kgveteran

MoBro

We've never been interested in Oktoberfest, but we did stay at a very cute little hotel which is a couple of blocks from the park where it is held.
The Hotel Uhland. https://www.hotel-uhland.de/home/?lang=en
It is very small, so you'd better contact them right away.

Macross

Pace yourself. Hofbrau always has the best party and standing tables that are not reserved, You can always find a seat at many tents before 3. We always go during the week, not the weekend. Have fun.

jc_uk

Have you considered going to Munich at non Oktoberfest time? Myself and a few friends visited Munich a few years ago in June and had a fantastic time. We visited various beer gardens every night, all with their own distinct vibe, they were always well attended but we never had an issue with finding a table. Accommodation was cheaper, the sights weren't so crowded, it was warmer and we'd spend the days easing our hangovers by swimming in the nearby lakes. At this time most of the patrons were German however we did hear a lot of American accents so it was still well frequented by tourists but a distinctly different experience than the commercialism of what Oktoberfest has become (I understand that foreign tourists outnumber Gemans by some margin).

Macross

I have been three times and it is fabulous. We did the Stuggart festival last time and it was so boring. We expected it to have some of the same vibe but fell short. We have stayed 30 minutes away by train and it wasn't bad. There is a pre-warm up on the trains.

kgveteran

whitehall

Last fall we booked 8 nights in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. And, after we booked, we noticed that Oktoberfest would start just as we were scheduled to leave Munich. We thought we would be disappointed, but we did walk to the site prior to its opening, following all the sidewalk painted arrows. And, the only disappointment we had was the location at a big crowded, tacky looking fairgrounds. We had always envisioned that it was an event in Munich's old town.

Instead, we happened onto a similar festival, honoring a saint, in Salzburg, but this one had the right vibe in the center city. Lots of beer, traditional food, lederhosen and dirndls, rollicking music, etc. And, when we finally reached the Munich airport, we came upon a covered beer garden in a large outside area between two of their terminals, and promptly at noon on the day Oktoberfest kicks off, they tapped the first keg (we assume they have a lot of "first" kgs), gave us free beer, and lots of music, dancing and more. For us, maybe a lot better than the fairground one we missed.

Here is our trip report: 3 Countries, 8 Places, 8 Nights, Awesome!

walkinaround

I tend to agree with that logic.

However, I once had the opportunity to attend Munich Oktoberfest several years ago and I was prepared for the worst in terms of commercialism and loutish horrors. It was far better than I expected in those terms. I did not pay for much of it and I would not have chosen to go without this opportunity that I could not refuse. Still I wondered what I was in for. Anyway, I was very happy that I went and was pleasantly surprised at the (relative) civility and 'traditional things' all around (e.g. the fantastic opening parade with horse drawn carriages bringing in the kegs, etc).

That said, I would never seek out attendance and would much rather visit in the summer as you suggest. Plenty of mini-Oktoberfest atmospheres can be found if you like that. better weather, less expensive, and less crowded.

phillyboy

Spent one long day at Octoberfest about 5 years ago, with my wife and another couple. It was a weekday, and though it was very crowded, we had no trouble finding tables at several different tents. The wives had enough after a few hours, while my buddy and I would have stayed for days, eating sausage sandwiches, drinking beer, and laughing it up with the other partiers from all over the world. It reminded me of a big college springtime beer party ... x20.

greg

Have you looked at the practical side of the trip? Do you see availabilities of accommodations at a price acceptable to you? Do you see flights at accpetable prices? It is a long train ride from Paris.

Dukey1

Some hotels were probably sold out months ago; one year we ended up staying in Augsburg. You can actually be in "old town" Munich and not even know the thing is happening. If you like the "big college springtime beer party" thing then why not? i don't think that "fairground" is any tackier than any other I've ever seen but that's subjective. Buy one of the "cookies" and wear it around your neck.

walkinaround

Yes, it's on a fairground. It has carnival rides. It's a massive ground. Parts are tacky, parts are not. It's one of the best known parties/fairs/festivals in the world and perhaps one of the biggest. It attracts people who like to drink, including very hard drinkers from hard drinking places like the Nordics, UK, etc. Some Munich businesses shut down early on 'their day' and attend the festival in pre-booked tables that they've had for decades. Almost everyone drinks too much. You need to set expectations accordingly. As mentioned, part of me was dreading it. It was great. I don't remember seeing any real problems like violence, etc. I've seen much worse in London when the football is on but I'm sure it has it's dark moments.

Macross

We stayed at an Ibis hotel in Augsburg one year and other times we were in Garmisch. I would look at Augsburg. I booked Munich for Christmas Markets last month and now looking for two nights north of Munich and there are so many hotels on the train line. Accor hotels have many in the area. Like I said before the train ride was entertaining, Follow the lederhosen. I don't think Octoberfest is tacky at all. The tents are each beautiful and the decorations amazing. I love to watch the beers come out and the food is wonderful. Hundreds of chickens roasting on spits. We always eat at Augustiner and snack and drink our way around as many tents as possible. I have done 6. Bring cash, no cards. Augustiner fish house will get you seated in the evening. I still have friends I talk to from Oktoberfest. Hofbrau, I just keep coming back. Those standing room only tables are fun. I love to see the traditional clothing. In the evening the classic German wear comes out. The bands are fun and the horses come out during the day. Beautiful animals. I have never done the rides. I think Tuesday is family day. Do not try and take a stein. Big bouncers at every tent. They keep the bathrooms tidy. Go once, it is worth it.

kgveteran

Macross

The train ride isn't bad. We did the fast train from Augsburg to Paris on return as we had rented for a week there. Book in advance for good price. It sounds like everyone on here is in their 80's. It is 8%, porkchop in every stein. Just don't be one of the people that stand on the table and have to chug it with pretzels flying at them. Huge cheers if you do it though. I witnessed a tiny lady do it one year. We were bad the first time but learned that if we wanted to see more than two tents had to pace yourself. That does not mean ordering a kindergarten beer. Just order water in between beers and eat food. I will tell you I am 65, have not had a drink for five days but can handle the beer at Oktoberfest.

kgveteran

Cowboy1968

I think it takes one visit to love or hate it.
Aside from that, there are two factors to take into consideration:
1. Cost for hotel. If you want to stay in Munich proper, be prepared to pay obscene rates. Maybe you can get a pre-paid non-refundable "deal" for hotels in 2020, but it's still they most expensive place to stay in Germany. Even run-down hostel-like hotels will charge €200+ per night. You can save a bit when you stay elsewhere, like in Augsburg
2. Crowds. Especially on weekends. Don't think that it is an event like any "beer fest" where you wander from tent to tent and try one beer here and there. The tents are FULL. Unless you go mid-week around noon, your prime concern will be to get access to ANY tent. I'd suggest to avoid weekends at any cost.

Bonus info: Only Hofbräu and Augustiner are real local and (still) independent breweries in Munich. The rest is part of multi-national conglomerates and all the dirndls and lederhosen is just corporate folklore. Augustiner is the best beer, Hofbräu is second, the rest is Bud Lite. Okay, I'm really really biased since Augustiner has always been MY beer. I even lived a few blocks away from the brewery. Of course, any of the other beers are fine, too. Sort of. But when you get charged more than 5 times the regular supermarket price, you should waste your money on the best stuff ;-)

swandav2000

Hi kgveteran,

I live in Garmisch and hosted my nephew for the O'fest 2 years ago and will do it again this year.

The first time, it was last minute, but I found 2 rooms in Freising by the airport (about 40 minutes by S-Bahn or 30 minutes by regional train into central Munich) for about 150€ per night each. This year, I looked early and found an aparthotel near the Olympia shopping mall (about 30 minutes by S-Bahn to central Munich) for 700€ for 7 nights. When he told me he'd prefer a hotel, I had to do some digging -- hotels in central Munich had already rocketed up to 700€ per night, and up. I did finally find a good option, a hotel, actually a brewpub, in the Hadern section of Munich (about 20 minutes by U-bahn and walking from central Munich) for about 150€ per night. I did my search using hotels.com and then poring over maps and transport lines.

Since you are so early, I don't think you'll have any problems finding good options. I do think you should start looking in late October, as soon as this year's Fest is over.

Have fun as you plan!

s

walkinaround

Agree on the tent comment. Festival goers are anything but 'equal'. Many tents have a large portion of their tables reserved for groups - businesses, clubs, etc, etc. Obviously many people just show up to the festival and take what they get but the norm for locals seems to be to head to your reserved table and drink there. Also agree that it's not really about TRYING different brands of beer in different tents. Related to below, I think that most people will drink their preferred type of beer (Helles, Weiss, Marzen, Pils, etc) with brands undifferentiated except for personal loyalties which will likely be secondary to where you have a reserved table. I agree that this is different from other types of beer festivals which are about trying new beers, discussing among your group what you like, don't like, etc. In my experience, for Bavarians, I don't think there is any of that. They just drink, eat, socialise, sing, etc.

I'm not a beer snob. All Munich breweries have good beer. Like you, I tend to favour Augustiner due to connections during my time working in Munich. But that's purely 'brand loyalty' rather than any illusions that their beer (or pubs associated with Augustiner) are better than others. But anyway, I do consider it 'my beer' as well.

Cowboy1968

Sorry, my comment re. trying out the different tents was a bit confused.
I did not really mean the brands or types of beer but the "style" of or the vibe in the different tents.
Most people who visited me during Oktoberfest thought they could just pop in into different tents - if only because they thought there must always be empty seats in tents that can seat 5K or more people. But on sunny weekends, all tents will fill up by 12noon. With lines outside as early as 9am.
It can be different on rainy days when many locals from Munich and the surrounding Oberbayern district decide spontanously not to go as planned.
And, correct, esp. after 5pm, many tents have solidely reserved booths and tables for company "receptions". That's why it's even harder or impossible to get into a tent in the evening hours. But you can always get lucky. Or not.