Berlin U-Bahn Line 1 at "Anhalter Steg" by Steve Parker - Wikipedia

Berlin U-Bahn Line 1 at „Anhalter Steg“ by Steve Parker – Wikipedia

Make no mistake, Berlin’s transport system is excellent. The S-Bahn and U-Bahn systems (broadly equivalent to London’s local railways and the Underground) are efficient and cheap. There are buses and trams galore.

And the infrastructure for cyclists is excellent. „Sehr gut: Why cycling in Berlin is a dream“ –  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/green-living-blog/2010/apr/22/bike-blog-cycling-berlin

Put those factors together, and most Berliners will leave their cars at home when travelling around the city. The net effect is that for those who do prefer to drive to get from A to B will find the roads relatively clear. Remember: the average speed of traffic in London is roughly 10 kph – much the same as it was in Victorian times when people were using horse-drawn carriages. Not so Berlin. Here traffic flows freely.

But – and this is a very big but – if you are considering moving to Berlin, absorb the fact that this is a low-density city. It’s spread out. Remember: Berlin’s population on the eve of the Second World War was 4.4m. Now, even after years of consistent growth, it still stands at only 3.6 million.

Yes, transport is easy. But if you live in the suburbs, the distance to the centre (or, more accurately, centres, because Berlin has many focal points that can each claim to be a centre) can be great. And after all, you are moving to Berlin because you want to enjoy the city to the full. You want to be close to the action.

Hence most people who are thinking of buying or renting a property in Berlin will tend to look for somewhere reasonably central. In broad terms, they will be looking for an apartment or house within or near the “ring” – the S-Bahn line that circles the city. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Ringbahn]

It is a factor that should be taken into consideration by anyone looking to buy a property, be that to live in themselves or as an investment to rent out. Put simply, an apartment near the centre will command a higher purchase price and a far higher monthly rent.

So, for example, when you see a property advertised in Marzahn or Hellersdorf on the eastern outskirts, you may be tempted to jump in: by the standards of UK cities, prices appear unbelievably low.

But don’t be hasty. The housing stock in such areas is dominated by vast Communist-era developments that are, to put it kindly, pretty bleak. And no matter how good the transport connections, these areas are far out from the centres where most people want to live.

Prices are low for good reason.

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