I am planning on traveling to my hotel from the airport in Munich by the S-bahn. What is the easiest way to purchase an S-bahn ticket? What if I don't have euros yet? Is it easy to travel from the airport to downtown by S-bahn? Thanks!
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19233 posts
First, as soon as you get out of immigration at the Munich airport, there will probably be probably be an ATM in front of you. Not having Euro will not be a problem.
Second, once you get to the S-Bahn station, you will probably find automats that will take credit cards, or cash, and give you a ticket.
Yes, it is easy to travel from the airport to downtown by S-Bahn. The S-Bahn (S1 or S8) goes directly into the Hauptbahnhof in Munich.
The S8 comes into downtown Munich from the east, going first to Ostbahnhof and Marienplatz before going to the Hauptbahnhof. The S1 comes into downtown from the west, going first to the Hauptbahnhof. They alternate every 10 minutes. Whichever one leaves first will get you to the Hbf first.
Posted by
West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
213 posts
Pam,
As Lee suggested, it's quite easy to get to the S-Bahn and get tickets. I would add: you'll have to follow the signs to get to the S-Bahn; it's a bit of a walk but not bad. The instructions on the ticket automats Lee mentioned are in German only, as I recall. My German is not good, but I could figure it out. If you need help, ask somebody; they'll be glad to help. (Or just look puzzled, and someone will offer help!)
If you fly out of Munich, you can take the train back to the airport that you didn't take into the city from the airport--see a little different scenery. Munich has a superb rapid transit system--extensive, clean, and very easy to navigate. You'll appreciate it! By the way, when you get to the Hauptbahnhoff, you'll have to take escalators up to the surface. So don't think you're lost when you get off the train and don't see exits to the outdoors. Follow the other passengers or look for the "Ausgang" signs.