Layover In Munich - The Ultimate Guide 2024

Fly into Munich on an international flight and you'll land at Munich International Airport. It's one of the top ten busiest airports in Europe and is used by around fifty million passengers every year. While it is located seventeen kilometers outside of Munich itself, the first-class public transport systems in place mean that even on a short layover of eight hours or more, you'll be able to do something with your free time.

There are stations for the S-Bahn train lines, S1 and S8, in the terminals, and the trains operating on them stop at both. Even though they follow different routes into Munich, the end destination on both is the city's central station, München Hauptbahnhof. The final destination for the Lufthansa Express Bus is also the central station. Train departures are scheduled for every ten minutes and a bus leaves from Terminal 2 or the Airport Center every twenty minutes. The train journey takes forty minutes but is only quicker than the bus by five minutes.

8 hour layover in Munich

When you have an eight-hour Munich layover you'll have approximately four to four and a half hours to fill. If you're feeling stifled after flying and need a breath of fresh air rather than going into the city, drop your bags at a Munich luggage storage facility and head for the Pullinger Weiher. The Pullinger Weiher is a huge lake close by the airport with an artificial beach where you can have a stroll or sit and chill out in the lakeside beer garden.

• The Pullinger Weiher is a ten-minute taxi ride from the airport. Book your taxi back with the driver or central for the time you want to go back or you could end up watching your Munich connection fly overhead.
• For a more exhilarating layover grab a cab for the five-minute ride to the Munich Flystation and learn how to skydive indoors.
• Take the train or bus into Munich and then spend a couple of hours wandering around the English Garden. 

10 hour layover in Munich

You still won't have more than five and a half to six hours free even when the total time of your layover in Munich adds up to be ten hours. It will be enough time to go and see a couple of the city's main sights like the Marienplatz, the main square where there are some good cafes and some interesting architecture to photograph. Depending on what time of the day your layover is, you'll be able to stroll over to the Hofbräuhaus München from the Marienplatz and have lunch in the 16th-century beer hall.

• If you're worried about getting lost and missing your Munich connection, try a short walking tour of the Old Town. You can follow the guide around to learn about what you're seeing, and they'll point you in the right direction for the station when it's finished.
• If you can't find a guided walking tour of the Old Town with a start time that coincides with your layover, download an app and take a self-guided walking tour instead.

12 hour layover in Munich

A twelve-hour layover may seem like a substantial amount of time to fill. If you stay in the airport it definitely will be, so drop your bags in a luggage locker and hotfoot it into the city. Plan on spending at least a couple of hours in the impressive Nymphenburg Palace where there is an incredible art collection. Add on another hour if you want to tour the gardens as well. While you may not want to purchase too much food produce to carry on to your connecting flight, the Victuals Market is a daily produce market with over a hundred stalls. It makes interesting browsing and cheese and German sausage are great presents.

• When you're too tired to walk around the sights of Munich use the hop-on hop-off bus. It's less strain on your legs, a lot quicker and you'll be sure to see the best the city has to offer.
• If your stopover is in the evening, get fed and see the sights by taking a three and a half hour food tour. Think beer halls, beer gardens, and plenty of bratwurst.

24 hour layover in Munich

One of the best things to do on a twenty-four-hour layover in Munich is to hire a car and head to the foothills of the Alps to Tegernsee. The picture-postcard town sits on the shore of Lake Tegernsee. Stroll around drinking in the stunning alpine scenery or take a boat ride across the lake to see it from the water. If you prefer to stay in the city rather than walking, go on a guided cycle tour or hire a bike for the day and go wherever the cycle paths lead. It's a fun way of exploring independently and you never know what you might find.

• No fan of soccer can be on an overnight layover in Munich and not visit the FC Bayern Munich Football Stadium. Tours of the stadium aren't permitted on match days so check there's not a home game before going.
• Munich is the capital of Bavaria and Bavaria is all about beer and the world-famous Oktoberfest. If your layover doesn't coincide with the massive beer festival, visit the Oktoberfest Museum to find out all about it.