Hello - <BR><BR>My two-year-old son and I will be tagging along on my husband's business trip to Europe this fall. His company has scheduled his time in Munich for smack-dab in the middle of Oktoberfest. Now, coming from Portland, the home of microbrews, I am a beer fan, but my son will have little tolerance for my hanging out in the tents. I'm hoping that there are some educated souls out there who can give me some ideas of things we can do outside of the festival (although I understand that there are plenty of kid-related things going on in there, too). Can anyone help me fill 6 days in Munich with a toddler??? <BR><BR>Many thanks for any insight!<BR><BR>-Mia

Although the beer tents are the main attraction, the fest does offer a carnival atmosphere, with many rides ( even for the little ones), great food, and many things to do. <BR> The city of munich has many museums, shops and fun things to do with the kids. See the glockenspiel. <BR> Maybe head down the road to Innsbruck, Ausria ( about 2 hours or so) it is a beautiful city. <BR> If you do decide to have a beer or two and enjoy the german music...Each tent has it's own personality from calm to crazy, but if you do not get in early (i.e. before they start serving beer), you probably will not get in at all without a reservation. <BR>

Just recently in Munich. Germans think nothing of giving their children ( yes...even 2 year olds) a small beer.<BR><BR>Interesting note; All of the small children we observed in Bavaria were well behaved, even in the beer halls. The parents always brought things for them to do to keep them occupied and not be creating disturbances or bugging the parents.<BR><BR>Very much unlike most American parents.<BR><BR>Dick

Whoa, Dick! You must have been in a different Munich than I know! By and large German kids are NOT well behaved. The parents want the kids to have fun while they're little and to be free since they can't when they're older. This translates into letting them do what they want!<BR>Mia, be prepared for nosey German women who will tell you how you should raise your child! Yes, they love children, probably too much!

If you do not have a ticket to a tent, you probably aren't going to be drinking beer at the Octoberfest anyway. They primarily serve seated people, tickets equal reservations and seats and the first few days are packed.<BR><BR>Suggest a visit to the fairgrounds, buy the tee shirt, ride the rides and then take a cab to the Englisher Gartens and visit the See Haus for beer and brots.<BR><BR>US

Sorry Uncle Sam, but I disagree with you. You can only get reservations if you are in a large group. Other than that it is a free for all to find seats.

Ticket to a Tent???<BR><BR>We were there for 3 days last year and never had a ticket, always got a seat (sometimes with a small wait) and always got served. It is quite easy for 2 people to get a seat in the tents as long as you are there before 6pm. And Tuesdays are Family Days (although I am not sure exactly what that means.) At least spend a little time at Okfest if you can, your husband may even have reservations in a tent if his business has arranged it already<BR><BR>There is lots else to do in Munich though: the Glockenspeil, several museums the Art Museum looks great, walk through Englishgardens, Walk through the Open Air Food Market, go to Dachau, go to one of King Ludwigs castles, drive to the Alps, go to the monestary where the monks brew beer, your husbands company may even be able to set you up with an appropriate tour.<BR><BR>One other thing you may or may not be able to do. If your husbands company has contacts in Munich, could they find a day-care center to take care of you son for a few hours, and you could do a little adult stuff?<BR>

We attended Octoberfest 2 years ago. Without having any kind of reservation or ticket, we gained entry to a tent and found seats ( great ones which were near the performance area). There is plenty to do-a very large carnival atmosphere with rides, games and food boooths. However, it was extremely crowded.

Since your question was about your son... a little bit of beer tents will go a long way. There are a lot of things you can do. There is a great toy museum he would enjoy. Take him to the Deutsch (sp) museum. There is a lot there a little boy would enjoy. I used to take my son at that age to science and history (dinosaurs, etc) and he liked them, my guess is your son would like them too. Again, a little bit at that age goes a long way. <BR>Also another post recommended Salzburg. I would echo that. Take him to a salt mine and take the wooden slide into the mine. He will love that. They also have luge runs that you can take (no ice, easy/safe carts) during the summer. I'm not sure if there is an age limit, but I did see parents with kids in their laps.<BR>Lastly, buy Rick Steve's book on Germany. While I don't usually agree on a lot of his recommendations, he does have a good section in that book on taking kids to Germany. He also did a PBS 30 deal on taking kids to Europe, mostly in Germany. You may be able to get the script off his web site.<BR>And... the Germans do love kids, but I wouldn't push my luck in a beer hall with a toddler for more than an hour at most.<BR>Have fun, I love Munich. Get him interested in Marklin trains while you are there. There is a good store near the main train station and another near Sedlinger Tor (sp). My son and I got hooked, much to my wife's dismay... they aren't cheap.

Art,<BR><BR>You are probably right. I was there for opening day, watched the parade and then followed the crowd to the fairgrounds. By the time we got there, no seats were available. Had we had reservations it would have been no problem...we did not, therefore it was!<BR><BR><BR>Do not know what the situation is after opening day.<BR><BR>US

topping for jared

The Oktoberfest beer tents are no place to be taking your 2 year old, nomatter what the liberals on this site say. Most all of the thousands of people there are bombed and you'll see people puking all over the place. The amusement rides are really good, but, again, the toddler will be surrounded by a bunch of drunks.

I lived in Munich for a year and loved it. Had a great time at the Oktoberfest, went three times. The tents are not just "full of drunks." Order a chicken and enjoy using just your hands to eat it (be like a german). You won't have to make a reservation to get a table, went three times, never did. The German children ARE almost always extremely well behaved, it's expected. There are a bunch of kiddie rides that he should enjoy at the Oktoberfest. Beware of haunted houses though, they're quite scary. I agree, take your son to the deutsches museum, and there's a place with treasures in the middle of Munich. I forgot exactly what it's called. Have your son pick out a few postcards before he goes in and have him try to find the pictures on them. Also, take a trip out to Chiemsee. You can see the palace there and hike up the mountain and take the Radlbahn down. Your son can sit in your lap. The food at the top is also really good. Hope this helps.