places to stay in munich

There are many places in Munich close to the Hauptbahnhof and the S-Bahn starts running to the airport around 3 am. The trip from downtown to the airport is about 40 min. So, if you want to stay near downtown, you should have no problem except having to get up very early. On the other hand, last year I stayed in Freising. It's only a 20 min bus trip from the airport, so you have a little more time in the morning. Hotel Zur Gred in Freising is highly recommended. I stayed in a smaller, less expensive place, Gästehaus Knoth, €45/night, single.

I stayed at the Hilton City Center hotel last year, many meetings and business people. Has 2 concierges which tells you something. It has large lovely rooms; is directly over a subway stop and next door to the Gasteig (Music Hall) for cultural events. Think it was 3, maybe 4 stops from Marienplatz or Central Station. The breakfast buffet was extravagant and expensive, like a Caribbean resort. Not located in the historic city center but near the Deutches museum and convenient enough. My husband walked to the Marienplatz.
Good meals at the hotel and nearby; it's not a Rick Steves kinda place, but I had a seamless experience there.

I found a great place two years ago via Trip Adviser. But at the moment can't remember the name.

Have stayed at the Zur Post in Ismaning, which was very nice, on the way to the airport, and at the Hotel Royal, recommended by RS and well located by the main train station. Will you need to be at the airline ticket counter by 7 am?

marie, I always stay at Hotel Uhland in Munich. It's about a 12-15 minute walk from the Hbf, and located in a quiet residential neighborhood. I'd probably buy my tickets for the S-Bahn the previous day (perhaps at the Euraide office in the station) as that would save time on the travel day, and plan to leave Munich for the airport at about 06:30. The staff at the Hotel will probably be getting breakfast ready for the guests when you leave, so you could pre-arrange a "bag lunch" to take with you (have a relaxing breakfast during the ride on the S-Bahn). If you want to be really close to Munich Hbf, there's a Sofitel Hotel right outside the station. It's a bit pricey, but if your budget can handle that I'm sure you'd be VERY comfortable! The gourmet restaurant in the back is awesome and the service impeccable! Happy travels!

I'll second Uhland.

I make several trips a year to Munich on business and have stayed at the Hiltons many times. Hilton Munich City is my favorite because it is directly above the Rosenheimer Platz S-bahn station, which is 2 stops from Marienplatz and on the S8 airport line (about a 35-40 min. trip). There is also a tram stop at Rosenheimer Platz that can take you to various places. There are many good restaurants in the area, including what I call the "secret beer garden" Hofbraukeller which is at Innere Wiener Strasse 19 (about a 5 min walk). It is run by the same people as Hofbrauhaus, but you will rarely find tourists there because it is mostly a local crowd. You typically will find the best rate for the Hiltons using your corporate code, www.dhr.com, or specials that are sometimes only found on www.hilton.de (use the Google Chrome browser's auto-translation feature if you can't read German). Hint: if you don't have a Hilton corporate rate code, google for one. The Hilton Munich Park is also a nice hotel, but it is located next to English Garden. You are a bit more isolated from shops/restaurants/etc. and have to take a bus to get to a U-bahn or S-bahn station - which I don't think is very convenient for sightseeing (although their buses are very nice). If the price is roughly the same between the two, I always pick Hilton Munich City. If you're looking for chain hotels due to points/whatever, I would recommend the Holiday Inn City Center across the street from Hilton Munich City. I have also stayed many times at the Marriott on Berlinerstrasse and the Courtyard by Marriott near the Hauptbahnhof.