All things Oktoberfest 2014
 

Wife and I are planning a to attend Oktoberfest. We would probably stay 2 night in Munich.

Wanted to get some tips recommendations or our trip.

Also if anyone else is going during this time, we should connect :)


All feedback and replies are appreciated

-Vish

Use the "search forum" box in the upper right hand corner to find the thread Oktoberfest 2013. I received some good tips on that thread.
Plan your trip so you are there during the week and not the weekend. Weekends are packed and you can't get into the tents.

Hope you already have a room reserved...
Use public transportation...

Have a good time!!!

((B))

And you know Oktoberfest isn't really I October?

Learned of a great site from a wizard over on Trip Advisor:

http://www.oktoberfest-insider.com/oktoberfest-faq.htm

This will pretty much tell you everything you need to know. Other than the author's estimate of daily cost to attend is low, by about half. (He estimates 45€, regulars agree it's about double that. Unless you aren't a beer drinker, ha!)

It starts in Sept and goes int October. Don't go on the weekend and get there early in the day and you will find seats without reservations. Pace yourself and eat in the tents. Tip good and have cash. You might have a hard time getting just two nights but don't worry about staying south of Munich and catching the train into Munich daily. There are a lot of nice places to stay. Murnau is one that is nice and on the train route. They also have a great brewery in town.

Plenty of places to stay outside Munich if you can't get a place in town and I wouldn't just restrict obtains to south of Munich. To the west there is Dachau, which is a pretty town less than 30 minutes from the Hacker Bridge (Hackerbrücke), the closest station to the Oktoberfest itself. Then there are Starnberg on the Starnbergersee, and Herrsching on the Ammersee - these lakes (See = lake in German) extend to the foothills of the Alps and the towns are pleasant places to stay. To the northeast of Munich is Freising - although not far from the airport it isn't in the flightpath, so surprisingly quiet. All of these towns have good train services to Munich, Dachau and Freising have their own breweries. The closest brewery to Herrsching is a 30-40 minute walk up the hill to Andechs, where the local monastery has long had an excellent reputation for the beer it produces and is a great place to walk to for a leisurely lunch. One of the rules at the Oktoberfest is that only local beers can be sold. So the only find beers that you'll find there are actually brewed in the city.

Do Oktoberfest Seats get sold out? If I get to Munich on the 18th do you think 4 days is sufficient enough for Oktoberfest.

I know one of the days we will take a day trip to Austria so technically its 3 days in Munich.

You cannot buy a seat. They sell tables of 10 and you have to purchase the entire table. Those sell out the year before to groups that have booked prior years.
Each tent is required to hold a certain number of non- reserved places. All outdoor seating is non-reserved (lots of smoking in outdoor sections).
Once the tents fill up no more people are allowed through the door.

It is much easier to get a seat earlier in the day and during the week. A waitress can help you find a spot (tip her).
If you arrive the 18th, that is a Thursday. Go that day and early on Friday. Saturday and Sunday will be packed and seating impossible (unless you line up before opening). Last year on Saturday night the crowd was literally at a standstill. Sunday night may be a little better.

Yes, 4 days is enough.

I certainly want to encourage you to go.
We are so happy that we went. It is worth it just to see all the beautiful draft horses with their wagons.

(There were two of us and when tents were full we did manage to find outdoor seating.)