Munich airport to city centre: S-Bahn, bus, taxi

Munich Airport (Franz Josef Strauss) lies in the Erdinger Moos, about 30 km north-east of the city centre – far out, but well connected. The S-Bahn station is right below the central area between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. The short answer: take the S-Bahn S8 or S1 to Marienplatz or the main station (Hauptbahnhof) – one of them leaves about every 10 minutes. Take the Lufthansa Express Bus if you have heavy bags and are going to the main station or Schwabing, and a taxi only if you are a group or arrive at night with children.

Munich Airport to the city centre: the options

Times: S-Bahn to the main station according to Munich Airport, Lufthansa Express Bus according to the operator, taxi as pure driving time to Marienplatz based on OpenStreetMap, without traffic. On the motorway around Munich, allow about a third more at rush hour.

S-Bahn S1 and S8: the standard way

Two S-Bahn lines run from the airport station Flughafen München (and the stop Besucherpark) into the city, and they alternate, so a train leaves about every 10 minutes:

• S8 runs via Ostbahnhof and through the city tunnel to Marienplatz and the main station. According to Munich Airport it runs around the clock – every 20 minutes, and roughly every 40 minutes between 1:00 and 4:00.
• S1 runs via the west of Munich (Moosach) to the main station and on through the city tunnel. It runs every 20 minutes from about 3:00 to midnight.

According to the airport, the ride to the main station takes about 40 minutes. Both lines stop at the main station (lower level) and Marienplatz, so for most hotels in the old town it does not matter which one comes first.

Tickets for the S-Bahn

The airport lies in fare zone 5 of the MVV, the Munich transport network, so a normal inner-city ticket is not enough. S-Bahn München recommends:

• Day Ticket M-5: valid from the airport across zones M to 5 for a whole day; according to S-Bahn München €16.30 for one person and €30.50 for groups of up to five adults (as of December 2025).
• CityTourCard M-6: a day ticket with discounts at sights; according to S-Bahn München €29.50 for one person and €45.90 for groups.
• Germany Ticket: if you have one, it is valid on the S-Bahn.

Buy the ticket before you board – at the machines in the station or in the MVV and DB apps. There are no barriers, but inspections are frequent.

Lufthansa Express Bus: with luggage to the main station

The Lufthansa Express Bus runs from Terminal 2, Terminal 1 and the Munich Airport Center via Schwabing (Nordfriedhof) to the main station (Arnulfstraße). According to the operator it runs every 20 minutes, daily, and takes about 25 minutes to Schwabing and about 45 minutes to the main station. Buses leave the airport from about 6:25 to about 22:30.

The bus is not faster than the S-Bahn, but with heavy suitcases it is more comfortable: you sit, the luggage goes into the hold, and you get off right at the main station. It has its own tickets, sold online or by the driver; MVV tickets are not valid.

Regional trains: to Freising, Landshut and Regensburg

From the station Flughafen München, regional trains (ÜFEX Airport Express) also run to Freising, Landshut, Regensburg and Nuremberg. If you are not going to Munich at all, but to Lower Bavaria or the Upper Palatinate, you save the detour through the city.

Taxi and transfer

Taxis wait outside both terminals. The drive to Marienplatz is about 39 km and takes a good 35 minutes without traffic; at rush hour on the motorway, considerably longer. Because of the distance, the taxi is expensive – for one or two people the S-Bahn is almost always the better choice.

A pre-booked transfer is worth it for families with children who need car seats, for groups, or when you land late and want to go straight to the door. Airport transfers in Munich^* can be booked with Welcome Pickups. Our article on when an airport transfer pays off compares the options for ten airports.

Which option suits whom?

• Hotel in the old town, near Marienplatz or the main station: the S-Bahn S1 or S8.
• Hotel near Ostbahnhof or in Haidhausen: the S8.
• Heavy luggage, hotel near the main station or in Schwabing: the Lufthansa Express Bus.
• Night arrival: the S8, which runs around the clock.
• Family with small children, group: a taxi or a pre-booked transfer.

If you come from outside the EU, for example from the UK, set up mobile data before you land so you can buy the ticket in the app straight away – a travel eSIM for Germany^* (Airalo) is usually cheaper than roaming; our eSIM price index compares the prices per gigabyte.

On the day you leave

The S1 and S8 run to the airport from Marienplatz and the main station; the S8 also runs at night, which helps with very early flights. Plan with the 40 minutes plus a buffer, and check the MVV journey planner for construction work, which can change the S-Bahn timetable at short notice. If you have already checked out and fly in the evening, you can use luggage storage in the centre^* (Radical Storage).

How long to stay and what to see is in our article how many days in Munich.

Munich trip planDay by day, with map and tips

How YesTrip helps you plan

In YesTrip you add your flight and hotel to your trip and plan each day around them, with a map of your places in Munich and the weather for your travel days. The ready-made plans for Munich can be copied into your trip with one tap. With the offline package you have the map without a connection, also on the S-Bahn from the airport. YesTrip is free.

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