Car hires in Munich: practical information
Where to rent a car in Munich
Heading to Germany? If you've booking flight tickets from London to Munich and you're hoping to enjoy some of the fine Bavarian countryside, then you'd also better check out getting a discount car hire in Munich as well. There are several car hire companies at Munich Airport, including Avis, Europcar, Hertz, National/Alamo, Sixt and Tersteappen. The pick-up and drop off areas are in Terminal 1.
Equally convenient is picking up a long term car hire from the city centre. Munich, being a huge city, has rental services in all of its districts. The best places to pick-up a rental car in Munich's city centre is around the major train stations. Surrounding Munich Hauptbahnhof is Sixt, Europcar and Autovermietung. Hertz and Sixt are located near Ostbahnhof.
Parking in Munich: what you should know
There are a few ways to approved parking in Munich. Most will recommend not even bringing a car into the city centre and leaving it at one of the many Park & Ride car parks outside of the city and taking public transportation in. Car hire companies in Munich will be able to recommend the safest places to park as well as give you a free map which will help you navigate the city in search of the big P. Car parks can be quite expensive in Munich, setting you back around €30/24 hours. You can find some parking outside the city centre for as cheap as €17/24 hours.
There is also street parking available in Munich as well, idea if you're just parking your cheap rent a car in Munich for a couple of hours in one spot. You can to pay Monday to Friday from 9:00-23:00, €0.50/12 minutes. Some spots will let you park for €6/day. Always check the parking meter before leaving your car to make sure you've paid enough. It's not common for smaller hotels in Munich to have parking available to their guests, only major international brands.
Road trips from Munich: what to do, what to see
- A stone's throw away: Dachau, 12 miles from Munich, has a lot of history, 1,200 years of it. Historically it was a weekend spot for Bavarian kinds and dukes… the castles are evidence to this. In the 19th century may impressionist painters made their mark on Dachau, putting it on the art history map. Then comes the twentieth century when Dachau played its part as a concentration camp. Whatever your interests, there's something to discover here while on holidays in Munich.
- A little further: If you're not heading to Munich during Oktoberfest but you still have a taste of Bavaria's strong drinking culture head to Andechs Monastery. You can reach it via the S5 to Herrsching and then start hiking. The trek up to the monastery will take 30-45 minutes. Tour the gardens and church before starting on the beer (then you'll actually appreciate the setting) in the beer hall. If you want to make a day out of it, plan to enjoy some swimming in the Ammersee. It is around 30 miles from Munich.
- A proper day-trip: Füssen is a town plucked out of a fairy tale story. It sits in the stunningly beautiful Bavarian Alps about 2 hours south of Munich. Schloss Neuschwanstein is the diamond on the crown here, King Ludwig II had good taste! Two other castles worth seeing (if you haven't had enough already) are Hohenschwangau and Linderhof.
For more things to do in Munich, check out Mini-guide: Munich.
