Itinerary: Oktoberfest 2010

So, no doubt you have heard of Oktoberfest. The biggest beer festival on earth, based in Munich, Germany.

What better way to end 6 months of sobriety than to take a trip over to Munich for the worlds biggest beer festival? Starting a European adventure by going to a great big “pissup” is about as Aussie as you can get.

This year, the festival falls between September 18th and October 3rd 2010. October 3rd is a bank holiday, so the organisers have extended the festival to the 4th. It’s also the 200th anniversary; with 6 million people in attendance, you can expect it to be one heck of a party!

Photo Credit: inakira

O’zapft is!

Since 1950 there’s been a traditional festival opening: the tapping of the first keg by the mayor of Munich at 12pm, and a 12 gun salute. The mayor gives the first beer to the Minister-President of Bavaria, and cries aloud “O’zapft is!” (“It’s tapped!”).

Rather than regurgitate common FAQ about Oktoberfest in Munich, I will link you to a fantastic online resource.

http://www.oktoberfest-insider.com/oktoberfest-faq.htm

With 36 questions, and detailed answers, it put my mind at ease, just a little bit.

The Plan

My plans are quite dynamic, they keep changing. The plan was to postpone travel until September because TaekwonDo blackbelt grading was in August. But I found out recently that I won’t be getting put forward for blackbelt grading, according to my instructor, I’m not quite ready. So instead of waiting until November, or potentially February next year, I will still be going in September. I’ve already payed for the Visa application, just waiting on the National Police Clearance certificate to come through.

So, new plan… Oktoberfest in Munich in September. I’d like to go in the first week, just so I can see the opening ceremonies and parades. Oktoberfest is at its busiest during the opening weekend, and I’ve already looked into accomodation and CouchSurfing options, most seem to be heavily booked out already. If I can find somewhere to stay, I’d like to be there for the opening weekend. I’ve seen accomodation prices as steep as $170 per night, so might take the camping option if I can’t find a nice host.

Being the busiest time of the entire festival, it can be quite difficult to find a seat in a tent (the beer wenches will not serve you if you are not seated). So one idea is to stay as sober as I can to capture the first day or two on the blog; even if it means avoiding the beer tents all-together on the first weekend, and just taking walking tours of Munich.

A mid-range option, taking part in a tour, but finding your own way to Munich is around $250 for 4 days. The itinerary is easily mix-and-matchable, but the costs are quite high for what you get. One camp site that might still have spots is Thalkirchen, it seems they don’t take reservations. Kapuzinerhölzl is another fantastic budget looking campsite, but they appear to have very little space left.

Its going to be a bit of a struggle finding accomodation at this late stage: I would love to hear your feedback in the comments. If I were to do it all again, I would be a little bit more organised with my pre-trip planning. The Youth Mobility Visa application can only be filled out 3 months before departure, but I could have got the National Police Clearance at any time… then with the Visa accepted, its easy to start booking tours/accomodation/tickets.

Since this will be the opening leg of my European tour, I am a little bit anxious. Will I be alright traveling solo? Will my things be safe? Will I be able to make friends easily enough? Do I take a tour, or go the frugal option and book accomodation only?