Getting to Potsdam

Potsdam is a relatively small town located in the southwestern part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Therefore, the best option for the majority of attendants will be to travel to Berlin and then use local transportation to reach Potsdam.

Berlin is serviced by two airports: Tegel (TXL) for major flag carriers, and Schönefeld (SFX) for low-fare airlines. The common website for both is berlin-airport.de. As an alternative to flying, the main train station in Berlin (Berlin Hbf) has connections with several major cities in both Germany and Central/Eastern Europe. Once in Berlin, there are various options to reach your hotel.

Public transportation: a number of bus, subway, and train lines connect both airports and Berlin Hbf to various locations in Berlin and Potsdam. If you plan on taking public transportation to your final destination, please read the Public transit section below.

Taxi: The taxi website for Berlin and the surrounding area is taxiverband-berlin.de. Although it doesn't have an English-language version, you may still want to check the fare calculator. The official fare is €3.20 plus €1.65/km for the first 7 km and €1.28/km afterwards.

Public transit in Berlin and Potsdam

Both Berlin and Potsdam have dense public transportation networks. We recommend you consult bvg.de to plan your trips. Smartphone users can access the route planner through mobil.bvg.de, or alternatively download the free apps FahrInfo Berlin (iPhone) or Öffi (Android).

Berlin and Potsdam have each its own zone-based network (map for Berlin and Potsdam), parts of which overlap. Specifically, the conference venue (Griebnitzsee) is located in Berlin Zone C and Potsdam Zone B. Note that neither network offers a single-zone ticket. Therefore, if you are coming from Potsdam, you will need an AB ticket; if you are coming from Berlin, you will need either a BC or an ABC ticket. Current prices for some ticket options are as follows.

The short trip (Kurzstrecke) option only allows a trip of up to three train stations (on the S-Bahn and U-Bahn lines) or up to six bus/tram stops. Therefore, it is impractical unless your accommodation is relatively close to the conference venue. Single trip tickets are valid for 60 minutes (Potsdam) and 2 hours (Berlin) and allow transfer between bus, tram, and train lines of the respective networks. Day tickets and 7-day tickets allow unlimited travel during their validity period.