Munich Transportation

Getting There

Air

The International Airport (MUC) (+ 49 89 9752 1313/ http://www.munich-airport.de/), the eighth largest in Europe, lies 27 kilometer (17 miles) northeast of Munich. Its two terminals dock some of the world's largest airlines including:

Air Berlin (+45 30 4147 7510 / http://www.airberlin.com/) Air Canada (+1 800 776 3000 / http://www.aircanada.ca/) Air France (+1 800 871 1366 / http://www.airfrance.com/) Air Malta (+33 1 58 18 64 05 / http://www.airmalta.com/) Air Transat (+877 872 6728 / http://www.airtransat.com/) British Airways (+1 800 247 9297 / http://www.ba.com/) Condor (+1 800 524 6975 / http://www.condor.com/) Delta (+1 800 221 1212 / http://www.delta.com/) Easy Jet (+33 8 25 08 25 08 / http://www.easyjet.com/) El Al (+1 800 223 6700 / http://www.elal.co.il/) Finnair (+1 800 950 4768 / http://www.finnair.com/) Germanwings (+44 870 252 12 50 / http://www.germanwings.com/) German Express (+01805 737 100 / http://www.gexx.de/) Hapag-Lloyd Express (+180 509 3 509 / http://www.hlx.com/) Iberia (+1 800 772 4642 / http://www.iberia.com/) KLM (+1 800 374 7747 / http://www.klm.nl/) Lufthansa (+1 800 645 3880 / http://www.lufthansa.com/) Northwest (+1 800 225 2525 / http://www.nwa.com/) Scandinavian Airlines (+1 800 221 2350 / http://www.scandinavian.net/) Spanair (+1 888 545 5757 / http://www.spanair.com/) Sun Express (+45 30 180 59 59 59 0 / http://www.sunexpress.com.tr/) TAP Portugal (+351 707 205 700 / http://www.flytap.com/) United (+1 800 241 6522 / http://www.ual.com/) US Airways (+1 800 428 4322 / http://www.usairways.com/) Virgin Express (+0821 2230 202 / http://www.virgin-express.com/)

From the Airport

Public Transport: MVV's (+49 89 210 33 0 / http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/) S1 and S8 commuter train lines are the quickest means of getting into downtown Munich. Located underneath the airport, the trains exit every 10 minutes and take 40 minutes to reach the Hauptbahnhof, Munich's main station. Hours: 4:30a-12:15a M-F; 5:35a-12:15a Saturday-Sunday. One-way fares: EUR9.90.  All-day entire system tickets for up to five people are only €18.

Buses, via Autobus Oberbayern (+49 89 323 040 / http://www.autobus-oberbayern.de/), depart every 20 minutes between 6:15a-9:45p. Rides take 45 minutes and cost EUR9 one way/EUR14.50 round trip.

Taxi: Taxis are easy to find, but expect to pay between EUR50-60. Depending on traffic most rides last 45-60 minutes.

Car Rental: The Car Rental Center is located next to Terminal 1. The following companies are available: Avis (+49 89 975-9 76 00 / http://www.avis.de/) Budget (+49 89 975-9 67 05 / http://www.budget.com/) Hertz (+49 89 978-8 60 / http://www.hertz.de/) Europcar (+49 89 973-50 20 / http://www.europcar.de/) National (+49 89 975-9 76 80 / http://www.nationalcar.com) Sixt (+49 180 5 26 25 25 / http://www.sixt.de/)

Highway

Major highways from every direction, including the world famous Autobahn, make Munich very car accessible. The A8 (highway numbers beginning with "A" are part of the Autobahn) enters from Stuttgart and Augsburg in a northwest direction and continues southeast into Salzburg. The A9 slices into Munich from the north, originating in Berlin and passing through Nurnberg. The A92/A3 begins in Passau and moves into Munich from the east. The A95 wanders in from the southwest, starting in Garmisch.

Train

All trains into Munich use the Hauptbahnhof (+49 89 2333 0256), which is conveniently shared by the city's rail and bus systems. The Deutsch Bahn (+49 1805 996 633 / http://www.bahn.de/), with its 40,200 kilometer (25,000 miles) of track, offers a variety of train options within Germany. Its high-speed InterCity Express (ICE) connects with Munich via Hamburg, Frankfurt and Augsburg at speeds of 280km/h (175mph). And the City Nightline (CNL) travels at night and includes roomy sleeping quarters. For train travel originating outside of Germany British Rail (+1 877 677 1066) makes four daily trips to Munich from London. The opulent Orient Express (+01 55 62 1800) huffs out of Paris everyday at 6pm and arrives in Munich at 3a.

Bus

Eurolines (+49 8 89 89 513 / http://www.eurolines.com/) services Munich from every direction. Buses unload at the Zentraler Busbahnhof (+49 89 2333), located on the north side of the Hauptbahnhof.

Getting Around

Public Transport

The U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams (Straßenbahn), and buses are all managed by the Munich Transport and Tariff Association (MVV) (+49 89 4142 4344/ http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/). They are all wonderfully efficient, but are hampered with a complicated pricing code based upon four concentric travel zones. Deciphering DNA is easier than attempting to understand the MVV's pricing system. One-way fares for all four systems start at EUR2, and tickets can be purchased from machines, kiosks, or in some cases from drivers. Be sure to stamp your ticket before you board as trains and buses are often checked by controllers and those without a validated ticket will be fined. The U-Bahn, Munich's subway, features eight lines, all of which run underground. Each station is attended every 3-5 minutes during morning and afternoon rush periods. The S-Bahn, Munich's railway, covers all of downtown as well as the suburbs. Stations are serviced every 20 minutes during weekdays and every 40 minutes during weekends. There are 20 tram lines and 80 bus lines that service downtown and the suburbs.

Taxi

Most taxis are off-white Mercedes and are easy to hail. Should you need to reserve a cab call Central Dispatching (+49 89 21610). Most city fares cost between EUR8-EUR10.

Car

Munich drivers are an independent lot and navigating through city streets by car can be a challenge. Fortunately, Munich has plenty of fine public transport that can get you there whether you are in town for business or holiday.

Bike

Biking can be a convenient and pleasurable way to see Munich. There are over 800 kilometer (497 miles) of bike paths around the city and through its parks, and in general motorists are watchful - even considerate - of bikers. There are numerous places to rent bikes, as well as rickshaw sightseeing and guided bike tours. And as an added bonus bikes are allowed on the S-Bahn. Some of the more noted bike rental shops include:

At the Hauptbahnhof, Radius Tours and Bike Rental (+49 89 596 113) Lenbach & Poge (+49 89 266 506) Radl-Discount (+49 89 724 2351)

Foot

Walking is the best way to explore downtown Munich. Its historic old town center is crammed with a wealth of wow-look-at-that attractions including the Hofbräuhaus, a legendary beer hall.