Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - 6 hours in Munich

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6 hours in Munich - worth it to sightsee?

We (a family of 5) have a 6 hour stopover in Munich. Is it worthwhile to venture away from terminal and do some sightseeing? How far is it into the city from the Airport? Any suggestions for where to go and what to see? Thanks, Sandy

You can walk right outside the terminal and take the Sbahn right to the Haupt Bahnhof. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the city center...round trip allow 2 hours and since you have to get back to the airport 2 hours before flight departure it gives you about 2 hours in the city center. I think it would be worth it unless you are one to get paranoid about tight time constraints. In two hours you can wander down the Stachus to the Marienplatz and see St. Peters, the square, have a beer and brat in the victualenmarkt and see either the Two Sisters church or the Assam church on Sendlinger Strasse. Good luck! US

There are two SBahn routes that serve the airport, S1 and S8...both will take you to the center of the city. I agree with the above post EXCEPT that since you are on a "stopover" and assuming your luggage is checked all the way through I am not certain you really HAVE to be back at the gate TWO hours prior to the ongoing flight's departure. That two hours is the airlines' recommended time. All depends on your sense of "caution." I suspect the very earliest you'll be allowed to board the plane would be an hour ahead of time. The Munich airport is quite modern and you could eaily amuse yourself in it for a while as you wait to board. The SBahn is easy to use and the trains are frequent. You might want to consider going right on to the Marienplatz (don't get off at the main station) to see the well-known glockenspiel if nothing else. I hope you'll enjoy your trip.

I agree with Uncle Sam. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable trying this in the U.S., but generally in Germany the infrastructure runs so well that you can rely on it to get you into Munich and back. Plus, if the alternative is 6 hours of hanging around in the airport with 5 people, I'd rather run the risk of missing the ongoing flight than suffer the torture of those 6 hours. I agree that you should take the train into Munich and just wander around the city center for a bit, have a meal. For my tastes, I might want to wander down to the river, rather than take time in the churches. (I also have a little trouble with touring buildings in Munich, because virtually everything was destroyed in the war and the "old" buildings are all reconstructions.) Another possibility besides wandering the city center might be to take a taxi from the train station up to the major art museums which are across the street from each other and spend some time there if you are feeling arty. I often like to do these little excursions from the airport. The essential thing is to make sure that you plan to do only one or two things. Don't try to run around, 'cause you'll make yourself crazy.

Uncle Sam has planned a very doable itinerary for your family of five. The Victualienmarkt is an interesting, informal, outside spot to feed parents and kids of any age. There are picnic benches with trees overhead. From the Hauptbanhof to the Markt and back is just about the right distance to walk in the time you have. You can pop in and out of shops along the way if you want. Enjoy!

Sandy - I agree that just going to the Victualenmarkt would be a wonderful break in a long travel day - and easily do-able. Keep in mind that the Markt, I think, is closed on Sunday.

I agree with the time estimate of 45 minutes for traveling from the Marienplatz station on the S bahn. The Hauptbahnof sbould be about the same. I am a little uneasy with your time schedule for one reason: security. If on your return to the airport you are boarding a flight to the United States, the security inspection is very very very thorough and takes a long time if the aircraft is full. Last year I stood in line for over two hours. We got through in the last batch and went right on board the aircraft. Departure was delayed while the last few passengers were pat searched, xrayed, and questioned. Otherwise, you will have time to ride downtown, look about, and return to the airport. However, bear in mind that you will have about 2 hours to see anything downtown.

thank you all so much. I am not going back to the states. I am heading to Turkey for 5 days and then to Italy (we have a wedding in Turkey!). I don't tend to get anxious about time (I guess that's why I am ALWAYS late - although have never missed a flight). We will definitely take your wonderful advise and head out after our long trip from the US. Thanks again. Sandy

I would recommend taking the S1 or S8 train right to the "Marienplatz" from MUC have a nice Bavarian lunch at Donisl. Take a look at a few shops, see the city center and return with plenty of time to make your flight. It can be tricky and you cannot afford to be late. The train take about 45 min each way. I believe that the S8 is a bit faster. The fare is 8 euro each way. If you can swing it its worth it. Being that you are on a connecting flight you can return less than the recommended 2 hours because your luggage is checked thru and you should already be checked in. If you are changing airlines such as from United to a Lufthansa flight sometimes you WILL NOT be checked in at your origin, although your luggage be checked thru to your destination. In this case there is often a "transfers desk" which checks you in on arrival. Be sure you have a "confirmed" boarding pass with seat assignment before you leave the airport. If you do not have a confirmed boarding pass for your connection, when you exit the plane in Munich you will be directed either to "connections" or "immigrations". Go toward connecting flights to get a boarding pass. If you cannot get one here go to the exit and get it at the main check in counter outside the gate area. The exit is tricky to find and can be found at the ends of the gate waiting. This will put you in the baggage claim area where you will pass thru customs and immigrations to exit into the world outside. If you have a confirmed boarding pass to your destination, exit towards baggage claim/immigrations. This wil take you outside. If all this fails... There is a nice shopping complex in the airport with restaurants, shops a supermarket and seating to occupy your time. To get to it you can exit the same way as described above. Munich is a very nice modern airport. A good place to be stuck. Munich Airport has a great websight.Check it out for shopping info. Don't forget to check duty free shops, thrie prices are great especially on cosmetics and perfumes. Here are a few good links... DONISL - http://www.bayerischer-donisl.de/ TRAIN INFO - http://www.munich-airport.de/EN/Areas/Consumer/Verkehrsanbindung/An_und_Abreise/Bahn/index.html MUNICH AIRPORT - http://www.munich-airport.de/EN/index.html MY WEBSIGHT (below) - Check it out for a review of Munich restaurants. Follow the path to EUROPE then MUNICH. MAIN - http://home.earthlink.net/~richardab/ MUNICH RESTAURANTS - http://home.earthlink.net/~richardab/Fly/Europe/Munich/MUC_Arrivals/MUC_Arrivals.html Another warning.... In summer 2003 Munich will open the new "Terminal 2". This terminal will be for Lufthansa and its alliance partners (Austrian, United, Spanair, SAS). If it is open when you go and you arrive on Lufthansa and switch to a non partner airline (or vis versa), the info about the terminal described above will not apply! But it will work somewhat the same. In any event if you do get a chance to go to Munich I think you will love it and want to return in the future. It is a very clean, beautiful and organized city. Be sure to have a pig knuckle, saurkraut, pretzels and a beer!

By the way, if this is a Sunday or a bank holiday you will find much of the city closed.

If you are adventurous, go for lunch at the Marienplatz, or just go to walk around. I believe you can buy a family pass at the airport for the train that will be good for all 5 of you to get downtown and back. It was recommended at the ticket office to get one for my wife and me when we arrived in Munich. It was good for all day on both the U and S-bahn. I did the math, and it was very reasonable.