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Berlin layover - can I leave the airport with my bag checked i?

I am arriving in Berlin from the U.S. via Frankfurt (final destination Graz). I have a 7 hour layover. I am interested in taking a taxi to the hop on/hop off tour bus & then returning back to the airport 2 hours before my plane takes off. I will allow an hour to get back to the airport instead of the 20-30 minutes to get there because of afternoon traffic. My main questions are: will I have a problem with customs or passport check coming out? How long will this take? Will I have any problems Checking back in with security? Do I need to get a paper ticket of some sort? Can I leave my checked bag at the airport (that's going to my connecting flight)? Anything else I should know? I'm flying American airlines to Frankfurt & Air Berlin the other 2 flights. Thanks

Posted by
23177 posts

If I follow you correctly. Is it all one ticket? If it is, then you bags will be checked through to Graz and you will only go through immigrations (passport control) in Frankfurt. You can easily leave and return. You will need your boarding pass for the Graz leg when going through security.

Posted by
233 posts

Faithlight: I believe you will be clearing customs and immigration when you deplane in Frankfurt. The remainder of your trip should be "domestic"; so, you should not have an issue at the airport in Berlin with customs or passport control. Also, you will probably be able to check your bags through to Graz when you check-in at the Air Berlin counter in Frankfurt; so, you won't have to worry about your bags while in Berlin. However, if your bags are not checked all the way through, there is a left baggage office at the Berlin airport. Finally, instead of taking a taxi from the Berlin airport to a location where you can catch a HOHO, consider taking a bus from the airport to the train station (Hauptbahnhof) and then S-Bahn or U-Bahn to your destination. Rick Steve's Germany Guidebook has a chapter on Berlin and local transportation that will answer all your transportation questions. Local transportation is cheaper and a lot more fun; plus, you can bypass a lot of vehicular traffic and spend more time in Berlin before going back to the airport.

Posted by
2 posts

Thanks for the info :) I only have one hour to get through passport control in my Frankfurt connection. That's going to be enough time right???