Environmental zone
Dear Guests!
From January 1st, 2008 on, the access to Berlin with private cars is going to be limited
Every car entering the inner city "Environmental zone" will need an emissions certificate sticker
Visitors are encouraged to leave their cars on the perimiter of the city and use public transportation
The inner city of Berlin will be an emission regulated zone (“Environmental zone”). This means that only cars with a certain emission certificate are allowed to drive into the city of Berlin.
In order to lower the emissions and the traffic load in the inner city, the Berlin city government is encouraging visitors to leave their cars on the perimeter of the city and take public transportation into the city.
The environmental zone is the area within the suburban rail ring. This includes the district “Mitte” where The Circus Hostel is located.
Emission certificate
If your car has a German license plate
you can get the emissions certificate sticker from the Berlin city government, from some gas stations and from car dealers with garage for about 5,- Euros. You can also order the sticker online for a bit more at services like www.umwelt-plakette.de
If your car does not have a German license plate
it’s also possible to get the sticker but it might be a bit more complicated. The dealers and gas stations might not be so familiar with foreign registrations and you might have to go to the Berlin city government.
If you live in another city in the European Union which has a similar Environmental zone, your certificate might also be good for Berlin.
However, Berlin has a great pubic transportation system and we highly advise not to use your own car if you don't have to!
More Information
Where do I leave my car?
The Environmental zone is the area within the suburban rail ring. The easiest is to leave your car at one of the big regional train stations and switch to public transportation.
Visitberlin.de has a guide online with many helpful hints, read more
Can I order the emissions certificate before I arrive?
There are companies that will ship the emissions certificate to you. One example is umwelt-plakette.de
I’d like to see the whole thing in writing!
The Berlin city government has produced a very informative brochure on the topic which you can download as PDF if you follow this link.
If you need more information or if you have a detailed question, please contact us directly by E-Mail or give us a call at +49-30-28 39 14 33 or Skype: circus-berlin