How to reach Muhlenweg from Airport BER

So, you have reached Germany but you face a problem.
Ofcourse, a different country, everyone speaks a different language, and only the fewest people actually “speak” english.

So maybe this gives you some heads up.
(If you need help with navigating train stations, read at the end of the page)

Starting from BER, head down to the train station (lowest part of BER)
From there, find a train towards Ostkreuz
Usually it will be Fex19838 showing Berlin Hauptbahnhof (FEX number may vary), from track 1
Or RE8.
Once you have boarded the train, get down at Ostkreuz.

From Ostkreuz, you will need to take RE1 to Frankfurt (Oder) (also sometimes showing Eisenhüttenstadt).
It usually comes to track 1.
The RE1 also comes to: Berlin Charlottenburg, Berlin Zoologischer Garten, Berlin Hauptbahnhof (Central Train Station), Berlin Friedrichstraße, Berlin Alexanderplatz, Ostkreuz, Erkner and goes to Frankfurt (Oder) via Fangschleuse, Hangelsberg, Fürstenwalde and Jacobsdorf.
So if you are at any of these stops (S3 will also take you to Erkner), you can take RE1 from there.Once you managed to board the RE1 train, get down at Frankfurt (Oder), Bahnhof.

Nearly there, just one more ride!
So, now you have reached Frankfurt (Oder).
Walk out of the train station building, you will be greeted by some seating benches and bus stops.
Once you are there, proceed to walk towards the traffic intersection (traffic lights).
You should now be able to see the tram stop. (There is also one when you walk under the bridge)
From there, wait for Tram 1 or Tram 4 towards Neuberesinchen
Once you boarded the tram, make sure to get down at Neuberesinchen (not Mühlenweg), and you’ll be able to see the student dorm.

If you are coming late at night, there might not be trams running anymore.
In that case, when you walk out of the train station building, find and board the bus N2 from the nearest bus stop.
The bus ride will take some time (going to Südring and all), but will eventually reach Neuberesinchen. Make sure to get down at Neuberesinchen and not Neuberesinchen, Bahnhof (Our stop will come after it goes to Betriebshof SVF)

If you are coming towards the late evening, you might have to take a tram that goes to Betriebshof SFV (you can take any tram with any number showing the stop Betriebshof SVF).
Those are usually the trams that head for final parking, so they head back to their parking space, which is closeby to us fortunately.
Once you reached Betriebshof SVF, you will see a gas fuel station, walk towards that.
Then follow down the road to the right, until you will reach the end of the road.
There, head left and keep walking.
The student dorm will be on the left.

Navigating train stations

So you are in a train station, but there is no one to ask and you don’t know how to navigate.
But its not as hard, as it seems.
The rule is simple: Blue signs show you where to go.

You will usually find blue signs at stairs or on the walls, they are quite big and hard to oversee.
Once you know, which track your train goes to (via Google Maps, DB Navigator, VBB Bus und Bahn or the train schedule list), locate one of the blue signs.

The sign will show the track numbers and arrows pointing to the direction of where you find them.
Follow the arrows until you find the right track.
To make sure, that you are standing on the right side at the tracks, you will usually see the track number beneath the screen showing the train arrivals.

If you struggle to navigate the train station, often there are service points (marked by an i or by a DB logo), you can always go there to ask them for help.

In train stations, you will usually find a very large screen with many trains listed.
You can find your train by the time, by the train number (e.g RE1) and by the destination(s) listed.
Then look to the right (end) of that entry, this is where you will find the track number.

In Frankfurt (Oder), you will only find the schedule for the actual trains inside the train station building.
If you want to see when the tram or bus comes, you will find a screen near the benches in front of the train station building.

Ticketing

Riding trains, trams and busses in Germany is not for free obviously.
But its not as hard as it seems to get tickets.
You will find red automats at the train station, often showing VBB on it, here you can buy tickets.
Select your destination, then choose singular ticket (Einzelticket) and select the correct train.
You can pay with both cash (coins) and credit card.

Please make sure to stamp the ticket while entering the train, as it won’t be valid if you don’t do so!

You can also buy tickets using the app.
For that, download the DB Navigator app, type your station (BER Terminal 1-2) and your destination (Frankfurt (Oder), Neuberesinchen) and the DB Navigator app will show you the route and give you the option to buy the tickets.

If you are unable to get a ticket, you will also be able to buy a ticket from the train conductors.
But you should approach them as early as possible, or else you might be fined for riding a train without a ticket (60€)

In Frankfurt (Oder), you will find a ticket automat inside the tram (towards the center of the tram).
You can buy a singular ticket (Einzelfahrt ticket) there aswell. Both coins and credit card are accepted.

Tho buying singular tickets is not always cheaper if you are taking that many trains and can be quite confusing.
So if you are not sure about that, you can also get the following ticket:
Select VBB Gesamtnetz -> 24H Ticket (or 24-Stunden Ticket).
This ticket will be valid for 24 hours in all of Berlin and Brandenburg, which means you don’t need to buy a ticket for the rest of the ride.
You do not need to stamp this ticket, as its valid from the date of purchase

Once you have arrived, you can buy the Deutschland-Ticket on a discount for university students.
This ticket (Semester Ticket) will be valid in all of Germany for public transport only, so you don’t have to worry about buying tickets again.

For more information on public transport, check out Infopoint/public transport page.

If you need help navigating towards Frankfurt (Oder), there are also Tutors which you can reach out to and ask for help.

I hope you have reached safely!

Paperwork, Hausmeister and keys

So you have reached Mühlenweg and you want to get your apartment, but how does that work?
All you need to do is to approach the Hausmeister (check Infopoint/Hausmeister) and talk to him.
You will state who you are, that you want to move in and show him the confirmation from the Studentenwerk.

(Usually there will be a tutor who does this instead of the Hausmeister, as he is not always available.)

The Hausmeister will give you the contract, read the contract carefully and sign it if you accept it.
Then you will receive the keys and a pink sheet of paper.

This pink sheet of paper is very important!

The pink sheet of paper is a inventory list and a list where you can note damages on the flat.
It is important to go through this list properly and write down all damages and missing furniture of the flat.
When you move out and there are any damages that you did not write down before, you may be charged for them.
This list is there to make sure that the apartment is given back in a healthy state, and by signing the contract, you are responsible to keep the apartment in a good condition.

I’d recommend you to get a tutor to go through the list together, to make sure that nothing is left out.

After reviewing the paper, hand it back to the Hausmeister.

Internet, heating costs and electricity bills

Since this rent is “warm rent” (Warmmiete), the costs of heating, electricity and water usage is covered by the monthly rent. Tho you should still not exagurate the use of heater etc. as you might have to pay for the extra usage or the rent may be rised.
The student dorm also provides a internet connection. For more details, check out Infopoint/Internet.

And that should be it, have a good stay!