Munich Oktoberfest 2022

Have been a couple of times. I guess are you looking to drink beer late into the night....or go, have a good time, and be able to go a half hour or 45 minutes to your hotel? Basically staying outside of Munich is a good option, much cheaper, you just need to be mindful of when the last trains leave. Some options would be Augsburg, Freising, even Tegernsee can make for a nice stay.

As for will they be busier? who knows, one could assume so, or maybe everyone will think that and stay away.

As for days, I like the first day or two after opening weekend, a lot of people, including locals target opening weekend, then take a few days off. Weekends in general are crowded, as is the closing couple of days, so early in any week is good.

Afternoons can be fun and is relatively easy to get seats in a tent. Evenings can be harder, but wilder, show up early, claim an unreserved table, it is hit or miss. You can find guides online on how to go about attending and what to do.

Cost of Octoberfest itself is under your control, figure about 10 euro for a maas of beer, about the same for a meal, entry is free.

I don't think the surrounding sights will be overly busy. I would suggest maybe a visit to Andechs Monastery for beer and a meal, you might also try to fit in the beer fest in Stuttgart, the Cannstatter Volksfest, many of the same qualities of Oktoberfest, but more local, easier to get a table, maybe more fun.

No problem flying into and out of Munich, the only other easy option would be Frankfurt, ok if you add Stuttgart, but if you are staying around Munich, fly there.

Get your dates figured out and book a hotel ASAP. I was thinking of flying to London from Munich after a Dolomites trip in September, with 2 nights in Munich beforehand. Our dates would be several days before Oktoberfest starts. Even then, hotel prices are crazy, some have minimum stay requirements, and some are already fully booked. The cheapest I found were the Motel One chain, but 5 of the 10 Munich locations are already booked for our dates——3-4 days before the official start. The others start at 200€ for a double room.

So we will fly out of Venice instead.

Thank you for the tips! We would like to drink beer late into the night so looks like I'll be needing to book a hotel ASAP in that case.

Been to the big fest three times. It is always BUSY. Don't miss the parade at the beginning of the fest.
Fussen is near Garmish near the Austrian border. Consider spending days there and going the Zugspitze as well.

Salzburg is SE of Munich as Garmish is SW. Berchtesgaden is close to Salzburg and worth a visit to the Eagle's Nest.

Is there a way to get from Garmish or Fussen to Salzburg by train or bus?

I went to Berchtesgaden when I visited 6 years ago and would really like to take my friends there! It was incredible.

Yes, there are regional trains to Garmisch and Salzburg. You can use a Bayern Ticket for both of these if it saves you money, and it definitely will if you are doing a day-trip or going with 2 to 4 other people.
https://www.bahn.com/en

I wouldn't venture any predictions about what will be busy or not busy a year from now during Covid or post-Covid times. Who knows? It looks like things are gradually moving back to normal, but we've all been so wrong in our assumptions about what will be "normal" and when that I'd be careful making any predictions.

avoiding high costs and overwhelming crowds

As a Northern German, I certainly can't claim to be an Octoberfest expert, but I am surprised at that. I would have thought that the whole point of going to the Octoberfest is to throw yourself into the crowds...?

Are there any recommended airports to fly into?

You can of course fly right into Munich. Or you could go to Frankfurt and take the train from there. Munich main station is pretty close to the Oktoberfest (we ended up there by accident once during a long layover at the station), so you will not have any trouble getting there from anywhere else.

Don't wait to go to a fest tent and take in some great beer. If you go at lunch instead of waiting until the late afternoon, it is not as crowded.

If we fit Fussen and Salzburg into our trip, it would be nice to stay for the night so a train directly from one to the other would help save time! Thanks!

As for avoiding overwhelming crowds, I was speaking to avoiding the busiest times when we won't be able to sit in a tent. I think we're going to aim for opening weekend and the following first couple days of the week. I learned that there are more options for food and drink than the tents and beer gardens so if we can't get a beer on the first Saturday and/or Sunday then we will enjoy the other parts of the festival and aim for sitting in a tent on Monday and/or Tuesday! Looks like we'll go for lunch and make the best of it!

Hi, JT, hope you and your friends enjoy Germany while you are there. Here are my thoughts about your goals and your situation.

"The main issues I'm facing when planning is avoiding high costs and overwhelming crowds."

September is the best month to visit Germany! You known O'fest is in September, right? (Well, except for 3 days in October.) And it's no secret that September is a very popular month. But Munich is incredibly expensive during O'fest. And tourists such as yourself from around the world who go to O'fest are thinking much like you - Bavaria, Alps, Neuschwanstein, O'fest, Salzburg, maybe even the Sound of Music... the whole cliched package. So the truth is that your present thinking will turn out to be a visit like the one you are fearing - mega-crowds and mega-prices. And all the while, there's beer, fun, and adventure in the much LESS touristy part of Germany outside of these places.

You probably don't understand how HUGE Bavaria is, how many options you have before you. If you want to do some drinking and enjoy some regional Bavarian food and visit the Alps and see some castles - and spend your cash wisely - then you probably should NOT follow the tourist horde to all the places you have in mind.

In the Alps, I think either Garmisch or Berchtesgaden - but not necessarily BOTH - is a fine idea. But I think you ought to stay put in one or the other for a few days and take full advantage of what's on offer. I find the Garmisch area richer in things to see and do than B'gaden. (It's possible to visit Neuschwanstein from Garmisch - but IMHO it's really not worth going there for.) For economy, you should probably be looking at a vacation rental (Ferienwohnung) where you can share costs and maybe do some of your own food right there on the grill or in the kitchen. Don't bop around with your accommodations - you will usually get a better price if you stay in a rental for 3-5 nights or longer!

The other area you ought to stay in is Franconia - well-separated from Munich. Check into Nuremberg and Bamberg especially if you are interested in sampling beer varieties and local food. Franconia also has a huge WINE industry - and perhaps some wine fests. N'berg, Bamberg and Würzburg form a triangle of historic cities with university populations that are near each other and very worthwhile. Visit the Residenz Palace and the Marienberg fortress in W'burg and the Kaiserburg Castle (a castle hostel) in Nuremberg.

So my suggestion is 3-5 nights in Franconia (Nuremberg is the easiest base town) + 3-4 nights in the Alps; on the way in between, STOP IN MUNICH FOR ONE DAY TO TAKE IN OKTOBERFEST.

Smart way would probably be to fly into Frankfurt and out of Munich. Getting around by train for your group to these places will be cheap on day passes available at the station.

I agree with other posters- if you want to do the beer drinking of Octoberfest, and aren't super interested in the sites in Munich, one day is plenty--- it is also REALLY expensive to stay in Munich around any form of Octoberfest (or even the smaller May fest). Hotel prices jump by about 30% (OUCH).

If we fit Fussen and Salzburg into our trip, it would be nice to stay for the night so a train directly from one to the other would help save time! Thanks!

Nope, its pretty much hub and spoke with Munich as the hub. It is about a 4 1/2 hour train trip using regional trains, which will cost 33 EUR for 2 people using the Bayern ticket. Leave after 9 am weekdays or anytime on weekends. Some trains will require an extra train change at Kaufbeuren, but it does not cost any time as the trains are 7 minutes apart and from the same platform.

PS. It would take 3 hours to drive anyway, so even if such a rail line did exist, it would not save much time.

Thank you all for the suggestions and tips! We have put together a good itinerary for Oktoberfest 2022, lodging has been booked, and I am super excited! We will be attending the first couple days of Ofest and then heading into the Bavarian Alps. We have decided to stay in Munich for 3 days then head to Fuessen, then GaP and finally on to Salzburg. Flying in and out of Munich makes logistical sense and helps save money. Our stay in Munich is not very Rick-Steves-y as it's a Best Western, but I think it will work out for our group as it will ease the culture shock flying directly into Bavaria.

I noticed that the Neuschwanstein website says they are limiting tours due to the pandemic. I'm thinking we will need to book tours and purchase tickets farther in advance than normal.

Question for Russ, are you saying Oktoberfest spills over (pun intended) into Austria? That could mess up some travel plans I have.

Phred-

As I remember, there is a very much smaller Oktoberfest in Salzburg (more drinking and eating with fewer carnival rides) the first weekend of the Munich Oktoberfest. It was located in the southwest end of the old town. Rooms were about twice the normal rate, but still lower than rooms in Munich. This was in the 1995 to 2015 time frame so things may have changed since then, especially with Covid-19.

Have a great trip!!!