The fast IC Bus of German Railways travels from Munich (München) to Milan (Milano / Mailand) via Como and Memmingen twice daily in seven hours. The direct bus – sometimes referred to as the Espresso Bus – is faster and cheaper than trains for travel between Bavaria and Lombardy. Tickets can be as cheap as €19.
Travel by IC Bus of German Railways
The IC Bus is an inter-city bus service operated by Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) on routes not always well covered by trains. Tickets for the IC Bus are often very cheap and may be reserved through any outlet selling normal Deutsche Bahn tickets including German Railways website.
As part of German Railways, the IC Bus has similar fare rules and travel discounts as regular long-distance Deutsche Bahn trains:
- Own children under 15 travel for free with parents – names must be added at time of reservations.
- BahnCard discounts are given.
- Discount fares are available for advance reservations – as cheap as €19 for travel from Munich to Milan.
- Connecting train rides may be booked on the same ticket with connection guarantees.
- Eurail and similar passes are accepted but seat reservations are essential.
The IC buses furthermore are amongst the most comfortable and luxurious of Germany’s long-distance coaches. The buses have free wifi and electrical sockets. Seats adjust and have legroom similar to trains. All buses are air-conditioned and have toilets. Drinks and small snacks may be bought on the bus (or bring own picnic.)
Seat reservations are essential for travel on IC Buses and always included in the advertised price.
The IC Bus from Munich to Milan
Buses provide the fastest and cheapest public transportation between Munich (München) in Germany and Milan (Milano / Mailand) in Italy. The IC Bus connects these two cities twice daily in just over 7 hours. En route the bus also stop in Memmingen and Como.
IC Bus tickets from Munich or Memmingen to Como or Milan can be as cheap as €19 on advance reservations while €24 is often available if booked a mere day in advance. The full-fare flexible ticket is closer to €150.
Train travel between Munich and Milan always require at least one transfer –the most comfortable connection is usually in Verona. Trains often take an hour longer than the bus and may be significantly more expensive. (The direct night train often has good deals too but is very slow if not booking a bed!)
Check IC Bus and train timetables online:
These timetables do not include bus services of other travel companies. Germany’s largest intercity bus operator, Flixbus, also has buses on the Munich to Milan route – avoid transfer and longer journeys.
IC Bus Stops on the Munich to Milan Route
The IC Bus of German Railways uses the following stops on the Munich to Milan route:
- Munich: München Hackerbrück ZOB near the Hauptbahnhof
- Memmingen: at the train station, note the bus stops on opposite sites of the street depending on direction of travel.
- Como: at Como S. Giovanni station
- Milan: at the Milano-Lampugnano bus station next to the metro of the same name.
Travel is not possible on the short stretches only – Como to Milan or Munich to Memmingen.