The atmosphere at Oktoberfest in Munich is truly intoxicating and so are the beers. Oktoberfest is an experience on most beer-lovers bucketlists, here is my guide to Oktoberfest in Munich.
The grounds
At Oktoberfest in Munich, you have to be in a tent at a table in order to get served. Without a table you will be without beer. Outside the tents, on the grounds, there will be stalls serving champagne or liquor. There will also be food and gift stalls everywhere on the grounds.
There are two sessions a day at each tent, a day session and a night session, each lasting about five hours. During the day if you go early enough you can snag an outdoor table or even if you’re lucky an indoor table. If you want to be inside the tent in the thick of things you will want a reservation, especially at night. Weekends will be busier than weekdays.
Also, the word tent can be deceiving. What they really mean by tent is a massive, temporary beer garden. There are 14 of them on the grounds, each brewery with its own tent. They can each hold thousands of people. You can walk into the tents without a reservation, but stay clear of the beer maidens. It’s cool to just walk in and see how each one is uniquely decorated.
You most likely, at some point, will lose someone in your group. Be prepared with a plan of where to meet if and when this happens.
The experience
Walking around the grounds you may run into majestic horses pulling a cart stacked full of of wooden beer kegs. And you may expect to only hear German music played in the tents, but there will be some American oldies, but goodies thrown in there. Think “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver. West Virginia!
One moment I was walking by this man with his lederhosen soaking wet, he had clearly pissed himself in pure daylight. The next, I was having this magical experience as I walked up to a gazebo all lit up with twinkle lights. In the gazebo they were selling all sorts of champagnes by the glass. Oktoberfest can be quite the whirlwind adventure!
Our third and last day, we got lucky and snagged an outdoor table. This man eventually came and sat with us and he had clearly been to the hospital. He was wearing a hospital bracelet and his shirt sleeve was cut and pinned. We got to chatting with him and he confirmed he had been to the hospital earlier that day. He had gotten so drunk that he was taken to the hospital. And here he was, sitting with us drinking a liter and then two. He then proceeded to sing “Wonderwall” by Oasis to us (and we may have sang along with him).
You definitely will run into some characters, be sure to enjoy the company of others.
How to get reservations
This is no easy task, I’m lucky and my family is in the beer business. We were able to snag reservations for two nights. One night in the Hacker-Pschorr tent and one night in the Hofbräu tent. If you would like reservations in a tent, I would use a travel agent (hint hint, wink wink). They will know where to go to get you reservations and be sure to start planning well in advance.
Once you’re at the table
Once you are seated at the table, you will be given a food menu. Food ranges anywhere from cheese platters, to schnitzel and a half chicken (no silverware needed). You will have the choice to order a liter of beer or a half liter of beer. And trust me when I say, these women can carry a boat load of beer. When you see them coming to your table carrying eight or more steins of beer, you will be impressed.
What to wear
Definitely wear lederhosen or a dirndl, you will feel left out if you don’t. Something fun I learned when I was there is that what side you tie your apron on matters. If you tie it on the right, it means you are married. If you tie it on the left, it means you are single. And if it’s tied in the middle, well, that means you are a virgin.
Where to stay
Hotel Munich Inn
This is a great place to stay if you are on a budget. It is walking distance from the train station and to the grounds. The breakfast is amazing and they have a fresh-squeezed orange juice machine, which my husband loved.
Prost!
Check out my YouTube video that highlights our experience at Oktoberfest in Munich in 2016. Beware, we may be slightly intoxicated.
Don’t forget to book your trip with your favorite travel planner, yours truly. If you liked this blog post about Oktoberfest in Munich, check out A Long Weekend in Copenhagen, Denmark!
