From Berlin to Brussels

I had the opportunity last week to do a professional related activity (endorsed by work but on my own dime...long story). It involved travels between the UK (Stansted), Berlin, Brussels, and Paris.

Since I was doing this on the cheap, I was doing my best to be clever. After much hemming and hawing, I couldn't beat 25 EUR (that includes 1 checked bag + all taxes etc) from Berlin Schoenefeld to Brussels (main airport), on EasyJet.

the ugly? Not sure if you can read the time in the top right corner of the photo--it says 06.02. Yeah, 6 AM I was sitting at the gate. The gate closed around 06.30, so my (tired) self was at S'feld at 05.30, having already checked in online before leaving the UK and just needing to deposit the bag. I was in good company though, with plently of other cost conscious folks on that bright and cheery AM:

From standing into the self-checkin, bag-drop (not check-in desk--and be warned, if you stood in the self-check-in line not having checked in, they sent you over to the 'regular' line) then standing through the security check line, it took about 45 min or so--so plan to be early...

If you must travel between Berlin and Brussels, I don't think you can do it any cheaper. Lufthansa has a much more civilised flight running at 11 AM or so--for 400 EUR one way. You can get clever and book a roundtrip (with the (illegal?) intention of not taking the return trip) for 200 EUR.

Your other option is a 7 hour train ride between Berlin and Brussels. When I was pricing, that was running over 100 EUR and taking 7 hours. The negative on that one--it's a transfer after 5 hours-ish in Koeln, so you cannot get a real night of sleep and substitute it for a hotel night to cost justify it.

There is a final option, to take the later EasyJet flight around 1930. It won't be quite as inexpensive as the early AM, but it will be your second cheapest option.

If you take the early AM EasyJet flight, a few options out to S'feld, check here for the latest options. The train takes just under 30 min and starts around 0500, add on a few minutes to walk from the train station to the airport terminal.

Your other option (my preferred) book a room at the InterCityHotel Berlin-Brandenburg Airport. IF you book in advance, you should find a room around 50 EUR on hrs or expedia or on their own website. You can take the train out on the night before and then take the 10-15 min walk over to the terminal in the morning. Breakfast at the hotel is 12 EUR and it was too early anyway so I skipped it. Internet is charged at some exhorbitant fee so I skipped that too.

There are some superb walking paths if you walk toward 'old S'feld' (follow signage for the Holiday Inn). You can walk many miles on new paths next to fields, quite nice. In addition, the hotel offers free public transport tickets, so you can come out a day early if you'd like, because you can get back into town with their ticket for no cost, if you don't mind the 30 minute train commute. Recommended would be the regional express train rather than the S-bahn.