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- - OCTOBERFEST (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/octoberfest-269350/)

We are planning a trip to Germany next fall. We are trying to decide whether to avoid Octoberfest or to schedule during that time. Are the crowds so huge that lodging, transportation, and restaurants are difficult to schedule. We plan on spending perhaps 1 day in Munich. Maybe skipping Munich altogether would be wise. Any advice welcome Ken

Be advised Oktoberfest begins in September and many of the tables are already booked for next year. I recommend you contact the German Tourist Office to find out or take a look on the city of Muenchen website or a reputable tour agency specializing in Germany.

If you plan on only spending 1 day in Munich, yes- you should skip it...it deserves at least 3.

Go to OKTOBERFEST!!! I didn't think that sitting around drinking beer with thousands of people was near as much fun as it really was. I was able to get hotel tickets on the weekend relatively easy this past time, but you're planning this far out you should have no problems at all. It is a blast even if you do not reserve a table in one of the beer tents. Sia

We buzzed through Munich on Wed Sep 22, 1999 on our way to Munich, and right by Oktoberfest. I'm sure that hotels are busy then - - just as they are here in Columbus during the Ohio State fair - - but not so much that it interfered with our getting to visit a hotel we wanted to see there (Kurpfalz). and I was quite astonished that there was darn near zero traffic congestion (as far as I could tell - - at that time I hadn't been to Munich before, though I've returned two other times since). I think that your one day there will be fime, and very likely enjoyable. But you could still see some or all of the "other" main tourist attractions if you choose, and hardly know Oktoberfest is going on. Best wishes, Rex

I attended opening day in 1999. We watched the parade, which was fun, then walked with about 20,ooo other people over to the fairgrounds. What we didn't know was that while we were watching the parade, the other folks had gotten to the fairgrounds early, sat for two hours and had taken all the seats. Between the seats that were reserved and the folks that skipped the parade...we couldn't get a seat either inside or outside the tents. We ended up walking the fairgrounds shopping for tee shirts. We eventually got a cab over to the Seehaus at the Englisher Gartens and had beer and good food in a tranquil environment and rented bicycles. Yes hotels were difficult. We were there on business and we had a tough time getting a hotel. All in all a good expereince...but one that could have been better had we gotten tickets. We tried, as my then company Siemens was one of the sponsors. However all the tickets were taken by the time we requested. IMHO, it was fun and the parade was pretty cool. However it really is just a whole bunch of folks drinking beer! US

So, now we know who is Uncle Sam! What made you decide to stop posting under your former (real) name? Author: Tom ([email protected]) Date: 10/29/1998, 12:23 pm Doesn't matter. This forum embraces all people with all different kinds of agendas. And it loves stealth, deception, secrecy and anonymity. Some of the time.

Withoput a doubt, Do the Fest!! I have been to 4 of them, the last being October 2nd of this year. Unfortunately, we decided to go to Dachau that morning and didn't get to the Fest grounds until 3:30. Alot, if not all, of the businesses in Munich reserve seats in the tents. I was told that some of the bigger businesses will reserve entire tents for their customers and employees. You WILL NOT get seats in any of the tents if you get there late in the day. Do what we didn't, get to the Fest on a weekday first thing in the morning. The seats we found in the Paulaner tent were reserved after 4:00. We were able to sit there until the other people got there at 4:00 Get there early and you should be able to find seats for a few hours. Avoid walking around the Fest until after you have had your fill in the tents. Do yourselves a favor and try not to see all of the tents. You will have better luck sticking to one or two of the tents. My favorite is the Augustiner and the Hofbrau tents. There is a great beergarden just down the street from the main train station. It is the Augustiner beergarden and it is 3 or 4 blocks down the street. There is another Festival going on in Stuttgart during the same time that the Fest is going on in Munich. I haven't been to this one yet, but I am told that it is as good as the Munich fest. Not so crowded and mostly Germans. Go to www. Stuttgart.de and navigate the website. You will be able to find info on their Fest. Hotels and restaurants are plentiful. Transportation is crowded, but for a few hours, you can certainly deal with it. Munich is a great city. Consider a couple of days in Munich. I am not a city fan, but there is just too much to see and do in Munich. There are plenty of posts for Munich. Check them out. We paid 6.80 Euro for a Liter. The beer is so good and relatively speaking, 6.80 Euro for 35 ounces of German beer is really quite reasonable.

Have gone to Oktoberfest the past 2 years; it is a really fun festivel. Book your hotel early, if you are going to be there on a Fri or Sat it will be difficult to find lodging for only one night. Restrants, bars etc will be busy, but no so bad thay you will get nothing to eat, plus there are lots of deli type shops so eating all day is easy. With only one day though it is hard, there is so much to see in Munich itself, the Glockenspeil, English Gardens, Dacchau, Andecks Monestary, The Churches....etc. Depending on the time you arrive in Munich and how much energy you have I would do both. Get there as early as possible walk through the English Gardens, grab a quick bite at the Hofbrau Haus, walk around the Marienplatz, virtualmarket, see a Church while downtown, then head to the Fest. One day is not much time to see a city as spectacular as Munich, especially if any souviner shopping is required, but it can be done.

I went to Germany with 20 plus of my firefighter co-workers in October this year. We had a wonderful time. Yes do no miss the fest. We had reserve seats inside on a Thursday. Even with reserved seats they may only be for 3 -4 hours then they are reserved for the next group. If you want the music and food and no LOUD singing and lots of drunks, reserve around 11AM. By evening the tents are very loud,crowded and very drunk but ALOT of fun. You will pay $6.oo plus dollars for your big liter mug of beer. I switched to a beer called a "raddler" it is half beer and lemonade..trust me it is very very good and if you are not normally a big beer drinker you will be glad you did.The food was excellant. Go to the tent that serves "oxen fillet" it will be the largest and best steak you have ever had. The chicken is wonderful also. Food cost about $20. each. The fest was a great time. take a cab to and from, they are at every entrance. Write you hotel name and address encase you drink too much( very important as some in my group would tell you). Any way 2 days of the fest and Munich was enough for me. Just like other big cities,crowded. We loved the smaller towns such as Mittenwald, Garmish and Bacharach. Enjoy your trip. PS dont take travelers check they are hard to cash. We all used ATM's and had no problems and got best exchange rates.