Hi: I am trying to spend a month in Europe with a fairly open schedule. If I decide to go to Munich for 2 days to see what Oktoberfest is all about, will I be able to find reasonably-priced but decently located lodging with only a few days notice? I'd be arriving by train from Paris. Thanks for your input.

Short answer-no.

I booked a room in May as soon as I knew we were going to be there then. I paid more then I usually spend, and had to prepay. It is EXTREMELY busy!

~Liz

Of course, the NO was an answer to the last question, NOT your title!

You definitely need to book in advance...like a year in advance to find what you are looking for! Prices are sky high and booked very far in advance.

Booking in advance helps especially if you are concerned about being in some sort of so-called "prime location" BUT i can TELL you from personal experience that there will BE rooms available, IN Munich even if you wait but they will be

expensive and maybe not where you planned on staying

that's all from THE PAST....and probably still holds true for the kost part but THIS YEAR with the economy there may be a little more wiggle room....they are telling us that even the Passion Play which has been around a LOT longer than Oktoberfest is having trouble moving tickets so go figure.

Remember, you can always travel into the city from outside...Augsburg, for example.

My brother and his wife once tried that and did find a reasonably priced room through the tourist information center. It turned out to be a room in what was otherwise a hospital or nursing home for handicapped people. Apparently they make available alternative accomodation for that time. Not that it wasn't perfectly fine, but maybe just not what they expected.

I was in the lobby of our hotel during Oktoberfest several years ago and saw people come in every day to check to see if there were rooms available and the answer was always no. We were however, in between the Main Train Station and the fairgrounds.

I booked well in advance to get a room. The cost of the rooms appear to double or triple during Oktoberfest.

If you are going to wait to try to get something, I would try a neighborhood a stop or two on the train outside of the city and ride in and out. Just check to see when the last train goes out.

Rowdy

"<i>will I be able to find reasonably-priced</i> -- Maybe -- <i>decently located</i> -- Maybe -- <i>with only a few days notice</i>" -- Maybe

But not likely, especially the reasonably (whatever that means) priced and decently located bits.

Would you show up w/o reservations in New Orleans during Mardi Gras or in Miami for the Super Bowl? Same w/ Munich during Oktoberfest.