Munich (München)
Munich and its nearby international airport (MUC) provides the gateway to all the German & Austria ski resorts, plus the Dolomites in Italy & skiing areas of eastern Switzerland. The city of München is fabulous for a night or two at the start or finish of a ski trip, with a visit to the historic old town & atmospheric beer halls a must.
Pros & Cons for Munich
Pros
- An outstanding airport with diverse flight origins for intercontinental travellers to access the best ski resorts in Austria, the Dolomites & other parts of the Alps.
- Vibrant city centre, even in the middle of winter.
- Interesting historic buildings, cityscape, entertainment, gardens, food & culture.
- World’s best beer halls.
- Wonderful accommodation in or near the ‘altstadt' (old town) and main train station.
- Pedestrian friendly.
- Excellent local & regional public transport connections & highway infrastructure.
- Our favourite Austrian cities, Innsbruck & Salzburg, are less than 2hr away
Cons
- All the best ski resorts are a few hours away so combining a powder day with a beer hall is a bit more challenging than it should be!
- Weather in Munich in winter is often cloudy, overcast and a little gloomy.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- The airport is quite far from the centre of the city and as far from the mountains as it could be. Thankfully it is well connected by train & motorway
- It rarely snows in the city during winter (compared to the ‘good old days’!), so the winter cityscape can feel a tad grey & drab.
- Some parts of the city feel somewhat touristy - just keep walking - you are a tourist after all!
Ski Resorts near München?
Some of the world's best ski resorts are within a few hours’ drive of Munich. Aside from the better German ski areas like Garmisch Classic, Oberstdorf-Kleinwalsertal, & Zugspitze, entering Austria via either Innsbruck or Salzburg opens up all sorts of possibilities. From the world's best all-round ski area in western Austria, Ski Arlberg, all the way east beyond Kitzbühel to impressive snow-magnets like Obertauern in Salzburgerland. In between all the glacier ski areas and Powderhounds favourites like Pitztal, Sölden, Kaunertal, Hintertux and Stubai are easy to reach. And smattered all through the mountains are those perfect small Austrian ski resorts that we adore on powder days, but you may not have heard of - Kühtai, Nauders, See, Kappl, Zauchensee, Diedamskopf & Schlick. The list goes on.
Perhaps a little surprising to many, but the heart of the Dolomites and its most popular resort, Val Gardena, is just 4 hours’ drive from the Munich airport via Austria and the Brenner Pass. Munich is often utilised by visitors to the Dolomiti region both due to its proximity, but also its number of useful flight origins.
Things to Do in Munich?
Munich to us is all about the historic Altstadt (old town) at its heart, and the fantastic beer halls within it. The way to experience it is to do a self-guided walking tour. See a map of the centre of Munich below.
Starting early from Munich Hbf (central railway station), a wander through the old town of the city is as good as any of the great cities of Europe. Several pedestrian-only streets make it an absolute pleasure. Head through the Stachus gate and down the Neuhauser & Kaufinger Streets into the beautiful (but tourist filled) Marienplatz. Try and get there on the hour to watch the clock tower do its thing! Take a peak into all the 14th century (and younger) buildings surrounding the square. Strolling down Sendlinger Straβe you will pass the outrageously decorated Asamkirche. Dating from the 1700s, it may be small, but it is packed with more gold leaf, sculpture & frescoes than anything deserves to have. The 14th century Sendlinger Tor, a gate that was part of the old town wall, marks the end of the street. Head back via Sebastiansplatz and on to the Viktualienmarkt, a 200-year-old farmers market where all sorts of tasty treats await. Walk north to check out the palace and gardens at Residenz München & Hofgarten.
For lunch or toward dinner time, your thirst will be building so it’s time to quench it in the best possible way. Munich’s Hofbräuhaus has a history going back over 400-years and is an essential part of any visit to the city. Order a litre stein of beer and a feed of roasted pork knuckle, take in the magnificent surroundings, be dazzled at the carrying capacity of the serving staff as they heft a dozen steins at a time through the beer hall, and listen to the traditional stylings of the band in the corner. Across the road, Augustiner am Platzl is a good addition to the beer hall festivities. Another is the Weisses Bräuhaus located a couple of blocks away.
If you only see Munich through the bottom of an empty stein ..... time to get a refill!
Where is Munich, Germany?
The city of Munich is in Bavaria, southern Germany, just 60km north of the Austrian border. By road, everything of interest to skiers is to the south with Innsbruck just 2hr by car or train from central Munich. Salzburg is only 1½hr away by train, and slightly longer by car. The world-famous ski town of Kitzbuhel is just1½hr drive from Munich. If coming from the airport, add 30 minutes to the travel time to anywhere toward the south!
Munich (MUC) international airport is rated as one of the world’s best. It receives a vast number of flights every day from worldwide destinations. Located 33km (25min) drive north of central Munich, the airport is also connected by train to the city and beyond.
The efficient train transport from Munich airport (or central Munich) links quickly with train services to ski hubs like Innsbruck. Take the S8 line from the main airport terminal (trains every 10min) for the 34-minute journey to the major Ostbahnhof (Munich east Station) for trains direct to Innsbruck and toward other ski resorts. The S1 line can also be taken from the airport to Munich Ostbahnhof, but it takes longer at around 46-minutes.
Search & book train tickets from Munich.
A host of car rental companies are available at Munich airport, and the vehicles should be set up for winter driving (i.e. snow tyres, chains) due to the local winter road rules in Bavaria requiring such. The main consideration is to check the quality and tread on the snow tyres, and if in doubt ask for another vehicle or get snow chains as well.
Given the relatively close proximity of several ski resorts from Munich, for larger groups a private transfer may be worthwhile in both a time & fiscal sense.
Search & book all private transfers from Munich airport to ski resorts in the Alps.
Where to Stay in Munich?
Central Munich Hotels
Munich is a sprawling city of 1.5 million people, and whilst there are worthy places to stay throughout, it is far & away better to stay in or near the ‘old town’ centre main train station. Just near all the sights & the best beer halls, we can recommend the Hotel Schlicker. Great combination of awesome location, funky rooms, good availability & reasonable affordability. There are plenty of other wonderful hotels to choose from to suit all budgets (including several 5-stars) & tastes. The most exclusive is the adults only BEYOND by Geisel overlooking Marienplatz. Nearby is the superb DO & CO Hotel München. Very close to the best beer halls is the beautiful Platzl Hotel and overlooking the Farmers Market is the Living Hotel Das Viktualienmarkt.
To save a little more money, and for the sake of a little more walking, we recommend staying just out of the old town centre and closer to the main train station where there is a mass of quality hotels & hostels at competitive prices. Four of the better ones are Hotel Metropol, Boutique Hotel Atrium München, Eden Hotel Wolff and the quirky Cocoon Hauptbahnhof. Also in the area are two very good hostels with both private rooms & shared lodgings. For better private rooms try Wombat's City Hostel Munich Hauptbahnhof, and for a better price, but with shared facilities give the Euro Youth Hotel Munich a go.
Search & book all Munich accommodation.
Munich Airport Hotels
Munich airport is around 38km by road north of central Munich, and whilst superbly connected to the city by train, some may choose to stay near the airport for the sake of convenience. We have done so previously when we had a car rental, and rather than try and park in the city, stayed at the highly practical Novotel München Airport Hotel . A train station (Flughafen München Besucherpark) is just nearby for access to the city on the S1 or S8 lines. Fortuitously there is also a very handy petrol station nearby for refuelling the rental car prior to drop off.
Right in the airport, the Hilton Munich Airport Hotel is super-convenient and the ultimate place to stay for immediate access to the airport, however that convenience does come at a price. A little further out and connected by a regular shuttle, the most affordable, but still good quality option, is the funky Moxy Munich Airport Hotel .
Search & book all Munich Airport (MUC) accommodation.
Review
The Powderhounds have visited Munich on numerous occasions and last visited in March 2023. Click on the review link in the left column of the overview (or top page if on a mobile) to read our thoughts.
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