Munich - Info on Airport

Munich's airport (Flughafen) is called Franz-Joseph-Strauss and is located about 30km north east of the city. Flights connect Munich directly to 20 destinations within Germany and 173 destinations world-wide.

Franz-Joseph-Strauss Flughafen is a little way out of the city, and travel to the airport may take longer than the plane flight itself, depending on your destination. At the moment no discount airline has a hub in Munich, so although ridiculously cheap fares become available from time to time, you often have an inconvenient and time-consuming stop-over on your journey.

For information on in-coming or out-going flights, call flight information 'Flugauskunft'
Tel: + 49 (0) 89 9752 1313.
 

If you are only stopping in Munich for a short time and have a reasonable amount of luggage you don't want to drag into the city with you, luggage minding 'Gepäckaufbewahrung' costs around 3 euros per item per day, Tel: + 49 (0) 89 9752 1375.

Getting to and from the airport

There are many options for getting to and from the airport to Munich city. For newcomers to Germany it may be difficult to resist the temptation of hiring a car and driving at breakneck speed along the Autobahn for the first time. If you're feeling particularly flush, you can purchase a new Audi or Lamborghini from their on-site showrooms at the airport! If you want to travel by car but not drive yourself there are also limousine services and taxis. Bearing in mind the distance from the airport to the city, a taxi is not the most cost-efficient option.

Another semi-expensive way to travel is with the Lufthansa Airport Bus that will drop you at the main train station. One-way tickets are 9 euros and return tickets 14.50 euros, so reasonable if you're travelling alone, but with a family this adds up pretty quickly.

The cheapest and probably best option is to catch the S-Bahn. There are two S-Bahn services (S1 and S8), each running every twenty minutes from about 3am until midnight to the airport and from 4am to 1:30am from the airport. A day ticket 'Tageskarte' will get you transport connections within the city, and a partner day ticket 'Partnertageskarte' is the same thing, but valid for up to 5 adults (children up to the age of 14 count as half an adult). Transport of all luggage other than bikes in a rideable condition (bikes still in the box they were transported in on the plane count as luggage) is free. In addition to being cheap and efficient, traffic jams can accumulate on the Autobahn, so the train is often faster than commuting by road.

Both trains take about 40 minutes from the airport to the main train station. The S1 takes a western route and the S8 takes the eastern route. In the city stations where you have a choice of catching the S1 or the S8 there will often be signs saying which platform to go to for the next train to the airport. Be careful though, the 'next train' to depart will not necessarily be the first one to arrive at the airport!

Services in the airport and nearby

The airport is very large and a new terminal (Terminal 2) has just been built and come into operation. A lot of businesses have also sprung up in buildings directly connected to the airport as part of the renovations. In addition to the thriving shopping centre that was already there (one of the few places in Munich you can actually shop on a Sunday!), the airport has become quite a shopping metropolis.
 

The goods on sale are not only for travellers, but include a supermarket, gifts, toys, souvenirs, clothing, stationery and reading material, electronics, jewellery and watches, and travel bags to carry it all home in.
 

There are regular banks and money exchange counters so that you can afford to purchase the above-mentioned items. As always, there are plenty of bars and restaurants for you to refuel at if all the shopping has left you feeling a little faint.

• 'Medizinische Zentrum' in Terminal 1 on level 3
•  a pharmacy 'Apotheke'
•  a dentist 'Zahnarzt'

There are also services for the disabled 'Behindertenservice', personal care services, office, secretarial and translation services, legal and tax advice, and pastoral care.
 

In addition to providing an accommodation service 'Hotelvermittlung/Zimmervermittlung' there are hotels close to the airport (but a long way from the centre of town!).
The Kempinski 5-star with conference facilities
Tel: + 49 (0) 89 97820

Allresto Flughafen München Hotel und Gaststätten
Tel: + 49 (0) 89 9759 3001 are nearby.

There is also a conference centre 'Konferenzzentrum'
Tel: +49 (0) 89 9759 3200