Oktoberfest Is The Greatest Festival On Earth

I think I would really love my wedding to be the reason for celebrating beer! I could feast my queen and be the king by tasting as much beer as my liver can bear. I would eat while people were dancing until their feet went numb. OK, challenge accepted...I'm getting married at the Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany!

This Beerfest is for the celebration of the best beers in the world, Bavarian Lagers. It is held in Munich over a 16 day period every September/October. If you go to Oktoberfest one thing that will blow you away is the size of the crowds in Munich. There is millions of people EVERYWHERE! So you really need to plan ahead and get there as early as you can, because actually finding a seat at a table inside the beer halls could take ages. So that is one thing that you have to keep in mind when are Oktoberfest in Munich - Get ready for the crowds!. I actually read up about this beforehand so I got in line at 8am on the opening day so that I was ready for the festivities.

So what should you wear at Oktoberfest? Well the traditional Oktoberfest costume is a Dirndl dress for the girls and the Lederhosen for the guys. Both outfits are very traditional in Bavaria and you definitely will not look out of place at Oktoberfest if you rent or buy one these traditional costumes. They are sold throughout central Munich and cost somewhere between 80 and 300 Euros. If you want to look the part then make sure you look into getting a Dirndl or Lederhosen.

I stayed in a hostel that was a bit of a walk from Theresienwiese (the area where the Oktoberfest is held). Munich has a large variety of hostels where you can stay during the festival starting from around 200Euro for 4 days. Of course if you are ready to spend more on your comfort you can choose hotels, or even apartments if you're with a larger group.

There are cheaper options for accommodation a bit further out in the suburbs of Munich and the city has great public transport to get you into the Oktoberfest grounds. The Metro will take you right to the heart of the festival with a train arriving around every 10 minutes at the most. The two closest lines to the Oktoberfest grounds are the U4 and U5 lines.

One thing that I found straight away was that the people at Oktoberfest were really friendly and were always up for a chat. If you find yourself sitting with some locals you might find you could probably learn a thing or two about Munich or the Oktoberfest whilst you're there. I can highly recommend that if you are at Oktoberfest by yourself then just start up conversations with the people around you, everyone is there to have a great time and enjoy themselves.

I started a conversation with a German girl at the Schotenhammel tent who suggested the best Oktoberfest meal is Schweinebraten, which is basically a traditional pork steak. Pork is very popular in Germany. Oh and another tip for newbie's if you are not regular beer drinkers, keep in mind that Oktoberfest beer is one level stronger than normal beer and beer sizes are 1 liter, which the Germans call a mass. A beer costs around 10euro so be careful with alcohol and your wallet because tips are pretty mandatory. After few drinks I found myself singing drinking songs, knocking the table with my fists, dancing on tables and having so much fun with my new friends. The atmosphere is so amazing and loud with everybody dancing, screaming and laughing. I left the Oktoberfest when the tent we were in, the Lowenbrau, closed at 10.30pm, but the party basically just moved into the Metro, which was so amusing on the way back to home.

I think if I was going to go to Oktoberfest again by myself I think I would hook up with one of the tour operators who specialise in Oktoberfest tours. They take care of it all for you, including somewhere to sleep, quite often some breakfast and other meals and if needed your transport to the festival ground. There is also heaps that offer a coach of even flights from London.

All in all, everyone must celebrate beer once in his or her life and Oktoberfest should be a must on everyones to do list. However, I'm still waiting to meet my Beer Queen!

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