Parking in Munich?

Google maps show a parking garage on Hochbruckenstrasse about 2 blocks east.

If you're staying outside Munich, take the train into town. What parking garages there are within the inner ring tend to fill up, to the point that there may be a line of cars waiting at the entrance. One car out, one car in at a time.

Yes, you can buy day passes with the correct number zones so you can both go into town and travel on the public transport throughout the city all day, then get home. Where is your hotel?

We are staying at Holiday Inn Express Munich - Messe which is north east of Munich.

You are just over the line into the second zone. Assuming your son is 15 or older, an XXL Munich day ticket is 8.80 EUR for a single, and 15.90 EUR for a group of up to 5 people traveling together at all times. The 285 bus or the X900 bus stops in front of the hotel. Take it north to the Feldkirchen S-Bahn station, where you get the S-Bahn to Munich. Get off at Marienplatz. Takes about an hour from your hotel. Street level will be in front of the Neues Rathaus and its famous Glockenspiel. It goes off at certain hours, noon is one I think. Two knights come out just below the clock and joust, one wears the blue-checked livery of Bavaria, the other wears the red with white stripe of Austria. Care to wager on which one wins? From there, easy walk to Hofbrauhaus.

I would hardly call the Holiday Inn Express Munich - Messe "outside of Munich". It is in the inner tariff zone (actually, it's on the zone border, which is in the inner zone for trips into town, but in the next zone for trips away from town). The nearest S-Bahn station is at Feldkirchen, 2.2 km from the Holiday Inn. It looks like there are about 190 PnR parking spots at the station. I don't know how many of the are free. If you don't want to have to find a spot in the Park n Ride, the #285 bus goes from the Feldkirchen Gewerbgebrit Süd bus stop, about 100 yds from the Holiday Inn, every 20 minutes to the Feldkirchen station in about 4 minutes. The fare for the S-Bahn into town is the same with the bus and the S-Bahn as it is for the S-Bahn only, so leave your car in the parking lot at the HI.

If you take the 285 bus to the S-Bahn station at Feldkirchen, it's a 1-zone ticket (2,80€ one way adult) to downtown; It you take the same bus the other direction to Haar, it will be a 2-zone ticket (5,60€ one way adult).

The MVV trip planner shows it needs an XXL (inner 2 zones) fare even though the fare map puts it right on the line.

No, Sam,

According to the Planner, it's a 2-zone fare if you take the bus to the Haar station. It's a 1-zone ticket if you take the bus to the Feldkirchen station.

And, if you drive to either station, it's a 1-zone ticket from either Feldkirchen or Haar.

Ah yes, some of the itineraries sent me to Haar and some to Feldkirchen. Then day tickets are 6.60 EUR single and 12.60 EUR group. So if you want to take at least one other trip on public transport while in Munich during the day, that would be the way to go.

I don't know how many of the are free.

On weekdays not a single one, to be sure.

Feldkirchen is a nice place and oh so very convenient on the fast S-Bahn into the centre city.

We stayed at - and loved, and would return in a heartbeat to - the Bauer Hotel about midway between where the HIE is and the station. There is parking at the station with some spaces free and some free with a time limit. We walked from the Bauer, took the bus, or parked there all of which worked well.

The train service is fast, frequent, and easy.

I used the wifi in my room to check both buses and S-Bahn trains using the MVV app, and then bought tickets which stay on the app. They have to be switched on and then change colour so the Controller can tell if the ticket is active or not.

The place where the HIE and adjacent Ibis are was not developed when I was there, the road dead ended. Although they call themselves Messe hotels they are nowhere near the Messe (trade show halls). If they had been you could have taken the U-Bahn, but the bus to the Feldkirchen S-Bahn is easy and fast. The buses come down to the station and then loop back out so it is easy to do.

Don't try to either drive or park in central Munich. If you have hair you will pull it all out. Parking is nearly impossible to find, driving is crazy, the transport is so very easy and convenient. I drive into the centre of most German town and cities - Munich is the one exception.

You folks are the best! I will leave my car and take the bus. It will be me and my 17 year old son. Too bad the lad isn't 18. Oh well, he likes pretzles.....

I got news for you. The drinking age for beer in Germany is 16. Its 13 if parents are present.

We were at the Hofbrauhaus two years ago and they wouldn't serve him. He was 15. He will be quite pleased to learn he need not abstain