We are two couples planning on taking in Oktoberfest in 2010. We've been to Munich in the past but not during the festivities, and would like to ask those with experience for some guidance. Are there convenient and reasonable hotel choices you'd recommend? What issues do we face with tent access or reservations at evening time? Some side excursions worth considering? Any suggestions or warnings to make the trip more enjoyable? Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts.

We stay in G-P and train in. Reservations are for a table of 10 and need to be booked as soon as they come open, I think Jan 2010. In the past we have went on a weekday about 1PM, found a seat at a public table and stayed the entire day. If you arrive after 4 I don't believe you will be able to get a seat, especially on weekends. We spend the morning in the area of the Marienplatz and then walk to the Oktoberfest grounds after enjoying lunch at the market.

Hi Boulton123,
My Husband and I are also going to Oktoberfest in 2010. This is our 4th time. We are flying into Paris the week before then taking a night train to Munich on the 23rd. We didn’t bother with reservations in the past, which wasn’t a problem during the day, but at night it was much more crowded. This year we decided to book our trip with a company that offers beer tent reservations. Their luxury hotel package price was comparable to what we paid for dumpy hotels before. As far as side excursions, there are a lot of walking and bicycle tours. I saw a Dachau tour available under their optional excursions that may be interesting. Check out their site. http://www.oktoberfest.solstinoxtravel.com Hope that helps.

Would you just be quiet after 10pm when visiting your st*pid fest.
That would be nice and appreciated very much.

Several years ago I stayed at the Pension Westfalia, which is quite near the Oktoberfest grounds. I liked it a lot, and it wasn't expensive.

We went to Oktoberfest as my sister enjoys beer and hadn't been there before. Left to my own devices, I wouldn't have gone. It was like a big cheezy carnival. Our tent was full of drunk Australians, than which there is nothing more obnoxious.

Later we went to the Hofbrauhaus where we sat at a table near a group of young, very drunk Americans, who caused me to revise my original opinion about nobody being more obnoxious than drunk Aussies. The Americans were very drunk. I never did identify the substance on the floor by their table, but whatever it was, the waiters made them clean it up themselves.