When is a long taxi ride smarter than the train?
Rail from BER has improved: an Intercity now runs directly from the airport to Dresden and to Rostock a few times a day. For most other places, though, you change trains in Berlin, haul suitcases between platforms and still need a local taxi at the far end. A pre-booked car usually pays off when one of these applies:
- Late landing – the last convenient connection has gone, or you would arrive at midnight in an unfamiliar station.
- Three or four travellers – you pay for the car, not per seat.
- Bulky luggage – golf bags, prams, several large cases or a dog crate.
- Remote addresses – Spreewald villages, Baltic resorts and holiday parks are rarely next to a station.
- Fixed deadlines – a cruise embarkation or a meeting that cannot slip.
Why the meter at the BER taxi rank is a poor guide for long trips
The taxis waiting outside the terminals are licensed taxis that charge by the meter; which tariff applies on a long trip beyond Berlin and Brandenburg is set by the taxi regulations, not by this site. What is certain: the meter keeps running for 250 kilometres, and not every driver in the queue wants a run that ends far away with an empty return. A pre-booked private transfer, which is not a taxi, works differently: you state where, when and how many of you travel, see one total for the car before confirming, and pay online. Include the flight number and a delay simply shifts the pickup. Our comparison of taxi and pre-booked car explains the differences in more detail.
From the arrivals hall to the motorway
Your driver waits inside the arrivals area of Terminal 1 or 2; the exact spot is in your booking confirmation and on our BER meeting point page. Before setting off on a long route, take five minutes: buy water, use the washroom, and check that every case is in the boot. Payment is settled when you book online, so there is no card terminal to fiddle with on arrival in a dark car park two hundred kilometres later. Keep the confirmation e-mail as your record of the trip.
Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt: cities two hours south and west
The A13 takes you to Dresden in around two hours; the A9 brings Leipzig within a similar range. Both pages explain where cars may stop in the old towns, trade-fair traffic and day trips in the surroundings. Heading west, the A2 links BER with Magdeburg, the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt. Other Saxon and Saxony-Anhalt addresses such as Chemnitz, Görlitz, Halle (Saale), Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Dessau or towns in the Harz work in the booking form too; expect two to four hours depending on the place.
North to the Baltic, east across the Oder
Cruise passengers and beach holidaymakers use the run up the A19 to Rostock and to the cruise piers in Warnemünde. Schwerin, Stralsund and Greifswald are further options in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Towards Poland, the A11 leads to Szczecin and the A12 to the border at Frankfurt (Oder) and on to Poznań; see BER to Szczecin and Poznań for border crossings and travel documents.
Closer in Brandenburg, far out to Hannover or Frankfurt
Not every long ride crosses a state line. The domed water park Tropical Islands lies just off the A13, a little further on are the canals of the Spreewald, and Cottbus is roughly 90 minutes away. To the west you reach the cathedral town of Brandenburg an der Havel; closer still is Potsdam with its palaces.
Hannover, Braunschweig, Erfurt, Weimar and Jena mean three to four hours in the car; Frankfurt am Main closer to six. On these distances the ICE is usually faster, so the taxi makes sense mainly for groups, people who cannot manage changes, or those with a great deal of baggage. If a destination does not appear in the form, ask via the contact page.
Checklist for three hours on the motorway
- Give the full address including hotel or company name, not just the town.
- A short stop for a toilet or coffee can be arranged with your driver; plan longer detours when booking.
- Book child seats in advance – long drives without them are not an option.
- For Poland, keep passport or ID card within reach in the cabin, not in the boot.
- Five or more travellers? Choose a minivan or a minibus so the suitcases fit too.
