Getting to Munich and Around by S-Bahn, U-Bahn and Bayern-Ticket

Munich's public transport network (MVV) links the airport, the royal palaces and the Alpine foothills on a unified ticketing system. Everything runs on an honour system without ticket barriers, so understanding which zone ticket to buy and when to stamp it saves both money and on-the-spot fines.

From Munich Airport (MUC) to the city centre

Franz Josef Strauß Airport lies 35 km north-east of central Munich in MVV Zone 5. You have two main routes in:

• S-Bahn Lines S1 and S8 (every 10 minutes combined): both lines depart from the station directly between Terminals 1 and 2 and run straight through the central underground trunk line (Stammstrecke), stopping at Ostbahnhof, Isartor, Marienplatz, Karlsplatz (Stachus) and Hauptbahnhof in 40 to 45 minutes. If you are travelling on the same day around the city too, do not buy a single ticket; buy the Airport-City-Day-Ticket (Zones M to 5), either for a single traveller or as a Group Day Ticket (which covers up to five adults travelling together for less than the price of two singles).
• Lufthansa Express Bus: leaves every 20 minutes from outside the terminals and runs non-stop to Munich Schwabing (Nordfriedhof U6) and München Hauptbahnhof in around 45 minutes. Any passenger flying any airline can use it.

Getting around Munich: U-Bahn, S-Bahn and Trams

Inside the city, virtually every sight sits inside Zone M (including Marienplatz, Nymphenburg Palace, Olympiapark and Hellabrunn Zoo; if visiting Dachau, get a Zone M-1 ticket). Buy a Single or Group Day Ticket in the MVGO / MVV app or from the blue-and-white station machines. Crucial rule: if you buy a paper ticket that does not already have a valid date printed on it, you must stamp it in the small blue-and-yellow Entwerter box at the top of the station escalators or inside the tram before the train moves.

High-speed trains and the Bayern-Ticket for day trips

Long-distance ICE trains to Berlin and Frankfurt and ÖBB Railjet trains to Salzburg, Vienna and Venice depart from München Hauptbahnhof. For day trips across Bavaria (Füssen/Neuschwanstein, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Lake Tegernsee or Salzburg just across the Austrian border), buy a Bayern-Ticket, which gives up to five people unlimited regional train and bus travel after 09:00 on weekdays (and from midnight at weekends).