Buses are the cheapest way to travel from München Airport to Innsbruck. Trains are faster but more expensive and always require a transfer.
Buses (Flixbus and Hellö) and trains provide cheap public transportation to Innsbruck in Austria from München Flughafen in Germany. Trains are often the fastest way to travel between Munich Airport and Innsbruck but always require at least one transfer. Intercity buses offer direct connections and are generally the cheapest option (and usually have free wifi). Families may often save on the train, as own children up to 14-years old travel for free with parents.
Transportation to Munich Airport (MUC) from Innsbruck
Munich Airport in Germany is the closest major airport to Innsbruck in Austria. It is a 2:30 drive of around 200 km (125 miles) via mostly autobahn highways. The two most sensible routings are:
- The A95 via Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Mittenwald is the shortest route but requires a potentially slow drive through, or around, central München. It is a great choice for sightseeing en route.
- The A8, A93 and E45 routing via Rosenheim, Kufstein and the Inn Valley passes to the east of Munich and may usually be slightly faster.
Many airport shuttle services are available – especially during the ski season. A pre-booked airport shuttle should cost around €300 for a car and around €450 for a private van. At such a long distance transfer it is usually worth comparing prices before booking. My Driver gives online quotations for private airport transfers without first requiring personal details or flight numbers.
Intercity Buses from Munich Airport to Innsbruck
Flixbus (the name Mein Fernbus has been dropped) currently offers seven bus journeys per day between München Flughafen and Innsbruck. These buses usually pass through Munich and Garmisch-Partenkrichen en route to Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof.
Hellö, a new bus service by Austrian Railways, offers five buses daily from Innsbruck via Munich to München Flughafen. (Hellö became part of Flixbus from 1 August 2017.)
Discount tickets – usually requires purchase online at least a day in advance – for bus travel from Munich Airport to Innsbruck are around €20 on both Flixbus and Hellö with full-fare, walk-up tickets from the bus driver around €25. Other special offers are often advertised online.
These intercity buses offer free wifi but the scenery, especially once south of Munich, can be quite spectacular entertainment too. Discounts are sometimes given for children, students and pensioners but often only on the full-fare tickets.
(Note: From 1 November 2016 Postbus routes were taken over by Flixbus. From July 2017, the name Flixbus Mein Fernbus has been dropped in favor of just Flixbus.)
By Train from Munich Airport to Innsbruck
Getting to Innsbruck from Munich Airport on public transportation is mostly still the fastest when using the train. For families with children, the train can also be a cheap option as children under 14 generally travel for free with parents (but must be included on the ticket when making the booking).
Two basic train options are available for travel between Munich Airport and Innsbruck with each option available every second hour. Traveling time ranges from 2:20 to 2:50 – try to avoid longer or more complicated option.
Both options start with a trip on the S-Bahn train S8 from München Flughafen Terminal to München Ost (30 minutes). From München Ost, two options are available:
- Direct EC train to Innsbruck for a total traveling time from the airport of 2:19
- Meridian train to Kufstein (just over an hour) and from there a Railjet or InterCity train (40 minutes) to Innsbruck for a total traveling time of 2:50.
Savings ticket for the faster option is around €35 or closer to €50 for full-fare, full-flexibility second-class tickets. Discounts are usually not available for the slower option but the full fare is slightly cheaper at €43.
German Railways online timetables and ticket purchases:
Buy tickets for Deutsche Bahn trains online or at the airport / station before boarding the train. Tickets bought online or at a vending machine are a few euro cheaper than at ticket windows.
Savings tickets for both train and bus require travel at the specified time – delayed flights may require the purchase of a new, full-fare ticket on a later train or bus. It may be sensible to buy a full-fare ticket for travel from the airport but save with a discount ticket for travel to the airport.