Car Hire Munich Airport

Car Hire

Sitting less than 18 miles from Munich, Germany’s second-busiest airport allows swift access to the city and to top attractions in the rest of Bavaria. Shuttle buses run between the Munich Airport Centre and Munich and surrounding locations, while faster trains arrive in the city in around 20 minutes. Still, most visitors find that the easiest way to reach the city and other Bavarian locations is with car rental in Munich Airport, with Munich just over 30 minutes’ drive to the southwest.

Who to Book With
Worldwide car hire suppliers at the airport include Avis, Hertz, Sixt and Europcar, and German firm Rent a Terstappen also has a presence. All suppliers have counters at the Car Rental Centre in the Munich Airport Centre, which is located between terminals 1 and 2. Vehicles are collected from the Central Area between the Munich Airport Centre and Terminal 1’s Module C.

Need to Know Essentials
When collecting your vehicle, you will need to show the following documents:

- Your driver’s licence (both parts for UK nationals)
- The credit card that was used when making the reservation
- A document to confirm your ID
- Booking confirmation

For more info read our FAQ's.

Driving
On-street parking is plentiful though restrictions are enforced and motorists violating parking rules can expect a fine and the towing of their vehicle. Parking is either by ticket machine or disc, and most car hire firms supply discs with their vehicles. It is commonplace to pay first and fill later at petrol pumps, which do not release petrol until a credit card is inserted at the pump or an attendant is paid. It is mandatory to carry a warning triangle in your vehicle. Low emission zones (umweltzone) require a badge to drive in.

See our guide to Germany for more information on driving here.

Transport

Self-drive allows arriving passengers quick access to the city. Trains arrive just as fast, while shuttle buses take longer, at up to one hour, and stop running at 22:30. Late arrivals have the option of taking a taxi into Munich.

Trains
Munich Airport Station can be found below the Munich Airport Centre, which is connected by a tunnel. From here, S-Bahn München trains run to Munich Central Station in around 40 minutes. Tickets can be purchased at the station and cost around £8 for a single journey and around £16 for a family pass (for up to five people).

Taxis
Three operators provide taxis at the airport. They depart from the Central Area, from the Arrivals and Departures levels of all four modules in Terminal 1 and from the north side of Terminal 2 on both the Arrivals and Departures levels.

Taxi prices:
Munich Airport to Munich city centre is about £45

Buses
There is a bus stop in front of the Munich Airport Centre, outside Terminal 1’s modules A and D, in front of Terminal 2 and at the Visitor’s Centre. The Lufthansa Airport Bus takes passengers from the airport to Munich Central Station and operates every 20 minutes from 08:25 to 22:05. The bus takes approximately 40 minutes to reach the city and tickets cost around £8.50 one-way and around £14 for a return trip. In addition, many hotels in the airport’s vicinity offer free shuttle buses for their guests.

Facilities

Terminals
The two terminals at Munich Airport are connected by the Munich Airport Centre. Terminal 1 is the larger of the two and has four separate modules, while Terminal 2 is a hub for Lufthansa and is arranged around a central plaza. The airport handles over 37 million passengers annually, with flights arriving from destinations all over the world.

Parking
There are 16 car parks on site, with four connected to Terminal 1, one adjacent to Terminal 2 and two with access to the Munich Airport Centre. Tariffs are cheapest at the P41 and P81 Holiday car parks, which are accessible by bus or train, while the car parks closest to the terminals and the Munich Airport Centre are more expensive. Tariffs run from around £10 to £30 a day, with reduced rates after the first seven days of parking.

Wi-Fi
Wireless internet can be accessed free of charge for up to 30 minutes in both terminals and in the Munich Airport Centre. After the initial 30 minutes, a charge of about £4 is made for each additional hour.

Information Services
There are information desks on Level 3 of the Munich Airport Centre Departures areas in all modules in Terminal 1 and in Terminal 2’s Departures and Arrivals areas.

Useful Numbers
Information: +49 89 975 00
Visitor Services: +49 89 975 413 33

Accessibility
The airport has a number of services and facilities for passengers with reduced mobility. On arrival, disabled passengers should go to their check-in desk where airline personnel will assist them. There is also a Lufthansa special needs desk in Terminal 2 that can organise assistance. Lifts and toilets are wheelchair-friendly and there are spaces reserved for persons with reduced mobility in all car parks.

Restaurants and Bars
Both terminals and the Munich Airport Centre have a number of restaurants, with Il Mondo (Terminal 1, Module B) serving Italian cuisine, Mangostin Airport (Terminal 2, Departures) offering Thai cuisine and Airbräu featuring Bavarian cuisine. Terminal 1 and the Munich Airport Centre each have a beer garden, while Terminal 2 has a Bavarian-style pub with regional beers on tap. There are also numerous cafés located in all three passenger areas.

VIP Lounges

Terminal 1:
British Airways Galleries Lounge (Module B)
Atlantic Lounge (Module C)
Emirates lounge (Module C)
Air France KLM Lounge (Module D)
Europe Lounge (Module D)

Terminal 2:
Lufthansa Business Lounge
Lufthansa Senator Café

Money and ATMs
ATMs are available in the Munich Airport Centre and in Terminal 2 Departures area. Bank branches which offer currency exchange services are present in the Munich Airport Centre, while Western Union money transfers are also possible on site.

Shopping
Shopping is available in both terminals as well as in the Munich Airport Centre. Duty-free perfume, cosmetics, tobacco and alcohol are available in both terminals at Travel Value, while tobacco products are featured in Wagner's Tabakforum in the Munich Airport Centre. Foodies can shop for Bavarian treats at Dallmayr (Terminal 2), while Belgium chocolate can be had at Confiserie Drüke (Terminal 1, Module C). Designer brands such as Cartier, Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo and Hermès also have a presence.