Every year millions of people from all over the world come to the one and only Oktoberfest in Munich. So did I, when came there to celebrate the so-called fifth season of the year. The Wiesn takes places every year from mid of September until the first weekend in October and is a popular traditional beer festival in southern Germany. The Oktoberfest is also called Wiesn, since it is located at the Theresienwiese and it is not only a beer festival but also a funfair for celebrating the Bavarian tradition.
There are a few things that come along with the Oktoberfest that I will share with you now like as some of my impressions of this years visit at the world’s largest beer festival.
A great place to stay – best Oktoberfest hotels in Munich
To enjoy every bit of the festival, finding a good hotel in Munich is so important!! With the help of Hotels.com I was able to stay just right next to the Theresienwiese and had an amazing time:
Hotels.com is a great platform to search for an accommodation every time of the year and not only in Munich. With different filters you are sure to find the best hotel for you. But to find a place to stay during the Oktoberfest, it is highly recommendable to start the search as early as possible, as Munich is crazy busy during this time.
Drinking beer the whole day and dancing on tables can be exhausting, so I suggest you to look for a hotel nearby. My top favorite hotels there are the fancy Hotel Krone, where I stayed in 2018 and the super modern Hotel Augustin, where we stayed this year. Both Hotels are such lovely places and offer that absolute feel-good atmosphere.
At Hotel Krone the bedrooms are arranged very individual and with a lot of details. I stayed in the NEW YORK room and just loved it!
At Hotel Augustin you can have great breakfast, it´s perfect for bigger friends groups or families and the direct neighborhood of the Wiesnclub.
Both Hotels are located right next to the Oktoberfest. For the beginning of the day this is great, but at the end of the day this is even so much better, since it takes only a few minutes walking from the Theresienwiese right into your bed.
The perfect Wiesn look – traditional Bavarian outfit is a must
A very important part of the Wiesn experience is your special outfit. The perfect look in my case as a woman, is the Dirndl. A Dirndl is a traditional costume typical for the south of Germany. I was so excited to finally wear my beloved Dirndl again, since I only get to wear it at the Oktoberfest.
Different accessories are characteristic for different regions in Germany. But one accessory has its own attention. The bow of the ribbon. Not its shape, or its color, but its position.Traditionally a bow placed on your left side signifies that you are single, a bow on the right side, that you are married/taken. By placing your bow, you can tell people, if you are open for flirting or not. With your traditional outfit and the bow set in place you are ready to start your day at the Wiesn right.
Men go there with a Lederhosen / leather pants, worn with a traditional Bavarian shirt or a plaid one. In addition to that they mostly wear a special folk costume ornament, which is called Charivari. This is a decorative chain for the Lederhosen, adorned with silver or golden trinkets, coins, carved animal teeth or paws, gemstones or coins.
Gingerbread, Brezels and lots of beer – the liquid gold of the Bavarian
We started in the afternoon by walking around, eating lots of candy and having fun at the funfair. The atmosphere is so festive, because people from all over the world come here to have fun and celebrate. Gingerbread hearts with different messages written on them are a typical presents/souvenirs for loved ones. They are decorated in different colors and come in different shapes, which make them very individual and some of them can even get personalized. Next to the roasted almonds, chocolate fruits and Nutella crepes, the gingerbread hearts are my favorites, but still an absolute sugar overload!
Beer tents are an important part at the Wiesn and as they are so popular, it is not that easy to get a table. Some tents are more exclusive than others. But at the end of the day people drink beer and enjoy hearty meals in good company! The beer at the Oktoberfest is only local beer from Munich the prices for one liter is about 11 euros, depending on the tent. We Our first stop was the Schottenhamel tent, where we got ourselves some Brezels and the first Mass beer, before we head over to the famous Käfer tent, the place where the high society likes to party at the Oktoberfest.
Here it is all about showcasing yourself with the right outfit, presenting new trends for Dirndl and Lederhosen (trousers made out of leather) and surrounding yourself with actors, models and TV stars. Every little detail of the outfit seems to be important here and the hairstyles are often composed out of different french braids and make the outfit unique. We enjoyed one more beer, met some friends and even got to know to some German celebrities.
Schlagermusik & Wiesnclub
In beer tents, you will always here the brass bands play German Schlagermusik. Schlager music, also known as entertainment music, has often very catchy melodies with simple but sentimental lyrics. I love this kind of music since everybody gets involved and can sing the lyrics pretty easy. After a couple of more drinks at the Käfer tent, we rounded off the day at the Wiesnclub, a club just right next to the Oktoberfest and the two hotels, mentioned above. We enjoyed some hazelnut shots, a typical liquor of the south of Germany and danced the night away until 4 in the morning, before we went back to the hotel, that was luckily right around the corner.
It was such a great day, spending time with friends, partying together, hearing Schlagermusik, eating good food and drinking the best beer in the world. Wisely enough I chose our hotel via Hotels.com, that was just next to the Wiesn, where I could then relax and recover from hangover after a long but beautiful day at the Wiesn 2019. Can´t wait to celebrate the next years fifth season, back home in Bavaria!
(This article is part of a cooperation with Hotels.com, that gave me the tickets and expanses, but all impressions, opinions and insights of this Oktoberfest trip are my own.)
