Places to stay during Octoberfest 2021

prices always rocket higher during this event
im going to try to find an airbnb for 3 adults as well as im suppose to be going to russia for 2 weeks then of to berlin to watch a friend run the marathon (which i also think is in doubt) then off to munich

i do have questions about this years oktoberfest
7.2 million attended 2019 thats 400k a day
will there actually be public events held like this in 2021
if so , full or a percentage
or only vaccinated people

the 1st real big event that i can think of in 2021 is the Olympics on july 23

big test on how countries will approach attendance for huge public events

another good indicator would be the cruise industry : they are on hold until mar 31 so will have an idea on how major tourist industries are thinking

When my husband lived in Munich, he heard of people sleeping in Salzburg and taking the 2-hour train ride into Munich for Oktoberfest. (Cheap trip using a Bayern ticket for 3)

Lynda- We had reservations for the 'Fest in 2020. Of course the 'Fest was cancelled about 6 months before it was scheduled to start. I will be very surprised if it is not cancelled in 2021 so I didn't bother with going through the effort of planning for 2021.. (It is only 9 1/2 months until the first day, 18 September.) I don't think half (maybe even 1/4 th) of the US population will be vaccinated by then. And i certainly wouldn't want to go unless 80 to 90 % of the EU population is vaccinated. Also notice that the Passion play was moved from 2020 to 2022.

You are not that old yet. I went to my first 'Fest in 1956, so you can see I have quite a few years on you. You may be able to attend the 'Fest in 2021 but I would recommend that you save up for one more year and plan on visiting in 2022. If you don't go this year, come back on line around mid-December 2021 and we can supply you with some less expensive places near Munich for 2022.

I hate to throw cold water on your 2021 trip, but anyway...

Be Safe and get vaccinated ASAP!!!

With a Bayern ticket it can be a good idea to look at surrounding towns. Salzburg has been mentioned, Augsburg, Ulm or Ingolstadt are other towns with good train connections to Munich.

Do you really want to be staying 2 hours away? If it means so much to you, just bite the bullet and experience staying locally. It’s only a few nights.

I think the chances of the German government permitting so many people to attend a beer fest in close proximity in September 2021 is around 0%. Make sure any booking is flexible.

Augsburg is a good choice. Nice city and 40 - 45 minutes by direct train to Munich's main station.

For the Augsburg > München Hbf > Augsburg trip, the Bayern Ticket day pass is actually €3 more than you need to pay; the Regio-ticket Allgäu-Schwaben (€38/3) will work also covers other train routes shown on the linked map.

But understand that Munich's overpriced, overhyped and over-touristed Oktoberfest is virtually the only fall Bierfest that international tourists tend to know about. There are other big fests with long traditions as well, fests that attract mostly Germans. One of those is the Canstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart. Worth considering in light of the eager, beer-deprived international crowd that will invade Munich for Oktoberfest (if it takes place.)

Nuremberg is about 75 minutes from Munich with many hotels near its main station. The Oktoberfest Grounds are about half a mile south of the main train station in Munich.

If you want a big, but not so big Beer Festival. consider the Berche in Erlangen just north of Nuremberg in June 2021 or 2022.
https://erlanger-bergkirchweih.de

Another option for staying outside of town, is Tegernsee. It is accessible via the BOB train, about an hour trip, but easy. Tegernsee, to me, worked well because we could include some non-fest activities, including hiking (taking a cable car up into the mountains), seeing the alpine scenery, plus there is a great brewery and restaurant in town, as well as a top notch bath/sauna. Tegernsee is the type of place that Germans go to escape the city or for a vacation. It is good if you are looking for some things to do, rather than just a room for the night.

I appreciate all of these comments. I will considered them and hopefully get to experience this event in this year or next.
At my age I'm concerned that my international travel days are numbered. I have so much to see in do in Europe. One more question, do you think traveling around Germany other that Munich will be possible in 2021?

Germany is under coronavirus lockdown through 31 January. Vaccinations have begun. Keep an eye on the Robert Koch-Institut International Risk Areas List. Seems like most of world is currently on the list. Personally, for leisure travel I would not get too optimistic for 2021. I’ll be happy to get to Austria or Switzerland without having to quarantine upon return to Germany.

https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Risikogebiete_neu.html

https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Transport/Archiv_Risikogebiete/Risikogebiete_2021-01-07_en.pdf?__blob=publicationFile

We lived in Augsburg from 87-91 and took the train into Munich for the fest. It is a 30 minute train ride and you can walk to the fest grounds from the Bahnhof.

I stayed in Augsburg in 2018 for the Oktoberfest. Roughly a 10 minute walk to the train station. Bayern ticket. Good for regional trains, U/S-Bahns, buses and trams for the day. Regional train takes 46 minutes to Munich.

Bonus - Augsburg is a beautiful city to explore while you spend time at Oktoberfest.

Whew, my wife and I found out the hard way about Munich and Oktoberfest prices in 2019. We were finishing our stay in Paris and thought, why not? We ended up spending 500 euro for two nights at an Air bnb one tube stop away from the grounds. It was great fun, but at that cost, it was fly in, stay the night, do Oktoberfest the next day, and then fly home.

I hope you have a fantastic time!

The official website for this years Oktoberfest remains sceptical but hopeful.

I am willing to take bets that there won't be one this year, as much as everyone wants it to happen, because Germany is too slow with the vaccines.

lduke47

. . . At my age I'm concerned that my international travel days are numbered. I have so much to see in do in Europe. . .

Yeah, many of us are in that same boat. We're planning to make the most of it when the opportunity comes. Nobody can predict exactly whats going to happen.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my questions about Octoberfest. I really appreciated hearing others perspectives.