Munich; layover for English/Spanish speakers

Will have daytime hours to explore Munich, next week on a layover between flights. We have no German language skill, but adventerous spirit. We've never visited Western Europe other than an airport. We'd like to leave the airport this time; what challenges should we anticipate & are there highlights over the Christmas season that we should investigate in Munich?. Or; what recomendtations do other travellers have on what to see or do in Munich (We are not planning to shop for Christmas gifts or momento's and don't have an interest in fine dining)?

I would hit the Xmas markets you do not need to be buying anything to enjoy them. Language is no issue very few Germans do not speak English especially in cities. Even the airport is magical at Xmas with an outdoor ice rink. It is easy to get to the city centre just take the s-bahn

Everyone in Germany speaks English.

OK, that's an exaggeration, I'll re-phrase it.

Virtually every German who you would possibly encounter in a short layover to the touristy areas of Munich will speak English. You can get the train right to the city centre, walk around, see the sights, get something to eat, do some shopping, and every airport worker, train attendant, waiter, shopkeeper, etc. you will encounter will speak enough English for you to get what you want and get where you need to go.

If in doubt, the young and the better/dressed educated looking people are likeliest to speak the best English. Don't worry about it though. You don't have to learn how to say "Do you Speak English?" in horrible German, it will just hurt their ears.

Good luck.

The S-Bahn (s8) takes 45 minutes from the airport to the city centre and runs every 20 minutes (so you'd have well over 2 hours travelling). As you are returning the same day, it is cheapest to get a "Tageskarte - Gesamtraum" - it will set you back around 12 Euros each, but you can use it for all public transport. You can get off at Marienplatz to be thrown right into the middle of the Weihnachstmarkt or you can get off at either Isartorplatz or Karlsplatz-Stachus if you want to ease yourself into it (may be a good idea as it's always packed).
You could stay at the airport and visit the Wintermarkt. The Airbräu is very good for food and beer (it's brewed on the premises).

...but adventerous spirit

I would recommend a visit to the small town of Freising instead. Freising is only 5 km from MUC and is in many aspects a quintessential Bavarian town with many low key attractions easily covered in a few hours.

Of course Munich has the draw of an internationally known city but for just a couple of hours, I definitely think your time is better spend in Freising. Good food and drink at lower prices and a visit to one of the oldest breweries in the world included.

Bus 635 to Freising leaves frequently outside terminal 1 and takes less than 20 minutes.

As a bonus, you would get a much better feel for the place in Freising than you would in Munich.

language no barrier in Freising, such as others have suggested for Munich?

http://www.meetup.com/fr/new-intown-freising/

I don't know for sure as I'm a native speaker.

It also depends on your ability to navigate a foreign language-speaking country too.

But the people of Freising don`t live behind the moon and your worries might be unwarranted.

You shouldn't have any problem with English, especially in bars and restaurants.

Freising looks lovely. Munich is a great city but the city centre is large and possibly confusing. I've had many trips to Munich and looking at the images I now wish I had visited Freising.

Freising looks lovely. Munich is a great city but the city centre is large and possibly confusing.

For some reason, this made me think of the old Saturday Night Live sketch with Phil Hartman as "Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer."

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