Staying near Munich during Octofest

"We will have a rental car."
It should be a lot easier to take the train into Munich than to drive into town during Oktoberfest. The O'fest site advises not to bother trying to park near the site. Better to try P+R plus public transport, they say, if you're arriving by car, but IMO it's easier just to get on the train in the first place if you can locate yourselves in a town with a station.

http://www.oktoberfest.de/en/article/Visit+Munich/Getting+there/Going+to+Munich+by+car/834/

Augsburg might be worth a shot.

Thank You

I stayed here, in Landsberg am Lech, on the last weekend of Oktoberfest 2007, and they had not raised their prices. Today's price for a double room with breakfast is 80€. It's about 45 minutes from downtown Munich by regional train (change in Kaufering). I, too, would suggest ditching the rental car; you won't need it to get to Landsberg or from there into Munich.

As long as you wait until 9 AM (workdays - on any time on weekends) to leave for Munich and get back by three in the morning you can use a Bayern-Ticket (23€ first person, 5€ each additional up to 5 total, 28€ for two) for your travel. It will include your round trip to Munich by regional trains and any public conveyances in Munich.

Thanks to everyone for your help!

Hi Rose-
Do not drink at the Oktoberfest and then try to drive back to your hotel. The polizi are not forgiving. And the parking around the 'Fest is non-existant . The Munich public transportation system is wonderful.

I have stayed in Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Garmisch, and Freising and commuted to the Oktoberfest by direct (no changes) train. There are many other villages and towns less than 50 miles from Munich that have good rail connections. If you stay outside of Munich try to get a room close to the train station in that town so it will be easy to get to and from the train station. (I believe Bad Tolz does not meet this criteria.)

I just checked Augsburg and the Intercity Hotel , which is a block from the train station, has some rooms available depending on your exact dates. But the rooms are still on the expensive side, about $130 per nite. When you factor in the round trip train costs you won't be saving much money compared to staying in Munich or in it's outskirts. And if you are going to the Oktoberfest for only 2-3 days it is probably better to stay in Munich. You can put up with a property that isn't very fancy for a night or 2. I once found a reasonably priced hotel room with underground parking about 6 streetcar stops west of the Oktoberfest. The hotel was on the shabby side but we only used it to store luggage, sleep, and shower. I made the reservation about 1 week before the 'Fest. It is available for $225 per night in the middle of the week right now. These days I use www.Booking.com to check the availability , quality, and cost of hotels.

If you need more help just ask. Also, you can get a lot of Oktoberfest tips from this website
http://www.oktoberfest-insider.com/oktoberfestinsider2015.pdf

Have a great trip!!!

Erding and try out the Erding Therme

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Should you chose to stay here and forego a car, the nearest Sbahn station into Munich is an easy 15 minute walk away.

Check this thread as well:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/octoberfest-hotels-in-and-outside-of-munich

DJ

the nearest Sbahn station into Munich is an easy 15 minute walk away.

or an easy bus ride. The bus stops right outside the entrance, just outside the multi story carpark.