# Getting from Munich airport into the city

The S-Bahn is the way into Munich: the S8 leaves the station under the Munich Airport Center every 20 minutes and reaches Marienplatz, in the old town, in 36 minutes. One €17.50 day ticket covers the ride both ways, and the S8 runs back to the airport all night.

- Web page: https://munichlayover.com/getting-to-the-city/
- Guide: [Munich Layover](https://munichlayover.com/), an independent layover guide to Munich Airport (MUC), part of City Layover
- Updated 10 November 2026; facts checked 8 November 2026

## What's the best way from Munich airport into the city?

For most layovers, take the S-Bahn S8: a train every 20 minutes from the station between Terminals 1 and 2, and 36 minutes to Marienplatz. Buy the €17.50 Airport-City-Day-Ticket (€18.50 from 1 January 2027), which covers the ride back too. Allow about an hour from landing to the train, and leave Marienplatz 2 hours 40 minutes before your flight.

## At a glance

- **S-Bahn S8**: 36 min to Marienplatz, every 20 min
- **Airport-City-Day-Ticket**: €17.50, €18.50 from 1 January 2027; there and back plus the city
- **S-Bahn S1**: 43 to 47 min to Marienplatz
- **Taxi**: €96 fixed to the Hauptbahnhof if pre-booked, about 45 min
- **Last ride back**: The S8 runs to the airport all night
- **Leaving the airport at night**: No train between 1:44am and 4:04am

## Getting through the border

Before the train comes passport control, unless you've flown in from another Schengen country, in which case you walk straight out. Munich Airport (MUC) doesn't publish queue times, so plan on about an hour from landing to sitting on the S-Bahn.

- **EU citizens** aged 18 or over use the EasyPASS gates, in both terminals.
- **Everyone else** queues for a desk, where non-EU visitors give fingerprints and a photo for the EU's Entry/Exit System. Some checkpoints have self-service kiosks before the desks: use one to enter your details, and the desk goes faster.
- **Bags.** On one ticket they're checked through to your next flight. On separate tickets you collect them after passport control and can leave them at the Service Center (see below).
- **If the queue is long**, you lose time in town, not your flight: the time you must head back doesn't move.

Who needs a visa to leave: [visa and transit rules](https://munichlayover.com/visa-and-transit/).

## The options at a glance

| | S-Bahn S8 | S-Bahn S1 | Taxi |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| To | Ostbahnhof, Marienplatz, Hauptbahnhof | Hauptbahnhof, Marienplatz | Anywhere |
| Time | 36 minutes to Marienplatz | 43 to 47 minutes to Marienplatz | About 45 minutes |
| Fare | €17.50 day ticket, there and back; €18.50 from 1 January 2027 | The same ticket | €96 fixed to the Hauptbahnhof, pre-booked |
| Pay with | MVV machine in the station, or the MVV app | The same | Book by phone or app for the fixed price |

## S-Bahn S8: the best way into town

- **Finding it.** The station is under the Munich Airport Center, the covered plaza between Terminals 1 and 2, on level 02. Follow the S-Bahn signs from either terminal and allow about 7 minutes to the platform; from the Satellite, add a minute on the shuttle train.
- **Which train.** Two lines run into the city and take turns: the S8 from platform 2 at 4, 24 and 44 minutes past the hour, and the S1 from platform 1 at 11, 31 and 51 minutes past. The S8 goes round the east of the city and is the faster one to the old town, so wait for it unless an S1 leaves 8 minutes or more earlier.
- **The ride.** 33 minutes to Ostbahnhof, 36 to **Marienplatz**, where you come up beside the town hall in the middle of the old town, and 39 to Hauptbahnhof, the main station. Every plan on our [itineraries](https://munichlayover.com/itineraries/) starts from Marienplatz, except the art museum plan, which starts from the Hauptbahnhof.
- **Tickets.** Buy before you board. For a layover the ticket is the **Airport-City-Day-Ticket**: €17.50 covers the S-Bahn into town and back and any U-Bahn, tram or bus in zones M to 5, the airport and the city included, until 6am the next day. Two to five adults travelling together pay €32.60 for the group version, and two children aged 6 to 14 count as one adult. From 1 January 2027 the fares rise to €18.50 and €33.90. Buy at the MVV machines in the airport station or in the MVV app.
- **First and last trains.** Into town, the first S8 leaves the airport at 4:04am, before the first flights land. Back to the airport, the S8 runs all night:

| | Monday to Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| First S8 from the airport | 4:04am | 4:04am | 4:04am |
| Last S8 from the airport | 1:44am | 1:44am | 1:24am |
| S8 back to the airport from Marienplatz | All night | All night | All night |
| S8 back to the airport from the Hauptbahnhof | All night | All night | All night |

These are MVV's times for November and early December 2026. A last train after midnight belongs to the night before: Sunday's last S8 leaves the airport at 1:24am on Monday morning. Between that last train and the 4:04am, nothing leaves the airport for town.

Towards the airport, the S8 leaves Marienplatz every 20 minutes in the evening and keeps going through the night, at 12:17am, 12:57am, 1:37am, 2:37am, 3:17am and 3:37am for example, taking 38 minutes. From the Hauptbahnhof it takes 42 minutes; the 3:33am from there is the 3:37am from Marienplatz. So you can spend an evening in town before a morning flight without watching the clock for a last train.

Few layovers meet the gap the other way. Passenger flights don't normally land between midnight and 5am, so you'll normally be on a train well before 1:44am; if a delayed flight lands you after it, take a taxi rather than wait for the 4:04am. The timetable changes on 13 December 2026, and engineering works change it on some weekends, so check your train on MVV's journey planner or app on the day.

## S1 and the Lufthansa Express Bus: slower alternatives

- **The S1** runs to the Hauptbahnhof and Marienplatz the other way round, via Neufahrn and Moosach, in 43 to 47 minutes, on the same ticket. It's useful when it leaves well before the next S8, but it doesn't run at night: its last train leaves the airport at 12:11am, and its first at 4:51am on weekdays and 5:31am at weekends.
- **The Lufthansa Express Bus** runs every 20 minutes, every day of the year, between the airport and the Hauptbahnhof, by way of München Nord in Schwabing, in 45 minutes. It's slower than the S8, which reaches the Hauptbahnhof in 39 minutes, and it doesn't go to Marienplatz; take it only if you'd rather sit with your bags than use the train. Check its fare at the stop.

## Taxis

- **The fixed fare.** A taxi between the airport and the Hauptbahnhof area costs a fixed €96, in either direction, but only if you book it ahead by phone or app.
- **From the rank.** A taxi you take at the rank runs on the meter, and the driver can't agree a fixed price.
- **The time.** About 45 minutes into the city, depending on traffic.
- **When it's worth it.** After a delayed landing in the small hours, when no train leaves the airport until 4:04am, or with heavy bags or young children. By day, the S8 is far cheaper and quicker.

## Private transfers

A pre-booked transfer gives you a driver waiting in arrivals and a price agreed in advance, which helps most after a late landing or with a family. Viator lists airport transfers to Munich. Compare its price with the €96 fixed taxi fare before you book.

## Storing bags

- **At the airport.** The Service Center keeps bags at two desks, one in the Munich Airport Center and one in Terminal 2 by gates G and H, both on level 03 and before security. A suitcase up to 20 kg costs €8 for up to 5 hours and a cabin bag €6; longer stays cost more, from €12 a bag. The desks are open daily from 6am to 10pm at least, and one of them from 5am to 11:30pm.
- **In town.** Lockers at the Hauptbahnhof cost €2 for 6 hours or €4 for 24 hours for a medium locker (24 x 42 x 76 cm), and €3 or €6 for a large one (44 x 61 x 93 cm), paid in coins. Building works sometimes take lockers out of use, so don't count on one being free.

## Moving between terminals

The S-Bahn station sits between the two terminals, so both are an equal walk from the platform. Terminal 2, Lufthansa's, has its gates J, K and L in the **Satellite**, a minute from the main building on an underground shuttle train that runs every few minutes from 4am to midnight. Between Terminals 1 and 2, a free bus takes 5 to 7 minutes, every 10 minutes from 7am to 5pm and every 20 minutes from 6 to 7am and 5 to 11pm. Walking between them isn't recommended, because it means extra checks.

## Timing your return

Be back at Munich Airport 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass. With it already in hand and no bag to drop, that's enough for security and, if your next flight leaves Schengen, passport control, then the walk or shuttle train to your gate. If you still need to check in or drop a bag, allow longer.

In practice, leave Marienplatz 2 hours 40 minutes before your flight, or the Hauptbahnhof 2 hours 45 minutes before.

| Layover | Time in town |
| --- | --- |
| 6 hours | About 1.5 hours |
| 7 hours | About 2.5 hours |
| 8 hours | About 3.5 hours |
| 10 hours | About 5.5 hours |
| 12 hours | About 7.5 hours |

Each row allows an hour from touchdown to the platform, an hour to Marienplatz with the wait for an S8, 70 minutes back to the terminal (5 minutes to the platform, up to 20 minutes' wait, 38 on the train and 7 up to the terminal) and 90 minutes at the airport, as in [the itineraries](https://munichlayover.com/itineraries/).

## Questions people ask

### Which is better into Munich, the S8 or the S1?

The S8, for the old town: 36 minutes to Marienplatz against 43 to 47 on the S1, and it's the line that runs all night. The two alternate, so if an S1 leaves 8 minutes or more before the next S8, take it. One Airport-City-Day-Ticket covers both: €17.50, or €18.50 from 1 January 2027.

### How long does it take to get out of Munich airport after landing?

Allow about an hour from landing to sitting on the S-Bahn. Munich doesn't publish queue times, and non-EU visitors now give fingerprints and a photo at the border, which slows the desks. Flying in from another Schengen country, there's no passport control, so it's much quicker.

### How do I pay for the ride into Munich?

Buy the €17.50 Airport-City-Day-Ticket before you board, at the machines in the airport station or in the MVV app. It covers the S-Bahn there and back and the U-Bahn, trams and buses in town until 6am the next day. Two to five adults together pay €32.60 for the group version. From 1 January 2027 the two cost €18.50 and €33.90.

### How much is a taxi from Munich airport to the city?

€96 fixed to the Hauptbahnhof, in either direction, if you book it ahead by phone or app. Taken from the rank, the fare is metered instead. Allow about 45 minutes. On your own or as a couple, the S8 is far cheaper and quicker.

### How early should I be back at Munich airport?

90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass. In practice, leave Marienplatz 2 hours 40 minutes before your flight, which covers the wait for an S8, the 38-minute ride, the walk up to the terminal and the 90 minutes. If you still need to check in or drop a bag, allow longer.

### Is there a night train from Munich airport?

Towards the airport, yes: the S8 runs all night. From the airport, the last train into town leaves at about 1:44am (1:24am on Sunday nights) and the first at 4:04am. Passenger flights don't normally land between midnight and 5am, so only a badly delayed flight runs into that gap; then take a taxi.

## Sources (checked 8 November 2026)

- [Munich Airport: S-Bahn S1 and S8 (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.munich-airport.com/public-transport-260822)
- [Munich Airport: public transport, German page (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.munich-airport.com/oeffentliche-verkehrsmittel-90215)
- [MVV: journey planner, S1 and S8 times (last trains for November 2026, checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://efa.mvv-muenchen.de/ng/XML_TRIP_REQUEST2)
- [MVV: Airport-City-Day-Ticket, single (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://ticketshop.mvv-muenchen.de/index.php/product/384/show/0/0/0/0/buy)
- [MVV: Airport-City-Day-Ticket, group (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://ticketshop.mvv-muenchen.de/index.php/product/385/show)
- [MVV: Airport-City-Day-Ticket, zones and where it is sold (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://www.mvv-muenchen.de/tickets-abos-preise/airport-city-day-ticket)
- [City of Munich: MVV fares 2026 (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.muenchen.de/mvv-tickets-aktuelle-preise-fuer-fahrkarten-muenchen)
- [MVV: new fares from 1 January 2027 (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://www.mvv-muenchen.de/mvv-im-ueberblick/die-gesellschaft/presse/pressemeldung/neue-fahrpreise-im-mvv-zum-01012027/)
- [MVV: price list from 1 January 2027 (PDF, checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://www.mvv-muenchen.de/fileadmin/mediapool/downloads/tickets/preislisten/2027_A4_quer_MVVtarife_Web.pdf)
- [City of Munich: S-Bahn works and the Stammstrecke (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.muenchen.de/en/node/371)
- [Taxi München: fares, fixed price to the Hauptbahnhof (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.taxi-muenchen.de/preise/)
- [City of Munich: taxi fares, fixed prices (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.muenchen.de/int/en/traffic/taxi/fares.html)
- [Munich Airport: frequently asked questions (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.munich-airport.com/frequently-asked-questions-376207)
- [Munich Airport: security screening and passport control (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.munich-airport.com/security-screening-and-passport-control-3949908)
- [Munich Airport: the Entry/Exit System, EES (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.munich-airport.com/ees-the-new-entry-exit-system-23802683)
- [Munich Airport: left luggage (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.munich-airport.com/left-luggage-851650)
- [Munich Airport: Service Center price list, left luggage (PDF, checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.munich-airport.com/_b/0000000000000037727793bb69576cba/2026-01-01-preisliste-servicecenter-t1-englisch.pdf)
- [Deutsche Bahn: lockers at München Hauptbahnhof (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.bahnhof.de/en/muenchen-hbf/locker)
- [Munich Airport: night-flight rules (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://www.munich-airport.com/night-flight-264466)
- [Munich Airport: connecting flights, terminal bus and Satellite train (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.munich-airport.com/connecting-flights-260553)
- [Munich Airport: travel tips, shuttle train (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.munich-airport.com/travel-tips-2249668)