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The best ways to get to Munich from Munich International Airport

The best ways to get to Munich from Munich Intl. Airport

Munich is a quite huge, international airport and the hub of Germany’s south. While Frankfurt ist the most important airport in Germany, but Munich comes in the second place. Its location in Europe makes it a hub airport with over 200 destinations in 70 countries. Munich International Airport is also called “Franz Josef Strauss Airport”, named after the former Bavarian minister-president and not be confused with Johann Strauss, music composer known for the waltz.

How to get from Munich airport to the city?

There are a few options to get from the airport to Munich. You have to know that Munich International Airport („Franz Josef Strauss Airport“, IATA-Code: MUC) is outside of the city. It’s located about 40 kilometres (ca. 25 miles) northeast of the city centre. So many travellers arriving at Munich Airport ask questions like „What is the easiest, most convenient or cheapest way to get from the airport to the city?“ Actually there are five options to get to the city. It is possible to

  • Take a Taxi
  • Use the Urban rail system (S-Bahn)
  • Use the Express Bus
  • Use a rental car
  • Prebook a transfer

I will now show you the advantages, disadvantages and costs for each transport option.

 

Taxis waiting outside Terminal 1 of Munich International Airport

Using a taxi to get to Munich

Using a taxi to get from Munich International Airport to Munich City is the most convenient, but also most expensive transfer possibility. The taxis wait directly outside of the arrivals hall and usually there are also Taxi-Vans to transfer more than three people with their luggage. There is no specific service staff outside the arrivals hall or specific line you have to wait for the taxis. You just go out and choose your taxi. There is just one unwritten rule you should know. Always choose the first taxi in line. If you need a Taxi-Van, just go to the first Van in line. Of course this is not an official law, but i’ve seen taxi drivers showing verbally their displeasure when people are not taking the first taxi in line.

 

 

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Understanding the German railway system – a comprehensive guide

Understanding the German railways system - a comprehensive guide

Until the early 1990s the “Deutsche Bundesbahn” (German Federal Railways) a state owned enterprise held a monopoly on the railroad traffic in Germany. Then the traffic was privatised and the “Deutsche Bundesbahn” became a regular enterprise and called itself “Deutsche Bahn” (German Railways) with the same abbreviation it also used before “DB”. But nowadays you’ll also find private railway companies throughout Germany. Usually they serve lines that were abandoned by the DB after the privatisation. Especially in Munich you will also see trains from other countries, operated by the specific state railways. All this can be somehow confusing as a non-european tourist, especially when you have to buy tickets. So here is a comprehensive guide to the German railway system.

The different railway companies

Today there are many different railway companies

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Munich Hotel Review – The Super 8 Munich West (by Wyndham)

Munich Hotel Review - The Super 8 Munich West (by Wyndham)

Is the Super 8 Munich-West (by Wyndham) a good choice? Find it out here in my hotel review.

I had the opportunity to test a standard room (double) for one night, including breakfast. Read on the following hotel review to see what I experienced in the Super 8 Munich-West.

Location

The Hotel is located in Munich’s Laim district, about 5 kilometres (~3 miles) from the city centre (Marienplatz). The Super 8 is situated about 200 metres (~220 yrd.) from Laim urban rail station where nearly all Munich S-Bahn lines stop.

Laimer Tunnel Munich

On the picture, the hotel is a few steps to the right. Above the tunnel, the S-Bahn station „Laim“ is located. Right next to the station, you can find a steak-restaurant, a starbucks-style coffeeshop and two supermarkets (ALDI, REWE) reachable through the tunnel. From Laim stations it’s just one station to „Pasing“. There many regional and also national trains stop, so it is ideal to make a daytrip.

The hotel is quite new and it’s location is great, especially for travellers coming to Munich for business, people trying to get a good middle class hotel for a rather low rate and budget travellers.

Super 8 Munich West entrance

The entrance can’t be missed and is easy to find in Landsberger Street in Munich’s Laim district. Of course I have to mention Laim district isn’t a district known for its nightlife or specific quarter-culture. Laim was a worker’s district and is primarily used as residential area. You’ll hardly find fancy coffeeshops or hip bars in the quarter around the hotel. Also the Landsberger Street is one of Munich’s main arterial roads leading to the city centre, which is great for people coming with their own car or rental for a stopover or using the hotel as a basecamp for daytrips.

View from the lobby of Super 8 Munich West
Super 8 Munich-West lounge

Lobby and Lounge

When you enter the Super 8 Munich-West you will find a small but very nice designed lobby or lounge, the reception and a small snack shop/café where you can have a bite and a hot or cold beverage. I liked the design and how they managed to produced a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Right next to the reception there is the breakfast room and the elevator. This hotel has 6 floors where the rooms are located.

Super 8 Munich West corridor
Super 8 Munich West corridor with rooms

The floors can be accessed with your room-keycard. Just scan your keycard inside the elevator and press your floor number. I realized it is only possible to choose the floor where your room is located (or the lobby). So if you’re a group and you have different rooms on different floors, you have to walk the stairs to see your fellow travellers, as the elevator won’t allow you to go to a different floor.

Super 8 Munich-West room
Super 8 Munich-West bed and wall
Super 8 Munich-West table

Rooms

The room I got was quite nice. It had twin beds (pushed together, so it was actually a king-size-bed), a really nice photo wall showing Munich’s Siegestor (Victory Gate) in Schwabing district. Right next to the bed in front of the window stood a table with chair and a bench for luggage.

I had a street-view room on the first floor, which I do not recommend for those in need of an open window during the night. As said, Landsberger Street is a major arterial road to the city center and with lot’s of traffic. When the window is closed, it’s very quiet. The architects did a good job to to put in anti-noise windows. Fortunately it was a calm sunday, so there was much lesser traffic than during the week.

Super 8 Munich West view from a room

The Bathroom was very good. It had everything I needed. A nice, quite big shower, towels, shampoo/shower gel and hand soap. It is also big enough to fit two people, at least when one of them is taking a shower.

All was very clean. The cleaning staff did a very professional job. Only downside is the toilet, as there is no extra door to have some privacy. Also the bathroom has a huge frosted glass wall in the shower which is nice to have daylight also in the bathroom, but reduces the privacy again.

Super 8 Munich-West bathroom detail
Super 8 Munich-West bathroom shower
Super 8 Munich-West bathroom

Room Equipment

The room was also equipped with a telephone, a hair dryer, a safe, a wardrobe, air condition and a flat smart-TV. I also liked the hall with the wardrobe, as there were collapsible shelfes right next to the long mirror. Unfortunately a closet was missing. Therefore a longer stay could get a bit annoying living out of your luggage.

WiFi is free of charge in the entire hotel. The flat-TV was the hotspot, meaning every room has it’s own WiFi hotspot and therefore a very good connection. A very smart idea in my opinion. Unluckily the safe is quite tiny. It is not possible to lock a laptop or a tablet, but it will work really fine for wallets, passports, jewellery, smartphones etc..

An iron was missing as well as a kettle or other tea/coffee making facilities. When I read through the information of the hotel, I saw it is possible to borrow an iron or a kettle from the reception for a deposit of 20 EUR (ca. 23 USD, 17 GBP). That’s nice they offer this.

I also liked the smart-TV. Through the TV you can access all hotel based information but also watch TV (also some English programmes, mainly news channels like BBC or CNN) or even surf the internet. The Welcome-screen also has a „Discover Munich“ site, but unfortunately there was no content on this site. I hope they will soon add content.

Super 8 Munich-West room entrance
Super 8 Munich-West TV welcome screen
Super 8 Munich-West in-room safe

I slept very well in the bed and had a nice warm shower before heading down to the breakfast room. When you check in and opt for breakfast (9 EUR/person; ca. 10 USD, 8 GBP) you will be given credit-card sized vouchers. These you have to hand over to the breakfast staff. This system was quite new for me, but everything worked out as described.

Breakfast

The breakfast room was quite huge. I didn’t expect such a big buffet-style breakfast in a budget-hotel. There were lots of things to choose from and start your day either with a continental breakfast or an English/American breakfast. Breakfast is available between 6:30 am and 10 am (11 am on weekends).

Ham, sausages, eggs, baked beans, toast, frankfurters, Bavarian white sausages, cold cuts and different types of cheese were on the savoury side while on the sweet side you could choose from different jams, nutella, honey, fruit salad, yoghurts, chocolate croissants, warm belgian waffles and more. But my favourite was the fact you could mix your own yoghurt. You could take plain yoghurt and add different cereals as well as jam or three types of fresh fruit puree (white peach, mango and strawberry). This is something I never saw in a budget or business hotel. Thumbs up!

All in all the breakfast flashed me a bit. It’s very seldom to see such a huge variety of different breakfast items. Also the staff on duty was extremely friendly and helpful and did a very good job. Only one minor thing is to improve. There are just two coffee machines. So during the breakfast rush hour between 7 am and 9 am, you will sometimes have to wait in qeue with 5 people in front of you waiting for the machine to produce coffee, cappucino or other coffee varieties.

Super 8 Munich-West live kitchen
Super 8 Munich-West breakfast tables
Super 8 Munich-West coffee machines
Breakfast at Super 8 Munich West

Conclusion

The stay at Super 8 Munich-West was really nice. Especially the breakfast was outstanding. I would recommend this hotel to business travellers, travellers looking for a fair price and those who do not necessarily need to stay in the city centre.

As the urban rail station Laim is just around the corner, it is very convenient to take the S-Bahn to the city center (ca. 10 minute ride with the S-Bahn). Also Laim station is very convenient for travellers heading from or to Munich International airport.

Very convenient is also the fact you have to check out by noon, which is quite late compared to other hotels where check out is at 11 am or even 10:30 am.

Do you have any thoughts you want to share? Contact me via Email or WhatsApp (see footer).

Ratings

TheSuper 8 Munich-West has very good ratings throughout the Internet:

Google: 4.1 (of 5)
Booking: 8.3 (of 10) „very good“
tripadvisor: 4.0 (of 5) „very good“
Holidaycheck: 4,4 (of 6)
Expedia: 4.1 (of 5) „very good“
trivago: 8.2 (of 10) „very good“
Agoda: 8.3 (of 10) „Fantastic“

Andy’s Munich Tours Rating:

Public transport connection?

4.5/5

Hotel facilities

3/5

Staff (friendly? helpful?)

4.5/5

Cleanliness

5/5

Airport-connection (Munich Intl. Airport)

4/5

Room size

3/5

Breakfast

4.5/5

Value for money

4.5/5
Overall rating
4/5

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The Munich Taxi system – a guide

Munich's Taxi system

Getting around in Munich is easy. The most relaxed and convenient way is using a taxi. But how does the Munich taxi system work and is it expensive to ride in a cab? Find the answers here.

When it comes to the question „how to get from and to the airport/station/my accomodation?“ every tourist will ask himself wether using a taxi in an unknown city is a good idea or not. I travelled a few countries and realized, that using taxis is something that tourists do more regularly than citizens and they often have questions like „Are there “good” and “bad” taxi companies?“, „Do they all have the same prices?“ and „How is the tariff calculated?“. Here you will find all the answers you need about using a taxi in Munich.

The Taxi companies in Munich

Actually there are more than 1.500 different taxi companies in Munich, but you usually won’t notice a thing, as many of them are consolidated in taxi offices. With about 4.000 Taxis Munich has the highest density of taxis per inhabitant in Germany (2.5 taxis per 1.000 citizens). Even the capital of Germany (Berlin) has a lower density (2.3 taxis per 1.000 citizens).

Taxis waiting

Taxi offices (German: "Taxizentralen")

There are two taxi offices in Munich, which manage nearly all taxis in Munich.

Taxi-München: One of the oldest taxi offices in Germany, founded in 1917. It is a mutual company with about 3.000 members (taxis) and therefore the biggest taxi office in Germany.

IsarFunk: Another big taxi office with lots of members (taxis)

Taxis in Munich

Colour: All taxi cars have to be couloured in the same colour-scheme in Germany (exceptions in a few German states, but not Bavaria). Every taxi has to be painted in „bright ivory“. Actually it looks like cream white or a very bright yellow. 

Advertisements: Some taxis have advertisements on their doors. There is no difference between taxis with or without advertisements, so no worries about that.

Taxi signs: All taxis have a specific yellow/black taxi sign on their roof.

Car brands: taxis are often Mercedes-Benz’s but there is no rule that taxis must be Benz’s. You will also find VWs, BMWs, Chryslers, Toyotas and even Porsches or a Maybach.

Taxis waiting outside Terminal 1 of Munich International Airport

Finding a Taxi in Munich

When you’re in the inner city, you usually won’t have a problem to find a taxi as there are many of them driving around and there are also taxi ranks (cab stands) near main attractions and areas where lot’s of pedestrians are (e.g. rail stations, subway stations and tourist hotspots). But when you’re a bit off in the outskirts, you will have a hard time finding a taxi. There, you usually have to call a taxi office or use a mobile app for ordering a taxi.

Taxi driver

Other Taxi companies in Munich

As mentioned, there are many taxi companies in Munich and most of them are consolidated in the two taxi offices Taxi München e.G. and IsarFunk, but of course it is possible to call the taxi companies directly if you wish. To be honest this is something mostly residents do. As a tourist, I recommend hailing a taxi, or order a taxi through the taxi offices or mobile apps, which is much more convenient.
If you wish to contact the many taxi companies directly, you can search the web for those companies.

Taxi tariffs in Munich

The taxi tariffs in Munich are regulated and supervised by the City of Munich. The taxi tariff is set by a specific taxi tariff decree, therefore you can be sure that every taxi driver will charge you the same price for the same route. Here I will show you the taxi tariffs in Munich (as of Mar 1st 2019):

Type Price in EUR approx. price in USD approx. price in GBP
Base Fare
3.70
4.20
3.20
per kilometre (1-5 km)
2.00
2.25
1.70
per kilometre (6-10 km)
1.80
2.00
1.55
per kilometre (10+ km)
1.70
1.90
1.50
order fee
1.40
1.60
1.20
baggage fee (per bag)
0.70
0.80
0.60
waiting time (per hour)
30.00
34.00
26.00

These fares are programmed into the taximeters every taxi in Munich has. The tariff system seems quite easy, but most citizens will agree that the prices using a taxi are somehow not predictable. This because of the fare per kilometre is added to the waiting time fare. The waiting time fare always takes action, when the taxi doesn’t move. This is the case when the taxi is stopped by a traffic light, traffic jam or similar things. Every minute the taximeter will then add 0.50 EUR (approx. 0.60 USD, 0.40 GBP). Thats 1/60 of 30.00 EUR waiting time fee.

Taxi prices for specific routes in Munich

Here you will find the approximate price for routes in Munich usually tourists will do. Please note these prices are approximate and change due to traffic density, baggage and order fees.

Munich International Airport to Munich Main Station: ~80 EUR (ca. 90 USD, ca. 70 GPB)

Munich International Airport to Munich Trade Fair (Riem): flat fee: 67 EUR (ca. 75 USD, ca. 60 GBP)

Munich Main Station to Munich East Station: ~20 EUR (ca. 23 USD, ca. 18 GBP)

Munich Main Station to Nymphenburg Castle: ~20 EUR (ca. 23 USD, ca. 18 GBP)

Munich Main Station to Munich Trade Fair (Riem): ~30 EUR (ca. 34 USD, ca. 26 GBP)

 

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