FAQ – Wir sind Ohana

🗺️ Location

Book as early as possible because Berlin is a town full of major events
There’s a large variety of hotels west of the event location (around Alexanderplatz) and south (between Karl-Marx-Allee and the Spree river on Warschauer Straße and Mühlenstraße around East Side Gallery.
If you plan to attend Yeur Architect Dreamin, the area around East Side Gallery might be the best choice because it’s between the event locations for Wir sind Ohana and Yeur Architect Dreamin.
We tried but cannot offer hotel blockers and we do not have more specific recommendations because tastes and budgets vary greatly.

🚕 Taxis and Uber
- Berlin has both local taxis and Uber – yet Uber is regulated in Germany and doesn’t offer big savings (but friendlier drivers and better cars if you’re lucky). Some, not all, taxi companies can be booked through the FreeNOW app. FreeNOW also offers payment, but not all drivers and companies accept In-App payments. Major credit cards (Visa & Master) and debit card (Maestro, V-Pay) are widely accepted. Alternatively, there is the Taxi.eu App.
🚃 Local public transport
- The closest station is Frankfurter Tor, served by U5 subway trains and 21 / M10 tram lines.
- S-Bahn station Warschauer Straße or DB train / S-Bahn station Ostbahnhof has better connections with a number of S and U trains, but is a short walk away from the event location
- Tickets are on sale at machines in the stations, and from the DB (DB Navigator) or BVV mobile apps. There are Tourist Day Tickets available.

⚠️ Don’t make these mistakes because they may be costly

Travelling without the correct and vallidated ticket is very expensive.
“Kurzstrecke” might be the first and cheapest option that shows up on the vending machine. Know that this is only for very short trips (4 stops at max).
If you buy a paper ticket from the vending machine, you still need to stamp the date and time of validity on the ticket at dedicated stamper units before travel, otherwise the ticket is deemed invalid. So look out for the small “stamper” units installed close to vending machines or near the stairs that lead toward the platforms. Ticket inspections are frequent, and it will cost you 60 Euro if you fail to present a valid (i.e. stamped) ticket.
🚆 Trains
- Major domestic and international train lines arrive at / leave from Berlin Hauptbahnhof.
- Some domestic and international train lines also serve Berlin Ostbahnhof. This station is smaller, but closer to the event location and East Berlin hotel locations.
🛬 Airport
- Berlin’s airport is Berlin-Brandenburg (BER) ca 45 min outside of Berlin in Schönefeld. Upon arrival, look for the regional train station (DB and S-Bahn signs). Prefer DB over S-Bahn because DB offerings are significantly faster. General information / schedules from https://flughafenexpress.deutschebahn.com/fex-de#

Travel to Germany from abroad

To visit Germany, you will need travel documents according to the Schengen agreement.

Germany (as a member of the EU) is part of the “Schengen zone”, a list of countries that mutually agreed on enforcing a joint immigration policy at their exterior borders, and waiving immigration control for traffic between the member states.
Citizens of EU member states that are part of the Schengen agreement will not need visa or passports.
Germany has a visa waiver agreements with many countries for short term tourist or business trips or visits. You will need to present a valid passport upon entry.
You can find the visa requirements for Germany on the official government site.
If you need to apply for a visa, you can do so electronically at the official web site. (site comes up in German, but you can toggle a number of languages).
You might need a reference letter, which we can issue upon request. As a speaker, respond to the acceptance email. As a ticket holder, reach out to info@wirsindohana.de.
German visa are for the Schengen zone, not just Germany. If you plan travel within the EU, entry and/or exit on a German visa from any port other than a German one, make sure you have fully understood the conditions of your visa.
The EU plans to introduce an advance travel authorization system comparable to ESTA (US) and ETA (UK). Currently, the operation of ETIAS is planned for the end of 2026. Please check travel prerequisites before your trip even if you’re travelling on a visa waiver or a valid visa.

We’re looking forward to bring together fun activities for you if you’re arriving early or stay for the weekend. Activities will be announced here or in our Slack channel – you’ll find an invite in your ticket confirmation.