Long Layover in Munich (5.5 hours)

I don't really think you have enough time. One way from the airport to downtown Munich takes about 40 minutes, to 1H20min round trip. You probably need to get back to the airport with 1-2 hours before departure time. That doesn't give you much time in Munich nor, worse, not much of a "cushion" for unexpected delays.

If you do plan to risk it, take the next train leaving the airport S-Bahn station to Marienplatz. From there it is a short walk to the Hofbräuhaus.

You’ll have to go through immigration in Munich on arrival and back through security when you return to the airport. What are you going to do with carryon luggage? Are your bags checked through to Santorini? You don’t have as much time as you think, especially with kiddos in tow. Maybe an hour at Marienplatz if all runs on schedule. Maybe play it by ear when you get there?

Agree with the others who feel you just don't have enought time. And the Hofbrauhaus is, in my opinion, overrated. Especially for lunch. Despite the bad rap most airport eateries get, you'll do just as well if not better eating at the airport.

Thank you all for the replies.

With such a long layover, would it even make sense to leave the airport to explore anywhere in Munich or somewhere similar to just get a feel for anything local in the area?

You could take the bus to nearby Freising, it's a 15 minute bus ride with buses departing every 10 minutes.

There is now a regional train leaving hourly from the S-Bahn station at the airport at 16 past the hour, going to Regensburg with a stop 11 minutes later at the Freising Bahnhof, so depending on when you get out of the terminal, that could be a faster option.

A great deal will depend on whether your layover is really as long as you think it is. Your plane could be late arriving and passport control could take longer than you expect (although Munich is known for its efficiency). You could plan on lunch at a restaurant in or near the airport.

We are in a similar situation with a 5hr and 25 min layout between Boston and Palermo Sicily. Any suggestions for what to do at the airport?

I like Freising and in particular eating at Weihenstephan, in the Biergarten. However, getting between the airport and Weihenstephan, thanks to a two bus connection, takes nearly as long as between Marienplatz and the airport, which is accessible via a direct S-Bahn connection. Although the bus from Freising Bhf to the airport runs frequently, every 10 minutes, the bus from Weihenstephan to the Bhf is on an every 15 minute schedule, so the two buses only line up twice an hour. There are essentially five connections an hour from Weihenstephan to the airport and they take from 32 to 44 minutes. You have to know the schedule and watch the time.

It might be better to eat at Parkcafe Freising, which is about a six minute walk from the Bahnhof. I was there in 2009, and it has a pleasant creekside, shaded outdoor eating area. From the Bahnhof, walk about 300 yards up Bahnhofstrasse to where the road crosses over a small branch of the Moosach river. Turn left after crossing the bridge, onto a footpath called Fürstendamm. Parkcafe is on the right in about 125 yards.

Thank you all your help and recommendations.

Just before the holidays we waited at customs and security in terminal 1 for a good hour to get thru. Maybe it was because of the holidays. This was an AA flght to the US. Just FYI we had already waited an hour at the AA counter to check-in and check our bags. We needed the two hours. I will avoid terminal 1 when possible in the future.

How much time you really have depends on:

1- Is US to Santorini on one ticket?
2- If the answer to #1 is 'no', the next question is- will you have checked bags?
3-How close to on time will the first flight be? (Won't know that until you are there)
4- How much carry on will you have? Small enough to take it with you, or will you need to put it into and then retrieve from a storage facility?
5- How well does everyone sleep on a plane? It will be the middle of the night to you body clock and the kids could be droopy and moving slow

It may seem like a long time between flights, but the reality may be a bit different, once all things are factored in.

Happy travels

1. My US Fight is on one ticket (Lufthansa) with the 5 hours, 50 minutes layover in Munich.
2. I will check my suitcases. I will have 3-4 backpacks that will be carried on.
3. I am hoping the flight will arrive early or on-time :)
4. I will take 3-4 backpacks that will be my carry-on items.
5. That is a very good question. The kids typically will sleep 75% of the night flight. The adults, hopefully, will sleep 50% of the flight.

Thank you all so much again for the feedback.

Another time factor is how long it will take you to get off of the plane, which will depend on how far back you’re sitting. I’ve never flown into Munich, just out, so I don’t have any idea how far the walk is from your gate to passport control or how far it is from security to your new gate.

I think you can do it if your flight is on time and you pass immigration quickly. Quickly get to the S-bahn with family and stay near the train station in Munich. If your flight is delayed/queue at immigration, just ditch the plans.

This is MUCH more fun than 6 hours in a airport.

If all goes well, you can spend 1 hour getting to Munich, two hours in Munich, 1 hour getting back and then get to the airport two hours before your flight.

Go to Munich-airport.com and look up your flight arrival. If it is an H gate, it's in the original T2 building, which is about ½ mile long. Immigration is in the center, so the most you will walk from a gate is ¼ mile. The building exit is two floors down. After leaving T2, you have to walk across the courtyard to the S-Bahn station.

Larger aircraft, like those used on long flights from the US are more likely to arrive at an L gate in the new satellite T2 building, which is about half as long, so a shorter walk. However, to get out, you must go to the basement and take a shuttle train to T2, then walk to the S-Bahn station. The shuttles run every few minutes.

[Edit to add] You did say you are flying Lufthansa. They, United, and other Star Alliance airlines use T2.

Here is the information from Munich Airport on what is possible as a layover activity.
https://www.munich-airport.com/layover-ideas-11093386

With the visitor park and the Airbräu (for lunch), there is also plenty to do at the airport. Sometimes there are also events or exhibitions on the large plaza between Terminals 1 and 2.

I would only decide after arrival, passport control and transfer to the T2 main building whether and which excursion is feasible, also depending on your level of tiredness.

Munich Airport had a display on the website showing how long the current waiting times are at the various security checkpoints, unfortunately I couldn't find it today and link it.

Do I need a Schengen Visa to leave the Munich Airport for a short period of time (less than four hours)?

Thanks again for your help.

Do I need a Schengen Visa

Presumably you hold a US passport and as such you can visit the Schengen zone for up to 90 days without needing a visa.

Yes, we all have valid US Passports.
But we do not have the Schengen Visas.

If everything goes to plan (arrival time, customs, etc....), and this is a BIG IF, do you recommend pre-purchasing the Group CityTourCard for the S-Bahn to save time? And for the roundtrip between Munich Airport and Marienplatz Stations, would this be the ticket type needed for Zones M-6? I have the MVV-App on my phone.
Thanks again.