Bus Transportation from Munich Airport to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

I'm not certain about bus transport, but the rail line south of Munich runs directly into the center of GP. Is there a reason you specifically want to take a bus?

I have looked into taking the train to GP, but just figured it may be easier to take a bus if there is one that goes directly from the Munich Airport. I know that if we take the train, we have to change trains somewhere between the airport and GP. That could be a hassle considering we have luggage for 3 adults.

Very easy,

Go downstairs of the Airport, there is a mall and train ticket booth. Purchase the ticket from there and head downstair to the tram s-bahn, Take the S-1 or S-8 to the Central train station, there you will transfer to a regional train to Garmish-Partenkirchen. About 1 hr 25 minutes. You will need to check to see which track the train will be on. If you are traveling after 9:00 am in the morning, you can get a Bavarian ticket for 5 people to travel for about 27 euro's all day long.

I went to Bavaria last October during the rail strikes, and I was looking for alternate ways to get to Oberammergau. Except for the S-bahn to Munich Hbf and regional train from there, I did not find anything scheduled.

If you go to the Bahn arrival/departure page, write "Flughafen Terminal 1, Muenchen" in the box after Station, and uncheck the first five boxes and check the sixth (under the symbol that looks like a bus), you will get a page with all the scheduled buses leaving the Munich airport by the hour. I found scheduled buses to Freising, the Lufthansa bus to the Hbf, and an occasional bus to Ingolstadt, but I didn't see anything to Garmisch. And why would there be? The train is so convenient; why would any reasonable person go any other way.

There is a charter bus service, Salzburger Mietwagen Service. They run shuttle vans to the ski areas (GaP is one) during ski season. I think it is €46 one way per person, but I doubt if they do that in September. You can arrange for private transportation with them of up to 3 people for €250 (about $400), €430 ($700) round trip.

Angela described the best way to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. If you leave the airport after 9 AM, you can buy the Bayern-Ticket there for €27 and it will be good for all three of you from the airport all the way to Garmisch-Partenkirchen (S-Bahn and reg train).

When you arrive at the S-Bahn station, go to the end of the station nearest where you came in on S1 or were headed on S8. There should be stairs (escalator?) to the Starnberger Flügelbahnhof, tracks (Gleis) 27-36. The train for Garmisch leaves at 32 min after each hour on tracks 28, 29, or 30. Look for a sign in the coach window that says Garmisch-Partenkirchen or look at the departure board in the main station.

Your can also take the S8 past the Hbf to Pasing and change there for the train to Garmisch, but you still have to change platforms. I'm not sure it is any easier.

You say you have luggage for 3 people, but you have three people to carry it, right? If that is a problem, you really need to consider packing lighter!

We definitely appreciate all your comments and assistance. You've convinced us to take the train. The comment about the luggage was great -- I only wish I could convince my wife and my sister to really pack lighter. I forgot to mention that 2 of the adults were women (both 68 years of age).

The only concern I had about taking the train was the fact that the German train system runs on a very tight time schedule with not much time for passengers in between stops. I lived in Berlin was 3 years and traveled throughout Germany via train -- a great system, but you had better be ready to get off when it when stops.

Thanks again for your help!

Whether you do bus or train, the weight of your luggage is a real consideration. There is no help in lifting suitcases on or off, and on the trains you sometimes have to lift your luggage onto an overhead rack. I am a small older woman, and I learned this lesson the hard way. Sometimes someone will help you, but not always. Since there are 3 of you, you could also consider renting a car. Email me privately if you want some ideas for GaP; I was just there.