When mapping out your European vacation, adding a road trip from Zurich to Munich is an excellent way to see the beauty of the northern Alpine region. Zurich and Munich both sit right on the edge of the Alps, with vast stretches of farmland, large lakes, and rolling hills. They have a shared identity through the German language, food, and the Alpine lifestyle, but have their unique qualities as well.
This transfer requires 3.5 hours of driving, making it the perfect distance for one of two stops to castles that inspire fairytales and UNESCO-recognized cities frozen in time, such as St. Gallen. Their old-world charm makes for an interesting contrast when you arrive in Munich, a city known for its modern style.
About Munich
After exchanging your Swiss Francs for euros, itâs time to go to Germany! Learning the context surrounding Bavaria before you make your Zurich to Munich transfer will help you get the most out of your vacation.
### Munich is distinctly Bavarian
In southern Germany, the Free State of Bavaria has a distinct identity from the rest of the German-speaking regions in Europe. Their accent is usually the first hint that someone is from Bavaria, as well as their tendency to be Catholic, unlike the rest of Germanyâs Protestant (specifically, Lutheran) religious leanings. Munich is the capital of Bavaria and was founded by monks in the 8th century, giving it the name Munchen, or âto the monks.â It moved in and out of broader European empires for centuries but still retains its distinct Bavarian identity.
### Munich is for makers
Munich is a hub for scientific and technological innovation. Famous brands and products like BMW, the MP3 player, modeling clay, and self-driving cars all got their start in Munich. Bavaria also boasts a long-held tradition of brewing beers that are exported all over the world for their rich, bodied flavor. There are 60 beer gardens in Munich for you to kick back and sample local brews. Some beers may even be as local as your own street, as Munich has 6 major breweries.
### Munich is modern
Much of Munich was leveled during WWII and as a result, the Munich of today looks much more modern that other cities in Switzerland and Germany. The original city layout was preserved as much as possible while still accommodating modern traffic patterns. Today it is home to 6 million people and is one of the most upscale areas in Germany to live and work.
From Zurich to Munich: travel tips
Before putting the final details on your Zurich to Munich transfer, do these three things!
Purchase tickets for Munichâs attractions now
If any of Munichâs popular attractions are on your list of must-sees, pre-order your tickets. This ensures you wonât be waiting in line during your valuable vacation time!
### Double-check your Oktoberfest dates
Although the name suggests otherwise, Oktoberfest occurs mostly in September. Weekends bring crowds and surges in hotel prices, so if you can make your visit on a weekday, go for it!
### Plan for Sunday slowdowns
Switzerland and Germany both have labor protections for retail workers on Sundays. If your Zurich to Munich transfer is scheduled for a Sunday, expect most grocery stores, malls, and retail shops to be closed. However, restaurants, cafes, and bars are usually open on Sundays.
How to get from Zurich to Munich
The route from Zurich to Munich is well traveled and you have plenty of options from which to choose. The hardest part is deciding which mode of transportation fits your schedule and expectations the best! Weâve laid out below the best direct travel options and their prices.
### Private drivers from Zurich to Munich
Driving is the fastest way to travel from Zurich to Munich and has the added benefit of being able to customize your journey. Leave on your own schedule and skip the logistics of finding a taxi or bus to the train station. The drive takes 3.5 hours and Daytrip is the simplest way to plan out both your transfer and any planned stops along the route.
Your Daytrip driver will escort you from your address in Zurich across the plains of southern Germany to Munich. Along the way, you have the opportunity to visit lakeside towns with colorful buildings, such as Lindau Island and Landsberg am Lech. These spots are perfect for vacation photos before picking out a restaurant for lunch.
After a day of sightseeing and traveling, youâll be glad to get right to your address in Munich without needing to first learn the S-bahn and U-bahn systems or haul luggage all over the city. Daytrip makes traveling easy, starting at just $108 (âŹ100) per seat.
### Buses from Zurich to Munich
Flixbus operates more than 10 direct buses per day between Zurich and Munich. The journey lasts from 4 to 5.5 hours, and tickets are between $23 to $45 (âŹ21-âŹ42). Tickets need to be bought ahead of time online and include one piece of luggage.
### Trains from Zurich to Munich
SBB is Switzerlandâs national rail service. They have direct high-speed trains every day from Zurich to Munich. Trains leave every 2 hours from 7:33 AM to 7:33 PM, and the trip takes 3 hours and 31 minutes. Tickets start at $88 (âŹ81), and there are no night train options, given the short travel distance.
### Flights from Zurich to Munich
SWISS and Lufthansa operate daily nonstop flights from Zurich Airport (ZRH) to Munich International Airport (MUC). If you purchase your tickets at least a month ahead of time, economy class tickets are as low as $224 (âŹ207).
Flight time is 55 minutes, but when you add up the time spent in security and the transportation to and from the city centers, this journey takes 4 to 5 hours.
Things to do when you get to Munich
Although Oktoberfest is the most popular annual event, Munich has so much more to offer visitors year-round. Visit world-class museums and enjoy family-friendly activities no matter what time of year you travel from Zurich to Munich. If you are visiting during weekends in the summer or around Oktoberfest, check online about pre-ordering tickets for tours that are a must on your itinerary!
### The BMW Museum and BMW World
Are you a total gearhead? Tour the BMW Museum and BMW World! See the birth and evolution of BMW into a world-renowned brand at the BMW Museum, then head over to BMW World to see the latest models from BMW, Rolls-Royce, and MINI.
### FC Bayernâs Allianz Arena
Come see the home of FC Bayern, Germanyâs most successful football (soccer) club in sports history. The Allianz Arena tour takes you through the teamâs rise to fame and the building of the arena for the 2006 World Cup.
### The Deutsches Museum Munich
Easily one of the largest science museums in the world, the Deutsches Museum in Munich has something for everyone. Journey through the evolution of aviation, human health, math, chemistry, space exploration, IT, and more! This family-friendly museum has hours of entertainment value and makes for a great rainy day activity. You may even have to come back a second day to see all of the exhibits.
### The Englischer Garten (English Garden)
Munich may be known for its highly technical industries and modern infrastructure, but it also has one of the largest urban parks in the world. The Englischer Garten has over 900 acres of scenic walking paths, streams and lakes, beer gardens, playgrounds, and sports fields. It is even larger than New York Cityâs Central Park!
Bring your bathing suit and surf on the Eisbachwelle (a man-made river wave), go rafting, or sunbathe along the river banks. After such an exciting day, take a break and savor one of Munichâs many locally brewed beers at the Chinese Tower beer garden.
When is the best time to visit Munich
Bavaria looks its best in the autumn. The night air is crisp, leaves are turning warm, vibrant shades, and everyone looks forward to Oktoberfest. Munich hosts the largest Oktoberfest in the world and for three weeks the entire city bursts into celebration as visitors stream in from around the world. If youâre going to make a trip from Zurich to Munich, this is the perfect time.
Oktoberfest is the Bavarian celebration of the harvest season with traditional food, folk music, and free-flowing beer. Participants dress up in a traditional dirndl or lederhosen and fuel their folk dancing with plenty of local beer.
Todo viajante merece uma visĂŁo real das culturas dos paĂses que estĂĄ visitando. E todo lugar incrĂvel na Terra merece ser visitado e apreciado. Acreditamos que o conhecimento local Ășnico e a conexĂŁo humana real sĂŁo insubstituĂveis quando se trata de compreender verdadeiramente outra cultura.
AvaliaçÔes verificadas de 1.150 viajantes que reservaram esta rota
23 de dez. de 2024
"I personally loved the services provided by Daytrip. It was extremely convenient, from booking to the actual travel experience. I was initially concerned about using the train because I was traveling with an elderly family member, but the private car rental with a driver made it so much easierâespecially with all the luggage we had.
Mihai was wonderful! He was knowledgeable, quick to solve any issues, and communicated in English very well. He drove smoothly and safely, which made the journey even more enjoyable.
Overall, we had a fantastic trip. Weâll definitely book with Daytrip and Mihai again in the future!"
Nutthida T.
United Kingdom
7 de ago. de 2024
"Khatib was the best. He went above and beyond - he stepped up talking to people in German as he knows we dont speak German when we encounter an issue where to be dropped off ti get our car rental. It might be the most common thing to do but we appreciated him as he never left us and drop us off where the plan was - he made sure we are ok and being taken cared of before he left.
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Bonita N.
United States
28 de jun. de 2024
"Igor is the driver with all the positive attributes.Courteous,helpfull,knowledgeable,patien and most important,very careful.He makes our trip most memorable and joyful!
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Bee See L.
Singapore
31 de dez. de 2023
"The trip was nice. He was timely and we arrived at our desired location on time as well. He made several recommendations to our journey and the locations were certainly very nice. Overall, he was very professional, helpful and certainly flexible. I would recommend Darko to other travellers as well. "
Patrick E.
Malaysia
9 de dez. de 2023
"Our trip was at short notice but we certainly appreciated the ease of booking and the quick confirmation once a driver was found. Your communication is fantastic. Our driver was prompt, courteous and very helpful and made the experience a pleasure.
Thanks for being there for travellers like us! We love your service."
Greg W.
Australia
26 de jun. de 2023
"Catuna was a very kind person, timely on picking us up in Zurich, waiting for us while we toured Neuschwanstein Castle, and even gave us some tips on where to eat near our hotel in Munich. No complaints, great person for your company!"
Dominique B.
United States
15 de out. de 2022
"Tomas and Lucian are good drivers. They made sure that we are enjoying our stay and travel. I can recommend both next time."
Mary F.
United States
15 de out. de 2022
"Tomas and Lucian are good drivers. They made sure that we are enjoying our stay and travel. I can recommend both next time."
Mary F.
United States
3 de out. de 2022
"The trip could not have been better. We had an early pickup so Martin said he would be quiet and we could catch a nap. He found a good place to stop mid-trip for coffee and a toilet. He helped with luggage on both sides of the trip, arrived early for the pickup, and dropped us off directly in front of our new hotel. Martin's driving was safe and quick. His service could not have been better."
Jack B.
United States
16 de set. de 2022
"Rezgar is very pleasant and warm. He was patient in answering my questions and enquired about my needing a stop or toilet break. He offered water bottle and charger in the car. He has vast knowledge about the geographic areas , that we passed through. He offered me coffee and Croissant showing his awareness that I just had a long flight from Asia to Europe . Rezgar is a great addition to your growing team at Day Trip. I would engage Daytrip again.
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Sirish K.
Singapore
9 de set. de 2022
"It was a great trip. Our driver was punctual and very helpful. The side trip to the bmw was an absolute plus. He called the museum for us and inquired about tickets. Overall we were glad we took that trip with you!"
Marie B.
Philippines
11 de ago. de 2022
"Everything is great. I rate you 5 stars and I already recommended you to a friend and they have booked đđŒ
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Saad A.
Qatar
11 de jul. de 2022
"Mito was fantastic, we greatly appreciated his kindness, and was also very helpful and .
knowledgeable on the area. Thank you for returning my water bottle Mito, if we are back in the area we will reach out again. Five Starts without question. Shelly"
shelly Z.
United States
5 de abr. de 2022
"Bogdan, or as we called him Bobby, was excellent. He was by far our favorite driver that we had from DayTrip.
Thank you,
Gwen"
Gwen L.
United States
26 de out. de 2021
"We had a very good experience. Michael was friendly and very responsible. We are happy to recommend him and your company for this type of trips.
Thank you
Lavinia"
Lavinia C.
Puerto Rico
31 de dez. de 2019
"Great day with a very competent driver. We felt very safe with him.
He was helpful and talked about things of interest.
Thank you! 5 out of 5."
Elaine V.
New Zealand
11 de set. de 2019
"Our trip with Peter from Zurich to Munich was great! He was on time, polite, friendly, and very helpful. He had a nice and clean car. Drove very well. We enjoyed being able to enjoy the drive and countryside on our holiday. "
Jennifer S.
United States
10 de set. de 2019
"Your driver was fantastic. He was professional, courteous, helpful. kind, and friendly. I would absolutely recommend him to any and all of your customers.
Regards,
Glenn"
Glenn H.
United States
5 de set. de 2019
"
We had a wonderful trip with Kai from Zurich to Munich.
He was gracious, and considerate. Plus he gave us lots of knowledge about the area we were passing through.
A wonderful driver - we felt complete safe with him driving us on this 4 hour trip.
"
Harriet M.
11 de abr. de 2019
"Our trip with Ondrej was great! We was on time, flexible and made sure we got into our hotel ok when he dropped us off in Munich. He had waters in his car for us, Kleenex and overall seemed very prepared! We would definitely use daytrip services again and recommend you to a friend!"
Jessica M.
United States
Visite estes pontos turĂsticos no caminho
St. Gallen
Its UNESCO listed Abbey houses over 170,000 documents, and a rococo interior that rivals the beauty of the medieval old town. The Beauty of BooksÂ
Lindau Island
At just 0.68 square kilometres, Lindau Island is perfect for exploring on foot while you discover the endless amounts of history lining its narrow streets. Alpine IslandÂ
Memmingen
Dating back to the Roman Empire, this historic and cozy town remains one of the best-preserved areas in southern Germany. Southern CharmÂ
Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen
Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria is everyoneâs fantasy castle. Itâs the fairytale image that springs to mind at the mention of the word âcastleâ. Disney without the mouseÂ
Landsberg am Lech
Twelfth Century Bavarian ruler Henry the Lion put his paw down at the spot where the fast-flowing River Lech could be forded and Landsberg sprang up A charming historic river townÂ
Dachau Memorial
In its ravenous twelve year existence, Germany's first concentration camp swallowed over 200,000 people from all over Europe. The Model for Nazi Concentration CampsÂ
