Munich by public transport
Munich public transport map (click to enlarge). Metro lines are blue, train lines green, tram lines red, bus routes orange.
The best way to travel around Munich is the Tram (streetcar), bus, S-Bahn (metro railway) and U-Bahn (subway) system. There is only one ticket system which means you can use all of the public transport with the same ticket. You can get individual, group, day and week tickets. The metro (U-Bahn) stations are signed with a white capital "U" on a blue background. S-Bahn stations are signed with a white "S" on green background. All S-Bahn lines come together in a tunnel in central Munich.
The Munich MVV website has maps of the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn network that shows the zones and rings, and maps of the Park&Ride car parks attached to U-bahn stations (under the Pläne menu), as well as timetables. The official urban rail network map is indispensable.
Single trips in a single zone such as the city center cost €2.30, but the four-zone journey from the airport is a whopping €10.40. Thus, if you arrive at the airport and intend to explore Munich by the public system, the best option is to buy a €10 Gesamtnetz whole-network day ticket. If you are not travelling alone, then purchase the group version ("Partner") of the ticket, allowing up to 5 adults to travel. This ticket will let you travel to and from the airport and all the S-Bahn and U-Bahn stops, as well as on the buses.
A day ticket is worth buying if you plan to take more than two trips on the same day. It's available in single person and group ("Partner") versions, the latter for up to five adults traveling together, and is valid until 6AM the next morning. The day card is available for four areas:
| Area |
Zone |
Single |
Group |
Note
|
|---|
| Inner district (Innenraum) |
White |
€5.40 |
€9.40 |
Enough to explore the city
|
| Inner district (Innenraum) 3 Day card |
White |
€12.80 |
€22 |
|
| Outer district (Außenraum) |
Green, yellow, red |
€5.20 |
€9.40 |
Does not cover city center
|
| Munich XXL (München XXL) |
White and green |
€7 |
€12.30 |
Good for trips to the lakes and suburban destinations
|
| Entire network (Gesamtnetz) |
All |
€10.80 |
€18.80 |
Allows travel to/from airport
|
If you are staying longer than 3 days in Munich, a good option is to buy a weekly ticket. The week ticket is valid from Monday to Monday. The price of the week ticket depends on the number of rings you want to travel during the week (starting from the center of the city). Almost all U-Bahn stations are within the rings 1-4.
For several journeys on different days the blue strip card (Streifenkarte), with 10 strips, is a better value than buying lots of individual tickets. The cost is €11.50, and may be purchased at dispensing machines at every station. You need to use two strips for each colored zone on the map. If you are making several trips a day, the day ticket is a better option.
If you plan to explore Munich and see all the sights and tourist attractions, buy the Munich CityTourCard . It is a ticket valid for all public transport services in Munich and a discount card for many tourist attractions like museums, sightseeing, shopping or gastronomy. It is available in six versions (single and group tickets) and with validity for one or three days.
For individuals:
valid for 1 day in the inner area of Munich for € 9.80
valid for 3 days in the inner area of Munich for € 18.80
valid for 3 days in the entire area of Munich for € 29.50
For groups up to five people:
valid for 1 day in the inner area of Munich for € 16.00
valid for 3 days in the inner area of Munich for € 29.90
valid for 3 days in the entire area of Munich for € 48.00
A leaflet with information about the discount offers of the partners and a map of the city center and a plan of the metro-, suburban railway- and tram-network are included.
It is available at the ticket vending machines in all suburban railway, metro, tram and bus stations. Furthermore you can buy the Munich CityTourCard at the MVG customer centrer as well as in selected hotels and online.
All tickets, except for the weekly tickets must be stamped to be valid; without a stamp the ticket is invalid and you are can be fined €40 if you don't have a valid ticket. Stamping machines (Entwerter) are found at the entrance to the S-Bahn or U-Bahn platforms, and on the buses and trams. In most other German cities, passengers can validate tickets on the train; however, this is not the case in Munich, so be sure you validate your tickets before boarding any U-Bahn or S-Bahn train.
Munich's underground trains
Public transportation operates with only limited service from 2AM to 5AM. The U-Bahn (subway) doesn't operate at all, and the tram and some buses operate only on the hour from Monday to Friday, and on the half hour on the weekend. On Friday, Saturday and nights before public holidays, there is a single S-Bahn on each line between 2:30AM and 3AM. So if you're staying out late, try to get the schedule of the so called Nachttram (night tram) in advance or don't leave the place before 5AM (or you can take a taxi of course).
If you plan on exploring Munich and Bavaria via regional trains, consider getting a Bayern Ticket , good on all regional trains within Bavaria, all Munich MVV transportation, and trains to Salzburg for up to five people for only €28 a day (solo travellers can purchase the Bayern Ticket Single for €20). The Bayern Ticket is good on any weekday after 9AM and on any weekend day (all day).
If you plan to travel on a weekend, exploring Munich and taking a regional Deutsche Bahn train to another city anywhere in Germany in the same day, consider getting a Deutsche Bahn Schoenes Wochenende ticket. This ticket covers all DB regional train travel and all Munich S-Bahn travel for up to five people for a single weekend day for €39.
Schönes-Wochenende-Tickets and Bayern-Tickets are only valid on regional train services (red) but not on IntercityExpress and Inter/Eurocity trains (white). Additionally, both tickets are valid on trains run by the BOB (Bayerische Oberlandbahn) and ALEX (Arriva-Länderbahn-Express).
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Munich
