I think I would really love my wedding to be the reason for celebrating beer! I could feast my queen and be the king by tasting as much beer as my liver can bear. I would eat while people were dancing until their feet went numb. OK, challenge accepted...I'm getting married at the Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany!
If you want to attend this massive festival, then you have to prepare to face some sacrifices. Munich is so crowded during Oktoberfest that getting there and actually sitting at a table inside a beer tent can take longer than you have in mind. You must always remember the crowd factor in Munich during Oktoberfest, but I made sure I was in line fairly early and actually woke up at 7am on the opening day just to get ready for the beer festival, or "royal wedding" as I like to think about it!
If you really want to get into the tradition of Oktoberfest then I suggest you get yourself the costume. If you are a girl then look into getting a Dirndl, the traditional dress for Bavarian girls. If you're a bloke then get some Lederhosen, the Dirndl's male version. You can rent or buy these traditional outfits from a numbers of shops across Munich. They cost somewhere between 80 and 300 Euros, but I recommend that you definitely consider the costume, it will make your experience so much better.
The Theresienwiese is the area where the Beerfest occurs in Munich and it is very central to the main centre of Munich. Depending on your budget, Munich has plenty of accommodation options from camping, hostels, cheap hotels to 5 star places. Camping prices start from around 50Euro per night though, so you're going to have to factor in high prices for accommodation whilst the Oktoberfest is on.
Don't worry if you're staying a fair way away, as I highly recommended to use public transport, especially the Metro, which takes you right to the heart of the festival. A train comes ever 10 minutes or so and runs until 2am on weekends. We took the U4 line, but U5 gets you to same place.
Being inside a beer hall really is a great experience. If you're going to be by yourself there is no need to stress because it is easy to meet plenty of people to spend time with as everyone is in a party mood and ready for a great time. My recommendation is just start up a conversation with some of the the people around you. Also if you get the chance to meet local Bavarians from Munich you will more than likely learn a bit about Munich or the Oktoberfest as well.
I caught up with some local Bavarians in the Paulaner beer hall who mentioned that there favourite Oktoberfest food is a 1/2 metre long Bratwurst sausage in a large hot dog bun. It is basically a gigantic grilled pork sausage hot dog! Im not normally a big pork eater, but I found out that it is very popular in Germany. Now of course it would not be the Beerfest without beer would it? I found out very quickly that the Oktoberfest beer is much stronger than normal beer and that is just not the alcohol, because the glasses are HUGE! The beer comes in a gigantic 1 liter glass stein. This is also called a Mass in German. So if you want one beer, remember "Ein Mass". A Mass costs around 9euro, but a tip is pretty much mandatory, so a beer will cost you at least 10Euro. After a few drinks you will definitely be singing drinking songs, dancing on the tables and having so much fun. The atmosphere in a beer hall is fantastic with everyone dancing and singing all night long. I left the Oktoberfest when my beer hall, the Lowenbrau, closed at 10.30pm. The trip home in the Metro was hilarious with everyone still partying from the beer halls.
I heard that there is plenty of companies that organise tours to the Oktoberfest. They are offering a place to sleep, sometimes with breakfast included, as well as transport to the festival ground. Apparently some even offer transport options in and out of the UK
I highly recommend that everyone celebrates beer at least once in their life. Oktoberfest should definitely be on your to do list. I will be back next year for sure.
If you want to attend this massive festival, then you have to prepare to face some sacrifices. Munich is so crowded during Oktoberfest that getting there and actually sitting at a table inside a beer tent can take longer than you have in mind. You must always remember the crowd factor in Munich during Oktoberfest, but I made sure I was in line fairly early and actually woke up at 7am on the opening day just to get ready for the beer festival, or "royal wedding" as I like to think about it!
If you really want to get into the tradition of Oktoberfest then I suggest you get yourself the costume. If you are a girl then look into getting a Dirndl, the traditional dress for Bavarian girls. If you're a bloke then get some Lederhosen, the Dirndl's male version. You can rent or buy these traditional outfits from a numbers of shops across Munich. They cost somewhere between 80 and 300 Euros, but I recommend that you definitely consider the costume, it will make your experience so much better.
The Theresienwiese is the area where the Beerfest occurs in Munich and it is very central to the main centre of Munich. Depending on your budget, Munich has plenty of accommodation options from camping, hostels, cheap hotels to 5 star places. Camping prices start from around 50Euro per night though, so you're going to have to factor in high prices for accommodation whilst the Oktoberfest is on.
Don't worry if you're staying a fair way away, as I highly recommended to use public transport, especially the Metro, which takes you right to the heart of the festival. A train comes ever 10 minutes or so and runs until 2am on weekends. We took the U4 line, but U5 gets you to same place.
Being inside a beer hall really is a great experience. If you're going to be by yourself there is no need to stress because it is easy to meet plenty of people to spend time with as everyone is in a party mood and ready for a great time. My recommendation is just start up a conversation with some of the the people around you. Also if you get the chance to meet local Bavarians from Munich you will more than likely learn a bit about Munich or the Oktoberfest as well.
I caught up with some local Bavarians in the Paulaner beer hall who mentioned that there favourite Oktoberfest food is a 1/2 metre long Bratwurst sausage in a large hot dog bun. It is basically a gigantic grilled pork sausage hot dog! Im not normally a big pork eater, but I found out that it is very popular in Germany. Now of course it would not be the Beerfest without beer would it? I found out very quickly that the Oktoberfest beer is much stronger than normal beer and that is just not the alcohol, because the glasses are HUGE! The beer comes in a gigantic 1 liter glass stein. This is also called a Mass in German. So if you want one beer, remember "Ein Mass". A Mass costs around 9euro, but a tip is pretty much mandatory, so a beer will cost you at least 10Euro. After a few drinks you will definitely be singing drinking songs, dancing on the tables and having so much fun. The atmosphere in a beer hall is fantastic with everyone dancing and singing all night long. I left the Oktoberfest when my beer hall, the Lowenbrau, closed at 10.30pm. The trip home in the Metro was hilarious with everyone still partying from the beer halls.
I heard that there is plenty of companies that organise tours to the Oktoberfest. They are offering a place to sleep, sometimes with breakfast included, as well as transport to the festival ground. Apparently some even offer transport options in and out of the UK
I highly recommend that everyone celebrates beer at least once in their life. Oktoberfest should definitely be on your to do list. I will be back next year for sure.
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FOMO Travel, the events and festival travel specialists, has developed a new site that provides an extensive array of information and advice for the Oktoberfest in Munich, including travel options, travel tips, party spots and other activities.
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