If you are going to Peacock Island from Wannsee, do not take the F10 ferry. From S Wannsee, take Bus 218 toward Pfaueninsel, get off at Pfaueninsel, and then use the separate ferry operated for Peacock Island.

The confusion is easy to understand. S Wannsee has its own BVG ferry terminal, and the F10 really does leave from Wannsee. But F10 crosses the Havel to Alt-Kladow. It does not stop at Peacock Island.

The important distinction is that Wannsee is the transfer point for Peacock Island, not the boarding point for the island ferry. Reaching S Wannsee does not mean your next step is automatically a boat. For Peacock Island, the public-transport part of the journey continues by Bus 218 along the mainland until you reach the Pfaueninsel stop. Only there do you change from Berlin public transport to the short dedicated crossing onto the island.

This is why a route that looks less direct on a map is actually the correct one. The F10 gives you an immediate water crossing from Wannsee, but it crosses to the wrong destination. Bus 218 keeps you on the correct side of the Havel and takes you to the actual Peacock Island ferry point.

A useful way to remember the route is:

F10 = Alt-Kladow
Bus 218 + separate ferry = Peacock Island

If your destination is Pfaueninsel, seeing a ferry at S Wannsee is not a reason to board it. Check the destination first and follow the Bus 218 connection instead.

The Two Ferries at Wannsee Go to Completely Different Places

Wannsee is where the route becomes misleading if you look only for a ferry symbol.

There are two separate journeys to keep apart:

From the Wannsee area Where it goes Use it for Peacock Island?
F10 from S Wannsee Alt-Kladow No
Bus 218 to Pfaueninsel, then island ferry Peacock Island Yes

The F10 is part of Berlin’s regular public-transport ferry network. Its route is simply S Wannsee ↔ Alt-Kladow, with a crossing of about 20 minutes.

Peacock Island has a different ferry. You first need to reach the land side of Pfaueninsel, and Bus 218 provides that connection from S Wannsee.

This distinction matters more than the difference between two similar boat services. Taking F10 does not put you on another side of Peacock Island or at a less convenient entrance. It takes you to Alt-Kladow, a different destination across the water.

At S Wannsee, Look for Bus 218 Rather Than the F10

S Wannsee is the useful transfer point for Peacock Island, but it is important to treat it as a bus transfer, not as the place where you board the island ferry.

Bus 218 runs between S Messe Nord and Pfaueninsel and serves S Wannsee on the way. From Wannsee, stay on the bus until the final Pfaueninsel stop.

The sequence is:

S Wannsee → Bus 218 → Pfaueninsel → Peacock Island ferry

You do not need to take a public ferry first and then change to another boat. The water crossing comes only at the end of the mainland journey.

The Pfaueninsel bus stop is on the mainland. From there, continue to the separate ferry crossing for the island. VBB specifically describes Bus 218 as continuing from S Wannsee to the land side of Peacock Island, where passengers can transfer to the ferry.

This makes the destination display on the bus more useful than simply following signs for ferries around Wannsee. If the bus is showing Pfaueninsel, you are following the correct mainland approach. If you instead head for the F10 ferry, you are beginning a different journey toward Alt-Kladow.

The practical advantage of using Bus 218 is that it removes the ambiguity at Wannsee. You are not choosing between two boats at the station. You are choosing between the F10 crossing to Alt-Kladow and the bus connection to the actual Peacock Island ferry point.

For first-time visitors, that distinction is more important than the exact number of stops or the apparent distance on a map. Once you are on Bus 218 toward Pfaueninsel, the route becomes straightforward: remain on the bus to its Pfaueninsel terminus, then make the short final crossing to the island.

F10 Is for Alt-Kladow, Not Pfaueninsel

F10 can look convincing because it is the prominent ferry connection at S Wannsee.

It is also a genuine Berlin public-transport route rather than a sightseeing cruise. That makes it especially easy to assume that it is the boat for attractions around Wannsee.

Its destination tells you otherwise.

F10: S Wannsee ↔ Alt-Kladow

There are no intermediate Peacock Island stops on the F10 route.

If your destination is Alt-Kladow, F10 is exactly the ferry you want. If your destination is Pfaueninsel, stay away from the F10 boarding decision and look for Bus 218 instead.

The Peacock Island Ferry Is Separate from Berlin’s F10 Service

The short crossing onto Peacock Island is operated separately from the BVG F10.

That also means the ticket logic is different.

Bus 218 and the F10 sit within the Berlin/VBB public-transport system. The Peacock Island ferry is tied to access to the island and is managed by the Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg.

As of August 2026, SPSG lists a €6 standard single ticket for the Peacock Island ferry, with a reduced ticket available. Tickets can be bought online or at the ticket machine on site. SPSG states that tickets are not sold by the ferry crew.

Do not assume that because you arrived on a valid Berlin public-transport ticket, the final island crossing is automatically included.

Check the Island Ferry Before Building the Day Around Wannsee

The final ferry is not simply another Berlin transit service running independently of the attraction.

SPSG states that the published opening hours for Peacock Island correspond to the operating hours of the island ferry. The last crossing to the island is 45 minutes before the end of ferry service.

That makes the final leg different from arriving at a normal Berlin station and walking to an attraction whenever you reach the area.

If Peacock Island is the main reason for going to Wannsee, check the current island opening and ferry information before leaving central Berlin. Arriving at Wannsee does not guarantee that you can still cross to the island later in the day.

Do Not Plan the Trip Around the F10 Timetable

F10 and the Peacock Island ferry have different jobs, so their timetables should not be combined into one plan.

The F10 currently operates between Wannsee and Alt-Kladow and runs on its own seasonal service pattern. Those departure times are irrelevant if Peacock Island is your destination.

For Peacock Island, the useful sequence is based on:

your arrival at S Wannsee → the next suitable Bus 218 → the island ferry operating window

This is a better way to plan the journey than searching for “Wannsee ferry” and choosing whichever boat departure appears first.

Bus 218 Solves the Part That Maps Can Make Look Strange

Peacock Island sits close to the Wannsee water network, so a map can make a boat connection from S Wannsee look more direct than a bus journey.

But Bus 218 follows the mainland side to the actual Peacock Island crossing point.

That is why the apparently indirect route is the correct one:

train to Wannsee, bus along the mainland, then a very short dedicated island crossing.

The important question is not which route looks shortest across the water. It is which ferry actually serves the island.

If You Are Already Near S Messe Nord, You May Not Need Wannsee First

Bus 218 does not begin at Wannsee. Its route runs from S Messe Nord to Pfaueninsel, passing S Wannsee on the way.

For travelers already on the western side of Berlin near Messe Nord, Heerstraße, or another stop served by the 218, forcing a separate trip to S Wannsee may be unnecessary.

Wannsee is still a useful and recognizable interchange for many visitors, especially when arriving by S-Bahn or regional rail. But it is not an obligatory first stop if your live public-transport route already places you on Bus 218 farther north.

This is another reason not to build the journey around the phrase “Wannsee ferry.” The destination to keep in the route planner is Pfaueninsel, not merely Wannsee.

Coming Back from Peacock Island

The same distinction applies on the return.

Cross from Peacock Island back to the mainland using the dedicated island ferry, then return to the Pfaueninsel bus stop for Bus 218.

If you are returning toward S Wannsee, use the 218 connection back to the station.

You do not need to reach Alt-Kladow, and F10 is not part of the normal Peacock Island return journey.

Before leaving the island late in the day, check the current bus connection as well as the ferry operating hours rather than assuming that both services run on the same schedule.

The Simple Rule to Remember at Wannsee

If you remember only one distinction, make it this:

F10 = Alt-Kladow

Bus 218 + separate ferry = Peacock Island

S Wannsee is the transfer point, not the place where you board the Peacock Island ferry itself.

For Peacock Island, leave the station by Bus 218 toward Pfaueninsel, stay with the bus to the Pfaueninsel stop, and make the island crossing there.

Sources checked

BVG — current F10 route, S Wannsee to Alt-Kladow, approximately 20-minute crossing, and current service information.
https://www.bvg.de/en/connections/route-overview/f10

BVG — current Bus 218 route between S Messe Nord and Pfaueninsel, including S Wannsee and the Pfaueninsel terminus.
https://www.bvg.de/en/connections/route-overview/218

VBB — Bus 218 from S Wannsee to the land side of Pfaueninsel and transfer there to the island ferry; F10 separately serves Alt-Kladow.
https://www.vbb.de/unterwegs-im-vbb/freizeitangebote/ausflugsziele/berlin/

Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg — Peacock Island ferry operating hours, last island crossing, ticket rules and current admission information.
https://www.spsg.de/en/palaces-gardens/object/peacock-island

Last verified: August 2026