Oktoberfest 2012 - First Time
 

Hi, I want to be at the Oktoberfest festival for the firs time with my wife (both late 30s) but we don't want to spend 2 weeks drinking beer. We have 7 days to spend in Europe. Do we need a tour company or can we make it work on our own? What would it be a great 7-day Europe vacation trip with a stop on Munich for Oktoberfest? By the way, we have never been to Europe so we have no idea what to expect. We are into festivals and culture, natural wonders, and family activities. Any tips would help us a lot.
Thank you everyone for your advise.

I stopped in Oktoberfest one year. There will be people much more knowledgeable who can comment. But my memory is that it was very hard to book a hotel. And even a very basic hotel, if there was room, was very expensive.

Yes, I'll say it again -- it was very difficult. So you need to work on the hotel right away. I think my hotel was well over 200 euros, maybe 250 euros? Ordinarily it would have been under 100, I think.

As for the festival itself, I think there are die-hard folks who buy some sort of ticket, and I think the popular beer halls fill up and close to visitors. I think the tickets sell out early.

All this said, somehow we managed to get in somewhere, though I can't remember if we went to a popular place or not. Since I had no expectations or a list of things I had to cross off, I found it enjoyable.

As 111op says, book ASAP.

Be prepared for many drunken Australians and Americans, along with a lot of ooompah music. I wouldn't do it again. For me it wasn't a cultural event or even an enjoyable one. I had no trouble getting in to a beer tent, but that's been 10 or more years ago.

I suggest that you get a guidebook for Germany and read about the areas you think you might want to visit. You absolutely do not need a tour. You can do this on your own much more cheaply and enjoyably than on a tour.

Munich itself is a pretty interesting city, though I prefer smaller towns and villages.

If you haven't been to Europe but are definitely going to Munich, I suggest you go to Neuschwanstein and other attractions in that general area--the Wieskirche, Kloster Ettal, Linderhof, etc..

But basically, get a guidebook and read it.

Have to laugh... I was expecting and looking forward to oompah bands at Oktoberfest! I only heard bands (in every tent) playing American music.... NY, NY and Brown-Eyed Girl were the most frequent!

I made it to just about all (if not all) of the tents as I wasn't drinking.

Are you going this year? If so, you may want to stay outside of Munchen and train in from ... (Salzburg, Augsburg, Garmisch. Ingolstadt,...) By the by, the song I remember most is "Who the F--- Is Alice?"
3 or 4 days is plenty for the 'Fest - spend the rest of the time around Munchen (Englisher garden, Hofbrau house, etc)or on daytrips. I liked Herrenchemsie (sp) more than any other castle...
Have a good time...

<<By the by, the song I remember most is "Who the F--- Is Alice?">>

Oh! I forgot about that one! They sang that at least once every 1/2 hour!!!

Sweet Caroline and the Chicken Dance!!

We were there at noon on a Wednesday and it was very busy but the people were not sick/sloppy drunk yet. We came over from Switzerland for the night just because we were "in the area". I don't even drink but I really enjoyed the visit. It is just fun to see what all the hype is about.