hour thereafter or €26 per day. Parking for a week in P5 will cost you €75, but the charges reduce slightly after that. All the parking lots at Berlin Tegel Airport have disabled bays and wheelchair access.

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Information Desks

The staff are multi-lingual, friendly and helpful at the information desks at Tegel Airport. The desks are situated in each terminal and there is another one in the main hall of Terminal A.

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Airport Facilities

Money and communications: Exchange facilities as well as ATMs and banks can all be found in the main terminal building. There is also a post office and public telephones available at the airport.

Luggage: The Airport Services Centre in the main hall (Terminal A’s ground floor) is the place to go for all luggage-related enquiries. The centre deals with lost and found items within the airport; it also has a left luggage facility and a porter service. The Airport Services Centre is open between 5am and 10:30pm.

Conference and business: Fax machines, photocopiers and internet services are available in the airport lounges, such as the Lufthansa, British Airways and Air France lounges. The Airport Services centre (mentioned above) also has a faxing and photocopying facility. The Otto Lilienthal Lounge is the main business lounge in the central terminal. Conference facilities are located on the third floor of the main terminal building. Tegel Airport also offers a VIP service through the Advanced Services Centre.

Other facilities: The airport and its parking garages are fully accessible for people in wheelchairs or with other disabilities. It also has a first aid centre in the main terminal and baby change rooms are available throughout the airport.

Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is available throughout the airport. Once you’ve opened your browser you will be directed to the airport’s wireless homepage where you will be asked to choose a service provider. Hourly Wi-Fi rates start at €10.90; daily and monthly prices are also available depending on which service provider you wish to use.

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