Munich Oktoberfest 2016

Hi jacunnington -
We wouldn't brave Oktoberfest (ha!) but we stayed at an excellent hotel almost right across the street from the festival grounds last spring:

http://www.hotel-bavaria.com/english/

This one was the outstanding favorite of a three-week trip in Belgium and Germany. Rooms are not necessarily what I'd call spacious but we've stayed in tighter, and are updated, clean and comfortable. Request one with a balcony that overlooks the back terrace! Terrific desk staff and breakfast (included in the tariff), and that terrace is a great spot for a drink (they have a nice bar) and cooling the heels after a long day.

Augustiner Braustube is just down the street, and we had one of the best pizzas EVER at another neighborhood restaurant reco'd by the staff. We'd gotten into the city late in the day and were tired and famished so needed something easy. Anyway, it was so good that we went back for pasta on a different night. Lots of good places to eat in the area; ask the desk.

Rates will be high during Oktoberfest (rates in general increase during the fest) and they will fill quickly in advance but that's to be expected given the location.

We were just at 2015 Oktoberfest as part of the My Way Europe Tour. I picked our departure date so we could be there. We didn't think we could get into a tent without reservations but we went on Sunday during the morning parade. It was about 10:15. There were 4 of us . We walked into the HafBrau Tent (sp?) and were INVITED to sit in a section by an older waitress. We think she was profiling,i.e. looking for "harmless" people!! We sat next to 3 young guys from St. Louis. This was their second time. On the other side were younger people from Belarus. We apologized to them saying we were sorry ,we figured they hadn't planed to sit with their "parents" . We were all in our earily 60's! It was so much fun! You do need to be careful and not get too carried away as they toast about every 8 mins.!! We left about 3. It was a zoo by then. It was a great time,much more fun than I thought it would be!! Good luck!

We have been to Oktoberfest three times and had a blast each time. Already plotting our return.

1st you have to have 10 people minimum to reserve a table. I don't believe reservations even start until 6pm possibly. So if you have 10 people in your group - it's probably a good idea. Go to Oktoberfest.de and it has links to all the tents. In my humble opinion - the Hacker tent and the Lowenbrau test are the best! Don't be surprised if you don't get an answer back. If they don't have anything for you - they don't even reply.

2nd - make your hotel reservation ASAP! Hotels book up and you will want to be within walking distance of the grounds. We have stayed at Hotel Munichner Kindl. Good place great breakfast. Make sure you tell them if you are NOT going to eat their breakfast in the morning or they will charge you. They considered it proper manners and I didn't know it was going to be assumed.

3rd - dress up! Everyone does and it's such great fun. Go to Amazon.com and get lederhosen a a dirndl.

4th - avoid weekends if at all possible. We always go on weekdays and during the days you can tent hop and see everything. By the time the evening starts the tents start to fill and you cannot get in. The weekends have full tents from open to close. And I have heard that on one weekend, people were being turned away at the train station.

5th - don't dismiss the tiny tents. They are small and more intimate and we made great friends and memories in those.

6th - eat often. You will need to soak up those mass of beers. Learn the words to John Denver's "Country Roads". It's a requirement.

Enjoy!

jacunnington Its like the largest State Fair you can imagine, with beer. You just have to keep walking around to see things. There is a tent in the far corner (from the U-bahn stop) that has more traditional music and dancing that costs an additional fee to enter.

My understanding is that locally, its called Wiesenfest, not Oktoberfest, so posters and such may say that instead.

I guess I can pass on my experience and plans for next year. I have been once, we focused on the weekdays after opening weekend, was able to get a seat in several tents during the Afternoon. At that time, we were just passing through, stayed in Fussen that night.

Next year, there will be 7 guys doing a beer trip, starting with Octoberfest opening weekend and the Monday after. We decided to stay outside of Munich, in Tegernsee, about an hour away. We plan to hit the opening Parades, then hit some of the non-fest venues (Breweries at Andech and Aying) some of the beer halls in Munich over the weekend as well, then focus on the Fest grounds on Monday.

I've taken many groups to Oktoberfest both big and small and here is what I've done in a similar situation (less than 4 persons). We didn't bother with tent reservations as you only really need them for 2 cases: big groups or guaranteed entrance at peak times of weekday evening or weekends afternoon/evening. We would hit the tents on a weekday afternoon and just find a spot to sit and order some beers. In the evening we still got into tent by making fast friends with people (Hint: we bring Texas flag lapel pins to give out as gifts, hand someone a pin as a gift and you are instant friends in most cases, don't ask me why this works but it does). If we stay in the city we typically booked rooms a year in advance with MotelOne (easy cancellation policy) that was was near public transportation. Last I checked all the convenient MotelOnes were booked already for next year but some of the outlying ones still had rooms. I would not recommend staying next to the fairgrounds as it will be pricey and not very pleasant. Staying outside the city we also pick Tergernsee as Paul suggested. Tegernsee is close enough to Munich using the BOB train (they have a combo BOB-MVV ticket) that you can go into the city have some fun and come back the same day if needed, also public transportation around the lake is usually included with your hotel. Since it is a touristy area there is a lot of good infrastructure for visitors. There is a great Brewery/Restaurant right on the lake, Bräustüberl Tegernsee. It also beats any areas north of the city in terms of scenery. Last of all room in Bad Wiessee are cheap compared to Munich, this year I've booked a triple room for 99€/night.

DJ

Just a couple of thoughts.....

Don't get upset if your liter beer comes with one/third foam. That's how it is served; you are not being ripped off.

The beer is strong and it catches up with you faster than you think. After the second liter, time to eat, eat, eat! If you are drinking much past that, have a "designated driver" who will help maneuver the group back to wherever your accommodations are.

Don't even think of stealing a mug; security at the tents watch for this and the fines are heavy. If you want the actual mug you drank out of, try taking it to the stands or tables set up at each tent selling souvenir mugs and ask if you can pay for it. Getting a receipt is important; this is what will keep you out of trouble if you are stopped as you leave (the same for any souvenir mugs you may purchase). Don't lose that receipt!

The advice from the other posters is good advice; day vs. night, weekdays vs. weekends. I had a video camera when I went and I couldn't believe how many free beers were pushed on me when people saw I was filming. Needless to say, after a couple of hours I was toast and I still don't know how I was able to make my way back to my hotel. But it was fun!