munich area accommodations?

Oktoberfest Munich 2018: September 22 - October 7 You'll be hard pressed to find affordable accommodations during that time as every property near Munich jacks up their rates substantially.

Since you've already spent time in Munich, no need to look for expensive accommodations there. Straubing is only 2 hours from Munich airport by bus (to Freising) and regional train (change in Plattling). You might as well just go to Straubing the first night.

I normally tell people to stay in Freising the night before a flight out of MUC, but considering it's Octoberfest, Freising is probably pricey, too. It's only 50 minutes from Landshut to the airport by regional train to Freising and bus from there. I'd start looking at accommodations in Landshut, now.

Use the Bahn Query webpage to look for connections to Straubing and from Landshut. it includes buses.

So you need Munich area hotels both before and after the bike trip? And will you be carrying your bikes with you? What time does you plane arrive?

If the date you arrive is before Oktoberfest, you could easily stay in Munich and explore the city if you like. To do this, just take the S-bahn into the city, to the stop nearest your hotel. Since you are taking the train to Straubing the next day, a hotel near the station would be most convenient. Although it is not the nicest part of Munich, it is not unsafe. We loved Hotel Schiller5 our last visit to Munich, last September.

An alternative would be to follow bahn.de's suggestion for getting to Straubing from the airport: start with a bus to Freising. Check on bicycle carriage conditions if you are carrying bikes. You can overnight there and catch the train the following day.

Thanks all. We will be arriving in Munich a week before Octoberfest starts, so I am not as worried about the availability and price hikes for that night. And we are not bringing our bikes. I like the idea of getting toward Straubing right away though. No need to pop into Munich.
For our flight back we would appreciate a hotel near the airport or a close by town with easy transit access to the airport . Our flight leaves at 10 am.

A couple years ago, we stayed near the Munich airport at that same time -- last day or two of Oktoberfest. We stayed at the Moxy -- not our favorite hotel but it met our needs -- easy transportation to/from airport, inexpensive. It is owned by the Marriott chain but geared to the younger crowd (which does not include us). But like I said, it met our needs for one night. We took the S-bahn from Munich to the airport and then a shuttle to the hotel; reversed it the next morning. You might look into it.

We too have stayed at Moxy near the Munich Airport. It was perfectly fine for a one night stay. Rooms are very clean and they provide a shuttle to the airport. Price point is a little higher than their normal rate due to it being Oktoberfest, but IMO it's not bad. Would suggest booking a hotel soon.

There are three different flavors of Ibis- Ibis Budget, Ibis, and Ibis styles. Ibis Budget is pretty basic, Ibis Styles is typically a nicely decorated Holiday Inn Express/Hampton Inn equivalent, Ibis is between those two. My experience with the Ibis brand is that if the reviews say the property is generally clean and quiet and there are no complaints about the mattresses being old- a good night's sleep is supposed to be one of Ibis' selling points, then Ibis or Ibis Styles (Ibis Budget is a little too budget for me)are a perfectly fine lower cost option for a night or two.

Motel One is a Germany-based limited service chain in the same price and quality band.

Thanks all. I looked at several places and went with the Moxy before our flight back to USA - nice to have the shuttle to/from airport. Interesting that I looked at booking.com (which had some great prices when we went to Scandinavia last year), but the much cheaper hotel price was the direct Moxy website. Pays to look around.

Moxy is from Marriott, and the big chains often have some sort of 'best rate guarantee' for booking directly with them. (Some like Hilton also have small perks like free internet for loyalty club members who book direct)

We spent two days in Straubing last year and had a good time. Its most famous citizen was the daughter of a Augsburg bath house owner that a Duke's son loved. The Duke had her tried and drowned as a witch. She now has a chapel devoted to her in the cathedral grave yard. A more interesting history than some damned war.

We stayed at the Hotel Seehalter. Unfortunately it has a no elevator and a long climb to the hotel above a restaurant of the same name. I would check HRS.com for a room before I would return.

Coming back you might consider Landshut. There formerly was a fixed taxi rate between it and the airport. The tourist office had information. It is a beautiful small town with a castle. I really enjoyed meals at the Augustiner at St. Martin's Church and their version of the Hofbräuhaus.

I'd echo recommendations to simply go to Straubing upon arrival. Although adding the bus to Freising and train might make for a long travel day, if I can do it, anyone can, and it's a nice place to spend a day prior to you bike trip.

As far as accommodations before your return flight, I've stayed a few times at Brauerei Gasthaus Lohhof - http://www.brauereigasthauslohhof.de/. It's outside of Munich, right next to an S-bahn stop, and only a few stops away from the airport, easy for your midmorning flight.