Vienna to Munich by car: border checks, A8 works, green zone

Nearly all of the 438 km from Vienna's main station to Munich's is motorway: the A1 past Linz and Salzburg to the German border at Walserberg, then about 115 km of the A8. For the Austrian part, with this autumn's A1 roadworks and the limit near Linz, see our Vienna to Salzburg guide.

The route at a glance

The Walserberg service areas are the last in Austria. At the München-Süd junction you can stay on the A8 to its end at the Mittlerer Ring or take the A995, which also meets the Ring.

Some routers, OpenStreetMap's included, prefer a shorter line of about 405 km via Braunau, but around 50 km of it is ordinary main road. If two apps disagree sharply, check whether one has chosen it.

German border checks until March 2027

Germany has notified the European Commission of controls along its whole land border with Austria from 16 September 2026 to 15 March 2027. The federal police check traffic entering on the A8 at Walserberg, and smaller crossings such as Braunau and Simbach are covered too. They are spot checks, but queues can form at Walserberg.

Bring a passport or national ID card for everyone in the car, children included; the ÖAMTC says a driving licence is not accepted as a travel document. Austria has notified no checks at Walserberg for the way back. More in border checks in 2026.

The vignette

You need the Austrian vignette from Auhof to Salzburg Nord: €9.60 for the digital 1-day one or €12.80 for 10 days (2026 prices, ASFINAG, checked 26 September 2026). Our vignette guide has the rules.

What changes after the border

Germany charges cars nothing on the Autobahn; its toll is for goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. There is no general speed limit, but a federal regulation recommends 130 km/h, and any posted limit overrides it. East of the Inntal junction the A8 has two lanes each way on largely its 1930s route, with tight bends, steep grades and long stretches without a hard shoulder, and holiday weekends bring long queues.

German law bars drivers from using, or carrying ready to use, devices that warn of speed checks, phone apps included, so turn speed-camera alerts off before Walserberg (app set-up guide). Winter rules differ as well: winter tyres and snow chains.

A8 bridge works

Germany's motorway company is rebuilding bridges on the old section between the border and Rosenheim. Munich-bound sites in its roadworks data on 26 September 2026:

Short lane closures appear at short notice, so check the Autobahn roadworks map on the day.

Arriving in Munich

Low-emission zone

Munich's low-emission zone is the Mittlerer Ring and everything inside it. The A8 ends at the Ring, and the main station is well inside. Cars need a green emission sticker on the windscreen, and the city says this includes foreign-registered and electric cars. The sticker is tied to the number plate, valid in every German zone and can be ordered online from abroad.

Euro 4 and older diesels are banned from the zone, Ring included, even with a green sticker, except for residents, deliveries and some other groups. The city's fine for that is €100, or €128.50 with fees, and the Federal Environment Agency gives €100 for having no sticker.

Park and ride on the way in

Two car parks near the A8 suit drivers who continue by U-Bahn or S-Bahn (prices on 26 September 2026):

From Neuperlach Süd the U5 runs to the main station without a change. At both, keep your public transport ticket in case it is checked at the exit.

Checklist

• Passport or ID card for everyone, children included, for the German check at Walserberg.
• An Austrian vignette valid on your travel day.
• A green sticker, ordered in advance, if you will drive inside the Mittlerer Ring; with a Euro 4 diesel, plan on Neuperlach Süd.
• Speed-camera alerts off before the German border.
• Roadworks for the A8 and the A1.
• Live times from Mapssy before you leave, and again near Salzburg, because a checkpoint queue can form or clear quickly.