By plane

Main article: Munich Airport

1 München Flughafen / Munich Airport (MUC IATA) (30 km northeast of city centre near Freising). Munich's busy airport has flights from most major cities in west Europe, and within Germany from Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Hanover. There are two terminals connected by a walkway: Lufthansa and partners use T2, others including budget airlines use T1. Built in the 1990s, the airport is efficient, modern and spacious, with the usual facilities. S-Bahn S1 or S8 trains take 40-50 min to city centre: these run every 15 min daytime and at reduced frequency all night. (You need a 5-zone ticket, see Munich#Get around for fares.) A regional train also runs to Regensburg. Intercity buses from Munich may stop at the airport. Taxi fares are fixed: in 2022 you pay €95 to or from Hauptbahnhof and €85 to or from Messe. (updated Nov 2022)

Memmingen Airport (FMM IATA) is also known as Allgäu, and by Ryanair as "Munich West". The "west" bit of that is accurate, it's 110 km west. Ryanair fly there mostly from west Europe, while Wizz fly from east Europe and the Balkans. A shuttle bus runs from the airport to Memmingen bus and railway station, and Ryanair sometimes have a direct bus to Munich connecting with their flights. The hourly train from Memmingen takes 60-90 min.

Frankfurt Airport(FRA IATA) may be a better choice for intercontinental routes - it has many direct flights from North America, the Gulf and Far East. Trains run direct from the airport to Munich in 3 hr 30 min.

By train

International direct trains run to Munich from:

Budapest (7 hr) every two hours via Vienna (4 hr), Linz (3 hr) and Salzburg (2 hr). You usually change at Salzburg coming from Graz, Klagenfurt, Villach or Innsbruck.

Zagreb (10 hr) nightly via Ljubljana, Villach and Salzburg. April-Aug this train starts from Rijeka.

Bologna (7 hr) four per day via Verona, Bolzano, Brixen and Innsbruck, with one starting from Rome.

Venice (9 hr) daily via Treviso, Udine, Villach and Salzburg. From Milan change in Zürich.

Prague (5 hr 30 min) every two hours via Plzen and Regensburg.

Brussels (13 hr) 3 nights a week via Liege, Aachen and Cologne.

Paris (6 hr) daily via Strasbourg, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart and Ulm, but usually you change at Stuttgart.

Zürich (3 hr 30 min) four a day via Winterthur, St Gallen, Bregenz and Memmingen.

From Amsterdam, Belgium and the Channel ports change in Cologne. From Poland and the Baltic countries change in Berlin.

Trains from Berlin (4 hr 30 min) run hourly via Halle, Leipzig, Erfurt, Bamberg, Nuremberg and Ingolstadt.

From Frankfurt city (3 hr 30 min) they run hourly via Würzburg and Nuremberg. From Cologne they run hourly via Frankfurt airport then either Mannheim, Stuttgart, Ulm and Augsburg, or via Frankfurt city.

From Hamburg (6 hr 30 min) they run hourly via Hanover, Würzburg and Nuremberg.

2 Hauptbahnhof. This is the principal station and all mainline trains run here: many terminate, but on lower levels are through-platforms, S-Bahn suburban and U-Bahn underground lines; S1 and S8 from the airport both run here. Tram and bus stops are just outside. As of Oct 2024, Hauptbahnhof and its surrounds are disrupted by construction of a new S-Bahn tunnel, but all trains and station facilities continue, though with some makeshift premises. The construction is scheduled for completion in the mid-2030s. The main entrance (facing east to Stachus and Altstadt) is blocked, so by tram use the north entrance. There are cafes, news stands, tourist information and a Deutsche Bahn ticket and travel agency office. There are shops, but the retail block towards Stachus has better choice and value. Left-luggage lockers have a 24-hour fee (coins only) of €3 for a small locker or €5 for a large one. Nearby accommodation and eating places are described as part of Ludwigsvorstadt: the north flank is in Maxvorstadt district, but it's convenient to describe them together. (updated Oct 2024)

3 Ostbahnhof the east station is in Haidhausen district. Trains from Hungary and Austria via Salzburg all stop here. It has S-Bahn (including S8 from the airport, or the slower S1), U-Bahn, tram and bus routes.

4 Pasing station is in southwest Munich. Many long-distance trains stop off or pick-up here en route to and from Hauptbahnhof. It has S-Bahn, U-Bahn, tram and bus services. From the airport take S1 and change at Laim, or the slower S8 (direct connection).

By car

Munich is well connected to other cities in Germany and Austria by autobahn:

A 8 connects Munich with Augsburg, Ulm, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe in the west and Rosenheim and Salzburg in the east

A 9 leads to Ingolstadt, Nuremberg, Leipzig and Potsdam/Berlin in the north

A 92 connects Munich with Landshut and Deggendorf in the north-east

A 94 has only been partially completed towards Passau

A 95 connects Munich with Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the south

A 96 connects Munich with Lindau at Lake Constance in the south-west

These converge on Autobahn A99, the outermost (and incomplete) of three ring roads. Mittlerer Ring 2R is further in, and Altstadtring is innermost along the line of the old city walls.

Traffic is often heavy on the ring roads, and not just in rush hour. Anyone from Germany or the Benelux countries driving to and from the Adriatic has to pass the city via A99, usually towing a caravan.

See below for parking options. Park & Ride is best for day trips.

By bus

Buses are less expensive than train but usually slower, though from Prague bus is quicker. The main operator is Flixbus, others are BlablaCar Bus and Sindbad. Buses run several times a day from Berlin (10 hr), Zürich (5 hr), Cologne (9 hr), Frankfurt (6 hr) and Hamburg (14 hr).

5 Munich Central Bus Station (ZOB) (S-Bahn: Hackerbrücke). It is only 500 m west of Hauptbahnhof, though it feels like more lugging bags in the darkness and sleet. Signage is clear, and security and cleanliness are reasonable. There are ticket offices for individual bus lines (but no travel agency), cafes, an ATM and a supermarket. Left luggage is €3 for a small bag, €4 for a medium and €6 for a large. Trams and buses run along Arnulfstraße 100 m north. (updated Nov 2022)