Munich Airport Transfer Guide: Four Connections, Lounges, Dining and Duty-Free

This guide covers Munich Airport (MUC) — transfers above all, then the airport's facilities and flight operations. Everything about connecting here, from the time you need and the documents involved to the step-by-step process, is in this one article.

Transfers

How long to allow

Munich Airport is split into a Schengen and a non-Schengen area, which gives four kinds of transfer — Schengen to non-Schengen, non-Schengen to Schengen, non-Schengen to non-Schengen and Schengen to Schengen. Allow 1.5–3 hours depending on your itinerary.

The four combinations

Step by step

Connecting at Munich is quick and easy — the signs take you straight to your gate. Take Shanghai → Munich (transit) → Naples (LH727) as an example. The whole sequence is:

Arrive in Munich → confirm your gate → transfer security → take the shuttle train → clear customs → wait at the gate

1. After landing, signs guide you towards the exit.

2. A short way along you reach a large flight-information screen. Double-check your actual gate — it can differ from your ticket. For example, the ticket may say K (used for customs), while the screen shows G35, which is your real gate.

3. Next to the screen a down escalator leads to the transfer security check. The queue is often long, so allow plenty of time.

4. After security, keep following the signs to the shuttle train, which takes you to area K for the entry stamp. Then follow the G signs to your gate.

Note: on a through-ticket with baggage checked through to the destination, you do not collect it during the transfer. If it is not checked through, take the customs channel beside the transfer security check, collect your bags and check in again.

Practical transfer tips

• Through-ticket or not decides the route. A through-ticket keeps your bags checked through and puts you on the transfer channel; separate tickets mean entering the country, collecting your bags and checking in again — add at least an hour on top.
• Keep the documents on you. Passport (six months' validity recommended), Schengen visa, the onward boarding pass, the itinerary and the hotel booking — border officers may ask for any of them.
• Allow time for the wrong zone. Some Terminal 2 gate areas are reached by the shuttle train (area K, for example). Read the screens first, then follow the G / H / K / L letters rather than the gate printed on your old boarding pass.

Airport basics

• Name: Munich Airport
• Codes: MUC (IATA) / EDDM (ICAO)
• Location: the Erding Moos, 28 km northeast of Munich
• Main airlines: Lufthansa, Augsburg Airways, Air Dolomiti
• Opened: 1992

How it was built

• Site choice: the Erding Moos was not the first choice — there was little to recommend it — until the German Federal Ministry of Defence decided to close the Erding air base, which opened the door for a large airport there. In July 1969 the new airport was officially sited on the Erding Moos, on the grounds that it fitted regional and national planning.
• The challenge: plans for a fourth runway to the south were rejected — 120 take-offs and landings an hour was deemed too frequent, and 5,724 objections were lodged against it. Subsequent appeals were also dismissed, halting parts of the construction.
• The design: in response, Munich Airport GmbH submitted an amended plan in 1981 with a dual-runway system, night-flight rules and higher passenger forecasts; it was approved in June 1984.
• Opening: Munich Airport began operations on 11 May 1992. During the night of 16–17 May the airlines moved over from Munich-Riem, and when Riem's last Lufthansa Boeing 737 took off just before midnight, the old airport's history came to an end.

Facilities and services

Lounges

Free rest areas

• ① Bayern Lounge: Terminal 2, gates G and H, level 03 (before security); 24 hours; free.

• ② Recreation Areas: Terminal 2, level 04 gates G and K, level 05 gates H and L (after security); 24 hours; free for passengers.

Paid lounges

• ① Airport Lounge Europe: Terminal 1, Module B, Level 05 (after security); daily 06:00–21:00; from €43 per person.

• ② Airport Lounge World: Terminal 1, Module B, Level 06 (after security); daily 05:15–21:45; from €48 per person.

Airline lounges

• ① Lufthansa Lounges (Lufthansa and Star Alliance members only): Terminal 2, level 04 gates G–L, and the non-public area of level 05.

• ② Emirates Lounge (Emirates first and business class, gold and platinum members, plus Qantas gold and platinum members): Terminal 1, Module C, Level 05; open daily in three windows — 07:30–10:15, 12:00–15:30 and 18:30–22:15.

NapCabs sleeping pods

NapCabs are overnight sleeping pods at Munich Airport, worth considering if you have an overnight stay or a long transfer. They offer a comfortable and very private sleeping space with free Ethernet and power sockets, and a screen with entertainment.

• Where: T2 level 04, gate G06; T2 level 05, gate H32; T2 level 03, service centre; T2 SAT level 05, gate L04
• Price: €15 per hour 06:00–22:00; €10 per hour 22:00–06:00 (minimum two hours)

Dining

Munich Airport has more than 60 restaurants and taverns, covering local specialities, familiar Asian food and dishes from everywhere else. The airport's own craft beer is famous — ten-odd euros keeps you drinking until midnight, wrapped in Bavarian food and night air.

• Bamee

• Seafood Sylt

• Airbräu

• 4 URBS

Duty-free

Munich Airport has a great many duty-free shops where international brands — perfume, cosmetics, accessories and more — can be bought at duty-free prices.

Connecting inside Schengen? Keep duty-free purchases sealed with the receipt, and allow queueing time if you need a tax refund (the refund route is described under "The four combinations" above).

Airport hotels

Two hotels sit right beside the airport for transfer passengers.

Hilton Munich Airport

• Between T1 and T2
• Tel: +49 89 97820
• From US$160

Novotel München Airport

• 700 m from Flughafen Besucherpark station
• Tel: +49 89 9705130
• From US$100

Smoking areas

Munich Airport's smoking areas are in the airside non-public areas of Terminal 1 (zones A, B, C, D and F) and Terminal 2 (zones G, H, K and L).

Flight operations

Munich is one of Europe's largest aviation hubs, with 101 airlines flying to 242 destinations in 68 countries. The airport runs 24 hours a day with high frequencies, and its strict, efficient management keeps punctuality high so passengers arrive on time.

The airline landscape

Many airlines serve Munich, led by Lufthansa and the Star Alliance members. Today every flight outside the Lufthansa partnership (Air France, British Airways and so on) uses Terminal 1, while Terminal 2 is reserved for Lufthansa and Star Alliance carriers such as Qatar Airways, PrivatAir and EVA Air. The variety gives passengers a wide choice of routes. Though the airport is out in the suburbs, it is well connected, its cargo business is strong, and an aviation industry cluster has grown up around it. To serve passengers better, Munich Airport plans to keep improving its transport links and to expand its terminals and runways.

What travellers say

These three reviews are public-platform posts written between 2015 and 2018, useful as a quick sense of the place before you land:

• Location and connections: a little way from the centre, but the S-Bahn runs straight in and the transfer route is smooth; Germany's second-largest airport and one of Europe's key hubs.
• Facilities and service: free coffee, tea and Wi-Fi come up again and again, the shopping is first-rate, there is plenty to eat, and border staff are friendly; Lufthansa has its own check-in and transfer area in Terminal 2.
• Car hire and shopping: you can hire a car inside the airport, handy for a self-drive trip; after Schengen arrivals in Terminal 2 there is a small plaza with a supermarket, restaurants and a Bayern Munich store, and the duty-free and brand shops are well stocked.

Related links

• On this site: Munich Airport (MUC), Germany (DE)
• Wikipedia: Munich Airport
• Baidu Baike: Munich Airport
• Airport site: Munich Airport
• More articles: Munich Airport arrival and customs guide, Munich Airport shuttle bus and city transport

Image source: the original article's figures, from the "亦出旅行" WeChat account. Fares, opening hours, gate numbers and facility locations are as recorded when the guide was compiled and may change; check the Munich Airport and operator websites on the day of travel.