Is it worth it to run out of the airport and do something in Munich? I have never been to Munich. We would arrive after a night-flight. We are traveling light on luggage but with four children. If we can get to something interesting easily and get back to the airport on time, I would love to give the kids a quick look at Munich. Flight arrives at 10:00 AM and takes off at 5:00PM
Thanks!
What I would do is try to store my bags, the airport has something called Left Bags office, I think that is a storage area, and go to Marienplatz. It is in a pedestrian area and it is nice to just walk around and there are places to eat. I was just looking at the Sbahn schedule and if you can get out of the airport fairly quickly you can make it to Marienplatz by the time the Glockenspiel does it's display at noon(1200). I would say you would have about 2 - 2 1/2 hours befor you will have to go back to the airport. It takes between 40 and 50mins to get to Marienplatz. There are a few Sbahn trains listed as being just under 40 mins to do the trip but that is ballpark. I personally would try to do it. When you are getting to Munich you might want to take a poll of how the kids feel. I think getting them out and able to move around will help after being cooped up in the plane.
There's also the English Garden with several big beer gardens where you can buy all kinds of food - not just beer - and have a picnic with many many other people and families of all ages. Usually there's an oom-pah band playing and if it's a sunnt day then rent a peddle-boat on the lake for a few euros. You can stop at the Marienplatz along the way.
I agree that your trip into Munich should start with Marienplatz. Besides the Rathaus and it's 11 AM Glockenspiel, nearby is the Frauenkirche (the church with the two rounded domes). You can tour the inside. Additionally, when you are in Marienplatz facing the Rathaus, look behind you, over your right shoulder, and you will see the church tower of St. Peters. For a few Euro, you can climb to the top of the tower for a great view of Marienplatz, Munich, and, on a clear day, the Alps.
There are two S-Bahn lines (S1 & S8) from the airport into Marienplatz. They run alternately every 10 minutes. It doesn't really matter which one you take. S1 takes about 9 minutes longer, but if it is the next one leaving, it gets there 1 minute sooner than the S8.
On the way back, the two S-Bahns leave from different levels in the Marienplatz station. It's best to take the S8, since the S1 often splits in Neufahrn, and only the back half goes to the airport. Pick the station level that says to Ostbahnhof.
This might not help, but we had a long wait like that many years ago in Zurich and we left the airport and went sightseeing! Makes more sense that staying around the airport.
Good for you wanting to explore with your kids :-)
Thank you for all of the great information. I am looking forward to the long layover!
Especially with kids I would recommend to head into the city. Being outside will help dealing with jet lag. I also agree with the previous posters that Marienplatz is the best destination. There is enough to do within a 500 m radius to keep yourself busy for a few hours.
The town hall is right there and with it the Glockenspiel at noon.
On our last trip to Europe with our kids we made it our goal to climb one church tower in every city we went to. It's a great way to get some exercise (jet lag!) and get a feeling for the city. In Munich you could climb the tower of St. Peter church:
http://www.muenchen.de/Rathaus/tourist_office/sehenswuerdigkeiten/Kirchen/129351/Alter_Peter.html
Grab some lunch at Viktualienmarkt and have a picknick:
http://www.muenchen.de/Rathaus/tourist_office/sehenswuerdigkeiten/Parks_und_Biergaerten/133756/Viktualienmarkt.html
