Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [274]
Europabus (Click here) links Munich to the Romantic Road. For details of fares and timetables enquire at DTG (Map; 8898 9513; www.touring.de; Hirtenstrasse 14) near the Hauptbahnhof, the agent for Deutsche Touring and Eurolines buses.
BerlinLinienBus ( 09281-2252; www.berlinlinienbus.de) runs daily buses between Berlin and Munich (one-way/return €47/88, 9½ hours), via Ingolstadt, Nuremberg, Bayreuth and Leipzig. It picks up from the north side of the Hauptbahnhof.
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Car & Motorcycle
Munich radiates autobahns like numbered octopus legs. Take the A9 to Nuremberg, the A92/A3 to Passau, the A8 to Salzburg, the A95 to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the A8 to Ulm or Stuttgart.
Motorists in need of traffic information should turn to the incredibly dependable ADAC (German Auto Association; Map; 767 60; www.adac.de; Sonnenstrasse 23).
All major car-hire companies have offices at the airport and/or the 2nd level of Munich’s Hauptbahnhof, including Hertz ( 550 2256; www.hertz.com; 7am-9pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat & Sun), Avis ( 550 2251; www.avis-europe.com; 7am-9pm Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm Sat & Sun) and Europcar ( 549 0240; www.europcar.com; 7am-9pm Mon-Fri, 8am-7pm Sat & Sun).
For shared rides, consider using one of Munich’s Mitfahrzentralen (ride-share agency). The ADM-Mitfahrzentrale (Map; 194 40; www.mitfahrzentrale.de; Lämmerstrasse 6) is conveniently near the Hauptbahnhof. CityNetz Mitfahrzentrale (Map; 194 44; www.citynetz-mitfahrzentrale.de; Adalbertstrasse 6) in Schwabing has a good online booking function. Fares are considerably lower than the train.
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Train
Train is by far the best way to get in and out of Munich. Swift and frequent connections link the Bavarian capital to all major German cities as well as European destinations such as Vienna (€75, five hours), Prague (€60, six to eight hours) and Zürich (€64, four hours). Prices vary according to demand and the class of train.
There are direct IC and ICE trains to Berlin (€113, six hours), Hamburg (€127, six hours), Frankfurt (€89, 3¼ hours) and Stuttgart (€52, 2½ hours).
Prague extension passes (add-on tickets to Eurail and German rail passes) are sold at the rail-pass counters in the Reisezentrum at the Hauptbahnhof, or through EurAide.
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GETTING AROUND
While central Munich is compact enough for exploring on foot, the well-regimented public transport system will zoom you out to the suburbs with swift Teutonic efficiency.
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To/From the Airport
Munich’s Flughafen Franz-Josef Strauss (www.munich-airport.de) is connected by the S8 to the Ostbahnhof, Hauptbahnhof and Marienplatz (€9.20). The trip to the Hauptbahnhof takes about 40 minutes and trains run every 20 minutes from around 4am until 1am. For northern and eastern suburbs take the S8.
The Lufthansa Airport Bus (Map) travels at 20-minute intervals from Arnulfstrasse near the Hauptbahnhof (one-way/return €10.50/17, 40 minutes) between 5.10am and 8.28pm. A taxi from the airport to the Altstadt costs around €60.
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Car & Motorcycle
Forget about driving in the city centre; many streets are pedestrian-only, ticket enforcement is Orwellian and parking is a nightmare. The tourist office map shows city car parks, which generally cost about €1.50 to €2.50 per hour.
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Public Transport
Munich’s excellent public transport network run by MVV (www.mvv-muenchen.de) makes getting around the city a cinch. The system is zone-based, but most places of interest to visitors (except Dachau and the airport) are within the ‘white’ inner-zone (Innenraum).
Tickets are valid for the S-Bahn, U-Bahn, trams and buses, but must be time-stamped in the machines at station entrances and aboard buses and trams before use. Failure to buy and/or validate a ticket puts you at the mercy of now uniformed ticket inspectors, who will politely fine you €40 as a Schwarzfahrer (literally