Getting around Munich

Munich is easier to cross than its transit map suggests, because a visit splits into three stretches with three different habits. The airport lies in zone 5 and needs a ticket of its own, the old centre is for walking, and everything in between runs on one MVV ticket that works on U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram and bus. Learn that split and the rest is a question of which platform.

From the airport to the centre

Two S-Bahn lines leave the airport, the S1 and the S8, and together they send a train roughly every 10 minutes. Both end at Hauptbahnhof (tief), the lower level of the main station, in about 40 to 45 minutes. The S1 takes the western side of the city and the S8 the eastern one. The choice matters only if your hotel sits on one of them. Some websites put the airport in zone M, which is wrong, because it lies in zone 5 and a city day ticket does not reach it. You need a ticket for zones M to 5, and the Airport-City-Day-Ticket costs €17.50 per person and €32.60 for a group of up to five adults. It is valid until 6 am the next day.

The Lufthansa Express Bus is the alternative, and it suits some arrivals better than the train. It leaves outside the terminals every 20 minutes and reaches Hauptbahnhof, at the stop on Arnulfstraße, in about 45 minutes. The earlier stop at Schwabing/Nordfriedhof takes about 25, so choose it if your hotel is in the north. A taxi is not cheap in Munich, so keep it for heavy luggage and a late landing. The S-Bahn line through the centre is closed for works several times in 2026, and the Laim station is a building site, so open the journey planner at efa.mvv-muenchen.de or the MVV app before you leave for a flight.

Tickets, zones and validation

A single ticket for zone M costs €4.20, and a short trip of up to four stops costs €2.10. If you ride several times in a day, count on the day ticket at €10.10. People travelling together can use the group day ticket at €19.70, for up to five. The airport ticket is not a city day ticket in disguise: it carries you around until 6 am on the day you land, and from the next morning the ordinary day ticket is the one to buy.

Tickets are bought in the MVV app, at a machine or on a bus or tram; anything printed ‘hier entwerten’ must be validated before the ride.

Families should know the rule that came in with 2026: children aged 6 to 14 ride free with an adult's day ticket, your own without any limit and other people's up to three. The Deutschlandticket belongs to a longer stay, and you have to cancel it by the 10th to stop it at the end of the month.

From Hauptbahnhof to Marienplatz it is about 1.2 km as the crow flies, and the S-Bahn is the fastest way between the two, as the city's transport company says itself. Beyond that the old centre is small enough to cross on foot, which is also the better way to see it. You spot the U-Bahn by the blue U, and Munich has eight lines, U1 to U8. Trams run above ground, so they suit sightseeing more than speed, and the night ones carry the letter N. A taxi can be hailed or ordered by phone, and there is a bike scheme called MVG Rad, though this page leaves its prices out.

The museum quarter, the Kunstareal, is a fair test of the walk against the ride. From Hauptbahnhof it takes about 10 minutes on foot, along Luisenstraße towards Königsplatz or through the Alter Botanischer Garten, and that beats any change of train. If you would rather ride, tram 27 or 28 stops at Pinakotheken, and the U2 and U8 stop at Königsplatz. Trips beyond the city belong to the Bayern-Ticket, €34 for one person, and the day trips page shows where it pays.

At night

The night service depends on the weekday. Since January 2025 the U-Bahn runs all night from Friday to Saturday, from Saturday to Sunday and before public holidays, every line every 30 minutes and staggered so that a train leaves the centre every 15 minutes in each direction. From Monday to Thursday the trains stop at about 1 am, and the night trams and buses take over once an hour, meeting at Karlsplatz (Stachus) between 1.30 and 4.30 with five minutes allowed for the change. A day ticket is valid until 6 am, so it also covers the way home. On a Friday you can stay out, and on a Tuesday you plan around the last train.

To Oktoberfest without the crush

Theresienwiese, the station named after the festival grounds, is often especially packed during the Wiesn, and the habit worth keeping is to get off elsewhere. Poccistraße and Goetheplatz on the U3 and U6 work well, Schwanthalerhöhe on the U4 and U5 is another option, and from Hackerbrücke by S-Bahn or the bus station you walk the last few minutes. From Hauptbahnhof the grounds are 10 to 15 minutes on foot, and the way is signposted. Late-night timetables change every year, so read the current one before you plan the way back.

Where to stayThe accommodation page explains how the quarter you pick decides how much transport you will use.Where to stay in Munich →

2 daysThe itinerary strings together two days on foot and by U-Bahn, hour by hour.Munich in 2 days →

FoodThe food page tells you where to stop when you are on the move.What to eat in Munich →

Day tripsThe day trips page covers the Bayern-Ticket and the trains that leave from the main station.Day trips from Munich →

When to goThe best-time page weighs rain and season before you pick the day.The best time to visit Munich →