Going To Oktoberfest Munich - Any Suggestions

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eljefe

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I pulled the trigger and bought plane tickets and hotel reservations to Munich in late September. I saw several people have been in the past. Any suggestions on where to go? Any idea how I can get tickets for the tents? Any other do's or don'ts? Anyone else going (I will be there 9/22 - 9/26).

Thanks
 
You can buy tickets online or when you get to Germany. Definitely get them in advance though. I was lucky enough to get in free because me and my friends didn't buy tickets but after talking to one of the guys he let us in for free. Also make sure you get a lot of souvenirs. I realized that I should have bought a lot more stuff.

Dos: Drink a lot of beer and have a good time. Go with friends so they can save you a spot on a bench to dance on when you get back from the bathroom :p

Don't: Act like an idiot, they will toss you out and it won't be pretty. Steal a mug...because you'll probably get caught and tossed as well.
 
I was in Switzerland during October about 10 years ago. They have tents and beer in October but the brew is not the same.

Enjoy Germany.
 
You can buy tickets online or when you get to Germany. Definitely get them in advance though. I was lucky enough to get in free because me and my friends didn't buy tickets but after talking to one of the guys he let us in for free. Also make sure you get a lot of souvenirs. I realized that I should have bought a lot more stuff.

Dos: Drink a lot of beer and have a good time. Go with friends so they can save you a spot on a bench to dance on when you get back from the bathroom :p

Don't: Act like an idiot, they will toss you out and it won't be pretty. Steal a mug...because you'll probably get caught and tossed as well.

You do not need tickets to get in anywhere, but it can be very hard to get a table if you do not get reservations. Perhaps these are the tickets you need. You can go anytime into the tents if they let you in... as they are often overcrowded. My wife has been to the fest 4 times, and myself once. It is a blast!! For good food and beer hit up Paulauner and Augustiner. For a crazy time hit up Lowenbrau.

Try and do a Mike's Bike's tour... lots of fun. There is also a brewery tour that meets under the clock around 5pm. Go to the local breweries because the fest does not do justice to the actual breweries being showcased. Good luck and most of all, bring some advil.

Edit: Also, the pictures in my gallery are just a few from my trip. The picture of my wife and I is from the Weisses brauhaus.
 
I never went to the one in Munich but I went to the one in Stuttgart many times (stationed in Germany for 5 years). My best suggestion is to be careful the first day and the last day. Those are usually the craziest ones!
 
You do not need tickets to get in anywhere, but it can be very hard to get a table if you do not get reservations.

We tried a number of tents and were left outside with many of other people (including locals). I don't know the rules behind it all but they weren't letting us in. Every now and then they'd toss somebody out and let a new person in. After talking with the guy for a while I was ready to leave, and he called us over and let us enter. There were some other people there we knew and they told me they bribed the guy to enter. Tables were hard to come by, but enough room was made to squeeze my group in.
 
Two things, be prepared for a HUGE crowd, and don't take SWMBO. Worst arguement I ever had was leaving Munich.

Oh in the redlight district don't go past the third floor of the buildings. It gets really scary up there. Not that I would know I just heard stories.
 
If you want a table, get there early! They start serving beer at 9 I think so if you are there at 8 you might get in and get a seat, then make some friends so you dont lose it when you get up to go to the toilets!

Dont try and steal the mugs... they frown on it.
 
Hofbrauhaus at least once. I wish I would have gotten on a Mike's Bike Tour. BMW Welt was interesting. The old olympic grounds were kind of depressing.


You can find reservations that start at 4pm and later, so even if you don't get a reservation, you can keep those tables warm in the tents up until the reserved times. Without reservations, it was pretty tough for 3 of us to get in any of the tents as the night drew on. We spent a lot of time outside, which was fine, and at the smaller structures in the fest where it was one-in, one-out, but pretty decent turnaround.


I'm glad one of my tripmates brought powdered Gatorade, if you're into that kind of hydration. If not, a weissbier in the morning will work just fine.


I was a little bummed they don't actually serve marzen at the fest - kind of weird that I enjoy more "true" Oktoberfest beer here locally than at the home of Oktoberfest....but it was probably a good idea to have the watered down "festbier" in the end.


Also, if you see a Russ or a Radler on a menu and think to yourself "These are the only beers/styles I don't recognize here...I'll try them!", just know that they're beer/lemonade mixtures. One is a weissbier/lemonade mix, and the other is a pils or bock, I think.
 
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