Good day, citizens!
Here's the final travel update for this year. As usual, most of this should be common knowledge, but some people... well, just give it a read, will you. There have been subtle changes and we'll take a written test about it afterwards that will count toward your final grade!
Travel documentsRemember that you were told multiple times in the past that visitors from outside Schengen countries need both a valid government ID and may need a travel visa? If you didn't act back then - well, you're pretty much screwed at this point, unless you're really, really lucky.
You will find further information on
the web site of the German Foreign Office and can find out there whether you need a visa for the Schengen area.
If you haven't sorted out travel health insurance until now and live in the EU, you should make sure you have a valid EHIC card from your national insurer, others should get private travel insurance to be on the safe side. A trip to the hospital, for whatever reason, can easily cost you thousands when not insured.
RoadsPlease note that near the
A100 / A113 exit AD Grenzallee a diversion is in place until Summer 2017 due to the construction of the new A100 tunnel.
There are emergency roadworks going on on the
A113 near Adlershof during August 2016. This is because the A113 has cancer (I swear, "concrete cancer" is an actual term. Look it up if you need to) and hence needs to be partially closed. Due to the temporary two-way operation, there may be delays on the route between Schönefeld airport and the hotel, so please adjust your travel times accordingly. Also, if you do not know what two-way operation entails,
this public information film will explain it to you.
Also, there currently is some heavy construction going on south of the hotel, where the new A100 exit Sonnenallee is being built. Sonnenallee is currently diverted because of that, but is scheduled to remain open during the time of the convention.
Do remember that the low-emission zone starts just around the corner from the hotel though, so if you feel like driving anywhere within the central districts of Berlin (i.e. you are totally crazy and in dire need of professional help) you will need the appropriate sticker for your vehicle.
RailDomestic saver fares are now bookable until the day before you travel.
For your convenience, there is a
special search form for saver fares at the DB web site. For longer journeys, it is advisable to book as early as possible to get a good fare.
There is a fair amount of planned construction ahead for 2016, albeit nothing major during the time window of EF so far. Everything has been worked into the online timetable, so you should not run into problems when booking at this time.
Ostkreuz station is almost, but not quite finished. Minor issues may arise.
Air travelSorry, you're still fucked. And I'm running out of cartoons.
Oh, and the TXL bus now
doesn't run to Alexanderplatz anymore. But it runs more often!
Yay, I guess.
That's all. Anything else that may happen past this point will be announced via our Twitter feed.
Speaking of Twitter. You might want to follow
https://twitter.com/sbahnberlin and
https://twitter.com/bvg_bus for up-to-date travel information in case you feel the need to venture to Berlin on your own outside the convention.
