London to Munich train with Deutsche Bahn

Trains from London to Munich

If you're planning on taking a train from London to Munich, you'll be happy to find several routes available, departing from London St Pancras International Station every day. The quickest journey usually only requires one change along the way, while the other trains require two or three changes before arriving at Munich Hbf.

On average, you can expect the train ride between these two destinations to take between 10h and 12h 30min depending on the length of the layovers and changes. The distance between these two stations is roughly 570 miles (918 km) when travelling via train and the journey will be operated by Eurostar between London and Paris and then by Deutsche Bahn from Paris through to Munich Hbf.

London to Munich Train Time: Daily Departures

When it comes to the frequency of trains travelling from London to Munich, you'll likely find around three trains operating this route daily, just over 20 routes a week. The train routes operate out of London St Pancras International Station and travel along different routes that require changes along the way before arriving in Munich. Your first journey of the day usually leaves around 8:00 a.m. and arrive around 7:30 p.m. The last train of the day generally departs around 12:30 p.m. and usually takes close to 10h. With multiple journeys between these two destinations every day, you'll have no problem finding a trip that suits you.

How long is the journey by train from London to Munich?

The length of your journey from London to Munich via train will depend entirely on the route you choose to take and when you travel. If you're travelling during the week, you can expect the quickest journey to have a couple of changes along the way at Brussels-Midi, Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbf, and Stuttgart Hbf before heading to Munich. The total travel time for this journey is around 9h 10min depending on how long the transfers take. If you're travelling on a train with two changes in Paris and Stuttgart, you can expect your travel time to be between 10h and 10h 30min. When travelling this route over a weekend, some of your trips are likely to have longer changes along the way due to the popularity of the journey and can take as long as 12h 30min to get from London to Munich.

Munich Trains. Source: Shutterstock

What are the departure and arrival stations for trains from London to Munich?

Departure train station: All trains travelling from London to Munich will depart from London St Pancras International Station, which is located roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) from the city centre and easily accessible via taxi, bus, or subway train. St Pancras is the home of Eurostar, which operate the first leg of all of the trains to Munich and stopover in either Brussels or Paris. Once arriving at St Pancras, you'll find several facilities at the station designed to provide a comfortable commute for all travellers. These station facilities include a pharmacy, photo booths, luggage storage, ample parking, toilets with baby-changing facilities, and free Wi-Fi throughout the station.

Arrival train station: Munich Hbf is your final arrival station when taking a train from London to Munich. This station is the main railway station in the city and serves the whole of Munich, providing trains to and from numerous national and international destinations. Once you've arrived at Munich Hbf, you'll find a couple of ways to get to the city centre that includes taking a taxi or hopping on the 6115 train to the city centre. Munich train station offers several facilities to travellers that include things like short-term luggage storage for up to 6h, accessible bathrooms, showers, and free Wi-Fi throughout the station.

Which train companies travel from London to Munich?

When travelling from London to Munich via train, you can expect your journey to be handled by two separate train companies. To start with, all trains leaving from St Pancras International Station are operated by Eurostar, who use the train station as its main transport hub. The first leg of the route typically travels to either Paris Gare du Nord or Brussels-Midi train stations in Paris and Brussels respectively. After the first changeover, the rest of your journey will be operated by Germany's main train operator, Deutsche Bahn. Deutsche Bahn is a popular choice for many travellers in Germany because they often offer train connections that can be quicker than some flights.

Eurostar trains from London to Munich

When taking a train from London to Munich, your departure station will be St Pancras, which is the transport hub of Eurostar. Eurostar offers high-speed inter-city train connections to numerous European destinations that require no changes along the way. When travelling from London to Munich, the trains operated by Eurostar will head to one of two destinations, where you'll change trains to another provider. The two destinations are Brussels-Midi or Paris Gare du Nord. You'll find several trains running these routes daily and your journey time from St Pancras to Brussels-Midi will take close to 2h, while a journey to Paris Gare du Nord usually takes around 2h 15min.

Munich City Centre. Source: Shutterstock

Deutsche Bahn trains from London to Munich

Deutsche Bahn, Germany's largest and most reliable train operating company, will take over the operation of your journey after your change from Eurostar. These trips will be from Paris Gare de l'Est or Brussels-Midi and travel through a couple of stations along the way and may require one more change to another Deutsche Bahn train along the way.

Train London to Munich: Services on Board

Travelling with either Eurostar or Deutsche Bahn means having many onboard services at your disposal. If you're hoping to take a pet with you, unfortunately, you can only take registered support animals. Both train operators offer various ticket types to choose from, the Business Class ticket for Eurostar and First Class ticket for Deutsche Bahn offers more spacious seats, onboard food, as well as tables and sockets for your devices. If you need to travel with your bicycle, we suggest contacting the company ahead of time to ensure you have a space booked.

How to find cheap train tickets from London to Munich?

There are several ways to ensure you get the most affordable tickets for your travel from London to Munich. Start by using Omio to get consolidated information displayed on one page with the ability to filter according to the cheapest tickets. Consider searching for tickets with flexible dates to get the best deals on different days. If you can, book your ticket as far in advance as possible. These usually go on sale months in advance and increase in price the closer you get to your departure date.

To Munich by train—travel tips

As Germany's Bavarian Capital, Munich is home to a plethora of museums, centuries-old buildings, a wide range of activities, and plenty of sights to behold throughout the region. If you're an art enthusiast, take the time out of your day to explore Alte Pinakothek, which is the oldest gallery in Germany. Architecture lovers will want to spend time hanging out at Munich Residenz or Neues Rathaus, the New Town Hall.

For an exploration of 19th-century art, make your way to Neue Pinakothek, or spend some time at Marienplatz for a shopping and people-watching experience you're unlikely to forget. Among the many museums worth checking out, none are more well-known than the Bavarian National Museum which has several rooms boasting a wide variety of exhibits.

Taking the Train from London

London is home to several train stations, and those wishing to travel to Munich will be required to begin their journey at London St Pancras. This London transport hub is one that connects the UK capital to many other areas of Europe and is a busy station both at peak and off-peak times. Getting in and out of St Pancras is made easy thanks to the plentiful supply of Underground links - six separate tube lines connect this station to the rest of London. Kings Cross station is also conveniently located across the road.

Getting into Munich by Train

One of Germany's most illustrious, colourful and cultivated locations, the city of Munich pulls in endless amounts of tourism year on year with its magnificent beer festivals, dazzling architecture and globally-recognised football team. Munich Train Station is extremely well connected to other modes of public transport. Several train lines, bus services, tram lines and underground lines all offer easy access into other areas of the city, and key landmarks such as city hall are only twenty minutes away on foot. Trains to Munich airport also run every ten minutes.