We’re traveling from LAX to Athens in a few weeks. We arrive in Munich around 1:30 pm for a layover and leave for Athens around 7:30 pm. We’ll be pretty exhausted after such a long flight so I’m looking for suggestions for what we can do at Munich airport. Any good areas to lounge in? Any good places to eat or go shopping?
Munich has the only Brewery at an airport, we went to the area outside of security, maybe they have a side within Security. There are also some outside areas, courtyards and such, those may be beyond the secure zone, but you have 6 Hours.
If you are willing, you could probably get into Munich for a few hours, or take a taxi to Freising, about 15 minutes away. Nice town, good central district, good beer houses, then the large Weihenstephan Brewery.
Stay at the airport. The restaurant there has some of the best beer, food and service in the Munich area. Take advantage of it!
We just plan to stay at the airport. We’ve been to Munich before plus after a long flight we’ll be exhausted and will just want to stay put. Unfortunately, we’re not beer drinkers so hopefully they’ll have good schnitzel there!
You could use website such as Dayuse.com to rent an airport hotel room for this time. Rest, shower, take a break before you continue your journey.
There are so called napcabs in terminal 2. Not cheap, but you could stay airside and won't loose time (please note that apart from the Hilton, which is between terminals 1 and 2, many of the so called airport hotels aren't a the airport at all but in Halbergmoos or Freising).
If you're like me, four of your favorite things are:
- the smell of jet fuel
- the sight of planes up close
- the sound of engines roaring
- the feel of the outdoors
Enjoy all with a visit to Schiphol's Panorama Terrace, which requires exiting the "sterile" side of the airport, but is pretty marvelous for aviation geeks like myself. https://www.schiphol.nl/en/page/see-the-planes-up-close/
There is also a terrace at the KLM club in the non-Schengen portion of the airport, if you happen to be traveling on a ticket that permits admission to the club.
I found a terrace open to all passengers on the sterile side of the airport a few years ago during a long layover, but I don't remember where it was. I do recall it had a view of the Fokker 100 on the Panorama Terrace in the distance. I think it was on the Schengen side of the airport.
Many major airports and Munich is one of them that has showers so you can revive yourselves. If interested the showers are in terminal two in the Munich Airport Center (MAC): https://www.munich-airport.com/shower-787635.
Does your airline have a lounge with showers? Perhaps buy a day pass.