Munich: September 2016
Tips: Prost! Oktoberfest (which runs for much of Sept, into early October) is a must do. We did our bachelor/bachelorette party here and had a group of about 25. In one bnb, you do the math on the bathroom nightmare that was. But, so. much. fun.
Get a place within about 20 minutes (walking) of the fest. The trains are good, but it’s better to be able to walk there without having to jump on a train.
Book your place early! Hotels are crazy expensive during the fest and have strict rules about having a max of 3 to a room. I don’t know how well these are enforced, but I have a feeling that the rules are strictly enforced.
Flights – we booked pretty early, for about $800 round trip, with a stop in Berlin (Air Berlin). Prices actually went down closer to, but we had to book early to get our flights to everyone so that they could book. I would say wait to get a good deal, and *try to get a direct flight, at least on the way back. You will feel like hell after the amount of massive beers you consume. Some of our friends flew direct – I was envious.
A lot of our friends also made the most of the trip and hit up Prague, Italy, London, etc., either before or after the Fest. I would do before for sure.
The Fest – amazing, like nothing you’ve seen or done before. Get your German garb before you go! Jon’s lederhosen was about $100 on Amazon, and my dirndl was slightly less (about $80). Both looked and felt super authentic, and these prices are better than the ones at the Fest, for better clothing. The outfits at the Fest are more costume looking – don’t buy ones make you look like you’re heading to a Halloween party please (those are also on Amazon).
Dress warmly – leg warmers helped me a lot on our 2017 trip back. We had incredible weather on this trip, so we spent most of our time at the outside tables until the last day, when we got wild and did many indoor beer tents (so much fun to dance and drink in those, just gets a little claustrophobic and insane as the day goes on). *We didn’t reserve any tables inside the tents because we didn’t know our final numbers – worked out just fine. On that note, we did the Fest on Thurs, Friday, and Sat. The weekdays are more calm and have more space in the tents – I’d recommend doing the same but seeing the insanity hit on Saturday before you leave (if you want to).
Food – the half chickens are delicious! Best thing at the Fest. The tents are all super fun, and we looked for the ones with most outdoor space. We did walk up the hill that I think people puke on up top (we did not puke. Update: Jon says I’m dead wrong on this, not sure where I got my intel, maybe because I saw lots of puke up there/on the way up). The huge pretzels are not tasty, but they’re essential to soak up the beer.
Go on the rides! At least a few, they’re super fun, and surprisingly, we did not puke after going on those either.
Some of our friends did a Munich walking tour and liked it – not really our jam, but you could.