Oktoberfest Munich...

N

North Beach Horn

250+ Posts
I realize we are months away from this, however the few people I have spoken to have all mentioned that a tremendous amount of planning is required to secure hotel/tickets in Munich during the event.

Has anyone here attended? Any tips?
 
I went in 2005, but didn't plan it until mid summer. Hotels were still available, but a bit further out of the city center. I was there on the opening day at 8:30 am (well before they start serving), and the only place we could get a table was at the wine tent. We drank all day at that tent, which was packed by 11am. The next day we went to Paulaner and Haufbrauhaus and were able to easily get tables without reservations.

You should be OK, but reserve a hotel now. And maybe try to stay away from the opening weekend.
 
I've been twice. First time stayed at my brother-in-law's house in Augsburg. If you can't find a hotel in Munich, Augsburg is only an hour away by train and an easy commute.

The second time we stayed at the Best Western Cristal. Great location, decent hotel. Walking distance to Oktoberfest and other Munich attractions.

Prost!
 
I have been twice and never really planned it much in advance. I was still able to get rooms using points at the Marriott or Renaissance up near the Englisher Garten. I prefer staying up there because you can walk to the park and enjoy the beer gardens during the afternoon and you have easy access to the U-bahn to get you to grounds of Oktoberfest at night (thats when I prefer going).

I usually went the last weekend of the festival. It starts towards the end of September and ends the first week of October.

Oktoberfest reminds me of the State Fair of Texas with just a lot of big beer tents. And of course more german people
 
Another thing, as mentioned above, most tables are reserved and you have to be seated to be served a beer. If you have a small group, usually someone will invite you to their table and before long you'll be locked in arms singing German songs. The best time to go, if you can, is closing night which is the first Sunday of October. No tables are reserved on this date and it's easier to get a seat.
 
I have not attended before nor have I been to Germany yet, but am currently planning to go this year.

Luckily, our group is staying with friends in Munich, so that's not an issue.

As you mentioned, there is a lot of planning that goes into this trip. First, try to secure a room asap. You may have better luck looking at places right outside of Munich. Some of our group I think is looking into staying in Augsburg for a couple of days.

In regards to the tents at Oktoberfest, we were told to make reservations for certain tents. If not, we were told to get there early before the tents get too crowded.

I’m not much help right now since I’m trying to figure this out for myself as well, but that’s some information I’ve been given.

Anyone else want to give some more and hopefully better information, I'd appreciate it as well.

Should be fun times!
 
i went in 95 and it was awesome. disneyland for adults. well, if your version of disneyland is incredibly happy people drinking rivers of beer and singing polka songs.

you haven't lived till you are standing on a bench in a beer tent filled with 10,000 people locked arms w/ your drunk neighbors and friends singing john denver's "mountain momma" song. that is both surreal and enormously gratifying. definitely an experience that you can only produce in oktoberfest in munich.

it will be worth it. everyone is happy.
 
It was definitley worth it. For me though, one day/evening there was enough (ok maybe two). Like I said earlier, if you also get around Munich and see some sites and also go to the Englischer Garten and hang out in the beer gartens then that also makes the entire trip even more enjoyable. I would definitely go back a third time.
 
I went two years ago and really enjoyed it. I got my flight to Munich early enough that it wasn't a big deal, but I was late in getting a place to stay which forced me to scramble. I ended up renting someone's apartment for the weekend that I found on craigslist which worked out great. You might look at this optionThe Link I almost did the tent thing because they provide everything but your sleeping bag which is very convenient and the price split amongst a couple people can't be beat.

Munich is a beautiful city and the weather that time of year is very nice. When I went, we did not get a reservation for a tent. We got there probably 30 to 45 minutes prior to opening and easily found a table. Plus, around late morning a lot of people start leaving because they're trashed or to visit another tent so spots at tables start opening up en masse. It is a really fun experience and something you get to brag about to your drinking buddies.
 
Far from being underwhelmed, I was overwhelmed. And my expectations were pretty high to begin with. I plan to go back in a year or two, and I really can't wait.

There are a number of hotels between the train station and the 'Wiesen, both local and chain hotels. We stayed at the Four Points Sheraton, which was nice. The primary problem was that it lacked an independent thermostat, so the room always seemed to be hot. And with the noise from street below, it was difficult to sleep with the window open. There is also a Marriott brand hotel on the same street, whcih would also be a great location. If you book now, I suspect you'll be able to find a room. Hell, I booked in April and I was able to get a room on Starwood points.

You can only reserve a table at the Oktoberfest tents if you have a group of ten or more. Otherwise, you just go and find a place to sit. There is a calendar on the Oktoberfest website that gives you dates on which they anticipate being busy, very busy, and not terribly busy. We went on a Monday and Tuesday and didn't have any trouble finding a seat. It's no problem just to approach a group and ask if the two seats at the end of their table are free. Before long, you'll be dancing on the table with them.

Two things about Oktoberfest that are fascinating and somewhat unexpected. First, everyone is a happy drunk. We didn't see any fights or anyone being belligerant, and there wasn't the kind of public nudity or debauchery that you see at Mardi Gras or even St. Patrick's Day on Greenville in Dallas. Everyone's just there to have a good time, and I suspect if you're not, then security will be pretty quick with you.

Second, you may think it would be dumb to dress up in lederhosen or a dirndl, but it's not. Everyone's wearing it. And I mean everyone. If you show up in jeans, you'll look like a dumb Ammi tourist.
 
In each tent there are a handful of non-reserved tables that are first come / first served. If you get there by 10, you should be fine. Make sure to do some research on the tent, and the type of people that frequent it (each one has its own personality), since once you find a seat, you will most likely stay put (it is very difficult to jump from tent to tent).

Example:

The Hacker Pschorr tent was comprised of mostly young locals. (almost no one spoke English – which was perfect because we wanted an “authentic” experience the first day.)

The Hofbrau tent was more of an international crowd (at our table we had Italians, Swedes, Chinese, Germans, and Americans – all conversing in drunken/broken English).


Prost!!!
 
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First, everyone is a happy drunk. We didn't see any fights or anyone being belligerant,
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this is what i meant by adult disneyland. EVERYONE is happy. everyone is smiling or laughing. none of the american tough guy crap. no attitude. just a common bond in getting drunk and being happy.

this alone is worth the price of getting there. to see a huge public event and have everyone get along so well. try seeing that in the US.
 
Went two years ago with the wife and had an absolute blast. Hit Prague for 3 days then flew back To Munich for 4. Weekdays it was no problem to get in anywhere. The weekend (last weekend of the fest) was tough to get in, even for two people. The tents filled up to capacity at 9:45am. We finally got lucky and some waiter snuck us in the Hoff tent through the kitchen.

Cannot remember the place we stayed (Schafer?) but it was near the rail station and only 3 blocks from the okt-fest gate. Paid for that privilege though as it was damn expensive.

90% of people understood English and about 80% could and would gladly talk with you in English. Not sure if it was normal, but there were a ton of Italians there who were probably still sobering up from the World Cup a few months before. Everyone was very friendly and the only ahole I met was an American military guy who kept insisting that I should watch my back for the underground Nazis who would kill me. We left the table and moved on quickly.

If you have an in for reserved seating, try to get it as you can waltz in with no problem on the weekend as most of the tables are reserved.
 
booked my trip for this year's festival about a month ago. lived in munich for a summer a few years back, but left right before it started. i am VERY much looking forward to it.

my impression from the locals was that they feel like it's a 'bunch of italians in motor homes' (exact quote), but i think it will be a great time.
 
Definitely worth it! As mentioned above, find a tent with non-English speakers. It adds to the experience. We had good luck in the Paulaner tent. People from Germany, Italy, Croatia and Spain at our table. Not much English spoken, but they became our best friends for the day.
 
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