European Traveler

Transportation from Munich Airport (MUC) to Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Germany

by in Bavaria, Franken / Franconia, Germany

Trains are usually the cheapest and easiest way to travel between Munich Airport and Nuremberg (Nürnberg) but require a transfer at München Hauptbahnhof.

ICE Munich Hauptbahnhof

Direct intercity Flixbus coaches are faster but infrequent.
Getting from Munich Airport (MUC) to Nuremberg (Nürnberg) in Bavaria is fairly easy by car, intercity buses (Flixbus), or trains via München Hauptbahnhof. Flying from Munich to Nuremberg Airport is possible on Lufthansa and the fastest option. Driving is also reasonably fast by rental car or pre-booked minibus shuttle services. Trains and long-distance, intercity buses offer the cheapest options with special bargain savings deals available for rail users on the Rail&Fly and Bayern Ticket.

Private airport shuttle transfers from Munich Airport (MUC) to downtown Nuremberg are around €300. For a group of six, this is cheaper than the standard rail fare (but note the savings options below) with the added advantage of airport to final destination transfer services. Klook and Suntransfers give online quotations for private airport transfers without first requiring personal details or flight numbers.

Flying from Munich Airport (MUC) to Nuremberg Airport (NUE) on Lufthansa

It is possible to fly from Munich Airport (MUC) to Nuremberg Airport (NUE) on Lufthansa. This flight makes no sense for travelers from downtown München to Nürnberg but from Munich Airport it can be surprisingly sensible due to the relatively long transfer time from Munich Airport to downtown München and the easy transfer from Nuremberg Airport to central Nürnberg.

The 40-minute Lufthansa flights from Munich Airport to Nuremberg Airport make even more sense when added as a connection flight to longer flights. A full flexible return economy ticket can be as pricy as €1000 but it is fairly easy to get €99 return flights from MUC to NUE on Lufthansa if booked in advance. However, when added to an intercontinental flight, the Munich to Nuremberg stretch adds around €50 to the full ticket price. This is cheaper than taking a taxi or even the full-fare return train ticket – however, see also the Rail&Fly and Bayern Ticket train deals below.

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By Car and Shuttle Bus Transfer Services from Munich Airport to Nuremberg

Driving from Munich Airport (MUC) to Nuremberg is fast and straightforward. From the airport, follow the Autobahn A92 towards München and then the A9 to Nürnberg. The distance is around 160 km (100 miles) and should take around 90 minutes.

Car rentals are available from almost all major car hire firms at Munich Airport. Taxis operate according to the meter. Private airport shuttle services are available to any destinations but are best reserved in advance. A pre-booked private minibus shuttles from Munich Airport to Nuremberg hotels should be around €350 – compare offers before making reservations. A door-to-door shuttle is convenient, especially with luggage or at odd hours, but the bus and train could be significantly cheaper. Klook and  Suntransfers give online quotations for private airport transfers without first requiring personal details or flight numbers.

Bla Bla Car is a car-sharing option – it has offers as cheap as €10 for travel between Munich Airport and Nuremberg. It is a fast option but availability is of course limited and often hard to book far in advance.

By Long-Distance Intercity Bus from Munich Airport to Nuremberg

Intercity buses are increasingly offering competition to trains in Germany with the Munich Airport to Nuremberg routing by bus not only cheaper but often faster than taking the train. Currently, only Flixbus has direct connections between München (Flughafen) and Nürnberg – a very convenient option if the times work out.

Bus traveling times from Munich Airport to Nuremberg are around two hours on direct buses. These times are very competitive with the fastest trains without the inconvenience of a transfer and usually at much cheaper rates too. Currently, bus tickets from Nuremberg to Munich Airport are as cheap as €15 for one-way travel. These buses usually have comfortable seating, a seat guaranteed for every ticket holder, toilets, reasonably priced snacks, free wifi, and electric points.

(Note: During 2016, all German Postbus and continental European Megabus routes were taken over and are bookable via Flixbus.)

By Train from Munich Airport to Nuremberg in Germany

The basic railway routing from München (Flughafen) to Nuremberg, unfortunately, requires quite a slow detour via München Hauptbahnhof (Munich Central Main Train Station) and then on to Nürnberg Hbf. This detour and lower prices make buses very competitive with trains. The standard one-way fare is €60 but several savings options are available.

The following basic train routing options are available between Munich Airport (MUC) and Nuremberg:

Via München Hauptbahnhof

All train journeys from Munich Airport start on the S-Bahn train S1 or S8 to München Hauptbahnhof. These commuter trains take just over 40 minutes from the airport to Munich downtown.

From München Hauptbahnhof to Nürnberg, two basic options are available:

  1. The fast ICE trains, for a total journey time from the airport to Nuremberg of around two hours.
  2. The slow regional trains, for a total journey time from the airport to Nuremberg ranging from 2h45 to 3h30. Avoid routings that require further transfers. The Bayern Ticket makes the slower option very attractive, especially for small groups.

Via Freising:

A further regional train option is available every two hours or so. This schedule avoids the detour through central Munich but doesn’t really save much time: from Munich Airport use bus 685 to Freising and then an RE train from Freising to Nürnberg. Total traveling time is 2h45.

German Railways train services are generally available through the night but between around 10 pm (8 pm for regional trains) and 4 am journey times can exceed five hours due to bad connections.

When checking timetables or buying tickets on the Deutsche Bahn website, simply use station shortcodes MUC for Munich Airport (or more exactly München Flughafen Terminal), M for München Hauptbahnhof, and N for Nürnberg.

Savings Options and Cheap Tickets for Trains from Munich Airport to Nuremberg

The standard second-class one-way ticket fare from Munich Airport to Nuremberg is around €60 (or €40 if only regional trains are used). This ticket allows for full flexibility and other savings such as the BahnCard may be applied. Return tickets are double the one-way ticket but can be discounted if specific trains are reserved in advance. However, this may be risky, as the ticket will not be valid if a flight arrives late.

Children under 6 travel for free on German Railways trains and under 15 free when traveling with their parents but must be added to the ticket at time of purchase.

The easiest ways to save on train tickets when traveling between Munich Airport and Nuremberg are to use Rail&Fly or the Bayern-Ticket.

Save with the Bayern Ticket from Munich Airport in Bavaria

The best railway deal is usually the Bayern Ticket, which costs €25 for individuals, €31 for two and only €49 for a group of up to five. (The Bavaria Ticket is also available fro First Class travel €38 for one, around €112 for a group of five). The Bayern Ticket is valid for unlimited travel on regional trains and most city buses within Bavaria and often a very good deal.

The basic requirements of the Bayern Ticket is that only regional trains (no ICE, IC or EC trains) may be used and that travel must commence after 9 am on weekdays, any time on weekends. For travel after 6 pm, the Bayern Ticket Night is only €23 for individuals and €35 for up to five. Only children under 6 travel for free when the Bayern Ticket is used.

See Use the Bayern Ticket to Save on Train Travel for more details on the restrictions and advantages of the Bayern Ticket. A major advantage is that the Bayern Ticket is valid on all regional trains, metros, trams, and buses in both Munich and Nuremberg.

The Bayern Ticket can be bought from any railway or bus vending machine. If bought on the bus (not available on any trains) or from a ticket window, the ticket is €2 more expensive. To buy the Bavaria Ticket online, check the “Only Local Transportation” tick box to receive the Bayern Ticket as a Sparpreis option, or buy direct Bayern-Ticket (German only), or select the Bavaria option from German Railways regional options.

Save with Rail&Fly Train Tickets from Munich Airport

Rail&Fly is a special train to airport deal offered by many airlines flying to Germany including Lufthansa but not by for example EasyJet, Ryanair, or British Airways. It allows passengers on most international routes to continue their journeys in Germany from the airport on any German Railways (Deutsche Bahn DB) trains.

The Rail&Fly one-way fare is €33 (€69 in first class). The ticket is valid in almost all trains (no real restrictions on the MUC to Nürnberg route) and may be used on the day of the international flight, or on the day before departure or after arrival.

The only real catch is that the Rail&Fly ticket must be booked usually at the same time as the international flight ticket – it depends on the specific airline whether it may be added later or not. This is no problem when booking by phone or through a travel agent but is more complicated for online reservations.

See Rail&Fly for more details and restrictions.

Rail&Fly tickets do not allow for travel on the local trains, trams, and buses in either Munich or Nuremberg except for the S-Bahn S1 and S8 between München Hauptbahnhof and Munich Airport.

For More on Traveling to Nürnberg See Also:

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