Napcabs Munich Airport: The Munich Airport Sleeping Pods

Review of Napcabs, Munich Airport Sleeping Pods

Napcabs Munich Location: Terminal 2, Gate H32

The Victim: Me

The Background: I think I will start a new blog. The Travel Sagas blog. Where people like me can contribute their awful travel sagas in writing. This way, rather than boring your friends with the entire story in person, you can just say, “Here’s the link. It’s easier if you read it.”

The last five days have been hell. Truly. I am not going to bore you with the details. You really don’t want me to tell the entire story. Let’s just say it involves a Chicago blizzard (snowpocalypse, really), a flight to Frankfurt that never took off, a 16-year-old German exchange student, and a missing passport.  Somewhere during this saga, I unexpectedly found myself in Munich’s airport, with nine-and-a-half hours to kill before my flight to Dubai. During the day! I was exhausted. I needed sleep. So I Google’d “where to sleep in Munich airport” and found out about Napcab, the Munich Airport sleeping pods. (The other option I discovered, which is better for a longer sleep, is the Hilton Munich Airport.  They have an attractive day use/day room rate — more details at the end of this post.)

My Napcabs Munich Airport Review OR What It’s Like to Sleep in the Middle of an Airport

So you see that box up there? The box in the middle of the airport? I spent two hours in that Napcabs sleep pod in Munich Airport the other day. Two very peaceful hours of sleep. And although it was a little bit of an odd experience, it was still worth it.

Napcabs Munich Airport Interior

Napcabs are like those Yo! Hotels you’ve read about. It’s a tiny little sleep pod space with a bed and a desk, meant for the exhausted traveler. There’s a T1 line for you to get online and the Napcab comes with mood lighting and mood music. It’s supposed to come with movies and TV, but I couldn’t get those to work. The odd part about the Napcab is the screen you pull down once you’re inside. It wasn’t a 100% perfect fit during my visit, so light bled in around the edges. And when people approach the Napcab from the outside–which the curious are wont to do–you can see their shadows flicker against the wall. It’s odd knowing that someone it outside your sleeping cabin, trying to look in, while you are trying to sleep. (If you feel weird about this, then the day rate room at the  Hilton Munich Airport is definitely a better option. Also, no matter where you sleep, to get the best sleep possible, I highly encourage you to purchase a combination eye mask and earplug kit. This is a good one.)

Napcabs Munich Aiport Interior & TV

What Napcabs Munich Airport Look Like Inside

Here is the view of the Napcabs Munich Airport sleeping pods from the other side of the bed inside. You can see the control center, which handles your music, lighting, and a wake-up alarm if you should so desire.

I entered my Napcab in Munich Airport around 12:40 pm. I departed around 2:45 pm. So two hours of blissful sleep, in the middle of a long journey. There’s something to be said for sleeping like that, even if it was in the middle of the airport. The Napcabs charge an hourly rate but to the minute. Prices have changed since my visit but for the latest Napcab prices in Munich, check their site.

When you check out, the Napcab sleep pod locks behind you and no one can sleep in it again until it’s been cleaned.

My Napcabs Munich Verdict

If you’re in Munich Airport–and exhausted and need some sleep–do it. Note that there are only four Napcabs at Gate H32 so you’ll need to be lucky like I was!

Great Alternative to Napcabs: Book a Day Room at the Hilton Munich Airport

If Napcab Munich isn’t for you, consider buying a combo set of eye-mask, neck-pillow, and earplugs and find yourself a chair and get cozy. OR consider the Hilton Munich Airport has a day use/day room rate between the hours of 9 am and 6 pm. The hotel is also very conveniently located at the airport between Terminals 1 and 2. I just ran a search for a day rate stay a week from now and it was 89 euros, or 10 euros per hour. Definitely book in advance to get the best rate! What’s great about this is that Hilton lets you book the day room rate directly with them online, which the other hotels I checked with don’t allow.

So if you know you will be sleeping in Munich airport, go to the Hilton Munich Airport website. Use the day that you will be staying at the hotel as your arrival day and departure day. The results that appear will very clearly say Day Use so book one of those rooms.

Enjoy, and sleep well in Munich Airport, Napcab or otherwise!

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