The major benefit of moving to Europe, as I’m sure you can guess, is the myriad of opportunities that are now only a cheap flight away! As we were moving out of Minnesota we had lots of friends asking us what was going to be first on our list of things to do?! It really didn’t take too much thinking- OKTOBERFEST! Neither of us had been to Germany and we both really like beer and pretzels and sausages and… beer. To our great delight, we had quite a few friends who felt similarly. Also, I was able to sneak this in as a big to-do for Mitch’s Dirty 30 to better justify in my head going to such a big event. Well, let’s do this!
The planning for this soiree did start well before we moved to Spain in August, however. In fact, moving from dreaming to booking happened in late May and early June and even that felt a bit late! But when you have great energy and are excited about traveling with friends (10 in fact!) to the greatest beer drinking event in the world, you just make it happen! First things to get nailed down-
- Transit- our friends were all traveling from Minneapolis, MN and took very different routes. Some flew into Dublin or Paris then made their way to Munich (airport code MUC), while others flew straight there. Because flights around Europe are so cheap, it is worth checking some of the major hubs and then catching local flights once in Europe. We use Hopper and Skyscanner for the best deals. Note: the airport is quite a way outside the city, 30-40 mins by train.
- Where to Stay- We of course wanted to be in on all the action! That meant being close to the tents and able to walk everywhere. But… with 10 people that meant Airbnb was off the list, not many places in urban city settings in Europe have that kind of space, the hostels were already full, so hotels were the only option for how close we wanted to be. We ended up staying here– Hotel Andrea. It was fine, not at all exciting, kind of down a weird alley, and the stairwell smelled like someone had soaked it in tequila. So I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, buttt the location was awesome, so anything near there will have you right in the action! Book EARLY and BE AWARE much of the hotel bookings in Europe are per PERSON! We ran into a pretty big issue with this. It’s not like in the states where you can book a room and overfill it. The German manager was net happy with me because I didn’t book correctly. It ended up costing us an extra €1000. Yeah, mind you that is between 10 people, but NOT COOL. So make sure you book per person to save yourself the headache! After your flight, depending on where you’re coming from, this will be the next most expensive thing. Just remember, you aren’t going for the hotel!
- Looking the Part- DO IT! While it wasn’t always the case, it is now quite popular to wear the traditional Bavarian garb for Oktoberfest… lederhosen for men and dirndls for women, there was also lots of cross dressing so you do you! Most of our group bought their outfits on Amazon before coming, this will save you time and money! But if you are a last minute planner or want to be able to say your outfit is from Germany, there are tons of options… more details below!
It’s much like a wedding, once all the big things are booked you can take a breather and then spend time thinking and planning all the fun stuff! Here is what our 4 days in Munich consisted of (and don’t worry I included links to things so you don’t have to go hunting through Google the way I did, you’re welcome!)
Munich Itinerary
We specifically chose the opening weekend of Oktoberfest because there are a number of things that only happen during the opening and when most of your group has to cross the Atlantic, you want to see the good stuff! But the event typically runs across three weekends and just over two weeks in total, so there are multiple dates to chose from.
Thursday 9/20- Castles!
- Meet at the airport & pick up rental car- most of us met at the airport mid-day on Thursday, some just landing and others coming out from Munich. Once we found each other, we went to pick up our rental car, well van really because there were 7 of us. We used Europcar, which was well priced and also allowed us to pickup at the airport, but drop off in the city center, clutch. I also find that even if you book a manual, because it’s cheaper, when they realize you’re American they somehow manage to find an automatic to give you. So… you can save money that way, though I’d recommend that only if you have someone who can actually drive a manual.
- Drive to Schwangau, Germany- Cars drive on the right side of the road in Germany, so it’s easier than the UK, but like most of Europe, the signs are different and there usually isn’t much of a shoulder. Be prepared to drive slower than you’d like, but the sights of the Bavarian Alps will make up for it! It’s about 2 hrs from the airport to Schwangau close to the Austrian boarder, south of Munich.
- Explore Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau castles- we booked our tours in advance here, which I highly recommend. Not only was I able to walk past the whole line to pick up our tickets, we also ensured we could get in. The popularity of Oktoberfest often spills out into nearby sites as well… obviously since that’s exactly what we were doing! Be on time, this is Germany and that means punctual! These two castles were absolutely breathe taking. Neuschwanstein (aka Disney castle) is more impressive, so if you only have time for one, this is it. But getting to do both put the Bavarian royal family and the castle construction in context and we were able to learn more of the history. And we caught the last tours of the day, so we got some great pictures outside right at dusk (gotta get that golden hour)! NOTE: they do not allow photos to be taken inside. The drive back was less than exciting and the car drop off was a bit of a challenge (the actual Europcar location in the city center is here), but we made it back, checked into the hotel, and got ready for more!
- Beer, pretzel, sausage prep- There are several options for getting you in an Oktoberfest mood. This was important since we were there for opening weekend and the tents weren’t open until Saturday. I’d recommend Munchner Stubn or Augustiner.
Friday 9/21- Munich!
- Bike tour- We have done bike tours of several other cities and loved them! With so many of us, this was a great way to keep us all together and entertained without having to do the herding ourselves, that’s what the guide is for. We used Mike’s Bike Tours (Classic 11:30) and really enjoyed it! Our guide was a bit awkward… But gave us fun facts never the less. One of our group got selected to always be at the end of the line of bikes to make sure we didn’t lose anyone along the way and was officially dubbed the “ass man!” The best part was riding through the English Gardens in the center of Munich. It’s the biggest urban park in Europe and is absolutely beautiful. We also had lunch at the Chinese Tower within the park. I recommend getting half a chicken and some spaetzle (German mac & cheese), yum! I did go with a radler for lunch, beer and lemon soda, as a more refreshing and less alcoholic option.
- Outfit hunting- There are lots of pop up shops to cater to all the tourists. We found good ones around the main square, Marienplatz, and all around our hotel. Be prepared to pay for it though. My dirndl w/ undershirt was €65 and Mitch’s lederhosen (w/o shirt) was €90. We have since loaned them out to friends in Barcelona as well, so they are gaining street cred with each new drinking expedition. This really made the whole event so much more fun!! And the pictures are way cute right?!
- Hofbrauhaus– A trip to Munich, let alone Oktoberfest, is certainly not complete without a trip to one of the oldest beer halls in the world! There was a line out the door in the rain and they were letting people in as others cleared out. Waiting outside in the rain for 20 minutes was well worth it. The atmosphere inside was so festive, with polka music and people singing German songs I didn’t understand and lots of beer cheersing, it felt like I’d died and gone to German heaven! Oh and the festival beer was incredible!
Saturday 9/22- Oktoberfest!
- Oktoberfest- This is it, the all day spectacular! Well not all day… details below!
- After party- ha, no we did not make it to this. But if you and your friends are better at sprinting through marathon drinking than we were, have at it! This club has your back- Das Wiesnzelt
Sunday 9/23- Parade & Munich!
- Oktoberfest Parade- This only happens the first Sunday of Oktoberfest each year. It’s a procession through Munich of all kinds of traditional Bavarian clothing, festive wreaths, bands, beer wagons, and much more! I admit I felt like a little kid at how happy it made me. It made the whole weekend a bit more special for being able to see more of the history.
- Other Munich to do’s- We left Sunday open for people to be able to explore whatever struck their fancy. Some people just did the parade, or visited the Munich Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism, went back to the English Gardens, or walked back through all the Oktoberfest tents to see the different decorations. The city also has lots of shopping if that’s up your alley.
The BIG event
- Dates- Always the end of September to the beginning of October. FUN FACT: The name event is called Oktoberfest because it originally took place in the middle of October, but when they extended the event into multiple weeks they moved the start into September for better weather! Check out the official website here for up-to-date information on the next Oktoberfest.
- Tents & tables- There are many to choose from, 14 in fact. Each with their own unique history, decorations, and food selections (I don’t recommend Fischer-Vroni because it smells like fish). But this is what we spent the most time worrying about! Which tent and how to get a spot at a table?! Reservations are hard to come by because they are often grandfathered to German families, made in November, and are only possible for groups of 10. The rush for tables on opening day when the park opens at 9 am is a mad scramble. We had a few people in line around 8 am and then others met them right at 9 am. But unless you’re willing to go SUPER early, there wasn’t much difference between arriving at 8 or 9 am. We ended up in Hacker, which I think is the prettiest and has a great atmosphere because it isn’t as big as Hofbrau. It is important to know for opening day, that the first keg isn’t officially tapped until noon, that means no beer in any of the tents until noon the first Saturday of Oktoberfest. That means being there at 9 am and waiting awhile, but there is food and other drinks plus lots of mingling with those around you. People come from everywhere and everyone is looking for a good time.
- Beer & food- The music starts, the clock strikes noon and we start getting sweaty palms for beer! Trust the Germans to run everything like clock work though. We were super lucky and the server in our section selected us for the first delivery in the row! Hizah! And we didn’t let him down because we’d already pooled our money and gave him a €30 tip to keep ’em coming. Tip well on the first round, and then you can do less after that. Ordering as a table makes things easier, that’s assuming you all have a somewhat similar pace. Definitely have lots of cash, they DO NOT take cards in the tents. Beers are around €12 each, but it’s a liter of amazing beer at the best beer drinking festival in the world, so worth it. Standing on the benches is encouraged, standing on the table will get you kicked out, one foot on the table means I’m going to chug the rest of my beer- people love cheering for you when you succeed and will boo you when you fail. I didn’t do any public chugging, but did manage 3 steins and felt quite good about it.
- Bathrooms- Anyone who really knows me, knows I have to go to the bathroom. Frequently. And that’s on a normal day. On a drinking rage day, it’s non-stop. We joked about getting adult diapers, I really wish I had! Per usual there’s a HUGE line for the women’s and the men can just run in and out. I really don’t remember how many times I went that day (3 steins remember), but it was a lot. Just keep that in your head if you’re anything like me. 🙂
- Carnival- After we were the right amount of drunk we wandered in search of more food, the bathroom of course for me, and the carnival area. We did also stumble onto the drunken, pass out hill. It’s quite the spectacle, luckily none of us passed out there, what we did do shall remain secret (but remember I always have to pee ha!). It’s not advisable to actually take advantage of this area as it’s a perfect place to get robbed. You don’t even have to be a good pick pocket to raid the pockets of people who are hardcore passed out. Anyways… the carnival is where we ended up. Somehow we managed several rides. After eating and drinking all day. I tell you, Oktoberfest is a magical place. One thing that you should go see, even if you don’t do any rides is the so-called “Wheel of Death” or Teufelsrad in German. It’s €4 to go in and you get to watch drunk people make fools of themselves trying to stay on this spinning wheel. There’s an old German man running MC and even though I had no idea what he was saying, it was hilarious!
We accomplished all of this without speaking any German what-so-ever, so don’t let that deter you. I even felt myself randomly using Spanish, which wasn’t helpful, ha! Our costs varied, especially those coming from the states, but we estimated that we spent about €1,500 for both of us when it was all said and done. It ain’t a cheap event, but now that we have our outfits, will book an Airbnb in January, and can potentially go during the week next year (MBA 2nd year students don’t really study, right?!) so we’ll have that down quite a bit! And yes… we are already planning on going again next year (Sept 21 to Oct 6, 2019). It was WAY TOO MUCH FUN NOT TO! Our European bucket list is now one item shorter. Prost!
Further Resources
Oktoberfest Insider – This really is the bible on all thing Oktoberfest, very thorough and updated every year!
Flying The Coop 