So you want to know about Oktoberfest… Buckle. Up. We should warn you now, we do not have much advice about what to see in Munich outside of beer, beer, and more beer. You wanna know about beer? Ya found the place. You want to know about history and the best sights in Munich? Sorry, we can’t provide much insight. We CAN, however, tell you all about daytripping to the highest peak in Germany to cure your Oktoberfest hangover! Read on for more…

Lake Eibsee - the perfect cure for a hangover

Staying in Munich

Finding accommodations in Munich during Oktoberfest should be the first thing you do if this is a must-visit destination. Traveling as a large group worked out well for us in this instance because we were able to get a shared space at City Aparthotel Munich. We had a top floor room with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a small kitchen, and two sofa beds in the main living space. We stayed here for three nights and enjoyed the time together as our trip was winding down. The location is also easily walk-able to the train station, the Oktoberfest grounds, and the U-Bahn to get to the airport.

Day 1: Hunting for Dirndls

We arrived in Munich just after 12pm and headed out to find some lunch before the ladies had to hunt for our dirndls. The boys were able to purchase their lederhosen on Amazon ahead of time - lucky ducks. We walked to the Viktualienmarkt for some sausage, beer, and souvenirs. We arrived on a Tuesday afternoon and this place was buzzing with locals searching for fresh produce and gathering at the outdoor tables for a quick bite. I really loved the focus on outdoor gatherings here and the guys stayed for quite some time after we left to begin our hunt. We stumbled into Angermaier Trachten first, and all three of us were successful in finding the perfect set. There were so many ladies helping find the right size and showing you the proper fit. They picked out ribbons and gave very useful critiques. They also described how to tie your apron: right-side for taken, left-side for single! I was pretty nervous for this experience as a plus sized person, but they had many options for people sized 14+ and the fit of a dirndl is very flattering for almost all body types. After selecting all of our pieces, we walked out having spent only 100 euros on a high quality dirndl that I plan to keep for many years to come.

High from our success, we met the guys at Augustiner Bräustuben for some liters to continue our quest to try all the German beers we could get our hands around. Given the time of year, this place was busy with all sorts of people and had quite a jovial atmosphere. While this stop was incredible, it was also strategic. We aimed to visit the larger and more famous beer halls this day so we could avoid those tents at Oktoberfest the next day. Our next stop - Hofbräuhaus. This 3-floor beer hall is quite a sight. We arrived about as early as possible to try and grab a seat and ended up being the first group seated on the top floor - a trend that clearly we could not break. It was nice to experience the beer hall empty and see it fill in as the night progressed. We ordered lots of beer, soft pretzels, and many plates of Schnitzel. It was incredible. I am a Schnitzel lover now and can’t get enough. Amanda and Alec left dinner early to catch a soccer (football?) match and we continued to drink at our table. After about 45 minutes of chatter, they brought out a traditional German band, whip and all, and we were GIDDY (but also a bit intoxicated). Please make sure this meal is included on your Munich list, regardless of your interest in beer. It was electric in that hall and we wish we had stayed all night long. Alas, our server ended their shift and we could not flag down another one, so we ended our night at a lovely little bar around the corner.

Day 2: Oktoberfest Debauchery

To say that we weren’t out of control at Oktoberfest would be a lie. We were living our best lives as drunk Americans running around at Oktoberfest and there are no regrets. Well. Maybe there are regrets about the last round of full liters of beer, but now we have MEMORIES of staggering around looking for one another or learning how puke hill got its name. Next time, we will take it slow… but this time you can learn all about our shenanigans as newbs to the scene.

With our outfits ready to go, we arrived at Oktoberfest 20 minutes before the tents officially opened to get our start (10am is when they begin to serve). We planned to do this on a Wednesday to avoid the more local traffic around weekends and this worked well for us. Our goal was to get to one tent at the start of the day, and then make our way to our table reservation at lunchtime and see what the afternoon had in store afterwards. If you are a small group, reservations really are not necessary. In fact, they are hard to get for groups less than 10. We did a little maneuvering to buy six tickets from a local seller and joined their table with some tourists from France. The official organizers frown on the reselling of table tickets, so we stayed hush hush about where we got them, but having a reservation was almost a necessity for a group of our size.

Our first stop was Hacker-Pschorr and their tent was beautiful with clouds painted on the ceiling and hanging paper stars. One thing we learned very quickly, the tents are not climate controlled. If you are planning to arrive early and have cool weather, it might be a good idea to bring a coat. You should also bring euros in the form of coins to pay for beer and snacks easily and to tip your bathroom attendant. If you tip your servers, they will visit more frequently to bring you more beer - so be kind!

After a few liters we were feeling pretty good and headed over to the Schützen-Festzelt tent serving Löwenbräu for our reservation. Our tickets came with two liters of beer and a half chicken lunch. I have only a faint memory of consuming this meal, but I do know we all inhaled our chickens in record speed. At this point, the tent was pretty packed and lively so we partook in lots of glass clinking, yelling PROST to our neighbors, and singing on benches at regular 15 minute intervals. The experience is truly one of a kind and does not feel forced. I was worried these traditions would feel commercial and designed for the gaze of unknowing tourists like ourselves, but we were surrounded by locals displaying the same level of pure joy that we were. After three hours at this tent, we considered ourselves done for the day. It was 3pm and everyone was in need of a long nap and carbs to soak up all of the beer. While we did not visit the more “festival” components of the grounds, know that the location is HUGE and there are many things to see over multiple days if you have time. We heard the evening brings out even more singing and table stomping, so we can’t wait to return and experience that.

After a prolonged journey back to our hotel, naps, and doner kebabs from the street corner, we were awake just long enough to make a plan for our last day in Germany.

Day 3: Clear Blue Lakes and Rocky Peaks = Perfect Hangover Cure

After some discussion and a bit of planning, we landed on Garmisch-Partenkirchen as our last destination of friendcation. This day was Jessie’s birthday and we celebrated at the highest peak in Germany with ice cream in hand! The train ride to Garmisch-Partenkirchen is about an hour and a half from Munich, the perfect amount of time for a nap. We arrived to learn that the Seilbahn Zugspitze, an aerial cable car to the top, was broken this day so we purchased tickets to travel to the top via cogwheel train. The cogwheel train is adorable. We rode through the beautiful Bavarian ski areas and stopped at Lake Eibsee to take in the view from the base of the Wetterstein Mountains and grab some lunch.

After another meal of Schnitzel and water, we began to feel refreshed in the brisk mountain air and got back on the train to head to the peak. While the cable car ride only takes 10 minutes to get to the top, the cogwheel train takes about 45 minutes with a brief stop for photos. We were in awe that the mail carrier was even on the cogwheel train to deliver packages to the summit.

Once at the summit, it feels like a whole different planet. Everything is rocky and you are literally sitting in the sky. We spent some time at the plateau taking photos and turning in circles to take in the views. There is yet ANOTHER cable car that you take to the final summit, and this is included in your ticket. This final ascent brings you to a building with a restaurant and lots of space to walk around on the viewing platforms. You have the option to leave the building and climb out onto the rock, but that was a no-go for this crew. We were happy to stand on solid ground and ohh and ahh from behind the safety glass. With just 30 or so minutes at the top, we ate our ice cream and cheers’d to a successful last day in Germany.

The one thing I would recommend for this day trip is to be really mindful of time. We were expecting to only need 10 minutes to get to summit before finding out the cogwheel train was the only option - so give yourself some buffer time. We felt a bit pressured to leave the summit quickly because we had an hour plus journey back down to Garmish-Partenkirchen to catch the train back to Munich. Once back, we ended our night with more doner kebabs because we had LOTS of packing to do with all of our newly acquired clothing and wine bottles and ornaments.

Day 4: Returning to the Homeland

On our last day of friencation, we all had different flight times out of Munich. Jessie and Matt departed pretty early and Luke and I were second to leave. We ate breakfast near Marienplatz and sought out authentic beer steins as our final souvenir. We found Max Krug and were thrilled at the quality and selection. If you are looking for some great gifts, this is the spot. Once we finished up and grabbed our bags, it was an easy ride on the U-Bahn from central Munich to the airport. The Munich airport is quite large, so give yourself plenty of time to maneuver. We traveled on Icelandic Air and the now deceased WOW Airlines for our trip and used only the terminals for European destinations, so I can’t speak to the process for traveling straight to the US from Munich. I can only say that in Iceland they are very lax and almost everyone will find themselves having to run to catch their next flight!

Travel days are always the worst, especially when you are headed back to reality. We were especially melancholy because this trip was one for the record books. As I said in our first post about Amsterdam, traveling with friends is truly special and gives you a totally unique experience abroad. I felt so much more relaxed in a group of people who enjoy traveling in the same style as me and it was so nice to be able to break off in different groups and just spend time with the ladies or as couples. 10/10 would recommend!

If you haven’t checked out our other friendcation stops, you can find guides on Amsterdam, Bruges, and Strasbourg as well as the ultimate European packing guide (coming soon)! If you find yourself in any of these cities, please send us your favorite things to see and eat. My wheels are always churning for ways to go back and re-experience all of our favorite spots!

Featured