Oktoberfest 2015 (better late than never!)

[Dav_s]

(Yes, I know I've left it late)

Is anyone going this year? Looking for any tips and recommendations on two things really...

Getting in to the big tents (4 of us going), and ideally we'd like to book in advance to guarantee entrance.
If this isn't possible, is there any other way to almost guarantee getting in?
(also best tents?)

Accommodation: i.e. best places to stay? (Looking for quality hotels close to the action - Oktoberfest itself, as well as the local bars).


Thanks

[Asterix]

I asked the exact same question here last March.

Was told by virtually everyone that you're already 6 months late in your planning to get a reasonable hotel and tent organised.

[Ynox]

Do a search - probably too late for best deals unless you want to travel in from further away (trains are quite good in Germany).

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=1&a...

My post from last year still stands.

Not going out to Munich this year for it sadly. Had a good time last year!

Edit - to guarantee getting in (even that's not a guarantee) - get there early. Before 9am (ideally before 8am) at weekends, and before 10am in the week.

Another beer festival worth checking out is Stuttgart's Volksfest. Went last year as a precursor to Munich and had a good time. Plus it's a little cheaper and less well known.

[boroandy87]

Went last year. Its epic.

We booked late, around this time I recall!

We camped, wasn't all that bad to be honest. You'll have some good laughs with the folk around you that's for sure. Mix of Aussies, Americans, Italians etc etc.

Think it cost us £300 all in including flights (do not use air france) we had to be rebooked twice, once while pissed in afternoon session in the HB tent.

As for getting into the tents I advise you be there at the below times for certain days.

Friday - 9am
Saturday - 8am latest
Sunday - 9/10am

Not sure about during the week as we did a weekend.

We camped at thalkrichen with topdeck. Do not forget your insurance if you do camp, they will ask you for the details. I made that mistake.

Few of the others chaps are going again this year but they booked into a hotel way back in November and even then hotels where almost all booked. Flights keep moving in price at the moment but they aren't unreasonable. I'd recommend Lufthansa, get a free drink and sandwich for the flight which is nice, tad more expensive though.

[boroandy87]

Ps.

If you are looking at getting some lederhosen, buy it before hand. Its circa £75-£150 depending on what you want when you are out there.

PPS. Don't be afraid to leave the tent and take a wander around during the day. You will need to stop and get some food etc. It's a long day, just make sure you are back in before 4pm if not earlier.

To actually answer your questions as I got carried away...

I very much doubt you will find any hotels near Oktoberfest itself. Like I say camping isn't to bad and there are showers. Bring flip flops though if you do go this way. They lay on a bus for you to somewhere nearish to the festival itself, but you will need to walk the last 1/4 mile or so. They also collect from the same point.

You can try and book a table, but there will need to be more of you as it is expensive.

We only tried one local bar, which was on the Thursday as we just wandered around and established a game plan for Friday and the weekend. Was opposite the main entrance but was pretty good.

It's here.... https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@48.135852,11.548142...

Edited by boroandy87 on Wednesday 25th March 13:19

[Dav_s]

Thanks for the replies gents.

Trip booked! 3 nights - leaving Thursday morning, coming back on the final Sunday afternoon.
Still a fair few flights and hotels available, so anyone thinking about going, it is definitely NOT too late!

We've somehow managed to get a decent hotel just a few minutes walk/stumble from Oktoberfest. Absolutely made up!

:-)

[Dav_s]

boroandy87 said:

As for getting into the tents I advise you be there at the below times for certain days.

Friday - 9am
Saturday - 8am latest
Sunday - 9/10am

Not sure about during the week as we did a weekend.

How does it work once you're inside a tent and seated - can you stay in the same spot from morning until close?

[Ynox]

Yep. You can stay in the same spot.

You may occasionally get moved - e.g. I saw some people get chucked off the table I was on last year as the waitress wanted her friends to sit there, but this in my experience is pretty rare.

Get there early and try to survive! Nice one on the accommodation.

[DJRC]

Seriously? Cant find hotels? FFS, useless bloody tourists.

Define decent?

I always use the NH brand hotels and find them rather good. By "use" I mean live in as I work in Munich. My colleagues prefer Holiday Inn, but I think they suck. The Munich NH hotels give you cracking rooms and great prices. You are going to Oktoberfest...you really don't care about anything else in the hotel.

Close to Oktoberfest? Well I presume you mean the main site, which is Hackerbrucke/Donnersbergerbrucke. Thats basically 3 mins from Haupt on the S-Bahn and they run pretty much every minute. I tend to stay out at Ost which is a further 5mins east. Its quieter, cheaper and more convenient to the airport.

Getting into the tents, well tickets are available all the time to be honest. If you are really desperate gimme a yell about July time and Ill just put in add however many you want to our order. They aren't all that to be honest, 35Euros, half a chicken, no bread and a free beer or so. The main attraction of Oktoberfest is what happens outside the tents and the park to be honest,what happens in the town. There are mini beerfests/tents/stalls all over town.

And lederhosen. If you are going to buy...buy in Munich and buy decent. Otherwise you will just look a and you will be laughed at by the locals. Yes, you will. Lederhosen in the late summer and autumn isn't just some costume wear for the tourists and pretend make believe like some kind of German Goodwood Revival, its standard wear. People go shopping in it, go to work in it, wear it like jeans basically. If you don't want to spend £200 on some but still look half decent then at least go to C&A on the main drag between Karlsplatz and Marianplatz and you can get some there that will be just about acceptable.

Come and find the rest of us either in O'Reillys or Kennedys or in the Gartens.

[Dav_s]

Thanks - great reply that

We're staying at the Sheraton Four Points (when I said decent, more than anything I was comparing it to hostels and tents!). Location is excellent, so that's the main thing for us on this particular trip.

I know that the main site is said to have got somewhat touristy over the years, but as it's our first trip to Oktoberfest, that doesn't bother us too much.

Which of the "big tents" would you recommend? And thank you so much for the offer of adding us to your number, I may just take you up on that

Edited by Dav_s on Tuesday 31st March 17:04

[DJRC]

All the big tents are roughly the same. Its very corporate and industrial, they aren't tents or even marques per se. More like a cross between an industrial trade show marquee villa and warehouse, you are seating about 2-400 people each time. The day is split into 3 sessions swell, lunch, afternoon, evening. You get kicked out of the tent when your session ends. Half of the park is also a funfair.

[Dav_s]

Does the kicking out at the end of each session apply to everyone in the "tent", or just those seated at the reserved tables? (I understand that there are also seats for people to turn up on the day and claim, although not loads of them?)

[Ynox]

Reserved only in my experience. I've never had a problem with remaining in a tent all day once I got a table. That said, I do tend to tip relatively well. Whether that makes any difference, I don't know.

[DJRC]

Reserved.

You can remain in a tent all day - but why would you? You miss the wider fun of the event. This is why locals tend to pour scorn on the beer grockles who come for their stag weekend. The Fests aren't a British mentality, it's very Federal German. You can be on a table next to Bastie and the boys and crack a few drinking songs with them, but you can't act the fan tt. You can get blind drunk but don't disturb the peace. If you aren't local you wear hosen but only if it's real.

I'm not one for liking Yanks on holiday much, however at Oktoberfest they are always the most welcome because they buy into it all. They buy pukka outfits, obey the drinking and behaviour rules and get in touch with their inner Germanic'ness. The Brits, Aussies and Boks however are notorious for being aholes at Oktoberfest.

Of course if you want real beer then you are too late already. Stark is the best festival - the strong beer fest