travel in germany

Unfortunately, If you have not booked already you are probably going to be out of luck on this one without paying a lot of money. You may have to stay somewhere outside of Munich to find anything. I went last year and booked a room for Oct. 1st in early March. It is extreamely busy and crowded at the grounds of the fest. The rest of the town is no more crowded than normal. If money is no object then I would book one of the first things you find. Prices are about half that on the weekdays than the weekend, but still very expensive. I stayed at the Englisher Garten B & B and paid about 150 EU per night for 3 nights. Good Luck!

If you are looking to participate in this years event, availability will be scant if not impossible to find. I would suggest heading south and celebrating in one of the smaller villages rather than take on the throngs in Munich. Good luck!

Your best bet for late accomodations and budget alternatives is to look for lodging in any small town around Munich.

I was able to find a nice pension at the last minute very nicely located near central Munich at a decent price. They must have had a late cancelation. I called a bunch of places and was starting to think I was going to be homeless for the night; while it ended up okay, I don't recommend it.

The key is how convenient public transport will be. I would probably look at a Google map of Munich, find the train station, follow some of the tracks out of town, note the names of towns they pass through and start looking for lodging there.

Some people have suggested a few towns on this site. I think Augsberg was one. Salzburg is great but I'm sure you can get closer than that. You may want to search the site for more details. Octoberfest closes early so you shouldn't have too much trouble getting back at night. You probably won't add much time to the commute staying in a nearby town versus staying on the outskirts of Munich.

Oktoberfest means throngs of visitors, some heavy intoxication, some bad behavior, and ridiculous room prices. You might enjoy the Wine fest in Boppard instead. Boppard is on the Rhine river south of Koblenz where there's a concentration of medieval castles. The fest runs from 10/3-5 and involves treet music, wine stands, and an exceptional fireworks show on Sat. night. You can probably get a room there or in Koblenz or St. Goar, and at more normal prices.

Follow Brad's advice below. I always try to stay in a small town outside of my destination. If you find one about 5 minutes away by train, you will benefit. Rooms will be much cheaper.

I take the train from my destination city to the place I want to find a room and go to the Tourist Information Office in the RR station. The clerks are very helpful in German stations at finding what you want.

Ask about price, location and any other ?amenity you prefer. Some times the owner will come to the station and pick up you and your luggage.

You mentioned specifically October travel - just remember Octoberfest is mostly in September, concluding October 5th this year. If you do go, I just didn't want you to be too late!