Oktoberfest: First Time in Germany

Something on the U-4 would be ultra-convenient, but any old place will do. Very fun time for people who are sociable and like beer.

jenelle, please clarify. Are you asking about where in Munich to stay convenient to the site of the festival, or something else?

Also, if you do a Search on "Oktoberfest" using the search function at the top of this page, you'll find a lot of recent threads that might be of interest.

But I'm hoping for some insight on the festival and what to expect!

The best way I've found to describe it is like a big state fair. Most people only think about the beer tents but there is so much more than just that.

looking for accommodations have been nerve racking. I am hoping for some insight on areas that are good to stay in along with any other advice!

Many hotels have not release their rates for next year so you might wait another month or so but affordable rooms and good areas really start to fill up by the end of the year so try and book before then. The longer you wait to get a room cost you more money or you will have to stay further out of town. We always get rooms in Haidhausen so we can take the U5 strait to the fest grounds but still be far enough away from the fest so it's not too crowded or expensive.

DJ

We were just in Munich (right before the start of Oktoberfest). The idea of a big fair is good; they were setting up huge rollercoasters and looked like every kind of ride you could imagine. The Hotel Uhland is very close to the Oktoberfest grounds; we walked around the entire grounds from the hotel. We found it clean, convenient and very pleasant staff. The prices were very good, but I would guess they are higher during Oktoberfest. Check it out!

Thank you all this helps so much!

Rick went to this year's Oktoberfest and has a series of blog posts about it. Right now, they're on page 2 of his blog posts pages, but of course as he make more posts they will scroll down: http://blog.ricksteves.com/page/2/