Oktoberfest - worth it or not?

We will be renting a car for Bavaria and Austria and then taking a train from Innsbruck to Venice.

Dropping the car in Innsbruck will cost you a sizeable foreign drop-off fee. I can't quite grasp the need for a car anyway in Bavaria and Austria when the number of days you have there can be counted on one hand. The train system there is terrific.

"In y'all's minds is it worth the extra expense to be able to experience it once in your life?"

No.

“In y'all's minds is it worth the extra expense to be able to experience it once in your life?”

Yes! Absolutely! If you love drinking and partying and crowds and midway mayhem and fair food!

Otherwise, I’d say that it isn’t. You’d be watching other folks partying and overeating and throwing up on their shoes, but not participating. For people watching it might be cool to stroll around and observe - but a grand is a considerable sum, and I am not sure Oktoberfest would make that expenditure worthwhile for you.

Full disclosure: I love beer and mulled wine and crazy antics and crowds and oompah bands, so I love Oktoberfest. But I understand how it might not appeal to everyone. And in that case, I’d say you won’t regret skipping it.

Ah, Octoberfest. BTDT, but only because we lived not very far away, and there was an organized bus tour to get us there and back. My experience was much as Volva described. Likely fantastic if you are fully participating. Not so much if you're just watching and trying not to get jostled by happy drunks. Not worth $1k to me, but who am I to say you shouldn't go. The other consideration is whether it is worth spending one of your very few, and therefore valuable touring days doing that.

Please read carefully what was posted about the car drop off fees if you rent in one country and drop in another. There really shouldn't be a need for that on such a short trip.

I have been, several times, and may end up in that area provided the family who are planning to come over this year can finailize their dates. So I may end up taking them, depending...

If you are a beer drinker, or you like huge events, it can be worth the effort to go. It can be a lot of fun, but is best when with others. Mind you it's not inexpensive. A beer this past year at like festivals was running 12-13 Euro, which is the cost of two 6 packs in any German supermarket. Food is likewise more expensive than you'll find at the small Imbis (snack stands) you find in every city.

I'd try to make the visit at a time when you can catch a parade or other event, those are, to me, more special than the normal rides and booths.

First of all, I don't drink alcohol at all and I love Oktoberfest. But... it's not my fault, because I was born in a hospital that's right next to Oktoberfest (it's no longer a gynecological clinic). Oh well, and you always need some kind of excuse :-)

It's already been said that it's more fun in a tent with a larger group. Or maybe you just love sitting there and watching the crazy goings-on.

And if you want to know what Oktoberfest was like in the old days, you could go to the 'Oide Wiesn'. A separated area where you pay a few Euros for admission, but in return you can sit in peace, listen to music and have dinner/lunch. You'll find the historic rides as well as many families with children.

It's also really nice to watch the parades on the first two days (Saturday and Sunday).

A stroll through Oktoberfest in the evening can also be nice. Maybe you shouldn't arrive too late when all the drunks are on their way home.

Have fun.

I lived in Germany for four years and did Oktoberfest three times. I loved it, but I love beer.

You only have 10 days to visit Bavaria, Austria and Venice. Hotels in Munich are hard to find unless you book early.

I think the extra "($1k)" is the Oktoberfest premium for hard to find hotels in Munich for those dates.

... is it worth the extra expense to be able to experience it once in your life?

If it is going to cost an extra thousand dollars, my opinion is no. If you do google searches for festivals in the towns you will visit or pass through, you can probably find local beer festivals that will give you the same experience without the extra cost. And there are a lot of them in Bavaria.

TC has a point, there are beer festivals all over Bavaria during the mid-Spring until October. Oktoberfest is pretty much the last one of the season and the largest.

The magnitude of the event is amazing in itself. You have many huge beer tents loaded with music, food and people. Smaller fests are not as much "the event." Also, most fests will be done by mid-September.

With your limited time, and the extra expense involved, you might have other priorities, since you are not a drinker, and that is at least half the fun.

I agree with the concern about hiring a car in Germany and returning it in Austria.

Another hidden cost may well be that you are finishing your trip in Venice and presumably flying home from there. Many if not most flights to the US (guessing from the y'alls) fly out of Venice very early in the morning which involves getting up at zero dark thirty and many people resort to paying big money for a water taxi to the airport because of the early departure in the dark.

On the other hand flights into Venice tend to be at very good times of day.

And if you want to experience Oktoberfest or the Cannstatter Volksfest go for it. By american standards they are unique.

Visiting a fest for an extra 1000, plus the high inflated hotel prices? No, it is not worth it. There are lots of fun and unique festivals in Germany, that are not overpriced. No way would I pay extra to see Oktoberfest.

Sorry overlooked this 1K extra topic. If you are not a fan than it is not worth it.

No, not worth it.

I am not a fan of such events and as born and grew up in Berlin I cannot relate to it because no tradition here - same for carnival season.

A few million people seem to like Oktoberfest every year, so as long as you do not think that it has anything to do with Germany or Bavaria in total - Oktoberfest is a Munich thing only - go there and enjoy it.

Much more healthy and a tradition in Berlin at the same time (on one weekend only) is Berlin Marathon. This year Sept. 21.

The Munich Marathon was fun to watch. Last year was Oct. 13th, date not set yet for this year.

@travelerguy

Munich Marathon 2025 will be October 12th. And this year it's supposed to be even better, as the course will focus as well on the city center. And this time, the 'Werksviertel' behind the Ostbahnhof (an exciting new district, in my opinion) will also be on the route.