How to get to Munich from the Airport

Getting there from the airport

Munich's closest airport is Franz Josef Strauss airport which is around 40 km or 24 miles from the city centre. There are various methods of getting to and from the airport.

Bus

The lufthansa shuttle bus leaves at 20 minute intervals from the terminals and central bus area of the airport. I used this myself on a trip recently (Sept 2014) and I preferred it to traveling on the S-Bahn. Very comfortable, quiet and quick.

Prices:

Adults: € 10  one way, €  17 return
Children 6 - 14 years: € 5.50 one way.

Tickets are available from the journey. To the north of Munich 'Nord Schwabing' it takes about 25 minutes, to the main railway station it takes about 40 minutes.

Taxi

The taxis usually have a fixed price to go to and from the airport of €59. If you're travelling with your company, they may have a regular taxi driver who does it a bit cheaper. The times are just a bit quicker than the bus. The traffic is usually slow out of Munich for the first few km, then speeds up once you are past the large wind turbine which is near the Allianz football arena.

Train

This will be the S-Bahn, the red surface trains lines S1 and S8 . All the S-Bahns travel through the center of the city.The best thing here is to buy the Airport City Day ticket which will give you access to the whole transport network. You can buy tickets in the underground central area of the area, and also in the main area of terminal 2. 

If the ticket machines look too confusing, or you need to buy tickets for a group, you can go to the Deutsche Bahn information desk and buy tickets there. The staff will be able to speak English and are from experience are very helpful. Ask about any deals for groups.

Bear in mind, the S8 is the more direct route into Munich.

Another tip, the transport network has been known to go on strike but they always keep the S1 and S8 trains running. I lived in Munich for thirteen years and there were never problems with strikes and getting people to the airport.