Getting Around Braunschweig
Braunschweig is a compact, dense city, and its historic centre is small enough to cover on foot. For anything further out, the city and its surrounding district are served by an integrated public transport network of trams and buses, backed up by taxis and a well-connected main railway station. This guide explains the practical options for a visitor.
On Foot
Walking is the simplest way to explore the centre. The downtown shopping district is a car-free pedestrian zone, and most places of interest can be reached on foot. Because the city is dense and much of its area is given over to parks and forests, the built-up core is relatively compact, which keeps the main sights within easy walking distance of one another.
Trams and Buses
The local network is run by Braunschweiger Verkehrs-AG, which serves both the city and the wider district of Braunschweig. Places within the city limits are easily reached by public transport, either by tram or by bus. The network is organised into zones, and the price you pay depends on how far you need to travel.
For a visitor, the key ticket types are:
- Short hop ticket (Kurzstrecke): valid for up to three stops after boarding, with no changes.
- Single ticket (Stadttarif BS): a standard trip within the city, with a reduced child fare.
- Day ticket: valid for one day until the end of services, and available for one to five people, so couples, families and groups can share one.
- Multi-trip packs: a pack of six standard tickets gives six trips for the price of five, and a pack of eight day tickets can be used on eight freely chosen days.
- Deutschlandticket: a flat-rate ticket giving unlimited trips around the clock on local public transport throughout Germany.
Longer-stay visitors and frequent travellers have further options, including monthly and annual passes, student and under-21 passes, an off-peak season ticket valid on weekdays from 9am, and a job season ticket for employed people. Several of these passes allow you to bring family, friends and bicycles along. There are also add-ons such as a bicycle day ticket, a full-network extension ticket, and a first-class surcharge.
Buying Tickets and Planning Journeys
Tickets can be purchased from the driver, paying by cash or card, at DB ticket machines, or through mobile apps. The most convenient options for travellers are the FAIRTIQ app or the Meine BSVG app, both available for Android and iOS. The VRB app ("VRB Fahrinfo & Tickets") is a free download that provides timetable information, mobile tickets and a full network map, and the VRB website also offers a ticket advisor tool.
For schedules and connections, you can check with the VRB itself or use the EFA site, which covers connections for all of Lower Saxony and Bremen. Tickets issued by the Lower Saxony network and by Deutsche Bahn are also valid within the VRB area, so you do not always need a separate local ticket.
Arriving by Train
Braunschweig Hauptbahnhof is well served by Deutsche Bahn, including high-speed ICE trains, thanks to the city's central location in Germany. Local trains connect it to picturesque Goslar, the Harz Mountains and the Lüneburg Heath. For local journeys across the state, travellers can buy a Niedersachsen-Ticket, valid on local trains throughout Lower Saxony and available as a single ticket or as a ticket for up to five people.
One practical point: the main station is not very close to the centre, and the immediate surroundings do not offer many sights worth seeing. To reach your final destination in the city, take the bus or tram from the station.
Arriving by Long-Distance Bus
Braunschweig is a major stop for bus travel throughout Germany and Europe, helped by its central location. Services frequently link the city with destinations in Eastern Europe, especially Poland, and operators such as Flixbus offer low-cost trips to European cities. The central bus station (Zentraler Omnibus-Bahnhof, or ZOB) is on Berliner Platz, between the main station and the German Mail building, next to the Steam Locomotive monument.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis in Germany are comparatively expensive, and Braunschweig is no exception. Locals tend to use them on weekends, after buses and trains stop running, or when they need to move a lot of luggage, for example to the train station. Sharing a cab with strangers is not a local custom, though some people can be persuaded to share if your stop is on the same route, particularly when cabs are scarce in bad weather.
Publicly registered taxis carry yellow "Taxi" signs on the roof and are usually a creamy eggshell colour. They can be phoned or hailed on the street.
Arriving by Plane
The nearest commercial airport is Hannover Airport (HAJ), roughly 30–40 minutes away by car or around an hour by train. Braunschweig Airport (BWE) is mainly a research airport, used primarily by the Technische Universität Braunschweig, the German Federal Agency of Aviation and the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation. It does, however, handle seasonal holiday charter flights to destinations including Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus, with tickets bookable through regional tour operators or directly at the airport.
Driving and Parking
Braunschweig is easily reached by the German Autobahn network, including the A2, one of Europe's main traffic arteries, as well as the A39 and the city autobahns. All major car rental companies have branches in the city. Be aware that the highways tend to get gridlocked during rush hours, since many commuters travel into Braunschweig and Hanover, and the city is rumoured to have the highest per-capita density of traffic lights in Germany.
There are many parking garages, organised through an efficient parking guidance system. You can check spaces available, fees and opening hours from your mobile phone.