Sample Itinerary Location: Munich, Germany (for the Oktoberfest celebration) Prepared by “Local Cousin” Isabella 1 Trip Background: Anna is visiting Munich, Germany during Oktoberfest this year with her husband Chris from New York. It is their first time to Germany and they want insider tips from a local on how to navigate the largest beer festival in the world and ensure they get the real “local experience”. Since they are spending five days in Munich they also want to see the heart and soul of the city from a local’s point of view and take in a few popular sites. Lastly, they want to eat where the locals do and want to visit some hole-in-the-wall eateries (and maybe sneak in one nice meal!). They don’t have any dietary restrictions and want to stick with German cuisine for most of the trip (Chris also has a sweet tooth!). General Information: Oktoberfest is the largest beer festival in the world. It is held annually over 16 days and this year it is being held from September 17th – October 3rd, 2016 in Munch, Germany. This is peak tourist season full of locals, families and people in search of a good beer! Here are some helpful tips for you to get around: When you visit Oktoberfest, use public transportation and Uber is another popular option. The infrastructure in Munich is excellent and the U-Bhan (electric rail system) can bring you right to where the action is. If you drive, it’s difficult to find a parking lot. Oktoberfest is full of rollercoasters, fun houses and beer tents. There are 14 big beer tents (the biggest accommodating 11,000 people) and 21 smaller tents. Each tent is operated by a brewery with its own unique décor. All beer served at the Oktoberfest tents must be from one of Munich's six breweries— Paulaner, Spaten, Hacker- Pschorr, Augustiner, Hofbräu and Löwenbräu. If I had to choose, my favorite beer tent is the “Hacker-Zelt”. It is the beer tent of the brewery called “Hacker Pschorr”. They call it also “Hacker Pschorr – Himmel der Bayern” (Hacker-Pschorr – The heaven of Bavarians.) Why do I like it so much? The decoration is just amazing! The roof is set up as a clear blue sky dotted with small white clouds. Along the walls you find typical Bavarian villages painted to the wall. Fun fact: The Bavarian flag consists of the color blue and white. Why? Because of our sky that is often clear blue dotted with white clouds. Oktoberfest is open everyday from 11am to 11pm. Space inside the tent is very popular and to get inside a tent can be sometimes very tricky especially on the weekends. Sometimes people who don’t have a reserved table show up at 8am and wait in line for the tent to open. Then they run into the tent, find a spot and don’t leave the table all day. This makes Oktoberfest a little exhausting. As there are so many people, security has to put a lot of effort in to keep the crowd under control. That also means that once the tent is full, they close the doors and you cannot enter anymore. Then you wait in line until somebody leaves and they let more people in. In reverse that also means, once you are inside and you want to leave the tent for any reason, you might not get a chance to re-enter. Insider tip: Spend ONE FULL DAY at Oktoberfest. Go at around opening time or during lunch between 11am and 12 2 noon. Stroll around, go on a rollercoaster, eat something sweet along the way, maybe have a cocktail, wine or a beer in one of the attractions along the way. Then make your way to a tent. The larger the group, the more difficult it gets to find space at a table. So the larger the group the earlier you should get to the tent (at around 2pm, NOT later than 4pm). DON’T leave the tent after entering. Stay inside, have a beer and party like a rock star. Inside the tent you find tables that always accommodate 10 people at a time. This is something very typical Bavarian. You squeeze together with strangers and immediately become friends upon a “Prost“ (Cheers) to each other. Partying inside the tents happens nonstop whether it is 12 noon or 10 at night and every tent has a live band. Usually they play traditional folk music, as well as popular cover songs for people to sing along. It is just amazing to see thousands of people standing on a bench, swinging along to the music. Even if you don’t understand German, pretend like you are singing along! Brush up on your German music before you go. Some popular German songs you may hear include: When the band plays “Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit“ (A cheers to coziness) everybody grabs their beer and says cheers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD2-aSbcW0s “Atemlos durch die Nacht” (Breathless through the night) is THE NO. 1 HIT from a folkloric German singer and will be popular this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWj_gJchYHM Another popular song “So ein schöner Tag” (such a nice day): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYnqak0Uwbk YOUR TRIP TO MUNICH Reservations for tables in a tent at Oktoberfest are being done in advance. People and companies reserve tables about 2 years in advance so chances are pretty low that you still can make a reservation. Beer is served in a “stein”, that holds 1 liter of beer and smaller versions aren’t an option. Insider Tip: If you don’t feel like drinking Beer, try “Radler”. It is a mix of beer with lemonade. The price for beer and food is more or less the same, no matter which tent you end up in. 3 How much money to bring? As you might imagine, prices during Oktoberfest are high. The price for a single beer ranges from €9.70 to €10. Depending on what you eat you need to calculate about €8 -15 for a plate of food. You should calculate €100 - €150 per person per day. For your sightseeing trips around town you can use debit or credit cards everywhere. However, having a little cash with you is not a bad idea. I would say around €50 per day. What to wear for Oktoberfest? Oktoberfest is a traditional festival and ladies wear a “Dirndl”. The men wear “Lederhosn”. Of course it is not necessary and you also see people dressed “normally”. As good quality dresses can cost quite a lot (starting from about €300) you need to decide for yourself, if it is worth buying a complete outfit. There are plenty of good clothing stores around Munich and cheaper versions of traditional attire are possible. At the main train station kiosks sell t-shirts that have a Dirndl or Lederhosen printed on them. Insider Tip: The other day I came across Bavarian Outfitters where they rent dresses http://www.bavarian-outfitters.de/en/ Where to stay? Prices rise during Oktoberfest so book a hotel well in advance to make sure to book early. I would recommend you to stay downtown. Insider Tip: Look for options in the neighborhood of “Maxvorstadt”. That’s a neighborhood for students and not far from Oktoberfest. How to pack? September is late summer and not so hot, however days can become very sunny so bring a t-shirt and also a pair of shorts or skirt. However, also pack long-sleeve, long pants, a warm jacket and bring an umbrella or a rain poncho as weather might change quickly and unexpected. Once the sun is gone, evenings can become quite chilly. As you might walk a lot through town, bring comfortable walking shoes. For Oktoberfest you can wear high-heels but stay comfortable! How to use your phone? US phones can be used in Germany. You have to pay roaming fees, which can be expensive, so check with your mobile phone provider for prices and international packages. Munich also has public Wi-Fi hot spots in some spots in town including coffee shops, restaurants and bars. You can log in and use the Wi-Fi connection for free. However, sometimes it doesn’t work properly as there are many people logging in at the same time. 4 SIGHTSEEING AROUND MUNICH: 1. English Garden: The English Garden is one of the world‘s largest urban public parks, even larger than Central Park in New York. Enter the park across the “Haus der Kunst” (House of art) at the street “Prinzregentenstraße Nr. 1.” and you will find one of the most interesting things to see: we have surfers in Munich! Yes, Munich is situated among the Bavarian Alps and there is no ocean, but yet we do offer surfing! There is a river called “Eisbach“ and there are waves where people surf all day and night. Especially in the summer the place is always crowded with surfers and viewers alike. This you definitely have to check out. After watching the surfers, walk further into the Park and enjoy its natural beauty. Just walk straight and follow the river - take your bathing suit since you can take a dip in the river. Sunbathing is also popular! Insider Tip: Don´t worry if you see naked people running around. There is a special area next to the river designated for nudity. In case you get hungry, enjoy a meal in the Beer-garden called Chinese Tower.