Are you flying into Munich and have no idea how to get from the airport into town? Or vice versa?
This guide predominantly covers directions to and from Franz Josef Strauss Airport (MUC). Scroll to the bottom if you are flying to „Munich West“.
Quick Guide to Munich Airport (MUC)
Munich airport (MUC) has two terminals. Terminal 2 is newer and nicer and used by Lufthansa and Star Alliance airlines. Terminal 1, still fine, is used by all other airlines. You can walk from one terminal building to the other by crossing a pedestrian plaza.
Terminal 1 has gates A through D, as well as the central area Z (also referred to as „Munich Airport Center“, MAC).
Terminal 2 has gates G, H, K, and L.
Needless to say, both terminal buildings have ATMs, shops, cafés, toilets etc. There are supermarkets, too, that are open late and on Sundays, unlike elsewhere in Bavaria. So if you arrive on a Sunday or public holiday and you are desperate for a bottle of water or some snacks, find one of those supermarkets!
There is a Hilton hotel directly in the airport. Numerous other hotels are nearby.
Private Ground Transportation at Munich Airport
Taxis
There will always be taxis waiting at the airport. They operate on a meter.
Expect to pay at least €100 for a ride into town; more if you are going to the southern neighborhoods.
(If you would like to tip your driver, make it around 10 %. Only tip more if they have been exceptionally helpful. Which they usually will not be. 😒 No need to tip anyone who was rude.)
Uber
You can use the Uber app in Germany to book a ride, but you will be collected by a taxi. Uber is not allowed to use drivers who don’t have a commercial passenger-transportation licence.
The advantage of Uber will be that you know the final fare before you board. That way, you don’t have to worry about the driver taking advantage of your lack of local knowledge to take the long route to your hotel.
(Honestly, though, most taxi drivers won’t. A ride from the airport into central Munich is attractive enough so they don’t have to try and cheat you.)
Hotel Shuttle Bus
If you are staying in one of the hotels near the airport, chances are there is a shuttle bus service. Check with your hotel to find out whether it is a scheduled service or you must call them for pick-up.
Use this service instead of a taxi. It will be cheaper and you may save yourself an unpleasant interaction with a taxi driver. Drivers technically have to take you wherever you want. But they have spent a long time waiting to pick up passengers, so they will want a ride into town ($$$$$), not just one around the corner ($). They will not hesitate to communicate their displeasure.
Private Transfer
Of course, you can also book a private transfer where the driver will wait for you in the arrivals hall.
The advantages are clear: no need to find your way to your preferred transportation option, no language barrier when communicating your destination, a bottle of water waiting for you. The driver will probably be friendlier than a taxi driver.
Personally, I would say book a private transfer only if you have more bags and/or small children than you can handle. Otherwise, there really is no need. You are flying into Munich, not some hellhole that has just been taken over by hostile space aliens. If you want to be in a car, a taxi will do the same job for less money. Otherwise, public transportation is perfectly safe, too.
Car Rental
Various rental car businesses have offices at the airport. Recently, one of my food-tour clients was completely blown away by the experience of picking up his car, because the whole process was so quick and smooth.
Public Transportation At Munich Airport
Lufthansa Airport Express Bus
The Lufthansa Airport Express Bus runs between the airport (T1 and T2) and two stops in Munich: Nordfriedhof/Schwabing and the central train station.
This bus service is open to anyone, whether or not you are flying Lufthansa. It runs every 20 minutes between roughly 5 AM and 10:30 PM. The coaches on this service have luggage compartments for big bags. You can buy your tickets from the driver or online (slightly cheaper: €12 for a one-way ticket). Travel time is approx. 25 minutes to/from the Nordfriedhof stop and approx. 45 minutes to/from the central station stop.
At the first stop (Nordfriedhof/Schwabing), you can change to subway line U6. At the second (and final) stop, you can change to the S-Bahn trains, subway lines U1/2/7/8, buses and trams as well as regional and long-distance trains. Note: you will need to purchase a separate ticket to continue your journey.
For more details, including where to find the bus stops at the airport and in town, read my detailed Lufthansa Airport Bus guide.
S-Bahn Lines S1 and S8
Two S-Bahn lines connect the airport and the city center: S1 and S8. S1 is taking a western route, S8 an eastern route. If you just want to get into central Munich, I would suggest taking the first train that comes along. If in doubt, check Google Maps or another mapping tool of your choice for the best way to reach your destination.
Travel time to Marienplatz is roughly 45-50 minutes, depending on which line you take. There are lots of ticket machines available in the terminal buildings. You must have a valid ticket before you access the platforms.
Both lines hit all the central stops on the S-Bahn corridor between Laim in the west and Ostbahnhof in the east. S8, thanks to its routing, also stops in Pasing. You can take all your bags onto the trains with you; however, there are no luggage racks. Keep an eye on your bags – Munich is generally safe, but theft does occur.
For details on platforms and tickets, check out my detailed guide on how to catch the S-Bahn from Munich airport.
Splitting Up S1
S1 trains serve two destinations: Freising and the airport. At Neufahrn station, the train is split. One section will continue to Freising, the other to the airport.
If S1 pulls in just as you arrive on the platform, jump on, regardless of which part you are boarding. You will have enough time at Neufahrn to change to the other section. It takes some time to uncouple the sections. Do not, however, attempt to move from one section to another at any of the stops along the way – there is not enough time. The train will leave before you have a chance to reboard. The drivers have no mercy on hapless travellers.
My Personal Preference …
… is for the bus. It is more comfortable and more reliable. Although it does get quite crowded these days.
But that’s just me.
Depending on where you are going, it may be more convenient for you to take the S-Bahn. For instance, if you are staying at a hotel near Ostbahnhof, the S8 will get you there more quickly than if you take the bus to the train station, drag your bags to the S-Bahn, perhaps wonder which way you need to go now etc.
Catching a Train from Munich
If your plan is to bypass Munich 😱 and immediately catch a train to somewhere else, do note that the airport does not have a long-distance train station. You will have to get into central Munich first, make your way to the train station and find your train there. (Some regional trains do run from the airport directly to Freising and up to Regensburg.)
Allow at least two hours from the moment you step into the arrivals hall with your baggage collected (i.e., at least three hours from your arrival time). This will give you enough time to find your way to the S-Bahn or bus, travel into Munich and locate your departure platform, without going crazy. You will even have time to grab a coffee.
Check your ticket to see if it says your train is departing from München-Ost (= East station) or München Hbf (= central station). These are two separate stations. Munich East predominantly has departures towards Austria and the south-eastern corner of Germany. The vast majority of trains leaves from Munich central.
Flying to Munich West Airport (FMM)
If you are flying Ryanair or WizzAir, you will not arrive at Franz Josef Strauss Airport north of Munich. You will arrive at an airport euphemistically called „Munich West“. It is actually located in Memmingen, a small town a good hour west of Munich. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since Memmingen airport is small and efficient. You just need to get to Munich from there.
If you arrive early in the morning, or fly out late, you might want to consider spending some time in Memmingen. The old town is very pretty. Memmingen was on one of the salt routes, and therefore was a rather wealthy place. It still shows in the architecture.
To travel between the Memmingen airport and Munich by public transportation, you have two options:
- Allgäu Airport Express. This is a coach service that runs directly between the Memmingen airport and Munich central station. Journey time is approx. 1:20 h. Book your ticket in advance.
- Alternatively, catch a public bus (lines 2 and 810) from Memmingen airport to Memmingen train station. Buses run roughly every half-hour. From Memmingen, trains run at least hourly to Munich central station (journey time approx. 60-90 minutes). Note that you can use the cheaper Bayern-Ticket or Deutschland Ticket only on the RE trains! To travel on the faster ECE trains, you must buy a regular train ticket (either from the DB Navigator app, or from the ticket machines or ticket counters at Memmingen train station). You can also take a train to Neuschwanstein castle, though you will have to change in Buchloe. You can neither book the city bus nor the RE trains. You can only book a seat on the ECE trains.