Munich train station and city exploration

Dear Lee
Thanks for asking. We are landing by plane from Munich airport at 6am and have a 5pm train to Prague. I guess that's enough time. With customs, etc. what time will be able to reach the main train station in the morning? We are still debating whether to take the train or Eurolines bus to Prague as well.

Same question as Jim's. We will land in Munich as well but it is just a layover on the way to Prague. Would be glad to know if we can store luggage and explore the city in about 4-6 hours. Thanks

I'm not sure about the lockers, as I've always stayed multiple days in Munich and haven't needed them. I'm sure someone will advise. As for 4 hour to tour, absolutely! Once you store your luggage, assuming you can, head straight to the Marienplatz area of town. Tour the Marienplatz, the Viktualienmarkt, and a couple of the great churhes. Depending on what time of day, you could grab a bite to eat and a bier at the Hofbrauhaus or the Augustiner Großgaststätte. Rick's book has walking tours, but I prefer the Frommer's walking tour of Munich. Tour #1 ends two stops north of the Main Train Station, which would be an easy way to return for your luggage. Either way, have a great trip!

Yes, there are many lockers in the Munich central train station and a left luggage room for bags that are too big to fit into the usual locker.

Naomi, be aware that it's a 45 minute train ride to get from the airport to the train station.

I'm sure you could spend four hours in the Munich train station. It took me about an hour just to find the toilets. There are some interesting shops and restaurants there.

The lockers in the Munich Hbf are in the back left corner as you look at the station from the tracks (op track 26, near the entrance to the S-Bahn station). The check room is off the hallway behind the lockers. There is a food court in the station if you want to get a (fast food) meal while you wait. If you want to explore the town a little, buy an Innenraum Partner Tageskarte (inner zone day ticket for up to 5 people) for 10,60€. It's valid for all the transport in the inner zone of Munich, which has everything you might want to see except Dachau. Go down to the underground S-Bahn station (look for the big green circle-S symbol) and take the train two stops in the direction of Ostbahnhof to Marienplatz. It only takes a couple of minutes and there are trains about every 2 minutes. Marienplatz is the city center, with the gothic Rathaus and Frauenkirche. The Glockenspiel on the Rathaus plays at 11 AM. There is a pedestrian mall with shops extending both east and west from Marienplatz. When you come back from Marienplatz, note that the S-Bahn part of the station is in 2 levels. The lower level (Gleis 2) has trains back to the Hbf, the upper level goes to Ostbahnhof. There is also another level for the U-Bahn. Get the right level!

4 hours is NOT enough time to explore Munich from the airport. 4 hours is definitely enough time to explore from the main train station.

"4 hours is NOT enough time to explore Munich from the airport." True, but Jim, the OP, is arriving at the Hbf by train from Paris and have four hours until the train to Venice. As for Naomi, is she changing planes in Munich and flying to Prague, or coming into Munich to take the train or bus to Prague? Still six hours would be enough time. Figure 45 minutes into town and 45 minutes back plus an hour and a half back at the airport to go through security (assume baggage checked through), that gives them three hours in town. With only four hours, I don't think the travel time would be worth the time in town. However, the bus to Freising Bahnhof only takes 20-25 min and there is a bus every 20 min. From Freising Bahnhof you can catch another bus (6 min) to Weihenstephan, the oldest brewery in the world and take the brewery tour or enjoy lunch before heading back.

The Bahn runs a non-stop bus from Munich Hbf to Prague about every 3 hours (9:50, 12:50, 15:50). You can find schedules on the German Rail (Bahn) website. With sufficient advance purchase, the fares can be as low as 29€/adult. However, ticket are only for a specific bus (date & time) and are non-refundable, so if you are at all worried about late arrival, maybe the train is the best thing. Of course, if you get a ticket for a bus late in the day, you can have plenty of time to allow for a late arrival and kill the extra time sightseeing in Munich. Alternatively, that 5 o'clock train to Prague stops in Freising, near the airport, 25 minutes after it leaves the Hbf, so it is not necessary to go all the way into town to catch it. There is a bus that leaves the airport every 20 minutes and takes about 25 minutes to get to Freising Bahnhof. The 12:44 train to Prague also stops in Freising (at 13:07). These are regional trains, so tickets are not train specific. If you want to get to Prague as soon as you can, just buy a ticket and catch the first train you can. The 9:01 train from Munich to Prague does not stop at Freising, but you can board the 9:09 regional train to Regensburg and meet the Prague train in Landshut at 9:42.

Let me second Monte's comments about the Munich central train station. You will find everything you need there, including Presseshops which sell newspapers and magazines in many languages as well as having an excellent ion of English language books. There is even a small, but very well-stocked self-service grocery store near the Bayerstrasse exit from the station. There is a restaurant and several stand-up places to eat. You could easily spend your layover time just in the station alone.
And, yes, almost everyone speaks English.

Sorry, that should read an excellent "selection" of. etc.

Thanks a million everyone for your insights and comments. Appreciate all the good advice!

Lee,
Appreciate the information. Jim

Lee, One quick question. You mentioned Dachau in your post. Would it be possible to tour Dachau within our time frame if we chose to do so? Is transportation there available from the Hbf? Thanks,
Jim

With only four hours, I would say "No". There is good public transportation to and from Dachau (S2 to Dachau station, local bus 726 from there), but the round trip takes over an hour and the guided tours start at 11 AM and 1 PM and take about 2½ hours. You could do it at any time with an audio guide, but it will still take about 2½ hours. Entrance is free, so you could just go out and look around, but you would still be pushing it. The Memorial opens at 9 AM, so that gives you less than 2½ hours to see it and get back for your 11:31 train. Dachau website Use the German Rail (Bahn) website to find transportation schedules. Use "Muenchen Hbf" to "KZ-gedenkstaette, Dachau". A Muenchen XXL Partner Tageskarte, for 13,60€ (14,20€ after Dec 15), will cover your round trip transportation by S-Bahn and bus. The bus to Dachau is well marked at the bus stops in front of Dachau station.