Just returned from an amazing two weeks in fabulous southern Germany. It was my third time in Munich and 2nd to the fest. I was traveling with my wife for the first week and then meeting up with our daughter and a larger group of 14 for a few days of Munich and attending Oktoberfest.
Weather was overall great considering the amount of rain the area had been having in the weeks prior. We flew non stop from LAX to Munich on Lufthansa. Flight was late leaving Munich so we were delayed on our departure from LA but made up most of the time en route.
Munich was busy but not crazy arriving one week before the fest opened. We had gotten our $49 Deutschland-Ticket rail pass for the month of Sept and it WORKED LIKE A CHARM. Can def suggest it as a way to travel freely without ever having to think about buying tickets or dealing with vending machines. We used the DB app on the iPhone with ATT international daypass working for data and never had a problem getting around or figuring out what train to take next.
We stayed the first night at Hotel Platzl just off the Marienplatz and enjoyed it very much. We got up the next am and paid for the high speed train to Nuremberg for a day stop before heading on to Rothenburg ob der Tauber for two incredible nights. We loved this town and would go back in a heartbeat. Night watchman tour was a hoot and we took a long hike from the city down to the valley and the tiny castle(house) and back up and then just sat at cafes and marveled at the view of the city itself.
From there we trained to Salzburg for two nights. The Altstadt was under construction and the sidewalk outside our hotel was torn up which def took away from the atmosphere I remembered from a previous visit. In addition, they were setting up for their version of Oktoberfest and all the squares were filled with tents and closed booths and tacky carnival rides. It kind of took away from the romance of the place for me personally. We did enjoy the visit to the castle, the views of the alps and then our hike down to the Augustiner Biergarten for a refreshment. Another highlight was sacher torte and a tea sitting at a cafe on the river and looking up at the castle during a glorious afternoon of sunshine.
Next stop Mittenwald and Krun for the cow parade. We LOVED both these places and would go back to Mittenwald to do more hiking and exploring the area. The trails into the moutnains leave from the center of town and the beauty there is breathtaking. The Almabtrieb in Krun was a hoot and was PACKED with locals enjoying a good 10:30am bier. We were sad to leave but excited to get to Munich and our kids!
We stayed at Hotel am Markt in the center of the Viktulienmarkt. It might be too loud and crazy for some, but we love being able to have the market right outside our front door. Breakfasts strolling the market and eating the awesome food was a highlight. The fest was amazing, crowded but we were able to get seats for 14 at tables inside three different tents by starting around 11am and working through until the afternoon session ended around 4pm. Night sessions were PACKED and we only found room outdoors at Spaten and in the standing room of the main HB tent. Roasted chickens lived up to the hype and we had an absolute blast. The bier is strong and delicious but we knew to pace ourselves after a failed attempt a few years back!
Last stop was a couple days in Garmisch which we also really enjoyed. The hiking there is glorious but we needed a car since the trails all start a ways out of town. The town was super cute (and busy) and we found good food and drink choices for our meals. We spent one last night in Munich before heading back to LAX on Saturday. It took almost 2 hours to clear security at 10am but we saw the photos from later in the week which were a NIGHTMARE. If I was going again, I'd make sure to leave before the 2nd week of the fest or fly out of another airport.