A gateway for data transfer between serial buses, including multiple communication modules that are each provided for connection of one serial bus, and that carry out a conversion between data packets and data words, a bus master that, via an internal control bus, controls a word-based transfer of data via an internal data bus between two communication modules, the bus master applying a source address via a source address bus to an internally transmitting first communication module, and a destination address via a separate destination address bus to an internally receiving second communication module, data received in data packets by the first communication module via a first serial bus connected thereto being transferred from the first communication module directly without buffering, in word-based fashion in one or more data words, via the internal data bus to the second communication module, which delivers these transferred data, in data packets, via a second serial bus connected to the second communication module.