Ireland day 1574. Monday 19 January 2026- To Munich

Today’s summary	Travelling to Germany for a few days holiday. Another early start to get the Elizabeth Line at about 8am for an 11:10 Lufthansa flight to Munich. On time departure and the flight was under 2 hours. No 512 bus from Munich to the hotel in Erding and time for a swim in the hotel pool before dinner.
Today’s weather	Grey and overcast with occasional drizzle in London. Light south easterly wind. Appx 9c. Colder with sun in Munich.

Today’s overview location (The blue mark shows the location of my route)		Close-up location (The blue line shows where I walked) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Erding walk Munich

Commentary

Yesterday it was Val’s turn to make an early morning dash to Heathrow, but today it was mine. I’m going to Germany for a quick visit to Munich and then on to the Black Forest – two destinations I don’t think I’ve ever been to before. I’m returning to the UK on Friday, when Val also gets back, then we both head off to Dublin again on Saturday.

My flight from Heathrow didn’t leave until 11:10 am but as usual I arranged things to get to the airport miles too early. So I found myself at 8am waiting on the Tottenham Court Road Elizabeth Line station platform for a westbound train. I was at the airport by half past eight and quickly through security, giving me plenty of time to enjoy the delights of Terminal 2.

My flight was with Lufthansa and I’m pleased to say it was both on time and a lot more pleasant than Ryanair (though it should be at the price). I paid extra for an emergency exit seat with more legroom, and once again it was 100% worth it.

We landed in Munich promptly at 2pm and I was quickly through immigration and searching for the bus stop. Eventually I managed to work it out, through a combination of google maps, asking people, and sheer good luck. And in an even greater stroke of luck, there was a no. 512 waiting there to take me to Erding, where my hotel is situated.

I had a bit of difficulty paying for the journey (I couldn’t download the app quickly enough and the bus didn’t take contactless payments) but luckily I had a €5 note and the driver accepted cash. Also the bus didn’t exactly follow the route that I had expected it to, but it was close enough and eventually deposited me at Erding rail station.

From where the bus dropped me, it was a half-hour walk to the hotel. But it was a pleasant route through parks and fields and the weather was good. I was travelling light, again, so had all my things in a small rucksack, which made the walk easy and enjoyable.

I arrived at the hotel about 3:45pm and was soon checked in and settled into my room. There’s a pool and a spa as part of the hotel complex, so rather than rushing off and doing anything too challenging, I just went down to the pool area and relaxed there for a few hours before getting dinner. I ate in the hotel burger bar just after 9pm – luckily it was still open (it stays open until 9:30pm) because the main hotel restaurant had already closed (last orders are at 9pm) when I got there.

Tomorrow I’m going to have a quick trip into Munich for a look around and then probably come back to the hotel and try to have another relaxing afternoon in the pool. After that’s what the “R” in “R&R” is supposed to mean, isn’t it?

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


Longacre, Covent Garden, this morning. On the walk over to Tottenham Court Road Elizabeth Line station	Terminal 2, Heathrow.

The 512 bus – just after arrival in Erding from the airport	A light railway connects Erding to Munich city centre

In the Stadtpark, Erding	The final leg of my journey to the hotel was a walk across a muddy field! Luckily the ground was frozen so I didn’t get too grubby

On the Elizabeth Line to Heathrow. I wish there was something like this in Dublin!