10 reasons to love Munich Airport

Visitors can join locals as spectators at polo or tennis matches, surfing or biking competitions, volleyball tournaments, as well as Audi and BMW show-cases, all at the airport. During major Soccer events, a huge screen displays the action in the Munich Airport Center (MAC).

From the end of November to the end of December, the airport is transformed into a Christmas winter market, the longest-lasting winter market of its kind in Europe. Under the roof of the Munich Airport Center, more than 40 market stands invite travelers to partake in an "Old World" Christmas feast. Bavarian specialties and handicrafts are plentiful with the tempting aromas of mulled wine, sweet roasted almonds, sausages and gingerbread.

2017 will mark the 19th year of this successful Christmas market. A huge ice-skating rink sits in the middle of the market, along with over 450 real Christmas trees.

The VIPWing at Munich Airport offers a unique blend of international ambience with traditional Bavarian hospitality, spacious rooms, and superb service. The VIPWing can be booked regardless of airline or ticket class. For an additional fee, passengers can meet business partners (non-passengers) at the VIPWing.

VIP SERVICE:

• Individual passport control/immigration
• Check-in and baggage handling/personal baggage claim
• Separate security screening, passport control, customs clearance and VAT refunds
• Limousine transfer to/from aircraft
• Personal care and guest liaison
• Duty-free shopping via tablet-PCs and delivery to the VIPWing
• Multilingual, discrete and professional staff

VIPWing – 18,000 sq. ft. of cosmopolitan relaxation space

• Spacious bar and dining area
• Stylish lounge areas
• Quiet work stations and workrooms
• Free Wi-Fi
• Luxurious bathrooms and resting areas
• Elegant cigar lounge
• Interdenominational prayer room
• Bavarian outdoor beer garden

VIP SUITES:

Each suite has its own individual furnishings and decor: Linderhof Castle has a separate bathroom, Neuschwanstein Castle has a dining and conference table, and Nymphenburg Castle has a separate sleeping area. The Schleissheim Castle suite is also suitable for conferences for up to ten people. VIPSuites can be rented without VIP Service and by non-passengers as well.

Passengers have a new way of obtaining quick and detailed information at Munich Airport. The proprietary concept, known as InfoGates, helps passengers get their bearings more quickly and allows them to request individual directions. At the InfoGate, the airport visitor simply pushes a button to be connected immediately with an information service representative for a real-time video dialogue on life-sized screens.

13 InfoGate Counters are positioned in the public and non-public are-as of the airport. In addition, airport visitors can use 36 "Interactive InfoGates" positioned at key crossroads throughout the terminals. They consist of touch screens mounted on pillars that offer a full range of information about services, shopping and dining at the airport. Passengers can request "custom-made" directions to a desired gate that will take them past a certain shop or restaurant.

The passenger sees the quickest way to their chosen destination displayed on an animated map of the airport building. The system computes the distance, the estimated walking time, and the anticipated wait times at passport control security screening.

The brewery Airbräu is the first and only brewery located at an airport. Three different types of beer are brewed at the Airbräu offered along with several seasonal types. The Airbräu prices are a bargain: a pint of beer costs only 2,75 Euros. Brewmaster René Jacobsen invites visitors to observe brewing sessions taking place in the main restaurant; approximately 300 people can sit around the brewery kettles and observe the process from beer brewing to storage in 530-gallon kettles.

Also inside "Airbräu" are The "Zirbelstube" with a tiled stove, The "Forumstüberl" offering an expansive view over the Munich Airport Center (MAC) and Terminal 2. The "Airbräu Tenne" has a demonstration kitchen and a stage. The true highlight is Europe's largest roofed beer garden, which is open most of the year depending on weather conditions. Up to 600 visitors can enjoy their food and drinks outside, surrounded by shady trees right in the middle of the stylish Munich Airport Center. Bavarian menu favorites include "Weißwürste" (Bavarian style pork sausage), roast pork in a traditional Bavarian beer sauce, and delicious apple strudel.

Some of the yearround programs featured at the Airbräu include free live music on stage every Thursday and Sunday and concerts in the beer garden during the summer where visitors can listen to live music ranging from jazz to rock and pop.

Munich Airport, with its 56 eateries, offers the fourth-best catering of all airports in the world as revealed by a survey of passengers, according to the London-based aviation research institute Skytrax in their 2015 World Airport Awards.

There are approximately 137 stores at Munich Airport, with prices often lower than those in downtown Munich. Watches (especially Swiss) are exceptionally good buys. Easy VAT refunds make the airport a shopper's paradise.

New Visitors Park with the Visitors Hill:

The increased playground area of the Visitors Park will be newly de-signed to educate as well as entertain children as "they travel around the world" here. The area is then divided into five continents with jungle gyms, swings and sandbox toys designed and constructed in association with each continent.

A rope slide runway connects the different parts of the world so children can travel "around the world" as they play, riding camels in Asia, surfing in North America, or climbing a rope jungle in South America. (Parents, meanwhile, can enjoy the beer garden that overlooks the play area).

Another favorite is the Viewing Hill in the Visitors Park. Kids can climb up 172 steps to the viewing platform on top of the Viewing Hill overlooking the airport. Telescopes offer a fantastic panoramic view of the apron and the ongoing flight operations on both runways.

Kinderland:

Kinderland, which is located in the Munich Airport Center between terminals, offers an option for children aged 3-10 to play under the supervision of trained staff while parents relax, check-in or go shopping at the airport's abundance of stores. The first hour of supervision is complimentary, with a charge of four euros for each additional hour. Many attractions are offered: a corner for arts and crafts, a climbing tower with a ball basin, giant soft Lego blocks, computer games, board games, and a children's cinema where kids can watch movies together in different languages. Alongside the plush toys, books and board games, kids can also enjoy the latest entertainment technology, with a Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS. Kids can even celebrate their birthdays at Kinderland, with festivities organized by the trained staff.

Find out more about family activites at the airport.