Munich Airport Car Rental

Munich Airport Basics.....

The Munich Airport in Germany is a beautiful airport, if an airport can be called that. It really is one of those 'wow' structures, offering passengers comfort, modernity and service. The 'Munchen' is built with two terminals, aptly named 1 & 2.

Each terminal services over 20 million passengers per year, filling over 20,000 car parking spaces. Passenger service grew over 6% from 2009 to 2010, outpacing Europe's average overall, and the world to boot. One can surmise that the demand for nicer, better-serviced airport drives demand to a large degree. The demand is such, that a 3rd runway is in the works to add capacity. The project's estimated completion date is sometime in 2015.

Car Rental at the Munich Airport.....

The Munich Airport offers several car rental companies' services including Avis, Europcar, Hertz, National, Sixt, and Terstappen. In the Arrivals section near baggage claim area, you will pick up your papers and keys at the Car Rental Center. This will center Terminal 1, near area C. For rental car return, you should bring the car back between T1 and T2 in the area near Parking p26. The airport recommends that you leave the car with the service crew. Make sure that the crew that you leave with has some sort of external verification attached, ascertaining to their employment with the Airport. Fraudulent car rental theft has been reported in this manner before (not necessarily at this airport, however). The airport also currently recommends that the papers and keys to the car stay in the rental car.

Munich Airport Amenities.....

The Munich Airport is another one of those airport (Amsterdam Schiphol is one...) that you may not mind spending a little time in. You just might enjoy a layover here. For starters, there are over 40 restaurants in this place.

There is a beer hall in the town of Munich called Hofbrauhaus. The Munich Airport has - what I suppose you could call - it's satellite office. Beer for everyone. The Mongostin Restaurant serves up sushi and Thai food like nobody's business. There's another outdoor beer garden called Airbraeu. Coffee shops like the San Francisco Coffee Company or the ARAN, or even the Dallmayr dot the facility. There are a couple of neat seafood restaurants called Gosch Sylt and Seafood Sylt. And the Bistro Organic serves up, you guessed it, tasty organic food.

Other amenities (besides restaurants and car rental) include some pretty good shopping. Shoes, leather-ware, stationary, press, perfumery, fashion, gifts, toys and electronics are for sale all over the place. There is no shortage for shoppers. Duty free shoppers have a few choices. A Travel Value sits in T1 Departure A thru D - another in T2 Departure - and one more in T2 Departure, Level 5. A Gateshop sits on the T2 level as well, also Level 5.

There are doctors, pharmacies, banks, currency exchanges and even an auditor/tax consultant for your auditing and/or tax issues you might have while passing thru the Munich Airport. Also, remember when you buy items from any of the airport shops, the gross cost will include a whopping 19% Value Added Tax, or VAT. If you don't live in the European Union, then you can get reimbursed for that portion at one of the VAT offices. There is one office located in T1 and a couple in the T2 terminal.

Munich Hotel Information.....

There are two hotels located IN the airport and several nearby (accessible via rental car, of course). The Kempinski Hotel (pictured below) in the facility offers a very, very nice place to stay if you're flight is cancelled - or you just want to stay at a very nice hotel. This is a five-star place and one of Munich's finest. The other 'in-house' hotel is called the Novotel. It is a three-star and quite a bit more affordable than the Kempinski. But it is still clean, although smallish.

[ Inspired Surroundings ] The Kempinski Hotel Munich Airport, Germany

Car Rental Driving Distances.....

Coming out of the Munich Airport, you'll have many wonderful attractions that you'll want to get to via your rented vehicle. We have put together a list of ideas, along with the driving distance needed to get there. These are estimates. If you'd like exact car rental driving distances, reserve a GPS when you book your vehicle. All distances are from the Munich Airport.

English Garden, 35 km.
Munich Zoo, 60 km.
St. Peter's Church, 52 km
Old Pinakothek (Alte Pinakothek) , 37 km.
Marienplatz, 40 km.
Nymphenburg Palace (Schloss Nymphenburg), 41 km.
Munich Residence (Residenz Munchen), 37 km
Downtown Munich, 37 km.

Types of Cars Available at the Munich Airport.....

Just about any and every type of automobile should be available at the Munich Airport. From compacts to 7-passenger vans, you should have your choice. Also, SUV's and Luxury cars (Mercedes perhaps) are generally available. Book early to ensure that you get what you need.