Getting around Munich

A guide to getting around Munich

Munich is a breeze to navigate compared to cities like Paris and London. I recommend you stick to the U-Bahn and S-Bahn for getting around the city.
The public transport system is quick and reliable and will have you zooming around in no time.

TRAIN TO MUNICH: Germany's southern capital is well connected.

Forms of public transportation

S-Bahn

Use this to traverse Munich’s east-west axis and get into the outer districts. S-Bahn means Schnellbahn (fast train) and lines are marked with an “S” (for example, S2).

The main axis runs from Pasing in the west, through the Hauptbahnhof (Main Train Station) and Marienplatz to Munich-Ost in the east.

U-Bahn

These cover more specific locations within the city off the S-Bahn axis. U-Bahn means underground train and they’re marked with a “U” (for example U6).

TRAM: The German word for tram is Strassenbahn (street train).

Tram

If it’s a nice day, why not enjoy it by staying above ground and take the tram?

They’re handy for getting you places trains don’t go, like the Pinakothek art galleries and the Maximilaneum Bavarian parliament.
All tram lines cross the Hauptbahnhof and/or Karlsplatz (Stachus).

To and from the airport

Two S-Bahn lines run from Munich’s Franz-Joseph-Strauss Airport to the city, the S1 and the S8. The journey takes about 40 minutes.

Trains leave from the Hauptbahnhof every 20 minutes from 3.30am and end about 12.30am the next morning. Keep this in mind if you have an early morning flight! Once I missed the last S-Bahn out to Munich Airport and had to spend half the night at the Hauptbahnhof.

Night services

Regular U-Bahn, S-Bahn and tram services run until about 2am, when the night buses and trams take over. They’re marked with an “N” (for example, N26) and times are given at tram and bus stops.

Buying tickets

Now you know how to get around, let’s look at what ticket you need.

Need a map? If you're after maps of the subway or other Munich public transportation maps, please see here