SIGHTSEEING & TOURS

Oktoberfest

The first Oktoberfest took place on the 12 October 1810, to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Today, the Oktoberfest is the best known beer festival around the world and has been replicated on all continents. In 2011, the Oktoberfesthosted 6.9 million visitors from around the world who drank 7.5 million liters of beer and ate the equivalent of 118 oxes and 522,821 roasted chickens. At the center of the spectacle are 14 large beer tents, which are set-up along theWirtsbudenstrasse in the northern part of Theresienwiese. These have seating capacity of up to 8,500 inside the tent and additional hundreds or thousands of seats in the adjacent beer gardens. Here only beer of the 6 major Munich breweries (Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, Spaten-Franziskaner) is sold.

Especially on weekends you should try to get in the tents before 10AM. During the week, most tents are open all day, however it is not easy to get a seat if you are a larger group. It is a general rule that you will not get served if you do not have a seat. The exception is the Hofbräu Festzeltwhere beer is also served in a standing area. It is not recommended to leave the tent if you want to get in it later since it might be crowded by that time. There are also smaller beer tents, which also offer beer, Bavarian food and Oktoberfest music and it might be possible to still get a seat there when the large tents are already full. However, the Oktoberfest has more to offer than the parties inside the the beer tents. In the Schaustellerstrasse you can ride numerous roller coasters - assuming you are still able to do so after enjoying the Munich beer.
Finally a few general tips:

• Accommodation will be hard to find and prices can easily double during Oktoberfest.
• Smoking is not allowed in the tents, but some tents feature designated outdoor smoking areas. Think twice if you want leave a tent for smoking since you may not get in again.
• The closest underground station "Theresienwiese" (underground lines U4 and U5) is very crowded and will sometimes be closed because of this. As an alternative, go to the underground station "Goetheplatz" (lines U3 and U6). It's crowded too, but you will still have some air to breathe there. Just follow the crowd when you get out of the station.
• In most beer tents the bar closes at 10:30pm while the tent closes at 11:30pm. You should have finished your beer before then since the security will ruthlessly clear the area.
• Tents open at 10am usually (9am on weekends). The first day is tapping day (german "Anstich"). There is no beer served before noon and since the tents will surely be crowded by then, it will take some time until everyone is served.
• If you are with small children, try to avoid the weekends. Every Tuesday from 12 to 6pm is family day with discounts on many rides.

Pub Crawl with Size Matters Beer Tour

Munich is widely known as the Beer Capital of the World. Famous for Massive Beers, Big Bratwurst, Giant Pretzels and Beautiful Girls and that is exactly what you get on this tour! They will touch on the history of beer and the city itself. Nothing too serious though, it is a beer tour after all. Well worth it!

Bike Tours of Munich with Lennys Bike Tours Munich

Lenny's Bike Tours takes you around the Old Town, through the Royal and English Gardens, with a stop for Lunch at the Chinese Tower Beer Garden and along the Isar river. You're looking for relaxing, a bit of info, and a great way to see the city. This is it!

Private tours of Munich with Bodos Bavarian Tours

Bodo offers private tours of Munich and Bavaria. You can do your time and pace with a lot of fun.

Have a walk with a Munich Greeter

Greeter show their favorite spots in the city complimentary and full of passion. The idea: See exciting neighborhoods or the best beer gardens together with a local during a simple walk and listen to inside views of Munich. The aim is the cultural exchange and the dialogue between Greeter and the guest.

Helicopter scenic tours with Heliflieger.com

See Munich city, the lakes area, the famous Kings' castles of Neuschwanstein and the Alps or all of the above from a bird's eye view. Individual and private tours can be arranged upon request. There is no better way to get an overview of Bavaria and to cover most scenic spots in the amount of time available.