Has anybody been to Oktoberfest in Germany? Do you have any suggestions...?

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Alwin E

I am a German, and I have been there twice with a company and once on my own. I have these suggestions:

If you go in the evening, or with a group of people, it's better you book seats in advance, as there will be many reserved seats in the beer tents.

If you go alone, or with two or three people only, there usually is no need for a reservation, as you'll find some place where people will make room for you, or if you go in the afternoon, you probably won't need reservation in one of the beer tents at all.

On the Oktoberfest "Wies'n" (the meadows, as they call it in Munich) there is no general entry charge like at a concert or an entertainment park. You'll only have to pay entry for the roundabouts, the rollercoasters, and all that, but not for the meadows themselves. They're completely free, but you won't be able to resist the many things they have there.

If you want a good hotel room during Oktoberfest times, I'd recommend you book in advance, as all Munich hotels usually are full at that time of year, and you should book soon, but no organized tour. Taxis, trams, subways and busses will take you safely to the meadows and back.

Mind they introduced some anti-smoking laws in Bavaria this year, so you probably won't be allowed to smoke in the tents. But that's still debated and may prove to be less restrictive until October.

chapinero

I love the Oktoberfest and I go there every year!

As the others said, there's no need for a reservation if you are only one or two people. Reservations can only be made for minimum 10 persons anyways, because you always reserve a complete table with two benches, for 10 persons.

You can very well go on your own and just immerse yourself in that special feeling. Stroll along the roller coaster part, eat some almonds, visit the tents or the beergardens, drink some beer and have fun.

It is really a great party!!

Fenris Troll Ripper JPA RT ATL Â®

Alwin gave you a great answer!

All I can really add to it is stay safe, in a group if you can at night and remember where you are staying and how to get there and say it in German if you have to take a Taxi!!

Don't go not knowing at least some basic German words and phrases, they really will save your butt!!

Take it from a seasoned traveler having lived there and traveled there over 18 times now. You will have a blast as long as you travel wisely and not rashly!

take Alwins advice on this one he could not be more accurate!

What Bernd said CAN be true if you are too heavy a partier!! Do be careful, but have fun.

sixxtwo42

Reserving a table at this point will be kind of hard. You would have to do that at least a year in advance.

If there is only 2 or 3 of you, reservation should not be necessary. But make sure you don't get there too late or the tents will be closed down for being too packed. They usually won't open them up again until around 9pm.

Hotels will be ridiculously expensive around that time of he year and completely booked out. So you might want to take care of that ASAP!!! Last year there were over 6 million people here for the Oktoberfest, so you can imagine how many open hotel rooms there were....none!

Make sure you don't take any unnecessary stuff with you. No bagpacks, no bags, no purses for the ladies. Things get stolen or damaged very easily in the tents.

They have enforced a smoking ban in Bavaria, so I am not sure if what I am saying will be correct for this year. For many people cigarettes and beer go hand in hand and one doesn't taste good without the other.
So everyone is speculating right now what this year's oktoberfest will be like. Will it be empty? Will the tents be empty? Will people smoke anyway? Are the owner goign to come up with a loop hole?
No one knows, so it will be a big surprise.

Either way I hope you will enjoy your stay in my beautiful hometown :)

Bernd

yes I've been there.
don't go there, it's crap.
too much drunken people, very expensive drinking and foodstuff, you can find rollercoasters and other attractions on better playgrounds like the Octoberfest (and cheaper).

If you wanna get drunk, ripped off and wake up with an awful headache than you should go.

rita b

no and don't know what you're talking about

Mag R

The Octoberfest is one of the worlds biggest fancy fare and the biggest beerfestival in the world with a lot of attractions lasting 4 days, there is no reservation possible just get to the 'Festwiese' throw yourself into the crowd and enjoy yourself, you'll have fun strolling around all the tents and open air activities.
have fun checking at:
www.oktoberfest.de/en/index.php - 24k

Grunt

It dosent matter how you go you will be so hammerd you wont care how you went

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