Munich's Oktoberfest:

February 28, 2008 1:44 PM

Munich's Oktoberfest: package deal or piece meal? And any recs while we're there?

My boyfriend's parents are going to Oktoberfest this year and we'd like to join them for a few days. We'll be flying out of the NYC area. Can anyone recommend a trusted package or package dealers?

If not, any tips to keep costs down? We usually stay in (European) 3 to 3.5 star hotels, hostels or camping isn't what we're looking for.

Also, if there are tents you'd recommend, that would be great. We're in our 30s, and his parents are in their 60s, we're not looking for spring break or geriatric atmoshphere.

Anything else you'd recommend in Munich during Oktoberfest? I think one way to keep costs down would be to just stay in/near the city.

Thanks!

posted by cestmoi15 to travel & transportation (8 comments total)

I haven't been to Oktoberfest itself since 1974, but I've been to Munich to visit my in-laws a couple of times in the past two years, so I'm somewhat up-to-date on the possibilities... I'm afraid the exchange rate is so bad right now that asking for ways to economize is like asking for help running your yacht more cheaply.

I have no knowledge of package deals to Munich but have been to Munich as couple of times as a tourist on my own, in addition to studying there, and more recently visiting family there. I recommend you get a copy of Frommer's or just check their recommendations on line.

I love Munich but I can't say the same really for Oktoberfest itself. My in-laws wouldn't think of attending Oktoberfest without specific reservations for some particular tent, which seemed bizarre to me, but I'm sure times have changed. Personally I would prefer to go to a nice Biergarten during the spring or summer rather than Oktoberfest itself.

A really good source of information would be the ex-pats English language website "toy town munich."

There is tons to see in Munich, but you don't indicate your interests. My favorite attraction in Munich is the LenbachHaus which has the world's premier collection of Blaue Reiter paintings.

I have never done it, but everyone I know who has done it raves about Mike's Bike Tour (looks like good general information on that site now). I am in my mid-50s myself and don't think your boyfriend's parents would be too old to enjoy that.
posted by thomas144 at 4:06 PM on February 28, 2008

Depending on how brave you are as travellers, I wouldn't bother with the package. Just get the cheapest flights across the water that you can, and then find a hotel yourself. I've been a few times, and my top tip is not to try and book a hotel in central Munich itself: the costs are too high.

Last time I went, we stayed in a business hotel in the suburbs, in a town whose name utterly escapes me right now (sorry). But the public transport in Munich is awesome, so we were about 15-20 minutes away from the centre of town by overground-cum-Metro train. The savings over staying in the city itself were huge, and we only had to get a taxi home on the Sunday night, as the trains stopped earlier.

As for tents: I recommend the one you can get into! You need to be there early (no, earlier than that) to get into one, and even then it's often a matter of luck. The ground isn't that terribly big, so you'll be able to find your way around quite quickly. The pressure for tables can be high during the day, so if you leave to go to the toilet, you'll have to have your spot guarded. (Oh: and be ready for an epic wait at the toilets.

I know you don't want spring break style things, but don't write off Munich's clubbing scene, which is great, and definitely the place to be after the tents close (about 11pm). A heaving club full of men in lederhosen and women in dirndles is not a sight to be missed.
posted by bonaldi at 7:26 PM on February 28, 2008

If you havent been there before, spectacular Neuschwanstein is definitely worth going to, (in a do-anything-once type way). Dachau concentration camp (memorials, very good museum and education centre) is nearish, if you can deal with the contrast. and the Ratskeller restaurant under the Rathaus ((dont bother trying to catch the on-the-hour clock chimes, as the guidebook will want you too, it's about as thrilling as watching yourself turn a mechanical whisk)) is lovely, pricey, very parent-worthy - tables tucked away amongst rambling stone vaults etc - and does All the Sausage you will Need. The huge main beer tents are all pretty similar in terms of atmosphere, Löwenbraü is the best for the Typical Bavarian Look I think. Depends on where you find a place to sit as to whether the people round you are geriatric or spring-break-y or inbetween. It does get VERY rowdy in the evenings, especially round the fun-fair rides, there are a lot of out-of-control teenagers, and public vomiting: maybe stick to going during the day then into town at night - the Fest is certainly never geriatric. And DON'T ask for a dry white wine in the beer tents, as my friend did once - you just get a huge beer anyway, plus a really dirty look!
posted by runincircles at 7:28 PM on February 28, 2008

I'd definitely suggest getting reservations at a tent, and probably going during the week, not on the weekend: it really can be a zoo, full of drunken teenagers, etc. All the tents have reservable tables on the side, which are separated a little from the tables and benches. I liked the atmosphere of the Augustinerbräu tent and the Hippodrom the best, I think, though the former's more Bavarian. The Oktoberfest has a lot of info on the tents - I'd suggest checking it out and seeing which descriptions strike your fancy.

Definitely get a hotel that's not in the Innenstadt. Prices will double, easily. The U-Bahn goes pretty far out, and the S-Bahn further yet. A weekly ticket to head out to the 5th ring (just beyond the edges of the U-Bahn) is €18.20, and that'll cover all public transportation within Munich, as well.

If you are interested in art, Munich's got some great museums. The Alte, Neue, and Moderne Pinakotheks are all worth seeing, as is the Residenz. The Deutsches Museum is a science museum, not an art museum, but it's roundly regarded as one of the best.

Neuschwanstein or another of König Ludwig II's palaces, Linderhof, is certainly worth a visit, as is Dachau, obviously for very different reasons. The Englischer Garten is gorgeous, and if you want to check out a biergarten without the insanity of Oktoberfest, there's a biergarten surrounding the Chinesischer Turm at the center.

And prepare to be entertained by seeing the city full of teenagers (well, and everyone else) going about their daily business in dirndls and lederhosen. It's great.
posted by ubersturm at 1:37 AM on February 29, 2008

Thanks, all! This is exactly the type of info I was looking for!
posted by cestmoi15 at 8:15 AM on February 29, 2008

I would like to second the recommendation for the Chinesischer Turm ("Chinese Tower") in the English Gardens. Although it has gotten incredibly touristy in recent years, I prefer it (or any one of thousands of smaller Biergarten) to Oktoberfest. As an aside, I posted a clip on youtube from the film Wir Wunderkinder that was filmed at the Chinesischer Turm in the late 50s (depicting how it looked before the war, but that's how I remember it from the 70s).

My old dormitory in Schwabing is now a business hotel that looks pretty decent. I would book now, if it's not too late, for Oktoberfest. Try this link to the H'Otello

The last few times I have gone to Munich I have stayed with relatives in the suburbs, but prior to that I stayed as a tourist at both the Bayerisches Hof (I got a good deal in 1996) and my favorite hotel in the Munich, the Platzl. If you guys are feeling flush you might consider the Platzl, not that it's anywhere near the most expensive hotel in Munich.

Public transportation in Munich is awesome. If you find accomodations in Starnberg for example, that would be awesome (and you could easily take the s-bahn into town).

Munich has a wonderful downtown pedestrian zone, which is incidentally beautifully modeled in Second Life, which you can explore for free on-line (probably the best thing in all of Second Life, I think).

I also agree with the recommendation for the Ratskeller
posted by thomas144 at 8:21 AM on February 29, 2008

Thanks thomas144. I love the bike idea, that is perfect. And I loved the youtube!

I'm also thinking about seeing the Ludwig castles in the area. Any input?

Also, I was there about 8 years ago, staying with a friend in the suburbs (we're no longer in touch), and I don't recall much, but it was right by a petting zoo that I'd love to go back to. Does that ring any bells? My quick and dirty google search says tierpark-hellabrunn

Further, from what I can gleen, it doesn't look like all of the beer gartens participate in Oktoberfest. Are there any others that you'd recommend?
posted by cestmoi15 at 6:45 PM on March 1, 2008

Besides the beer-tents make a visit at the "Schichtl"-tent there you can watch an execution.
posted by armadillo at 3:46 AM on August 15, 2008