farmgirl04

My husband and I are visiting Munich this September 20-22. We already have the Marriott Courtyard near the train station reserved using points, so we are not paying an obscene amount of money for our lodging.

I am not thrilled about going to Oktoberfest, but it is kind of a bucket list thing for my husband. We are in our early thirties, not at all big partiers, but for whatever reason this is something my husband really wants to see. I have read quite a bit about Oktoberfest, and have explained to my husband that it will be incredibly packed, and we probably won't even get a table. He says that is fine, he would be happy to see the grounds and the tents and I guess then he can cross it off his list.

We arrive on Saturday around noon. We have visited Munich before, and there is nothing we particularly want to see again. Anyways, we will only have the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday in Munich, as we will be heading down to Italy on Monday morning.

Is all of Munich overrun during Oktoberfest? I am considering walking around Marienplatz on Saturday afternoon/evening. On Sunday maybe we would would head to the grounds just after it opens to walk around, and then catch some of the parade. After that I am thinking about heading to the Englischer Garten for the afternoon. Having dinner somewhere (not Hofbrauhaus) and calling it a night.

Is this at all realistic? If not, what would you recommend for someone who just wants to "see" Oktoberfest, and his wife that doesn't love huge crowds of drunk people?

nytraveler

If you don;t want to see huge crowds of drunk people I would go first thing in the am and then leave as soon as it starts to get busy. We were not there during Oktoborfest, but in May, and having a beer in the Hofbrauhaus after dinner gave me a surprisingly clear understanding of how Hitler managed to start his takeover of the German Republic from there. He probably would have had almost as much success if he had decided to invade Mars.

Not an experience I would care to repeat.

elberko

I've actually BEEN to Oktoberfest...and wasn't sure I would enjoy it, but I did! This thread explains our experience:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ktoberfest.cfm

~Liz

sandralist

I recently stayed where you will be staying. You have the option of not being in the thick of things if you don't want to be. If you would rather not be in places overrun by drunks, then I would simply avoid the Marienplatz (the Glockenspiel is really not that intereseting) and the Englischer garten.

The real issue here, if you don't mind me pointing this out, is that your husband wants to participate in something that repels you -- and believe me I am sympathetic because I would never go to Oktoberfest and was surprised when I went to Munich how much I thought the beer was inferior to other places in Europe.

Unless your husband will cry if you don't go with him and therefore you feel obliged to go, I suggest you face up to this divide and go do something you would enjoy while he plunges into the Oktoberfest pit of oompah and vomit. There are some nice Portuguese and Italian places near the Courtyard. The 100 bus line goes to all the great museums. Let him have his Oktoberfest blow out while you do what you like.

Also, For what it is worth, I have an extreme distaste for the kind of comment posted above that suggests there is something unusual about Bavarian or German culture that made it susceptible to Nazism. Any thinking person going to Germany and Munich in particular will see, without a doubt, that the truly alarming thing to know about what happened in 20th century Germany or Bavaria is that it could happen anywhere. The worst of Nazi behavior is a temptation all human societies can fall prey to. The great thing about visiting Germany is to learn that, and to once and for all get past the Hollywood cliches and the flip American arrogant mindset that says "we're better than you as a people." BS.

elberko

In case the tour I mentioned in my 2009 post sounded interesting, here is a link that works:
http://www.munichwalktours.de/en/beer-brewery-tour/

~Liz

flpab

We are in our late 50s and had a blast.

nytraveler

Sorry - I don;t think what happened in Germany could happen anywhere/anytime. It was a function of a combination of economic factors, a massive underlying bigotry that permeated society and the cynical manipulations of a Prussian aristocracy to use a populist rabble-rouser to capture the government from the Republic.

I'm not saying it couldn't happen anywhere else. It could and it has - but there are a lot of places/time where it would not happen - where countries have a strong democratic tradition rather than one of dictatorship.

joannyc

<< having a beer in the Hofbrauhaus after dinner gave me a surprisingly clear understanding of how Hitler managed to start his takeover of the German Republic from there. He probably would have had almost as much success if he had decided to invade Mars.>>

What the heck does that mean?

fourfortravel

We've always had Oktoberfest and Las Vegas on the same list: places we would see if convenient, but wouldn't go out of the way to do so for. Living in Austria, Oktoberfest made for a convenient overnight one weekend last September, to "celebrate" my husband's and son's birthdays. The combination of the people, the beer halls, the amusements and the whole festival atmosphere made us glad we went. To be honest, though, I thought the people watching was the most interesting part: older couples in coordinating trachten enjoying time with friends and young people with their children in trachten (so cute!). Rather than eat in exclusively one location, we had several small plates as we moved around the festival, getting a table wherever one was available. Will we do it again? Likely, not. Once seemed enough, even for the boys. We much prefer the smaller festivals in and around Vienna.

Grindeldoo

You don't just have to sit at a table and drink a Mass (litre) of beer - there's also a big funfair with a lots of different rides including things like a helter-skelter and dodgems, which can break up the day. I'd agree about going earlier (the grounds don't open until 11.30, so not an early start!). Apart from anything else, sitting outside in the sunshine rather than inside a tent is rather more relaxing and not as noisy.

michele_d

We walked around the grounds early in the morning. I think there were still a few leftovers roaming about from the night before. We poked our heads in and out of the tents and decided where we wanted to return for lunch. We did hot have reservations but it was quite easy to get a seat for lunch. There is usually a piece of paper taped to the end of the table that lists the time it must be vacated. We had plenty of time for a great lunch and to people watch. The band was playing and everyone was singing along. It was a great time.

We really enjoyed walking around the fairgrounds. The families dressed in traditional garb made for a fun afternoon of people watching. I would go again, if in the area. It's something you have to do once.

danon

We were in Munich a bit earlier , but the " atmosphere" was already in the air.

A lovely city , great museums. I did not enjoy the beer hall experience -
had the same eerie feeling nytraveler described in the first post.

I was born and lived in Europe for 25 years...I am not American.




.

farmgirl04

Thank you for the replies! I thought I had replied earlier today but I think it may not have posted.

I am glad to hear the positive experiences of others. I don't mind going along for a couple hours with my husband, especially in the morning or early afternoon where it is more of a family atmosphere. According to the Oktoberfest website, it appears they open some things at 9 am, and the carnival stuff starts at 10. I doubt my husband will want to stay all day, but if he does I would probably enjoy visiting a museum on my own.

Travelforbeer

Hi Farmgirl04-
Where to start...
First of all, Munich is not “totally overrun” during the Oktoberfest. In fact, the only places that seem crowded are the subways to the ‘Fest, the area close to and on the festival grounds, and the hotels. ( I have never attended an “afterparty” so I can’t comment on those.) Most restaurants and stores are no more crowded than usual.

Now some details on the Sunday Parade . It is held on the first Sunday morning of the ‘Fest (21 Sep 2014) . The starting point for the 7km-long course is the Maximiliansbrücke (bridge) at the Isar River. The parade proceeds west along Maximilian Strasse, up to Odeonsplatz, (U4 & U5 to the ‘Fest) down past Karlsplatz (Stachus) (U4 & U5 to the ‘Fest) and west along Schwanthaler Strasse (which is the street in front of your hotel) to the Oktoberfest grounds. The parade starts at 10am and takes about 2.5 hours. I have viewed the parade from the Odeonsplatz and then taken the U4 from the Odeonsplatz to the Theresienwiese (site of the Oktoberfest) before the parade completely ended ( around 11:30 to 12 Noon) in order to be sure to get a seat at the ‘Fest. If the weather is nice it will be imperative to get to the ‘Fest by sometime around Noon on Sunday to beat the crowd.

If you are not beer drinkers, wine, water, and sodas are available. And you can always buy one beer and split it. That way the beer won’t get as warm as it would if you bought a beer for each of you. The standard size is one liter, a little over a quart. You must be seated before being served. Food is available inside and outside of the tents.

Outside of each tent is a Biergarten with tables. Reservations are not needed to sit at the tables outside of the tent. ( You might want to bring a hat to shield you from the sun or find a shady spot if you sit outside.) As explained by Michele_d above, reserved tables inside of the tent are marked and usually have a time listed when the reservation starts. So you can set at a table inside of the tent until the time at which the reservation starts, if seats are empty! The bands are inside the tents.

The rest of the areas outside of the tents and Biergartens are filled with typical carnival activities- Food stands, souvenir stands, physical games of chance (with a small chance to win), and some of the most “interesting” carnival rides you have ever seen. And the people watching is magnificent !!!

If you get to the ‘Fest around Noon on Sunday there will be very few drunks. Of course the longer you stay the more likely it is that there will be some tipsy folks. And if the weather is good the size of the crowd gets larger the longer you stay on Sunday.

Your hotel is very close to the ‘Fest. Go out the front door and head west (to your left) on Schwanthaler Strasse . After 4 blocks turn left and follow the crowd 2 blocks to the Theresienwiese. If rain is expected for Sunday and the weather is nice Saturday you may want to wander down to the ‘Fest on Saturday afternoon to get a taste but be forewarned the crowds may be unacceptable.

I agree with your idea to visit the Marienplatz area on Saturday afternoon. Since you have been to Munich before you probably have your own favorite spots for Saturday and Sunday evenings.

I hope you spend some time at the ‘Fest. And the Sunday parade is worth an hour or so…I have never met an open-minded person who went to the ‘Fest that didn’t find something to like, regardless of preconceived notions. Take your camera and have a good time!!!

sparkchaser

<i>is it totally overrun?</i>

Ina word: yes.


<i>Also, For what it is worth, I have an extreme distaste for the kind of comment posted above that suggests there is something unusual about Bavarian or German culture that made it susceptible to Nazism. Any thinking person going to Germany and Munich in particular will see, without a doubt, that the truly alarming thing to know about what happened in 20th century Germany or Bavaria is that it could happen anywhere.</i>

I see someone either has not visited the Nazi Documentation Center ion Nürnberg, or did but didn't pay attention. Hitler preyed on Bavaria's strong nationalistic feelings, which is why he headquartered his power there.

As much as I love Bavaria and Bavarians, even today there is fair a bit of jingoism still going on.

What happened 80 years ago was a combination of social and economic issues combined with a cult of personality that very probably won't happen again.

sparkchaser

<i>...what would you recommend for someone who just wants to "see" Oktoberfest, and his wife that doesn't love huge crowds of drunk people? </i>

I recommend that the husband should go solo to Oktoberfest and the wife should find something else to do that day -- perhaps something that the husband would not really want to do.

I've been to Oktoberfest a few times and it's a madhouse but if he wants to cross it off of his bucket list, I don't see the problem. Unless he's an alcoholic.

farmgirl04

Thank you travelforbeer. Your advice is very helpful. I appreciate the suggestions to find something to do on my own, I will have a back up plan if things are too crazy at the fair grounds.

michele_d

< I appreciate the suggestions to find something to do on my own>

The Englischer Gardens are lovely to take a walk through. Very peaceful and relaxing.

Dukey1

MY experience at Oktoberfest was as follows:

the city was on no way "overrun" and in fact, if we hadn't known the thing was in progress we might not have even been aware of it.

Yes, the "fest grounds" are jammed as are those beer halls and the rides seem ridiculously expensive but it's a unique happening so why not indulge?

I didn't think the museums were jammed; the Marienplatz wasn't jammed, etc., etc.

danon

The Royal Palace is huge...can easily take hours.