Oktoberfest tourists easily fall for tourist traps and tend to pay more. But don’t worry – this is your ultimate insider guide for the Munich Oktoberfest 2015.
In 2014, there were 6.4 million festival visitors, who had 6.7 million liters of beer at the Munich Oktoberfest. Despite of the 72% of locals from Bavaria, 19% of all Wiesn visitors came from abroad. Especially Americans love the beer festival since 14% of the foreign visitors came from the United States of America. Amongst those, you can find also many U.S. Army officers, who are stationed in Bavaria.
Oktoberfest Dos and Don’t:
- Don’t write ‘tourist’ on your forehead
No, the cloth that everyone wears is not a costume but a traditional outfit that represent the Bavarian culture. If you’ll show up in regular cloth or in cheap and kinky Dirndl and leather pants you bought from a costume shop, people will recognize immediately that you are a tourist.
DO: But don’t worry; you won’t have to buy the expensive traditional outfit in order to have the real Oktoberfest experience. You can rent a full outfit including shirt and pants for men or shirt, apron and dress for women with us: www.bavarian-outfitters.de for less then 50 EUR a day.
- Don’t come too late
Locals from Munich reserve their table for the Oktoberfest one year in advance. Of course, there are many publicly available tables but as a tourist, you have to be an early bird to get one of those, especially when you are a large group.
DO: Wake up early and wait in front of the tents when they open their doors. Especially at the weekend, we recommend to be there around 9:30 am. If you come later, you can still get in but will have to wait in lines for hours.
- Don’t come by car
Parking slots are rare around the Theresienwiese, where the Oktoberfest takes place. Locals and tourists prefer public transportation.
DO: You’ll save time and money: just take public transportation (Metro 4,5 green and brown line to Theresienwiese). Trains are running frequently and plenty of safety guards are taking care that everything works well and efficiently.
If you want to take a cab, we recommend taking advantage of the Rikschaw taxi (bikes) instead. They are much more likely to be available and cheaper if you agree on the price in advance.
- Don’t miss the fun part:
Germans are not as tided up and boring as you might think! There are many fun traditions that you can enjoy at Oktoberfest while being a tourist. You’ll only have to know what you have to do in which situation:
DO:
- Make new friends and join tables: If there is space left, it is no problem to ask if you and your group can join.
- Cheers before you drink. Don’t be rude and drink on your own. J
- Watch the ladies’ apron bow: if its tied on the right side, the woman is married or taken, on the left side, she is single and looking for a flirt and in the middle, she is supposed to be a virgin.
- Wear the Lederhosen and Dirndl: Everyone is guaranteed to look awesome with the flattering, traditional cloth: bavarian-outfitters.de
- Don’t book expensive hotel rooms:
Hotel room prices will be incredibly expensive in the two weeks of the Oktoberfest, especially if you book at the last minute.
DO: Take advantage of alternative of cheaper and more convenient offers such as air b’nb. Locals rent a room in their flats or whole houses. They’ll not only accommodate you, but also give you many useful insider advices.