Last Updated: 11/7/20 | November 7th, 2020
“How lots of days are you at the Wiesn (Oktoberfest) for?” the German girl wearing her standard Bavarian dirndl across the table asked me.
“We’re here for five days,” I replied, putting down my umpteenth stein of beer.
Her face became a mix of shock, disbelief, and horror.
“Päť dní! That is crazy! You’re a bit insane, huh?” povedala. “You only need one day for the Wiesen. I hope you survive.”
It turned out she was right. My friends and I were a bit outrageous to think five days wasn’t that long at Oktoberfest. We swiftly learned that a lot of Germans come for a day because that really is enough time at the Wiesn (the German name for Oktoberfest).
It’s the tourists who stay longer.
Five days at Oktoberfest was something I wouldn’t do again. It was overkill. even the group I was with, filled with able-bodied, hardened drinkers, was exhausted by day 3 and uninterested by day 5.
By the end, I never wanted to see a beer again.
But I survived the experience — and in the process had a great time, made a lot of new friends, hardened my liver, met some other cool travel bloggers, and learned just how to plan the best Oktoberfest trip.
In this post, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about planning a trip to Oktoberfest.
Planning your Oktoberfest visit
What is Oktoberfest?
What to expect at Oktoberfest
How much Does Oktoberfest Cost?
A list of Oktoberfest Tents
How to Make Table Reservations at Oktoberfest
Booking accommodation at Oktoberfest
How to get Your Oktoberfest Outfit
General Oktoberfest Survival Tips
How to visit Oktoberfest
What is Oktoberfest?
Oktoberfest was one of the best festivals I’ve ever attended. It’s a 16–18-day beer festival held every year in Munich, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October.
It all began when Crown prince Ludwig married Princess Therese on October 12, 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city, which the locals call “Wies’n” (which indicates grass, and why Oktoberfest is nicknamed Wiesn in Germany). ever considering that then, it has become a major event, especially in the last few decades as a lot more and a lot more international travelers have been attracted to the festival thanks to tours, cheap flights, and better accommodation options.
It’s such a big thing that you’ll find Oktoberfest activities in cities around the world (though nothing beats the original).
What to expect at Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest is a wild, no-holds-barred drinking festival. An estimated 7 million people visit every year, with the majority of those Germans (they represent 85% of attendees)! You’ll see just about everyone dressed up in standard Bavarian clothes (lederhosen for guys, dirndls for girls), having a good time, and drinking lots and lots of beer. These pictures and video will help paint the scene for you:
You get a lot of people chugging beer….
….and a lot of people who fail at it….
….but no matter what, there’s a lot of singing.
Outside the beer tents, you’ll find a carnival atmosphere. Literally. The grounds consist of a carnival with games, rides, and even haunted houses. It is like a theme park in Anywhere, USA. If it wasn’t for people dressed up, you wouldn’t have known you were in Germany. (This is also where you’ll find everyone passed out from too much beer!)
Inside the tents is where you find the standard Oktoberfest you’ve come for: lots of hearty food, standard music, large decorated tents, friendly people, large steins of beer, and a communal delighted atmosphere that breeds friendship and joy! everyone is here for a good time and in high spirits!
How much Does Oktoberfest Cost?
All the tents are complimentary to enter. Beer is typically around 12 EUR and a lot of full meals are 12–15 EUR. You can get snacks and small meals for around 5 EUR. You can also get alcohol outside the tents (but not beer), and the drinks cost around 8 EUR. You’ll find tons of stands anywhere with sausage and wurst for 5-6 EUR too.
Reserving a table is technically free, however, a reservation requires you to buy food and drinks. Usually, this is the equivalent of 2 beers and half a chicken (which is around 30-35 EUR per person). So a table for 10 will be around 300 EUR, depending on the tent.
It’s essentially impossible to do this event on a tight budget. You can get beer or food outside the event grounds, which will lower your costs (get drunk and full before) but if you’re purchasing anything in the tents, expect to pay!
How to Make Table Reservations at Oktoberfest
All the tents are complimentary throughout the day and all have complimentary tables as well as reserved tables for people eating meals (these are also prime seats in the center of the tent). If you want to eat or guarantee that a table (and not fight for all the complimentary tables), you’ll need to make arezervácia. Každý deň sme mali rezerváciu stola, pretože sme sa s priateľmi chceli ubezpečiť, že máme miesto na sedenie. Ak chcete urobiť rezerváciu, budete musieť kontaktovať stan priamo prostredníctvom e -mailu, telefónu alebo faxu (áno, stále prijímajú faxy!). Zvyčajne sa to deje na začiatku roka od januára do apríla. Tabuľky v najlepších stanoch sa rýchlo vyplňujú.
Ak si zarezervujete v jednom zo stanov, uvedomte si, že veľa stolov sedí 6-10 osôb a stojí asi 300-350 EUR (asi 30-35 EUR na osobu). Musíte si rezervovať celý stôl, takže aj keď je to len jeden z vás, rezervujete si stôl, akoby ste ho vyplnili. Aj keď ste mali mať úplný stôl, keď si sadnete, ukázali sme sa mínus pár ľudí a zdá sa, že sa im to nestará. Táto rezervácia zahŕňa nejaké pivo a jedlo.
Osobne si nie som tak istý, že si znova rezervujem tabuľky. Je skvelé vedieť, že máte miesto, kde si môžete sadnúť, ale okrem víkendov alebo v noci sa zdalo, že by ste vždy mohli nájsť otvorené kreslo, aj keď ste museli chvíľu stáť. Keby som si znova zarezervoval stôl, urobil by som to iba pre nočné hodiny, keď sa stoly ťažšie dostanú, budete chcieť miesto jesť a možno nebudete chcieť stáť okolo čakania.
Majte na pamäti víkendy, keď Nemci nefungujú, sú mimoriadne zaneprázdnení a je oveľa ťažšie získať rezerváciu a nájsť bezplatné tabuľky. Ak nemáte rezerváciu, choďte tam skoro!
Zoznam najlepších stanov Oktoberfestu
Na Oktoberfeste je 14 hlavných pivných stanov a každý z nich má svoju osobnosť. Niektorí majú tendenciu byť na Američanoch, iní Austrálčanov, iní starší Nemci, iné bohaté celebrity, zatiaľ čo iní sú všetci pod slnkom. Tu je štrnásť hlavných stanov a niektoré informácie o nich:
Marstall – Tento stan drží viac ako 3 000 ľudí a je najnovším prírastkom tejto udalosti. Je to oveľa modernejšie a vynaliezavejšie (tu môžete skutočne získať vegetariánske jedlo) a uspokojovať mladší dav hipperov.
Armbrustschützen-Festhalle-Tento pohodlný stan bol tiež domovom súťaže o kuše vzhľadom na to, že 1895! Je to jeden z najobľúbenejších.
Hofbräu Festzelt – Toto je najobľúbenejší stan pre medzinárodných návštevníkov, najmä Američanov, a je jedným z najväčších a mnohých populárnych stanov v cestovných. Je to zaneprázdnené, ale miloval som to!
Hacker-Festhalle-Tento stan je známy tým, že je na strop maľovaný modrou oblohou a bielymi mrakmi, ktoré môžu, ak je počasie pekné, otvoria sa, aby skutočne ukázali modrú oblohu vyššie. Je to tiež jeden z oveľa populárnejších stanov.
Schottenhamel – Toto je najstarší stan na Oktoberfeste a kapacita pre viac ako 10 000 ľudí. Tam sa strana začína a je veľmi populárna u Nemcov.
Víťaz Fähndl – Tento masívny stan je najväčší v Oktoberfeste s miestnosťou pre 11 000 párty. Dokážete to rozpoznať podľa gigantického rotujúceho pohára pivu.
Schützen-Festzelt-Tento stan sa nachádza mimo hlavného odporu, čo naznačuje, že často môžete poraziť davy smerom sem.
Käfer’s Wies’n-Schänke-Tento stan je známy ako obľúbený miestnych aj medzinárodných celebrít, ako aj ich neskoro v noci! Veľa ľudí tu dokončí svoju noc.
Fischer Vroni – Ak ste opotrebovaní zo všetkých bravčov (hlavné jedlo v mnohých stanoch), potom choďte sem pre niečo iné: ryby!
Ochsenbraterei – Tento stan bol v ohľade na to, že 1881 a je známy svojimi mnohými jedlami vola a veľkým mosadzným pásmom.
Augustiner-Festhalle-Tento stan sa považuje za najdôležitejšiu možnosť. Je to tiež najťažší stan, ktorý dostane stôl, pretože veľa miestnych obyvateľov má tu vyhradené sedadlá.
PSCHORR-BRIUROSL-Rodina Heide prevádzkuje tento stan vzhľadom na to 1901 a má svoj vlastný Yodeler.
Löwenbräu-Festhalle-Tento stan, ktorý má pri vchode gigantický lev 15 stôp, má oveľa viac staršieho davu. Je to obľúbený miestnych futbalových hráčov.
WEINZELT-Tento stan je ďalšou voľbou pre rodiny s deťmi, s menej štandardnými ponukami, ako sú morské plody, thajské jedlo a dokonca aj biele víno (niečo, čo tu často nevidíte).
Rezervácia ubytovania na Oktoberfeste
Zarezervujte si miestnosť Oktoberfest skoro. Ubytovanie vyplní mimoriadne rýchlo – a niektoré hotely a hostely rezervujú až rok vopred. Čím bližšie sa dostanete na festivalové areály, tým oveľa drahšie postele sú a čím rýchlejšie sa všetko vyplní. V apríli som si rezervoval izbu a už bolo vypredaných veľa miest. Táto miestnosť ma stála 120 EUR za noc, ale bola blízko festivalového areálu. Dorms Hostel si často vyberá 60–80 EUR.
V okolí nie je veľa rozpočtových ubytovania, ale existuje niekoľko možností, ak nechcete zostať v centre mesta (alebo chcete ušetriť peniaze):
Stay at The Tent, a hostel (well, really, a massive tent) outside the city for 40 EUR per night.
Couchsurf (which is hard, because locals get a lot of requests from people trying to find a complimentary place to stay) or have friends you can stay with.Using Airbnb is another good option as long as you book in advance.
How to get Your standard Oktoberfest Outfit
You can’t go to Oktoberfest without the standard Bavarian outfit (it just wouldn’t be ideal or as fun), and those are not cheap. A good lederhosen outfit begins at around 140-175 EUR. Dirndls, the standard outfit for girls, begin at 100 EUR. (You can, of course, find more affordable outfits, though, if you aren’t trying to find something of quality.)
You can buy them online before you go or find them in stores throughout the city. stores just selling outfits spring up just for the festival. We found lederhosen the day we arrived. You can rent costumes for around 45-50 EUR per day but that’s only a good option if you are going for a day or two. If you’re going for longer, it’s more affordable to get an outfit.
Tipy prežitia generála Oktoberfest
It’s a marathon, not a sprint — you’ll be drinking all day, so there’s no need to rush it. too lots of people pass out on the lawns by dinnertime. pace yourself. Those liters of beer are strong.
Hydrate: drink a lot of water while you’re there. I had Powerade and water bottles lined up in my room for when I got home and when I woke up.
Get to the Käfer tent early: a lot of of the tents close at 10:30pm. Käfer is the only one open until 1am, so everyone rushes there after the others shut down. get there a bit before 10:30pm so you have a spot. Otherwise, you simply won’t be able to get in or get served.
Get a table early: No reservation? just winging it? If you aren’t there by midday, your chances of finding a table shrink greatly. try to avoid the times when they switch reservations. All the people that got kicked out are now trying to find a complimentary table, and competition is fierce.
Eat outside the event area: While all the tents have incredible rotisserie chicken, the food inside is simply expensive. just walk outside, get a cheap sausage for a few Euros, and save your money for the overpriced liters of beer.
Set a meet-up point: The grounds are huge. If you’re there with friends, set a meeting point in case you get separated (which is inevitable).
The tents don’t really matter: While everyone tent will offer a special experience, the differences won’t be that drastic. Every tent will offer up a great time, so there’s no need to be picky. find a tent you like and just stay there!
Bring cash: keep your life (and the life of your server) basic and just stick to cash.
Keep your stuff safe: Pickpockets aren’t too much of a problem but you might get drunk and lose stuff. only bring the essentials of what you need and be sure to keep them safe in a zipped pouch so they don’t get wet and ruined!
For maps of the event, news, updates, and other importan information, download the Oktoberfest app.
Ako navštíviť Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest was cancelled this year due to COVID. We’ll update this post when there’s a lot more information about 2021’s event.
Getting to Munich is easy as it’s easily accessible by rail from all major points in Europe and has its own major, international airports.
Oktoberfest takes place on Theresienwiese. It walkable from the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof) and the closest U-Bahn is, aptly called, Theresienwiese. just follow the mass of crowds to the grounds. You can’t miss it!
***
Oktoberfest only happens once a year, and though it sort of busted my European budget, I don’t regret any of the money I spent. I’m really happy after years of false starts that I finally got to visit and celebrate Oktoberfest. My friends and I are already considering returning next year (though maybe not for five days again).
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