Munich, late September

[augiecarton]

If you were gonna do Oktoberfest, lets say for 3 or 4 days, dream trip, how would you play it?

 

[Alt_Mann]

If you were gonna do Oktoberfest, lets say for 3 or 4 days, dream trip, how would you play it?

I'm just seeing this now. Is the question still relevant, or is everything pretty much planned out by this point?

 

[augiecarton]

never got it together, so now thinking 2015. happy for thoughts if you have them

 

[Alt_Mann]

Sure thing. I lived in Germany for four years, but I only went to Oktoberfest once as a day-trip, and I was by myself. I did a fairly low-key Oktoberfest. You may be looking for a different experience than I was, so take this all with a grain of salt.

Obvious Tip #1 - if you want to do the carnival rides, do it before drinking.

Obvious Tip #2 - if you plan on going past 6:00 pm or on a weekend, you'll need a reservation. From what I understand, this should be done as much as a year in advance. I've heard this about the hotels as well.

If you don't get a reservation or want to avoid crowds, try going on a weekday afternoon. Walk around the grounds, take it all in, and stop into a tent or six. If you are see a sign on the table that says "Reserviert", it has been reserved. This isn't a problem. It will always be followed by a time, for example, "Reserviert 16:00". This means if you get there at noon, you can stay at that table with no problem until 16:00, when you'll have to leave. For me, this was the way to go. I could pop in, have a liter, and continue on to check out the next tent. The downside is that the atmosphere in the tents was downright muted, but for me that was OK. After about 6:00 pm the tents are filled up and no one is allowed in until someone else leaves, so if you don't have a reservation, you may have to wait a while.

Food in the tents is a little expensive, but there are food vendors on the Theriesenwiese that sell street food a little cheaper. Leberkäse or bratwurst on a roll with mustard, for example. Again, I think a lot of people would consider this to be not taking part in the whole experience, but for me it was fine. Just my $0.02.

Re: Munich itself - Munich is not a huge city, and is very well connected with public transit and thus pretty easy to get into, out of, and around. Three days is plenty for sightseeing, assuming you are waking up in good shape in the mornings. It's not a bad idea to think about using a day or two to take a day trip.

I hope this is useful. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll try to help.

 

[augiecarton]

Sure thing. I lived in Germany for four years, but I only went to Oktoberfest once as a day-trip, and I was by myself. I did a fairly low-key Oktoberfest. You may be looking for a different experience than I was, so take this all with a grain of salt.

Obvious Tip #1 - if you want to do the carnival rides, do it before drinking.

Obvious Tip #2 - if you plan on going past 6:00 pm or on a weekend, you'll need a reservation. From what I understand, this should be done as much as a year in advance. I've heard this about the hotels as well.

If you don't get a reservation or want to avoid crowds, try going on a weekday afternoon. Walk around the grounds, take it all in, and stop into a tent or six. If you are see a sign on the table that says "Reserviert", it has been reserved. This isn't a problem. It will always be followed by a time, for example, "Reserviert 16:00". This means if you get there at noon, you can stay at that table with no problem until 16:00, when you'll have to leave. For me, this was the way to go. I could pop in, have a liter, and continue on to check out the next tent. The downside is that the atmosphere in the tents was downright muted, but for me that was OK. After about 6:00 pm the tents are filled up and no one is allowed in until someone else leaves, so if you don't have a reservation, you may have to wait a while.

Food in the tents is a little expensive, but there are food vendors on the Theriesenwiese that sell street food a little cheaper. Leberkäse or bratwurst on a roll with mustard, for example. Again, I think a lot of people would consider this to be not taking part in the whole experience, but for me it was fine. Just my $0.02.

Re: Munich itself - Munich is not a huge city, and is very well connected with public transit and thus pretty easy to get into, out of, and around. Three days is plenty for sightseeing, assuming you are waking up in good shape in the mornings. It's not a bad idea to think about using a day or two to take a day trip.

I hope this is useful. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll try to help.

very helpful thank you. what about sleeping? where? for me it burns vacation time so philosophically i am not looking to rough it, but, i am going to immerse myself in the flavors and will probably sleep soundly anywhere decently comfortable with good showers

 

[ninjasturtle]

very helpful thank you. what about sleeping? where? for me it burns vacation time so philosophically i am not looking to rough it, but, i am going to immerse myself in the flavors and will probably sleep soundly anywhere decently comfortable with good showers

I went last year (had a blast), and used airbnb instead of a hotel. I was happy with that decision, was able to save some money and still had a good place to crash.

 

[Alt_Mann]

very helpful thank you. what about sleeping? where? for me it burns vacation time so philosophically i am not looking to rough it, but, i am going to immerse myself in the flavors and will probably sleep soundly anywhere decently comfortable with good showers

Ha, I don't think I was ever happy with the showers anywhere I stayed in Europe...

When I did Oktoberfest I did not stay over night. That said, from the times I did overnight in Munich, without knowing if the prices would be reasonable during Oktoberfest, I could recommend:

Wimdu.com - used it to find a rental apartment. the biggest drawback is that you may need to speak at least a little German as these are often private apartments that locals rent out to tourists.

Vi Vadi Hotel Downtown Munich - walking distance to the Hauptbahnhof (the main train station, from which you can catch an easy U-Bahn one stop to the Theriesenwiese stop), and a pleasant enough place to stay. Also close to the Augustinerkeller.

Hotel Max - not a great hotel but good enough if you're just looking to crash somewhere cheap-ish. Shower is shared with other people on the floor, I think each room has a bathroom, though. It's like one step up from a hostel, but I don't mean that in a negative way. In fact, there are probably a few decent hostels in Munich if you really don't want to spend a lot of money on accommodations. They really aren't so bad, you just roll the dice a little bit with the shared space. Which, actually, during Oktoberfest I guess one might want to avoid.

In general, I avoid hotel breakfasts. You can almost always find something better at a cafe or bakery along the way.

 

[augiecarton]

Ha, I don't think I was ever happy with the showers anywhere I stayed in Europe...

When I did Oktoberfest I did not stay over night. That said, from the times I did overnight in Munich, without knowing if the prices would be reasonable during Oktoberfest, I could recommend:

Wimdu.com - used it to find a rental apartment. the biggest drawback is that you may need to speak at least a little German as these are often private apartments that locals rent out to tourists.

Vi Vadi Hotel Downtown Munich - walking distance to the Hauptbahnhof (the main train station, from which you can catch an easy U-Bahn one stop to the Theriesenwiese stop), and a pleasant enough place to stay. Also close to the Augustinerkeller.

Hotel Max - not a great hotel but good enough if you're just looking to crash somewhere cheap-ish. Shower is shared with other people on the floor, I think each room has a bathroom, though. It's like one step up from a hostel, but I don't mean that in a negative way. In fact, there are probably a few decent hostels in Munich if you really don't want to spend a lot of money on accommodations. They really aren't so bad, you just roll the dice a little bit with the shared space. Which, actually, during Oktoberfest I guess one might want to avoid.

In general, I avoid hotel breakfasts. You can almost always find something better at a cafe or bakery along the way.

thanks again man