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München Hbf/Munich main station (München / Munich)
Welcome to our guide to using Munich's main train station, it won't be on any 'Most Stylish Stations' lists, but the central station in Munich is a highly practical rail terminal packed with passenger facilities, most of which are on one level.
However, München Hbf is to be completely re-built so some of the usual pedestrian routes through the station may be subject to alteration.
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At a Glance
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Terminus Station
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It's difficult to avoid Munich's central station when exploring Europe by train, more international trains depart from here than any other station in Europe.
Fortunately if you're lucky enough to be taking a train to the likes of Austria, Croatia, Czechia, France, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland or The Netherlands, then Munchen Hbf is a comparatively easy station to use.
A terminus station
All of the large numbers of gleis (platforrms/tracks) in the main station are at street level, so you won't have to use stairs, escalators or lifts, when accessing the local area around the station, including the tram stops.
Transferring between any express and Regio service simply involves walking from one gleis (platforrm/track) to another.
The gleis (platforrms/tracks) that most of the long-distance trains use are directly adjacent to the main concourse.
When arriving by any mainline train you simply have to walk ahead of you, to the main concourse in order to access the exits, taxis and all public transport connections.
The only part of the station which isn't at street level are the platforms/tracks used by the local (S-Bahn) trains and somewhat inevitably the U-Bahn trains, which are the equivalent of metro/underground trains.
All of the local (S-Bahn) trains which serve München Hbf use a tunnel which crosses the city centre, hence the access to and from them being shared with the access to some of the U-Bahn lines which serve the station
When arriving by train on a gleis (platforrm/track) connected to the main concourse, the primary access to the S-Bahn part of the station is to the left.
A station of three parts
Though the station is so vast that not all of the gleis (platforms/tracks) can be housed within the main building - it is where gleis 11 - 25 are located.
However, gleis 5-10 and gleis 27-36 are in distinct areas on either side of the main train shed - both of which are a two to five minute walk from the main concourse.
Some of the ticket agents will alert travellers to the need to access these different parts of the station, but they ae not entirely separate from the main Munchen Hbf, so can be accessed from within the main building.
It's not a scenario where those making connections needs to find their way to an entirely different station / location.
Construction work
München Hbf is not a beautiful station, but this is changing over the coming years.
The main building across the front of the station which faced the city centre has already been demolished - and it housed many of the shops.
So the access in and out of the station is currently by the entrances/exits on either side the main concourse, on ArnulfstraBe to the north and on BayerstraBe to the south.
Taking a taxi
The taxi rank has been moved to the exit on ArnulfstraBe, when arriving by train, this on the left-hand side of the main concourse.
Food and drink
Large stations can resemble shopping malls, airport terminals or cathedrals, but München Hauptbahnhof/München Hbf is akin to a giant food court.
Though the number of catering outlets has been reduced due to the now commenced reconstruction work, which has removed the larger restaurants in the station.
The multiple food/drink outlets include those scattered across the main concourse, so when first arriving by train, the station can seem somewhat chaotic.
The food available from the food court on the main concourse is superior (and often cheaper) than that which can be taken away from a bar car on any train that departs from here, so stock up before you hop on board.
Train service summary
The usual pattern of direct long-distance train services to and from München Hbf is:
- Amsterdam = 1 x Nightjet train
- Berlin = 1 to 3 x ICE trains per hour
- Bologna = 1 or 2 x EC / Railjet trains per day
- Budapest = 4 x Railjet trains per day + 1 x Euronight train
- Florence / Firenze = 1 x Nightjet train
- Frankfurt (Main) = 1 or 2 x ICE trains per hour
- Graz = 2 x IC trains per day
- Hamburg via Hannover = 1 x ICE train per hour + 1 x Nightjet train
- Heidelberg = 4 or 5 x trains per day
- Innsbruck = 1 x train every other hour (EC, Railjet, ICE trains)
- Klagenfurt via Bad Gastein and Villach = 4 x trains per day (EC and Railjet trains)
- Köln Hbf = 1 x ICE train every other hour
- Köln-Messe/Deutz = 1 or 2 x ICE trains per hour
- Krakow = 1 x Euronight train
- Leipzig = 1 x ICE train every other hour
- Paris = 1 x TGV train per day + a Nightjet train 3 x per week
- Praha / Prag = 7 x ALX trains per day
- Rome = 1 x Nightjet train
- Stuttgart = 1 or 2 x ICE trains per hour
- Venice = 1 or 2 x EC / Railjet trains per day + 1 x Nightjet train
- Verona = 1 x EC / Railjet train every other hour
- Warsaw = 1 x Euronight train
- Wien / Vienna via Linz = 1 x Railjet train every other hour
- Zurich = 1 x ECE train every other hour
See the journey guides for more detailed information
Book Accommodation
When planning a trip, finding convenient accommodation can be trickier than working out which train to take.
Hence ShowMeTheJourney has partnered with the innovative accommodation portal, Stay 22, to offer three options for discovering your optimum accommodation:
1: Use the map above to see which hotel rooms and Vrbo rentals, with easy access to München Hbf, are available.
2: Or click on these cherry-picked properties, offered by Stay 22 partner Booking.com, which are by München Hbf and have been selected on the basis of high guest ratings:
25hours Hotel The Royal Bavarian
Design- und Kunsthotel München
3: Or see what's available with Stay 22's accommodation partners; which include, Expedia, Hotels.com and Trivago - by clicking the large button below.
Stay 22 will 'shuffle' the booking services so that you can be automatically directed to its partner that currently has the optimum availability at this location.
Questions Answered
ShowMeTheJourney has anticipated what questions are most often asked about taking trains to and from München Hbf and answered them below.
If you can't find the information you are seeking, you can ask a question by using the Travel Planning Service.
Is there step-free access to and from the platforms /tracks?
Yes, the main station in Munich is a terminus, so the access to and from the express and regional trains involves simply walking between the gleis (platforms / tracks) and the main concourse.
The gleis (platforms / tracks) used by the local S-Bahn trains are at a lower level, though are linked to the main part of the station by escalators and lifts.
How to travel between Munchen Hbf and the city centre?
The train service between Munchen Hbf and the heart of the city is provided by S-Bahn trains, on which City Tickets and rail passes are valid.
These are local/commuter trains and in Munich/Munchen they use a tunnel to cross the city centre.
There are frequent trains (to a variety of final destinations), you shouldn't have to wait more than 5 minutes for a train on from Munchen Hbf.
The S-Bahn platforms are at a lower level in Munchen Hbf, the main entrance to this part of the station is on the main concourse, opposite platform (track) 26, follow the green 'S' signs.
When facing away from the trains, this main access to the S-Bahn is on the left hand side of the main concourse.
For the heart of the city, close to the Frauenkirche and the Neues Rathaus, take the S-Bahn (commuter trains) eastbound to Marienplatz station.
For the Deutsches Museum and Museum Island (Museumsinsel) take the S-Bahn trains to Isartor station, three stops east from the Hauptbahnhof.
Tickets to the city centre rail stations
When booking your rail ticket from a location in Germany on the DB website, it's possible to select these stations served by the S-Bahn trains, as to or from locations.
Or if you travel to or from Munich/Munchen with any ticket except Super Sparpreis / Super Saver tickets, the ticket will include a City Ticket, which can be used to hop on the S-Bahn trains.
However, if you have booked to Munchen Hbf, or generally to Munchen, with options that don't include a City Ticket, you will need to purchase a ticket for the part of your journey by the S-Bahn trains.
They can be purchased from the ticket machines or in advance online.
Rail passes such as Eurail, InterRail and the D-Ticket can be used for journeys by the S-Bahn trains.
All tickets and passes must be validated / stamped pre-boarding by using a stamping machine.
Using Munchen Ost as an alternative to Munchen Hbf
At the other end of this tunnel is Munchen Ost station.
So if you will be heading to/from the city centre, and your long distance train is calling at Munchen Ost the quickest and easiest end-2-end journey will be to change trains at Munchen Ost and NOT Munchen Hbf.
Connecting to the U-Bahn
In common with other major German cities the subway/metro system in Munich/Munchen is named the U-Bahn.
How you can best access the U-Bahn (Metro) at Munchen Hbf depends on which line you will be taking, so it's best to have worked this out, before your train arrives at the station.
The optimum access to line U1 and line U2 is to use the same entrance as the main entrance to the S-Bahn, opposite platform (track) 26.
However, the easiest access to line U4 and line U5 is at the opposite end of the concourse at the side exit by platform (track) 11 on the street named BayerStraBe.
Though the Oktoberfest grounds are 15 min walk from Munich Hauptbahnfof, it’s not worth squeezing on to U-Bahn line U4 or U5 for the one stop ride to Theresienwiese starion.
How can tickets be purchased for the public transport connections?
The U-Bahn (metro), trams and buses in Munich are managed by MVV which offers a range of tickets including Day tickets and multi-ride Stripe tickets.
Single journey tickets can be;
- purchased in advance online - though they need to be validated (stamped) at a ticket machine prior to boarding.
- purchased at a MVV Service Centre - in Munchen HBF it is located in the U1 / U2 ticket hall; Tickets purchased at Service Centre need to be validated (stamped) at a ticket machine prior to boarding.
- purchased from a ticket machine at a stop
- purchased from the machine on a bus
- bought in the MVV app.
Are there cafes or restaurants available?
The reconstruction work at Munchen Hbf has removed the building which had housed most of the food and drink outlets at the station.
Hence the locations at which a full seated meal service available have been compromised - so the recommendation is to make use of this useful guide to the local restaurants that are located in the streets which surround Munchen Hbf,
Is there a First Class lounge?
Yes there is a lounge which can be accessed by;
- BahnBonus status customers* and one person accompanying them*
- BahnCard 100 1st class holders and one accompanying person*
- Travellers with a current DB long-distance ticket 1st class in the Flexpreis tariff
*= holding tickets for travel that day
It is located at an upper level on the Arnulfstrabe side of the concourse, which is over to the right when facing the trains.
Are there left luggage facilities?
There are left-luggage lockers which can be accessed during the station's opening hours,
The lockers are coin-operated, but machines are available which enable 'payment' of coins by bank / credit cards.
Though what had been the main left-luggage area has been removed due to the reconstruction work at the station, hence there are only currently a limited number of lockers available, in the area behind the primary access point to the S-Bahn on the main concourse
Accessing The Trains in Munich's main station
München Hbf is a terminus station so changing trains simply usually involves simply walking from one platform to another on the one level.
Though München Hbf is used by so many trains that they are four distinct parts of the station.
The local (S-Bahn) trains, which offer the best connection between Munich's main station and its city centre use a separate, lower level part of Munchen Hbf.
Almost all of the long-distance trains arrive at and depart from gleis (platforms/tracks) 11-26 that are directly connected to the main concourse, so are steps away from the entrances/exits and the access to/from the S-Bahn and U-Bahn.
The services which typically use this part of the station include:
- all of the ICE services
- nearly all of the IC services
- the EC trains to/from Austria, Italy and Slovenia
- the Railjet trains to/from Wien/Vienna and Budapest
- the ALX trains to/from Praha/Prague
- the night trains.
Most of the shorter distance Regio trains depart from gleis (platforms/tracks) which are located to the left and right of the main station building, and are therefore some distance from the main concourse.
So if you will be taking one of these services, it's a good idea to be at the station at least 5 minutes before departure to allow for an easy transfer to the train.
If you don't want to rush against the clock also allow at least 10 minutes when making connections to/from the trains which use these gleis (platforms/tracks) which are outside the main station building.
All transfers between platforms at Munchen hbf have to be made via the main concourse, there is no short-cut passage way at the other end of the station, which links all the platforms.
Gleis (platforms/tracks) 5-10
Gleis (platforms/tracks) 5-10 have recently been reconstructed, so they are now further from the main concourse then previously
It is now virtually a different station, not only is it totally outside the main station building, it is pretty much separated from it.
The access to/from them is by walking along virtually the full length of gleis (platform/track) 11, so at at a leisurely pace it takes at least two to three minutes to reach them from main concourse.
Gleis (platforms/tracks) 5-10 are typically used by services that include:
- trains to/from Salzburg that are operated by Meridian and
- Westbahn services to/from Wien/Vienna
- Regio trains to/from Muhldorf and Kufstein,
All of the trains which use gleis (platforms/tracks) 5-10 also call at München Ost station so when using these trains to travel to/from the city centre, making transfers München Ost is the way to go.
Also worth knowing is that Salzburg, Kufstein and Wien/Vienna are all served by other train services to/from München Hbf which use the main part of the station.
Some of the Railjet services to Wien and Budapest can also use this part of Munchen Hbf.
Gleis (platforms/tracks) 27-36 are to the north of the main station building, so when facing the trains on the main concourse, they are over to the right.
They are not quite so distant as gleis (platforms/tracks) 5-10, but at a leisurely pace its best to allow two minutes to reach them from the main concourse, the access to them is by walking along gleis 26.
Gleis (platforms/tracks) 27-36 are typically used by services that include:
- the ECE services to/from Zurich
- a few IC services heading to Stuttgart and beyond
- the Regio services to Garmisch, Fussen and Lindau.
Other Main Line Stations in Munich/München
München Hbf is one of three stations in the city used by long distance daytime trains, so some trains to and from the city also call at München Ost or München-Pasing stations.
München-Pasing is on the route between Stuttgart and Munich - and Munchen Ost is served by long-distance trains travelling between the city and Austria.
So if you want to travel from/to Munchen hbf, which is the main city centre station, be sure to specify this when making a booking.
And be wary of confusing the stations; don’t head for Munchen Hbf if your ticket is for a train leaving from Munchen Ost etc.
In particular ticket agents will see that journeys from Munchen Ost and Munchen-Pasing stations are faster, so can assume that travellers would rather board at those stations.
To The City Centre from Munchen Ost:
If you’re heading to the city centre and your train calls at Munchen Ost station make a transfer to the S-Bahn trains at that station.
You’ll be at Marienplatz (in the heart of the city) around 10-15 mins faster compared to remaining on the train and making the transfer at Munchen hbf.
Day Trips By Train
Even when the Oktoberfest isn’t happening Munchen is one of Germany’s most fabulous cities, some may argue that this particularly applies when the Oktoberfest isn’t occurring.
However, a less obvious attraction of spending some holiday in Munchen/Munich is that it is second to none amongst German cities, as a base for exploring a swathe of other must-see destinations, on day trip trains by train.
Within 90 mins of Munchen/Munich by train you can be in Augsburg or Nurnberg or Salzburg or Ulm.
Extend the journey time to within two hours and the list of fabulous destinations to visit also includes Berchtesgaden or Füssen (for easy bus connections to the fantasy castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau) or Innsbruck or Regensburg.
To and from Munich airport by train
The railway station at München Flughafen is served by two lines of the city's S-Bahn system of local trains plus there are also now hourly Regio trains which link Munich Airport with Landshut (Bay) (connect for Nurnberg) and Regensburg.
Between Munich Airport and the city centre
The trains on the S-Bahn line routes S1 and S8 both operate every twenty minutes and they both use a tunnel which crosses the city centre and has stations named:
- Isartor station - which is the closest station to the Deutsches Museum and Museum Island.
- Marienplatz, which is located in the heart of the city close to the Frauenkirche and the Neues Rathaus:
- Karlsplatz
The journey time to Marienplatz station is 38 minutes by both line S1 and S8 so when departing the airport, take whichever train will be departing first.
Though when heading to the airport look carefully at the station departure monitors at the city centre stations, because the trains on line S1 will be heading west and the trains on line S8 will be going east.
For journeys by the S-Bahn trains AirportPLUS tickets are available which include onward travel within the city that day, so they are a particularly good option if your start and end point is located by a station on the U-Bahn, which is the metro network within central Munich.
Connections with lines U2 and U3 are available at Marienplatz and Karlsplatz station offers transfers with lines U4 and U5.
When heading to the airport on the S-Bahn trains take care not to leave the train at München Flughafen Besucherpark station.
To and from the city's main railway station
Trains on lines S1 and S8 also both call at the lower level platforms / tracks in München Hbf.
The journey time by line S1 is 46 mins and by line S8 it is 41 minutes, so when heading from the airport take whichever train will be next to depart.
When going to the airport check the departure monitors, the trains on line S1 will be heading west and those on line S8 will be going west.
München Hbf has direct trains to most other cities in Germany though most of these cities, including Nurnberg, Stuttgart, Ulm and Wurzburg also have direct trains to and from Frankfurt Airport.
Making connections at München Ost station
Every 20 mins S-Bahn trains on line S8 connect München Flughafen (airport) with München Ost station in a journey time of 31 mins; trains on line S1 also go to München Ost, but they have a journey time of 55mins so are best avoided.
The trains on the main railway route between München the Austrian border, have to travel in a semi-circle around the southern side of the city in order to access the city's main rail terminal, München Hbf.
Hence it takes around 10 mins for these long-distance trains to make the journey between München Ost and München Hbf.
Therefore for rail journeys between the airport and some destinations south-east of Munich, including Bolzano, Graz, Klagenfurt Innsbruck and Salzburg, the quickest route is to make the transfer at München Ost and not at München Hbf.
City Guides
Munich/Munchen isn't just a convenient location for changing trains, it's also one of the most interesting cities in Germany, so it can be worth spending a night or two here.
Things To Do (Time Out)
51 Tips From Locals (LikeALocal)
10 Free Things to Do (Loney Planet)
Unusual Attractions (AtlasObscura)
50 Amazing Things To Do (Années De Pélerinage)
To the Allianz Arena
The public transport access to and from The Allianz Arena is by the U-Bahn, which in Munich is a regular subway style network of underground trains.
Fröttmaning station which is on metro line U6 has been built to handle large crowds and it is around a 15 min walk to and from the stadium.
When heading to the Allianz Arena use the footbridge at the northern end of the station to access the Esplanade, which has several footpaths which lead directly to the stadium.
On match days additional trains to and from the city centre provide a five minute frequency, because some trains are turned around at Fröttmaning - when heading off from the city centre, the regular trains will be heading to Garching.
In the city centre the U6 has stations at Marienplatz, Odeonsplatz and Sendlinger Tor.
The journey time between Marienplatz and Fröttmaning is 16 minutes.
Taking a train to Munich and connecting for the stadium
At Marienplatz connections are available with the local S-Bahn trains, which in Munich cross the city centre in a tunnel, so they are similar to the Elizabeth Line in London and the RER in Paris.
These S-Bahn trains connect Marienplatz to both the city's main rail station, München Hbf and the station named München Ost.
This is an additional station call to the east of the city centre used by most of the trains which travel between Austria and Munich.
The transfer, from stepping off a train at München Hbf to being at Fröttmaning station will take around 35 mins.
Please support ShowMeTheJourney
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
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Journeys
# Jump to a directionJourneys from München Hbf/Munich main station
Jump to directionsMünchen / Munich to Amsterdam by train
München / Munich to Berlin by train
München / Munich to Bologna by train
München / Munich to Bruxelles / Brussels by train
München / Munich to Budapest by train
München / Munich to Firenze / Florence by train
München / Munich to Frankfurt by train
München / Munich to Füssen by train
München / Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen by train
München / Munich to Graz by train
München / Munich to Hamburg by train
München / Munich to Hannover by train
München / Munich to Heidelberg by train
München / Munich to Innsbruck by train
München / Munich to Klagenfurt by train
München / Munich to Köln / Cologne / Koeln by train
München / Munich to Krakow by train
München / Munich to Leipzig by train
München / Munich to Lindau by train
München / Munich to Linz by train
München / Munich to Ljubljana by train
München / Munich to London by train
München / Munich to Milano / Milan / Mailand by train
München / Munich to Nürnberg / Nuremberg by train
München / Munich to Oberstdorf by train
München / Munich to Paris by train
München / Munich to Praha / Prague / Prag by train
München / Munich to Roma / Rome by train
München / Munich to Salzburg by train
München / Munich to Seefeld in Tirol by train
München / Munich to Stuttgart by train
München / Munich to Venezia / Venice / Venedig by train
München / Munich to Verona by train
München / Munich to Warszawa / Warsaw by train
München / Munich to Wien / Vienna by train
München / Munich to Zagreb by train
München / Munich to Zürich / Zurich by train
Journeys to München Hbf/Munich main station
Jump to directionsAmsterdam to München / Munich by train
Berlin to München / Munich by train
Bologna to München / Munich by train
Budapest to München / Munich by train
Firenze / Florence to München / Munich by train
Frankfurt to München / Munich by train
From Wien /Vienna to Stuttgart by train
Hamburg to München / Munich by train
Innsbruck to München / Munich by train
Köln / Cologne / Koeln to München / Munich by train
London to München / Munich by train
Milano / Milan / Mailand to München / Munich by train
Paris to München / Munich by train
Praha / Prague / Prag to München / Munich by train
Roma / Rome to / Munich by train
Salzburg to München / Munich by train
Venezia / Venice / Venedig to München / Munich by train
Verona to München / Munich by train
Warszawa / Warsaw to München / Munich to by train
Wien / Vienna to München / Munich by train
Zürich / Zurich to München / Munich by train
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.
This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.
