Ferry transport in Berlin
Encyclopedia
Berlin
, the capital city of Germany
, has an extensive network of rivers, lakes and canals. As a consequence ferry transport forms a part of the transport network of Berlin
.
(VBB). All six routes are operated by the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe
(BVG), the operator of Berlin's U-Bahn
, trams and buses.
The six lines run mainly in Treptow-Köpenick
district, except for the F10, which runs from Steglitz-Zehlendorf
to Spandau
, through Großer Wannsee
lake and Havel river. The localities (Ortsteile) served by this service are Wannsee
, Kladow
, Oberschöneweide
, Baumschulenweg
, Köpenick
, Grünau
, Müggelheim
(5 stops), Schmöckwitz
and Rahnsdorf
(2 stops).
The F24 is operated with a rowing boat, whilst all the other ferry lines are operated by passenger carrying motor boats. The timetable with one departure every 60 minutes for the F24 is necessary to be found in the journey planning software and to fulfill legal restrictions stating that all public traffic needs to have a timetable. In reality, it drives as often as needed reducing the frequency to about every 5 minutes, if necessary.
and operated by the Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam, is also included in the tariff of the VBB:
The F1 is operated by a passenger carrying cable ferry
.
To the east of Berlin, the Straussee Ferry
crosses the Straussee
lake in the town of Strausberg
. The ferry is notable as one of only a handful of electrically operated cable ferries
in the world. Although this line is not within the Berlin city limits and is not part of the VBB common tariff, it is owned by the Strausberg Railway
, who are VBB members, and hence is designated as line F39 by the VBB.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, the capital city of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, has an extensive network of rivers, lakes and canals. As a consequence ferry transport forms a part of the transport network of Berlin
Transport in Berlin
Berlin has developed a highly complex transportation infrastructure providing very diverse modes of urban mobility. 979 bridges cross 197 kilometers of innercity waterways, of roads run through Berlin, of which are motorways....
.
History
The service was inaugurated in 1896, when the first ferry line opened between Wilhelmstrand and Baumschulenstraße.Routes within the city and the VBB common tariff
There are six passenger ferry routes that operate within the city boundaries of Berlin and are part of the common public transport tariff run by the Verkehrsverbund Berlin-BrandenburgVerkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg
The Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg is a transport association run by public transport providers in the German states of Berlin and Brandenburg. It is a private limited company owned jointly by the states of Berlin and Brandenburg and the 18 counties and cities of Brandenburg with 1.85% each...
(VBB). All six routes are operated by the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe
Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe
The is the main public transport company of Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It manages the city's U-Bahn underground railway, tram, bus and ferry networks, but not the S-Bahn urban rail system....
(BVG), the operator of Berlin's U-Bahn
Berlin U-Bahn
The Berlin is a rapid transit railway in Berlin, the capital city of Germany, and is a major part of the public transport system of that city. Opened in 1902, the serves 173 stations spread across ten lines, with a total track length of , about 80% of which is underground...
, trams and buses.
| class="prettytable"> | Line | Route | Duration | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| F10 | S Wannsee Wannsee Wannsee is a locality in the southwestern Berlin borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Germany. It is the westernmost locality of Berlin. In the quarter there are two lakes, the larger Großer Wannsee and the Kleiner Wannsee , are located on the river Havel and are separated only by the Wannsee bridge... ↔ Alt-Kladow |
20 min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... |
60 min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... |
| F11 | Wilhelmstrand Oberschöneweide Oberschöneweide is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. It is, with Niederschöneweide , part of the geographic area of Schöneweide... ↔ Baumschulenstraße Baumschulenweg Baumschulenweg is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Treptow... |
2 min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... |
10/20 min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... |
| F12 | Müggelbergallee Köpenick Köpenick is a historic town and locality that is situated at the confluence of the rivers Dahme and Spree in the south-east of the German capital city of Berlin. It was formerly known as Copanic and then Cöpenick, only officially adopting the current spelling in 1931... ↔ Wassersportallee Grünau (Berlin) Grünau is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:... |
2 min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... |
10/20 min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... |
| F21 | Krampenburg Müggelheim Müggelheim is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:... ↔ Große Krampe Müggelheim Müggelheim is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:... ↔ Zum Seeblick Schmöckwitz Schmöckwitz is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:The locality was founded in 1375 with the name of Smekewitz... |
14 min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... |
60 min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... |
| F23 | Müggelwerderweg Rahnsdorf Rahnsdorf is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:... ↔ Müggelhort Müggelheim Müggelheim is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:... ↔ Neu Helgoland Müggelheim Müggelheim is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:... ↔ Kruggasse Rahnsdorf Rahnsdorf is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:... |
25 min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... |
60 min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... |
| F24 | Spreewiesen Müggelheim Müggelheim is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:... ↔ Kruggasse Rahnsdorf Rahnsdorf is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:... |
5 min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... |
60 min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... |
The six lines run mainly in Treptow-Köpenick
Treptow-Köpenick
Treptow-Köpenick is the ninth borough of Berlin, Germany, formed in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform by merging the former boroughs of Treptow and Köpenick.-Overview:...
district, except for the F10, which runs from Steglitz-Zehlendorf
Steglitz-Zehlendorf
Steglitz-Zehlendorf is the sixth borough of Berlin, formed in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform by merging the former boroughs of Steglitz and Zehlendorf.-Demographics:...
to Spandau
Spandau
Spandau is the fifth of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is the fourth largest and westernmost borough, situated at the confluence of the Havel and Spree rivers and along the western bank of the Havel, but the least populated.-Overview:...
, through Großer Wannsee
Großer Wannsee
The Großer Wannsee is a bight of the Havel river near the locality of Wannsee and Nikolassee , a south-western suburb of the German capital Berlin not far from Potsdam...
lake and Havel river. The localities (Ortsteile) served by this service are Wannsee
Wannsee
Wannsee is a locality in the southwestern Berlin borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Germany. It is the westernmost locality of Berlin. In the quarter there are two lakes, the larger Großer Wannsee and the Kleiner Wannsee , are located on the river Havel and are separated only by the Wannsee bridge...
, Kladow
Kladow
-Geography:The district of Kladow is bordered by the District of Gatow to the north, by the Havel to the east and southeast and by the State of Brandenburg to the west and south west. The neighbouring village of Sacrow and main part of Groß Glienicke are located in Brandenburg...
, Oberschöneweide
Oberschöneweide
Oberschöneweide is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. It is, with Niederschöneweide , part of the geographic area of Schöneweide...
, Baumschulenweg
Baumschulenweg
Baumschulenweg is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Treptow...
, Köpenick
Köpenick
Köpenick is a historic town and locality that is situated at the confluence of the rivers Dahme and Spree in the south-east of the German capital city of Berlin. It was formerly known as Copanic and then Cöpenick, only officially adopting the current spelling in 1931...
, Grünau
Grünau (Berlin)
Grünau is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:...
, Müggelheim
Müggelheim
Müggelheim is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:...
(5 stops), Schmöckwitz
Schmöckwitz
Schmöckwitz is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:The locality was founded in 1375 with the name of Smekewitz...
and Rahnsdorf
Rahnsdorf
Rahnsdorf is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:...
(2 stops).
The F24 is operated with a rowing boat, whilst all the other ferry lines are operated by passenger carrying motor boats. The timetable with one departure every 60 minutes for the F24 is necessary to be found in the journey planning software and to fulfill legal restrictions stating that all public traffic needs to have a timetable. In reality, it drives as often as needed reducing the frequency to about every 5 minutes, if necessary.
Routes outside the city but within the VBB common tariff
One other passenger ferry route, within the adjacent city of PotsdamPotsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
and operated by the Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam, is also included in the tariff of the VBB:
| class="prettytable"> | Line | Route | Duration | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Kiewitt Ferry Kiewitt Ferry The Kiewitt Ferry is a passenger cable ferry in the city of Potsdam in Brandenburg, Germany. It crosses the Havel river, at the northern end of the Templiner See, between Auf dem Kiewitt on the Potsdam side and the Hermannswerder peninsular.... (Hermannswerder ↔ Auf dem Kiewitt) |
3 min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... |
15 min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... |
The F1 is operated by a passenger carrying cable ferry
Cable ferry
A cable ferry is guided and in many cases propelled across a river or other larger body of water by cables connected to both shores. They are also called chain ferries, floating bridges, or punts....
.
Other routes
Within Berlin there are also some touristic and private ferry routes that are not managed by BVG, and do not form part of the VBB common tariff. These include:- A car ferry between HakenfeldeHakenfeldeHakenfelde is a German locality of Berlin in the borough of Spandau.-History:The name Hakenfelde is derived a dairy-farm built in 1730 on the outskirts of Spandau. Part of the town of Spandau it merged into Berlin in 1920 with the "Greater Berlin Act"...
and KonradshöheKonradshöheKonradshöhe is a German locality within the borough of Reinickendorf, Berlin.-History:In the course of the northern extension of Berlin during the 19th century, many people settled in the suburbs, attracted by the proximity to nature and the low price of land. One of them was the coppersmith...
(in SpandauSpandauSpandau is the fifth of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is the fourth largest and westernmost borough, situated at the confluence of the Havel and Spree rivers and along the western bank of the Havel, but the least populated.-Overview:...
and ReinickendorfReinickendorfReinickendorf is the twelfth borough of Berlin. It encompasses the northwest of the city area, including the Berlin-Tegel Airport, Lake Tegel, spacious settlements of detached houses as well as housing estates like Märkisches Viertel.-Subdivision:...
) - A passenger ferry between HakenfeldeHakenfeldeHakenfelde is a German locality of Berlin in the borough of Spandau.-History:The name Hakenfelde is derived a dairy-farm built in 1730 on the outskirts of Spandau. Part of the town of Spandau it merged into Berlin in 1920 with the "Greater Berlin Act"...
and KonradshöheKonradshöheKonradshöhe is a German locality within the borough of Reinickendorf, Berlin.-History:In the course of the northern extension of Berlin during the 19th century, many people settled in the suburbs, attracted by the proximity to nature and the low price of land. One of them was the coppersmith...
with a stop in the islets of Valentinswerder and Maienwerder (both in Reinickendorf) - A car ferry line between the PfaueninselPfaueninselPfaueninsel is an island in the River Havel situated in Berlin-Wannsee, in southwestern Berlin, near the borders with Potsdam and Brandenburg. The island is part of the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin World Heritage Site and a popular destination for day-trippers...
and the Düppel Forest in WannseeWannseeWannsee is a locality in the southwestern Berlin borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Germany. It is the westernmost locality of Berlin. In the quarter there are two lakes, the larger Großer Wannsee and the Kleiner Wannsee , are located on the river Havel and are separated only by the Wannsee bridge...
(in Steglitz-ZehlendorfSteglitz-ZehlendorfSteglitz-Zehlendorf is the sixth borough of Berlin, formed in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform by merging the former boroughs of Steglitz and Zehlendorf.-Demographics:...
) - Some ferries to Scharfenberg island through Lake TegelLake TegelLake Tegel , is the second largest lake in Berlin, Germany. It is situated in the northwest of the city in the Reinickendorf borough, in the Ortsteil of Tegel....
(in Reinickendorf)
To the east of Berlin, the Straussee Ferry
Straussee Ferry
The Straussee Ferry is a passenger cable ferry that crosses the Straussee lake, near the town of Strausberg in Brandenburg, Germany.-Overview:...
crosses the Straussee
Straussee
The Straussee is a lake, located in Strausberg, Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated about north-east of the city of Berlin. The town of Strausberg occupies the eastern shore of the lake, whilst the forest of the Strausberger Wald is on the western shore....
lake in the town of Strausberg
Strausberg
Strausberg is a city in Brandenburg, Germany, located 30 km east of Berlin. With a population of 26,206 in 2010 it is the largest town in the district of Märkisch-Oderland.-History:...
. The ferry is notable as one of only a handful of electrically operated cable ferries
Cable ferry
A cable ferry is guided and in many cases propelled across a river or other larger body of water by cables connected to both shores. They are also called chain ferries, floating bridges, or punts....
in the world. Although this line is not within the Berlin city limits and is not part of the VBB common tariff, it is owned by the Strausberg Railway
Strausberg Railway
The Strausberg Railway is a light railway serving the town of Strausberg in Brandenberg, Germany. It links central Strausberg with the Strausberg railway station, where it connects with trains on the Berlin S-Bahn and the Niederbarnimer Railway...
, who are VBB members, and hence is designated as line F39 by the VBB.