Wednesday Wanderlust: Munich

 

 Frauenkirche (Source)

When Shannon and I first started planning our trip, it centered around Munich and Oktoberfest. We were going to travel just for the festival itself, but then we started planning a little more... I'm glad we added more countries to our list, but I can speak for both of us when I say that we're most excited to see what Oktoberfest in Munich has to offer. We'll be in Munich the longest out of any of the cities, about 4.5 days and 4 nights (Oct.4th-8th).

We started getting more serious about traveling in the early months of this year. Both of us had gone to "Oktoberfest-like" festivities last year in our respective cities, and we talked about how incredible it would be to go to the real thing.

Pro tip: if you're serious about going to Oktoberfest, you should start planning at least a year in advance. Hotels and hostels sell out fast!!

But, if you're like us and don't start planning until everything you look at is full/booked/incredibly expensive, don't be discouraged. Many tour groups from around the world offer Oktoberfest packages, often including some form of travel and accommodations. Tour groups tend to book up spaces at hotels and hostels and then you can book through the tour group if you want to go. It is pricier than a hostel in any other city would be, but you're paying for the experience as well. The same is expected for any other huge world-renowned festival. We're traveling with a group called The Fanatics, both UK and Australia based. Yup, us two Americans are headed out with them. I can't attest to how great they are just yet, but it did make planning very easy as you could choose from staying in a hotel, hostel, or campground and what dates you want to go. We chose one of the hostel options, conveniently located close to the Oktoberfest grounds during the closing weekend (Oct. 5th-7th). Plus, with a travel group you're pretty much guaranteed to make a ton of new friends. Right?

There are also Oktoberfest campgrounds if you're into that sort of thing OR if sleeping on the ground, being cold, drunk, and dirty sounds good to you ;) I'm sure that's an adventure in itself, just not my kind.

 

Olympiapark (Source)

Marienplatz (Source)

It makes sense that Oktoberfest and the actual festival and beer tents will make up a large portion of our time in Munich, but we have other activities planned and sights to see as well.   Again, we think a bike tour would be one of the most fun and most efficient ways to see a lot of the city. As you can imagine, being the capital of Germany, there is quite a lot to see.  The inner city with famous squares, churches, and buildings is a must.  Munich is also known for their parks, so hopefully we'll check a couple off of the list--the Englischer Garten, Olympiapark, Hofgarten, the gardens at Nymphenburg, and more.  If we have time, we may check out a museum or two.  Did you know the BMW museum is in Munich? 

Nymphenburg Palace (Source)

Hofgarten (Source)

But, we can't get away from the beer for long; we're bound to go some of the famous biergartens.  Of course there is the famous Hofbrauhaus, but Augustiner is also on my list.  It may seem like we're just in Munich to drink, but hey this is Oktoberfest.  It's pretty much our once-in-a-lifetime chance to go this festival and we are in a city that has a strong beer-culture, so why not live it up a little. ;) When in Rome Munich...

Have you been to Oktoberfest before?  Any other big world-famous festival?

Have you been to Munich before? Any tips? Places to see? Favorite beer?