I plan on surprising my husband for his 75th birthday next year. We'll be coming into Munich from Italy the Friday night before the festivities start. My initial plan was a to spend Friday night, Saturday, Sunday and Monday flying hone from Munich on Tuesday. I heard it's there are fewer people on Monday but I'm not sure if it's worth staying another day. We've been to Munich before and loved it. I'd appreciate thoughts and input.
I've already booked our rooms which I can adjust if we depart early.
Posted by
Cleveland, Ohio US
36 posts
Hi there,
What an awesome surprise for your husband! Below is a helpful article from the Oktoberfest site showing expected crowds by day. I believe they are still showing this year but you can assume something similar for next year in terms of how busy the first weekend will be.
We went to Oktoberfest this year. I specifically altered our itinerary so that we could visit on a non- weekend day. There were four of us and we did not have any reservations in any of the tents. We arrived at the fest at about 11:30 am on Thursday. We visited four tents but after about 6 pm, could not get into any others/find seats. Two of the tents we went to, we sat at tables which had reservations later in the day meaning we were ok to sit there for a while but then needed to leave. If we had just stayed at one of the other two tents where we had seats, we could have stayed all night. But, we were restless and wanted to see more!!!
We went again Friday night knowing we wouldn’t get into any tents. We just people watched and got some food from the stands. While there are no places to get beer other than in the tents, we did see a few stands selling liquor.
If I were to go again, I would definitely go mid-week and be more mindful about which tents we visit first as I never got to visit the tent that was number 1 on my list. I would also investigate either sharing a table reservation or some sort of tour that gives you guaranteed seating. If you don’t know, everything I read about table reservations is that you have to reserve the entire table (8-10) people and pre-pay for a meal and 1 beer per person. Maybe there are other options I missed and that you will find. :)
Have an awesome time!!
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7535 posts
I guess my concern would be going all the way there, then not being able to get a seat in a tent, which is likely on Saturday and Sunday. I would keep your plans as-is, do the Parades on Saturday, maybe go to the grounds and walk around, then find some other activities for Sunday.
As for other activities, if the theme is beer, a side trip to Andechs Monastery for some beer and a great dinner would be nice, the town of Freising has a small brewery (Huber Brau) plus a major brewery Weinhenstephan with a nice beer garden.
A bit less beer would be taking the BOB train out to Tegernsee for some time by the lake, or a cable car into the mountains. There is also a wonderful thermal bath, and yes, a well respected brewery with a good restaurant.
Monday, I would head to the Fest grounds about noon, you should be easily able to get seats in any number of tents throughout the afternoon, giving you an early evening to prepare for your flight.
Posted by
7659 posts
We lived in Augsburg, near Munich and did the Oktoberfest three times. Enjoyed the parade for one, but standing for hours for a good view is a royal pain.
As for spending 3-4 days at the fest, not sure my liver could handle that. We usually spent one day or several hours there.
The Andecks Monastery is very interesting. Their beer is something like 25% alcohol. After two, I was done.
Posted by
WA, USA
330 posts
Went to Oktoberfest a few years ago with my sister in law.
Tried to make reservations to the tents, but all of my email replies said just come and we will find a spot for 2 people.
Sure enough, all the tents we went to accommodated us!
We went on 3 different days and it was fantastic!
Enjoy surprising your husband! He will love it!
Posted by
Niagara, Ontario
1549 posts
"The Andecks Monastery is very interesting. Their beer is something like 25% alcohol. - Are you sure about that? Maybe you had a few before you reached Andech.
As well as Andech, fairly close to Munich are Murnau and Bad Tolz, two pleasant alpine towns worth a visit, reachable by direct train. When I visited Nymphenburg on a Sunday during Oktoberfest, the palace and gardens were not overly crowded, nor was the Residence and garden close by.