Understanding Munich's Public Transport

One of my main concerns before arriving to Munich was how the hell was I going to move around using the public transport. Being someone that has never taken a public bus before I was frightened at the fact that this was my only option now, nevertheless I did know that in Europe, specially in Germany, the public transport is way much better and safe than in Mexico. Having experienced the worst and the best of what this service has to offer I've collected many tips you should know that will make your experience so much simpler. And for those who have no idea on how to use the public transport heres my guide on how to do so.


So, lets start by saying that in Munich you will find more than just a couple of buses. Munich's public transport is divided into 4 types of transports: S-bahn, U-bahn, Tram and Bus.

The S-bahn is a type of metro in Germany that moves around the city above ground level, but in Munich, do to the infrastructure in the city center, it moves underground. In the outskirts of town it normally travels around ground level. The S-bahn is best for traveling long distances in and out of the city and is what you will use to get to the airport.

The U-bahn is pretty similar but this metro runs through a deeper level underground. In most stations you will have to descend one level to get to the S-bahn and two levels to get to the U-bahn. Though its supposed to always be an underground transport, in Munich sometimes, will run at ground level too. For example, when you take the U-bahn to go to Fröttmaning which is the station where the Alianz Arena is located, you will see that it runs at ground level. This is best to travel short and long distances but only inside the city, which is the white area in the schnellbahnnetz (map).

The Tram travels though the streets in the city, sometimes it has its own lane, which makes it faster than the bus. This is best to travel short distances inside the city specially for tourists because you'll be able too see the city when your traveling and will require almost no walking to get to your destination. Theres even a stop called Pinakotheken that will leave you at the main entrance of some of the best museums in Muich. The best feature of the Tram is that it also has a night schedule, which means that after the club at 4 am you'll still be able to catch one!

The Bus, well, its just a bus, though in comparison to the ones in my city, this ones are pretty neat.  Most times, around the city center, they have their own lane. Theres several types of buses but as long as you check the direction in its schedule you'll have no problem moving around. Some travel long distances and other short ones, and are best to get to a more specific destination that maybe the Tram, S-bahn or U-bhan don't pass through. Some buses have night schedules too!