layover in Munich back to USA

Your MUC airport layover doesn't need to be spent in massive Munich... a very nice town near the airport with a famous brewery is Freising... and it's only a 10-min. train ride from the airport train station. Munich is 45 minutes away from the airport, which will mean an additional 45 minutes worth of transport the next morning.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g198549-Freising_Upper_Bavaria_Bavaria-Vacations.html

If you want to stay near the airport, very few offer shuttles. You need to take the bus or a taxi (20€). Based on this, we are staying at the Hilton at the airport on our arrival day. But we’ve seen Munich and will be picking up a car the next morning. There’s a Biergarten at the airport.

If you want to stay in the city, it’s about 45 minutes by train. Hotels will be more expensive in the center of town. I would stay near Marienplatz and visit the Hofbrauhaus. It’s open until at least 10 pm.

Thanks for the suggestions, we are going to stay in Freising!

Freising is a great choice, as it's actually older than Munich! You can take the bus or the S Bahn from the airport, which also has its own brewery. There are several places near the train station/bus station, go on the web and search for one as I haven't stay in Freising since 1983 so I can't recommend anything. Weihenstephan Brewery is a long walk up hill or a short bus ride away from the train station. The city itself is interesting with shops and a beautiful church. If you want to visit Munich, you can also take the S Bahn into town, allow about 45 to 50 minutes each way.

All flights are Lufthansa so I assume the checked bag will go straight through and we do not have to re-check it? But will we go through immigration/customs to get on the flight back to USA from Germany?

Confirm that your bag will be checked through to your US destination when you check in at Budapest. Some airlines require you to pick up your bag when you have an overnight connection. I don’t know what Lufthansa’s rules are; I don’t see this on their website.

You will go through passport control since you are exiting the Schengen area when you depart from Munich to your US destination.

Technically, passport control when you enter Schengen is called immigration; passport control when you leave Schengen is called emigration.

Twice I've stayed in Freising before a next morning flight to the U.S., and I would recommend it.

You said something about being interested in "historic breweries". Weihenstephan is the oldest still operating brewery in the world. The last time I was in Freising, I spent an enjoyable evening having dinner in the Bier Garten at Weihenstephan.

BTW, the regional train (RE 22) from the airport to Freising is going to Regensburg and takes 11-12 min to get to Freising. There is one such train per hour, leaving at 16 min past every hour. In between, there are three buses, every 20 minutes. They take 18 min. The buses leave at 1, 21, and 41 min past every hour. You might want to take the bus rather than wait for the next train.

ETA: The buses used to leave from the parking lot which is to your right as you exit the door of Terminal 2. It appears there is now a bus station just south (left) of the rail station (from which the train to Freising leaves).

If you do land at 19:00 (7 PM) and can get to the rail station before 20:16, you can take RE 22 to Freising Hbf and get there at 20:27. If you can get to the bus station, just beyond (south of) the rail station by 20:01, you can take the 635 bus to Freising Hbf and get there by 20:19. The buses arrive at the Freising bus stop just outside the front door of the Hbf.

With either the train or bus you will need to purchase MVV tickets for 3,70€/adult. You can purchase the tickets when boarding the bus, or you can purchase them from an automat on the rail station platform or at the MVV counter upstairs from the rail station.

If you miss the 20:16 train, the next one will leave at 21:16 (9:16 PM) and get you to Freising at 21:27. Before than there are buses at 20:21, 20:41, and 21:01 getting you to Freising at 20:39, 20:59, and 21:19 resp.

Unless you speak acceptable German I think you will have trouble finding what I would call "cheap" accommodations in Freising.

Here is the official list of accommodations for Freising. I know a lot of people have liked Hotel Bayerischer Hof, but I don't think it's the cheapest. I've stayed here a couple of times. I think it is more economical, but some knowledge of German might be needed.

Lee, your information is very appreciated, especially the train and bus info! Thank you.
I did actually end up booking directly with the Bayerischer Hof hotel, opting for convenience over cost. We arrive on a Sunday and by searching online I discovered lots of the restaurants will be closed by the time we get there. We won't be too picky, just to say we had a beer in Germany will be good!

I'm looking at Google Maps, and I see a Spanish restaurant about a block to the west of Bayerischer Hof. It's open until midnight.

In the other direction, ¼ mile east of Bayerischer Hof is a Bavarian Restaurant, Weissbräu Huber, that's open until 10 PM Sundays, 11 PM other nights. Here's their menu. They serve Bier.

Thanks for sharing, Lee. You and my 19 year old found the same restaurant! So now we have a plan.