On the first day of HUWISU summer and winter university a guide with all relevant information will be handed to you. Some helpful information for your stay in Berlin are gathered in the following.

Public transport

“Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe” is the name of the public transport company. Berlin’s public transport is divided into three zones: A, B and C. At bvg.de you can check for connections yourself. If you haven´t bought a monthly ticket via HUWISU, you need to buy a ticket (Berlin AB).

Whenever you take the Bus in Berlin, you have to show the bus driver your ticket upon entering the bus. Entry is always at the front door. During the week night buses replace the U-Bahn and S-Bahn routes after midnight. On Fridays and Saturdays transportation runs non stop.

For city trips around Germany and Europe you can check the Deutsche Bahn. It is one of the world’s leading passenger and logistics companies and operates in 130 countries. 

Tourist information

For detailed tourist information please check the website of VisitBerlin. 

Berlin is a safe city. However you should be aware of the following situations:

- Avoid parks and woods as well as dark, desolate streets and places at night.
- Do not get involved in arguments/disputes.
- Do not take any drugs and do not drink more alcohol than you can tolerate.
- Do not leave your drink unattended in clubs and bars.
- Do not get into a car with strangers.

Just a few minutes walk from the apartment block you can find several English speaking doctors and dentists.

The living costs in Berlin are lower than in other German and European cities. However, the amount of money one spends depends on his/her personal life style. Usually German students need about 170 Euro per month on food (basic groceries, i.e. not including eating out). Additionally, it is suggested that you budget some money for travelling and other events.

In summer the weather is quite variable in Germany. Summers are warm and sometimes humid with average high temperatures of 22–25 °C (72–77 °F) and lows of 12–14 °C (54–57 °F). It is advisable to bring clothes for hot summer weather as well as closed shoes, pants and sweaters for chilly days. Winters are relatively cold with average high temperatures of 3 °C (37 °F) and lows of -10 to 0 °C (14 to 32 °F). It may also be very wet in the winter due to the snow. Bringing snow-boots is highly recommended. The apartments are equipped with a heating system, but no A/C.

For most plastic and glass bottles purchased in stores, a deposit of 8 to 25 cents is charged (“Flaschenpfand”). Pay attention to the symbols on the bottles! If you want the deposit back, you need to bring the empty bottles back to the store’s “Pfand-Automat”.

On the campus

Humboldt-Universität has three campuses in Berlin: Campus Mitte (Arts and Humanities, Law, Economics and Business Studies, Theology), Campus Adlershof (Mathematics, Informatics and the Natural Sciences) and Campus Nord (Life Sciences).

The International Office is the point of contact for all international students enrolled in courses at Humboldt-Universität. It is located in HU’s main building. HUWISU is part of HU’s international office.

You can access the internet in the main building by using the code (HU-Meeting) that will be given to you at the beginning of the session. You will have access to public computer working places. There are PC halls in the different facilities.

The use of the university library ("Grimm-Zentrum") at Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 3-5 is also available for international students in a short-term program. In order to do so, you will need to take your student ID with you (it will be given to you upon arrival). Please note that it is not possible to borrow books! Before entering the library, please stow your personal belongings in the provided lockers. You can either buy a lock from the kiosk across the street or use the MensaCard to make use of the lockers. We recommend taking your valuables with you into the library; in this case, please take one of the designated transparent plastic bags which the library provides.

All mensas and cafeterias (to check the opening hours click on the respective mensa) of Humboldt-Universität are run by the "Studentenwerk". To use all university canteens in Berlin you must pay by using the MensaCard (cash is not accepted). You can add money to your card at the machines located in the dining halls. The machines accept bank notes up to 50€. Please take note of your card number so that in case of loss, the remaining balance can be paid out to you. A deposit of 1,55€ will be charged when buying the card.