Munich Airport is one of Europe’s largest and most important airports, considered a major international flight hub (Germany’s second-largest) and a base for Lufthansa. Around 35 million passengers pass through it annually. Due to its proximity to the Austrian border, it serves many travelers as a landing point to reach the Salzburg region or Tyrol in Western Austria.
Why is it worth landing in Munich and taking a car from there for a trip to the Salzburg or Tyrol region?
A car ride from Munich Airport to the heart of the Salzburg region, for example, to the village of Flachau, takes about two and a half hours, while a car ride from Vienna Airport to Flachau takes about three hours and forty minutes. The journey to Tyrol from Munich is significantly shorter than the journey to Tyrol from Vienna. The travel time from Munich Airport to the capital of Tyrol, Innsbruck, takes about two hours, while a journey from Vienna Airport to Innsbruck takes almost five hours.
As you can see, there’s a clear advantage in terms of shortening travel times by car for those starting their trip from Munich rather than Vienna. However, car rental prices in Munich might be higher than in Vienna, as Vienna offers the option to rent cars from Slovakian companies that provide more affordable prices, even for large family cars.
Please be aware that during the summer months, you’ll need to be prepared for long waiting times to pick up your car. On busy days, the car collection process can take an hour or more.
Car Rental Companies at Munich Airport
Most major European car rental companies operate at Munich Airport.
You can compare prices and choose between companies like Sixt, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, and Enterprise. There are additional companies that often offer more attractive prices, such as OK Mobility.
Good to know: Sixt is actually a German company, and its main offices are located in Munich. Therefore, Sixt’s car selection in Munich might be larger and more attractive.
Where to look for attractive car rental offers in Munich?
Thorough and comprehensive searching among the various car rental offers will ensure you find the most suitable and cheapest deal for you. Of course, you can visit all the websites of the companies mentioned above and check car availability and prices directly. Alternatively, you can use search engines that consolidate offers from different companies in one place.
Further on, we’ll explain how you can check prices that German-speaking locals receive and compare them to what you’re offered as tourists.
There are a few recommended car search engines for Munich Airport:
- The Discovercars search engine, which sometimes includes cars with discounts up to 70%. The search engine is in English.
- The website CHECK24 provides a comprehensive overview of all major car rental providers and their prices. All vehicles can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before the rental period. The webiste is in German, but it can be easily translated.
How to search for cars on the German search engine Check24:
In the pick-up location box, you need to enter the words “München Flughafen”. After that, select the dates, pick-up and return times, and the driver’s age.
After clicking search, offers from various companies with their prices will appear. You can sort them by rating or price:
On the left side of the screen, there’s a list of filters. If you want a zero-deductible option, choose Ohne Selbstbeteiligung and you’ll get offers for cars with no payment required in case of damage. In the lower part of the filters column, you can select the car size under Anzahl Türen und Sitze.
After you’ve added the filters, the prices will appear according to your chosen sorting. If you’re comfortable, you can book directly from the Check24 website; it’s reliable, and their service works smoothly. If not, you can look at the attractive offer from the list and see which company is offering it – the logo is located below the car image. Then you can go directly to the car rental company’s website and compare it to the price quote you received on the German site.
Car Rental within Munich City: Recommended Companies
If you’ve decided you want to visit Munich itself, or if car rental offers at the airport are too expensive, you can check rental companies operating in central Munich. A company with good reviews is called:
MunichCar24. This company operates from Munich’s main train station and also has larger cars for families.
Another company operating from central Munich’s main train station is called CarVia, with many positive reviews. They offer cars in all categories, including luxury vehicles.
What’s important to pay attention to when renting a car in Munich?
- Pay attention to how many kilometers are included in the price and check if the offered mileage is sufficient for your planned travel distances. You especially need to check the travel days from Munich Airport to Austria and back.
- Ensure that payment for Austrian highways is part of the package – check that it’s possible to pre-purchase the vignette for driving on Austrian highways. This payment will usually be in addition to the car rental cost.
- Check if there’s an additional charge for crossing the border between Germany and Austria. Almost all companies allow unlimited border crossing without extra charge between Germany and Austria, but it’s always worth verifying to avoid surprises.
- Zero-deductible insurance – Only rent cars for your trip if you can add zero-deductible insurance. This is something worth having, and it will add to your peace of mind during the trip.
- Pick-up and return location – Try to plan your trip so you start and end in Munich. Returning a car at a different location than the pick-up spot incurs an additional charge. This additional charge can be significant – depending on the distance between the return and pick-up location.
- Car rental branch operating hours – Know the operating hours to be prepared in case you need to pay an extra fee for pick-up and return outside of business hours. This additional payment may affect the overall attractiveness of the package.
What’s important to remember when returning the car at the end of the trip?
- The car must be returned with a full fuel tank.
- You need to make sure the car isn’t dirty. Collecting trash and dirt before returning the car is mandatory.
- Go through all the important clauses with a company representative when returning the car. Ensure there will be no additional charges afterward.
How to reduce the cost of the car for the trip even if you’ve already booked (free service)?
There’s a free service in Hebrew from the Israeli website Paapam Paapam that monitors car rental prices across all popular platforms. Even if you’ve already rented a car for your trip, you can send them your rental details, and they will monitor prices for you. If they find a cheaper price, they will help you make the booking at the discounted price.
All you need to do is send them an email with your car booking confirmation, and they will help you find a discounted deal and save money. Click here for more information about the car cost reduction service.
