Car Rental at Munich Train Station - Discovering Bavaria

Munich Central Station (München Hauptbahnhof) is a key transportation hub not just for the city but for the whole of Bavaria. As Munich's main railway station, some 450,000 passengers use it every single day, carried by 250 long-distance trains and 500 local trains passing through its 32 platforms. Besides key cities across Germany, the station connects with a number of international destinations, chief amongst them being Paris (TGV), Budapest (RJX), Salzburg (RJ/EC), Bologna (EC) and Zurich (ECE).

As Germany's third-largest city, Munich has a lot to offer its visitors and is very well located for those who want to take a road-trip through the wonderful landscapes of southern Germany. Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is a cosmopolitan city full of architectural beauty and home to some of Europe's most esteemed art galleries and collections. One of the city's star attractions, which is very close to the Hauptbahnhof station, is the Residenz (Munich's former royal palace) which dates right back to the 14th century. It also houses a considerable wealth of priceless antiques and artifacts, as well as the magnificent vaulted chamber known as the Antiquarium. Another must is the Deutsches Museum, home to the world's largest collection of scientific and technological exhibits and Germany's most popular tourist attraction. Also close to the station is the wonderful Rococo Asam Church, which is particularly notable for its gilded interior and richly decorated altar.

Without doubt, one of the best ways of exploring this magnificent city is by organising your car rental from Munich Train Station, from where you'll have quick and easy access to all the main tourist attractions in the city and its environs, such as the Englischer Garten which ranks as one of the most enchanting parks in the whole of Germany. München Hauptbahnhof you'll also be able to explore the state of Bavaria and the Black Forest, as well as taking a road trip along the world-famous Romantic Road (Romantische Strasse).

Founded in 1954, Auto Europe is one of the longest-established companies in the international car rental industry. By working with several renowned car hire companies, we are able to offer our customers the widest-range of vehicles at the lowest prices. You can book your car online in just a few simple steps through our high-tech booking engine and get yourself the best deal.

Station Information

It was originally built in 1839 (less than a kilometre from where it now stands), Munich Hauptbahnhof has been restored several times over the years, especially after World War II when it was extensively damaged. As the region's largest and busiest train station, it has been classified by the German railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) as a Category 1 station, which means that it is not only one of the most important transportation hubs in the country but also one of the most historic and prominent in Europe. Used by getting on for half a million passengers a day, it has a total of 32 platforms supplemented by a subway S-Bahn station with 2 platforms and a subway U-Bahn station with 6 platforms.

Where to pick up a car rental at Munich Train Station

Most of the top vehicle providers offering car rental at Munich Train Station operate out of the large and very well organized DB (Deutsche Bahn) Travel Centre. Their welcome desks generally operate from 8am until 9pm with some of the smaller companies restricting their opening hours on weekends and public holidays.

	Avis at Munich Train Station Seidlstrasse 2A Munich, Germany 80335 +49 89 5502251	Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-5pm (Sat & Sun 8am-2pm)
	Budget at Munich Train Station Seidlstrasse 2A Munich, Germany 80335 +49 69710445596	Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-5pm (Sat & Sun 8am-2pm)
	Europcar at Munich Train Station Marsstr. 24 Munich, Germany 80335 +49 89 54543990	Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-8pm and Sat 8am-noon (closed Sun)
	Hertz at Munich Train Station Elisenstrasse 3 Munich, Germany 80335 +49 89 366993	Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-4pm and Sat 8am-noon (closed Sun)
	Sixt at Munich Train Station Arnulfstr. 16/18 Munich, Germany 80335 +49 89 89675241	Opening Hours: Daily 6am-9pm

Station facilities

Munich Central Train Station has a great number of facilities, amenities and services available on-site for its constant flow of passengers passing through every day of the week. There are numerous cafés, bars, restaurants and fast-food outlets, as well as a wide choice of supermarkets and delicatessens serving an astonishing range of German and international food and drink products 365 days a year. On the east side of the central concourse (on levels 0 and 1) there are several food shops, stationery stores, florists and boutiques selling gifts and souvenirs. You'll also find an arcade of shops in the basement on the east and north sides of the station, with direct access to some of the adjacent stores located in the heart of the city centre, close to the station's main entrances. One of the most popular places to grab a freshly-baked snack is the French bakery Brioche Dorée which serves delicious pastries straight out of the oven.

Since 1995, a museum dedicated to Munich's youth has been located in the Starnberg wing of the station, while a modern hotel is also conveniently located in the southern part of the building. Like most major railway stations in Europe, Munich Hauptbahnhof has a number of VIP lounges and waiting rooms, as well as numerous ticket vending machines, ATMs and bureaux de change. München Hauptbahnhof's DB Lounge is another important facility for passengers looking for an upmarket environment whilst waiting for their train to depart. Equipped with laptop work-stations, hot and cold drinks, high-speed Wi-fi Internet and complimentary magazines. There are two letterboxes on the station premises, along with DHL parcel shops near the north and south exits and a Postbank branch on the station forecourt. Travellers who need to stay overnight can choose from over fifty different places located within a ten-minute walk. The free M-WLAN service is available at numerous locations in Munich, where you can surf the Internet for free. Deutschebahn's excellent Mobility Service Centre is also on hand to assist passengers with reduced mobility a range of services at Munich Train Station, including personal service for boarding, changing and alighting on all local and long-distance services and support with wheelchairs, etc. Other on-site services include a lost and found department, tourist information office and baby-changing facilities.

How to get to and from Munich Train Station

Located deep in the heart of Munich city centre, München Hauptbahnhof is very well connected to all the main roads and key components of the city's extensive public transport network. Visitors can quickly access Bavaria's extensive system of main roads and motorways (including the world-famous autobahns) after enjoying a convenient pick-up experience for their car rental at Munich Train Station. Them heading west on the A8 beyond Stuttgart, you can get to Karlsruhe, a beautiful city located just over 200 kilometres of Munich and reachable in around two hours and 20 minutes. Following the A8 south-east, you'll be able to reach Salzburg in Austria, a journey of around 145 kilometres that takes an hour and a half without encountering any traffic problems. Taking the A9 north, you'll be able to travel to Nuremberg in around an hour and forty minutes and, for the more adventurous motorist, it's possible to drive to Berlin (some 580 kilometres away) in just over five hours.

You will find the U1 and U2 lines in the north-south direction under the Bahnhofplatz. The subway station of the U4 and U5 is located in east-west direction under Bayerstraße. During rush hours and on Saturdays, the U7 and U8 lines also run from the main station, plus the S-Bahn lines also stop there, namely S1, S2, S3, S4, S6, S7 and S8. Furthermore, there are no less than four streetcar stops around Munich Central Station, served by lines 16 to 21 at Hauptbahnhof Nord, Hauptbahnhof am Vorplatz, Hauptbahnhof Süd and Holzkirchner Bahnhof. There are numerous cab stands at the main, south, and north exits of the main station. From Munich Airport, the S-Bahn lines 1 and 8 reach the Hauptbahnhof in around 40 minutes. And because of the many stops along the way, you'll find that you can easily reach most of the top hotels in the city center on foot. If you're traveling to the city center by train, you have a huge variety of options for getting around. There are also plenty of cabs, whose ranks are at the south and north exits.

Parking tips

If you're looking for a place to park your car hire at Munich Train Station, you can use one of the three short-term car parks located in very close proximity to the station premises. For longer stays, it's best to use one of the nearby multi-storey car parks or one of the many underground car parks situated near the main entrance. You'll also find two covered car parks on the fourth and fifth floors of the station which are reachable via Bayerstrasse and Arnulfstrasse. Please note that if you have a BahnCard, you only have to pay half the cost of the parking ticket.

Although there are no major difficulties when it comes to driving in German cities, parking spaces on some of the busier roads and thoroughfares can be somewhat limited. Although some spaces are available, such as in and around the city centre (where no restrictions are imposed at night), most car parks have time restrictions which can be inconvenient for people visiting the city's main tourist attractions. Please note that in Munich, tourists are only allowed to park in spaces marked by blue lines, with another important consideration being the fact that many central areas of the city (as is the case in many other large German cities) are designated Reduced Emission Zones (Umweltzone), which means that you can only drive and park in these areas if your vehicle is officially authorised to do so. Many people opt for the cheaper parking option found at the many Park & Ride car parks situated on the outskirts of the city, where a wide range of public transport is provided to and from the city centre.

Useful links

Munich Train Station