This will be our first time in europe. we are connecting with a tour in Munich and therefore need to get from airport to our hotel. The tour company wants 172.00 to pick us up at the airport. I did some research and taxis cost considerably less. there are companies that you can prebook your taxi at a set price. The question is should we pre book or just grab a taxi when we get off the plane? any help would be appreciated

Where is your hotel? You might find it just as easy to use the airport bus that goes to several stops in Munich and costs 10 Euro. (At least I think that is what it cost.)

A taxi will cost you about $75 and there will be plenty at the airport. I always take the S-Bahn to Munich, but then I don't have all that cruise luggage.

thanks for the quick reply- the hotel we will be staying at in Munich is the Hilton City.

Your hotel literally has an S-Bahn station in the basement. It's connected to the Rosenheimer Platz station on the S8 suburban line going directly to/from the airport. Access to stations and hotel is by elevator/escalators, so you don't have to haul your luggage up or down stairs. The cheapest ride is a so called "Partner Tages Ticket" (day pass) for €18 which will also give you unlimited rides same day on the whole train/bus/tram/subway network.

The bus is not so good for the Hilton City as it takes a different route into town.

There are always enough taxis (and never a line of people waiting, as hardly anyone takes a cab for €50-60 downtown when the train does it faster for a fraction).

If you arrive at Terminal 2 (Lufthansa, Star Alliance), a taxi is not even more convenient as the walk to the taxi rank is the same as to the station.
If you arrive at Terminal 1, you may save a 2-3 minutes walk to the station as the taxi rank is directly in front of the arrival halls.

P.S: The aforementioned day pass for the train is good for up to 5 people, so the €18 is the total costs, not per person.

This airport is a breeze. You can either stand in a line to buy your ticket, or go to a machine to buy the ticket pressing button for English language. Otherwise it is "PARTNER Tages Ticket" as mentioned.

Be sure to validate this ticket in a small machine to the right of the elevator doors before you descend to catch the S8. Signs with a big green dot with an "S" will guide you there. Stations are announced by voice and visually on an electronic sign in each car on your route to hotel.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to help me out. Hopefully I can be that helpful when someone visits vancouver.

I am someone who usually takes a cab or car from airport to hotel but in Munich the train is so easy and cheap and fast that it is the best choice.

We were there in 2006: what others have said, take the S-bahn train from the airport to your hotel or even downtown to the main station (which is a couple of blocks from the main square). You will find specials such as that 18 Euro day pass to be really handy: we hit one of those and since there were 4 of us, could have travelled literally anywhere in Germany for the day at a cost of $9 p/p! We only travelled from the Lindau area to Passau that day (via Munich).

The trains are super-quick and super-efficient. Just be aware that they are not overly "luggage friendly" (unless you buy a first-class ticket); you will only have room for a small carry-on in the overhead rack and may find yourself holding your suitcase on your lap! So if you like to travel with your entire wardrobe, be forewarned.