On Foot

On foot

The centre of Munich covers quite a small area and you could cover it all on foot if you wanted to. The city is very green, clean and has plenty of pedestrian zones. In the inner city you’ll find hidden away streets and alleys to explore too.

TIP: Munich has and extensive cycle path system, so get into the habit of looking both ways when crossing pavements with cycle paths too. Cyclists go quickly and are used to pedestrians staying out of there way.

You could also join one of the walking tours that operate, seeing and learning a bit about Munich at the same time. Here are come of the operators:

Munich Walk Tours in English

Tel: 0049 (0) 171-274-0224

M-Unique Walking Tours (English)

Tel: 0049 (0) 89 255-43-988 or 987

Bike Hire

Bike Hire

Bike hire in Munich
Ricksha

Munich and her outskirts are surprisingly easy to explore on a bicycle and being such a green and safe city, cycling is a very pleasant experience.

It is so safe thanks to an extensive cycle path system (800km) and a safe driving culture. Drivers ‘look out’ for cyclists in Germany.

At Marienplatz, they offer Rickshaws for sightseeing (see picture).

Cycle paths also run past the Isar meadows to Landshut and Bad Tölz and the parks have many cycle paths too. Why not try a Munich bike tour in the hands of professional guides.

Cycle hire firms in Munich:

Radius-Bikes
Hauptbahnhof
tel: (089) 59 61 13. Fax: (089) 59 47 14

Dial a Bike
Tel: 800 / 522 5522

Aktiv-Rad
Hans-Sachs-Strasse 7, Tel. 26 65 06

Dr.Bike
Schellingstrasse 58,Tel. 271 81 43

Bicycle Hire in the English Garden
Königinstrasse/Veterinärstrasse, Tel. 39 70 16 and 96 55 64
Cycle Cabs firms in Munich:

Rikscha-Service
Tel. 1 29 48 08

Public Transport

The best way of getting around in Munich is to use the public transport system MVV. There are buses, trams, the S-Bahn and the U-Bahn. There is also the Deutsche Bahn if you want to travel within Germany.

Additionally, Munich has some Trams.

Trambahn
Trambahn in Munich

Most of these trains run from early in the morning to about 1 or 2 a.m. Additionally, there are nightbuses and night trams (Nachtlinien) that run at intervals of about 30 minutes all night on Fridays and Saturdays.

Buying ‘MVV’ Tickets

Buying the right ticket for your trip can be quite a challenge. Being caught without a ticket however, will cost you a fine of 30 Euro so try and figure out which ticket you need before starting your trip.

S-Bahn and U-Bahn Munich signs
S-Bahn and U-Bahn Munich signs

You can buy your ticket from the blue machines marked with a yellow “K”, from a kiosk or from a tram or bus-driver. Most peole always use the machines. Validate the ticket by stamping it (“stempeln”), i.e., inserting it in the blue “Entwerter” box marked with an “E” in stations, trams or buses.

The MVV area is divided into several zones, one in the centre (Innenraum) and three in the outskirts (Aussenraum). You will have to pay more if you want to travel further away from the city centre. Mostly, though you’ll get by with an Innenraum ticket.

If you want to use the public transport all day, the easiest way is to buy a day pass (Tageskarte). The day ticket for singles, groups and children is ideal for as many trips as you like on one day.

Various types of day tickets are available:

– Single day ticket
– Partner day ticket
– Children’s day ticket
– Day ticket 3 days inner district

Single day ticket

The single day ticket is for an adult from the age of 15 onwards. It can be used within the selected district of validity for as many trips as one likes on one day. Every day ticket has to be validated and is valid until 6 am the following day.

Ticketmachine
Ticketmachine

You can choose between four different areas of validity:

  • Inner district/Innenraum (white zone):
  • Munich XXL/München XXL (white and green zone):
  • Outer district/Außenraum (green, yellow and red zone):
  • All zones/Gesamtnetz (entire network):

Partner Day Ticket

The partner day ticket is valid for up to five adults, whereby any two children between 6 and 14 years of age count as one adult. It is therefore ideal for families, groups and school trips (schoolchildren up to 9th grade are counted as children).

  • Inner district/Innenraum (white zone)
  • Munich XXL/München XXL (white and green zone)
  • Outer district/Außenraum (green, yellow and red zone)
  • All zones/Gesamtnetz (entire network)

Other tickets

Tickets
Ticket validation

Another possibility is to buy a Streifenkarte (strip ticket). For each zone you travel through, you have to stamp two strips. If you travel only one stop, (Kurzstrecke) stamp one strip, for most journeys in the Innenraum (center zone) you’ll be looking at two strips. Furthermore, you can buy a single ticket (Einzelfahrkarte) for individual trips.

For more information on public transport in Munich, please go to the Official Munich Transport Website.

Website for the Munich public transport system (MVV)

http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/en/homepage/index.html

Car Hire in Munich

If you plan to stay only in Munich itself, you really won’t need a car to get around. Public transport is excellent and in any case, parking is an absolute nightmare.

However, Munich makes a perfect base from which to explore Bavaria and beyond. You could visit the lakes, the mountains, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and more. To this end a hire car fits the bill perfectly and there are plenty of car rental firms in the city.