First Timer’s Guide to Oktoberfest

Last year, I was thinking about all the travel I did in my twenties. I was a few years into my thirties and had enough distance to look back on it all. I ended up writing an article called 20 Trips to Take in Your Twenties as a result of those reflections. And at the end of that article, I shared a few travel things I was sad I hadn’t gotten around to as a very young person– attending Oktoberfest was one of them.

Then 2025 rolled around, and my cousin and I decided to plan a trip abroad together. We had a week and could go anywhere in the world. I had Oktoberfest on my mind, probably from writing that article. I swung the idea by her, and it stuck! It was something we both wanted to experience, and then we talked another friend into joining, too.

I’m happy to report that age really is just a number, especially when it comes to travel. We had the best time at our first Oktoberfest, despite a shaky start which I’ll share in a minute, and despite worrying we were too old for it. Turns out people of all ages attend, even people well into their seventies! That’s one thing I love about traveling. It always turns my fears or limiting beliefs around.

Our Oktoberfest

Let me start by telling the story of our time at the festival and sharing some corresponding photos, and then I’ll get into all the practical travel details that you would need for your own trip.

We flew into Munich overnight and landed at 10 in the morning on the first day of the festival. This was always going to be a rough day thanks to jet lag. We knew we had to push through and stay awake as long as possible without napping.

By time we left the airport, checked into our accommodation, got into our traditional outfits, and took the train to the fest, it was about 2 pm. We were so excited to actually be there (and a little delirious from lack of sleep)! We joined a MASSIVE hoard of people queuing to enter the grounds. It was the first day of Oktoberfest and a Saturday (Sept 20) and Munich was having a rare heat wave– it was absolutely packed and almost 90 degrees.

Even though we were actively getting sun burnt, spirits were still high as we walked into our first beer tent. I didn’t realize this before my visit, but you can’t walk around and drink. You can’t get a drink at all actually, even in a beer tent, unless you are seated at a table. So our goal became to find a table. How hard could it be?

We walked into tent after tent absolutely packed to the brim with people. We could barely even walk through, let alone find three free seats at a table (all of which had people standing up and shouting and dancing at this point lol). We were hot and overwhelmed and tired and quickly started to feel defeated. What had we done?? Why did we think this would be fun?? Didn’t we know we were well into our thirties??

After squeezing our way through multiple tents with zero free space, we decided to try our luck at the wine tent. Maybe at a beer festival, people wouldn’t be interested in the wine tent? It was still absolutely packed, but maybe 10% less so. We were starving and so thirsty and sweaty at this point. We couldn’t find anything on the main floor and walked upstairs to the second floor. We were very confused about how to get a seat at a table.

We were out of options, so I decided to just ask the waitress working up there how to find a seat (since all of them that were empty said reserved). We had given up hope at this point, but miraculously, she told us to sit down and that the table was free for 40 minutes until the next reservation started. Our first win! We had a whole 40 minutes! We sat down and ordered our first beer, from the wine tent of all places lol.

We also didn’t know that if you sit down and order beer, you have to order food. We tried to get something to share, but she said we each had to order something. Get yo money, girl. So we officially had our first German beer and food. It helped restore spirits a bit, but we were exhausted. It was almost 4 pm by this point, and we decided to leave the festival. Oktoberfest: 1. Us: felt like zero.

My cousin had saved the oldest beer garden in Munich onto her Google Maps when she was doing some trip research. It was too early to go back to our hotel and fall asleep, so we decided to try getting some beer there instead. We were determined to get that big liter of beer Germany is known for–we only got served a pint in the wine tent. The beer garden, Augustiner Keller, was about a mile away.

We arrived and it was just what we were hoping for. A big, open air space under the shade of beautiful old trees. Lots of seating available. Liters of beer being carried here, there, and everywhere. A live band bringing just enough party atmosphere while still being able to hear each other. We had found beer heaven! The rest of the night was spent at Augustiner Keller, enjoying the shade and beer and wine and snacks and music–bliss. I highly recommend this spot. We ended the first day feeling satisfied, even though the actual festival part felt like a loss.

We came into day 2 with a plan. This was our only full day in Munich. Our last shot to actually do Oktoberfest, what we came all this way for. We decided to get to the fair grounds early and try to get a table that way. There were still hoards of people on the walk to the festival, so we were a bit nervous about our chances. We were actually a bit traumatized in the morning putting our outfits back on! haha.

We walked in and headed straight towards Hofbrauhaus, the beer tent known to cater more towards English-speaking visitors. We could barely even shimmy through this tent the day before. We also knew to head straight to a waitress and ask for a table when we got in–no more walking around aimlessly on our own. They’re the badasses keeping every drunk fool in line. We asked a random waitress if she had a table, she told us to sit, and we listened lol.

We got a seat!! At Oktoberfest!! It was 10:40 am and beer o’clock! Remember, no sitting at the table if you aren’t paying for drinks. She brought the first round over and tipped herself from our payment–again, get yo money girl. With seats and liters of beer finally secured, we exhaled a sigh of relief. Life was lookin and feelin good. We were starting to see why so many people love this festival.

We played cards, listened to the band, ordered lunch, got a work out in lifting those beers, danced on the benches, sang, chatted with the other people at our table, and had truly the most fun time. Then around 4 pm we were abruptly kicked out of our seats because people with reservations for those tables were about to arrive. We had no idea how table reservations worked but were so happy that we had gotten a solid 5 hours at ours.

All that was left to do was ride the swing! Oktoberfest offers way more than just the beer tents. There’s food and games and rides and shops and entertainment. We wanted to pick up a souvenir or two and go on a ride. With that, we headed back to our hotel, hearts full, absolutely smitten with Oktoberfest! We had settled the score and were soooo happy we planned this trip.

History of Oktoberfest

The first Oktoberfest was a royal wedding celebration, way back in October of 1810! It was originally 5 days of festivities that ended with a horse race. It was so popular that they did it again the following year. Oktoberfest eventually got moved to start in September to allow for better weather and to extend the fun. It’s 2 weeks long now and focuses heavily on beer (free beer was given to guests in 1810). By 1818, beer stands began to appear, starting the evolution into the festival we know today. By 1890, the solid beer halls were a main feature of the event.

The Oktoberfest that we attended in 2025 drew 6.5 million visitors. Insane! Even crazier that that’s a decrease in guests from the previous two years (6.7 million in 2024 and 7.2 million in 2023). It definitely felt crowded when we were there on September 20th and 21st, but the most crowded day was October 3rd, 2025, with 300,000 people on the grounds at the same time. Prepare yourself to be around tons of people when you go to Oktoberfest, that’s for sure! Maybe try to plan your visit on a weekday, if you can, to avoid some crowds.

How to Get There

First, get yourself to Munich! I flew direct from Chicago which took about 9 hours. The Oktoberfest grounds are called the Theresienwiese (Therese’s Meadow). It’s actually the location of the original festival! Once in Munich, you can walk to the grounds depending on where your hotel is, or you can take the train, either the U-Bahn or S-Bahn. That’s what we ended up doing, taking the S-Bahn from Moosach to Hackerbrucke and walking about 10 minutes from there. That specific train seemed to run about every 20 minutes.

We grabbed train tickets from a ticket counter at the airport on our first day in Munich. We got 3 days worth of group tickets. It was about 18 euros for 2-5 people for unlimited rides on the train per day, so definitely get the group ticket if you are with 2-5 people. Since our group was three people and we were there for three days, we each spent 18 euros total for unlimited train rides. They were also so trusting about train tickets. It’s just assumed that you have paid for one–no one ever came around to check, and we never had to scan our ticket anywhere.

Where to Stay

Accommodation gets booked far in advance for Oktoberfest, so if you know you’re for sure going, I would get on it as soon as you can. We booked in June, and by then all the hotels within walking distance were booked out (or extremely expensive). Hotel prices were pretty high in general, which is to be expected.

We wanted to stay somewhere further out to help with the cost. We stumbled upon Harry’s Home because it was very close to the S-Bahn line (the Moosach stop), meaning we could use one line our whole visit, to/from the airport and to/from the festival. It just simplified everything that way. It was about 15 minutes to the festival grounds and maybe 40ish to the airport.

We absolutely loved this spot. It wasn’t fancy, but it was nice and clean and spacious. It was super conveniently located (shops and ATM just steps away if you need anything). Even booking in June, it was affordable, especially split between three people. They also allowed early check-in for a small fee, which absolutely saved us on our first day since we arrived at 10 am. We were able to check in right away and get ready for the festival in the comfort of our own room instead of having to wait until 4pm. I highly, highly recommend this hotel!

What to Wear to Oktoberfest

You see the photos of everyone dressed up for Oktoberfest in their dirndls and lederhosen, but you aren’t quite sure if it’s just German people wearing those… Are foreign visitors supposed to dress up, too? This was a big question for me when I was planning my first time at the festival.

Turns out, almost everyone dresses up! It’s good practice and a sign of respect to wear a traditional outfit–so get shopping! I bought my dirndl on Etsy and went for something mid-length. I also highly recommend wearing a pair of biker shorts underneath. That way you don’t have to worry about standing on the benches or wind on rides or anything. It’s just way more comfortable.

At Oktoberfest, I learned a bit more about the traditional outfits from talking to locals. They used to be worn mostly by farmers, but since farming is not a major profession anymore, not many people were wearing the dirndls or lederhosen. Recently, it’s a thing that any professional can wear them to work! So you might see someone in a business meeting wearing a dirndl or lederhosen, and it would be just as acceptable as slacks and a blazer. I thought that was a really cool way to honor Germany’s history in present day life. They also will wear them for weddings.

Practical Tips for First Timers

This is everything I wish I knew ahead of time that we found out along the way!

• Should you reserve a table?: Unless you have a group of 8-10 people, it is not recommended to book a table in advance. You have to book the whole table, so for us, as a group of three, we did not prebook anything. That being said, get to the tent you want to visit EARLY to guarantee a spot. You saw above that we could barely find anything on our first day when we arrived around 2 pm. But on the second day, we got something in a popular tent right away at 10:30 AM. I think table reservations go quickly, so you might not be able to book anything unless you plan far in advance.
• How to easily find a table: Go straight to a waitress working whichever section you want and ask them if they have a spot open. These women keep everything organized and will direct you where to go. The only way we got a table was from asking the waitresses.
• Costs/tipping/cash: Tents are CASH ONLY. Have euros on you. It is also expected that you will tip. I can’t remember exactly how much each beer was, but it was somewhere around 15 euros. As a group of three, we would give our waitress 50 euros for 3 beers, and she wouldn’t give us any money back. They kind of tip themselves which simplifies things.
• Have coins on you for the restroom: It is also expected that you will tip the person working the restroom. Have some 1 and 2 euro coins on you. Every time I went to the bathroom I gave 1 euro. It adds up when you’re drinking liter after liter of beer. This seemed to be Munich wide as well, not just at Oktoberfest. We always needed coins.
• What to drink: Each beer tent has its own beer. It’s basically a brewery hosting a tent and selling the beer they brew. For example, when we sat down at Hofbrauhaus, she had liters of their beer and that’s what you got! I was worried I wouldn’t be able to drink so much beer, but it stayed cold and tasted really good (wasn’t too heavy). Oktoberfest beer has to be made with water from Bavaria. Maybe that’s what makes it all taste so nice!
• They call a liter of beer a “mass.” Pronounced like mas in Spanish and not mass like going to church (I think). So, you ask for a mass if you want the big jug of beer Oktoberfest is famous for.
• It’s a really fun time to be in Munich. Even outside the festival grounds, this time of year is very lively in Munich! The whole city gets into it–there’s lots of live music. Even the airport brewery had a band the day we went and tons of events on their calendar. It was busier in Munich, yes, but the atmosphere was great.
• Was 2 days enough?: I personally think 2 full days at the festival is enough. It depends on how much you like to drink and party I guess. Or how much time you want for the rides and trying different concessions. I do wish we had more time to explore Munich, though. I had no expectations for the city, but I really liked what I did see and wanted time to check out more! Half a day was not enough.
• A traditional beer garden to visit outside the festival: If you are tired of the crowds at Oktoberfest and need a break (but still want similar fun vibes), or if you want to see what a traditional beer garden in the city is like, I highly recommend stopping into Augustiner Keller. We ended up here on a whim, but it became one of my favorite memories from Munich. More space and greenery, just as much beer, live music and dancing, cheaper prices. If I ever return to Munich I will 100% be back at this spot–a must visit in my opinion!
• Can you get by with English?: Yes, most people in Germany speak English. But of course, it’s always polite to learn basic phrases in the native language of the country you are visiting.
• This is super random: At about 11 AM, and a few sips of beer in, the man next to me poured a white powder into his hand and snorted it… I was like are you f*ck!ing serious??? At this hour in public in full daylight one inch away from me??? Turns out, it’s mint sugar. Vendors actually come around selling it, and it’s meant to give a little boost of energy? I thought it was super strange, so just something to keep your eye out for! Oh Oktoberfest…
• A few tips about weather: We were there during a rare heat wave, and I wish we would have brought hand fans to fan ourselves. Tons of people had them and we were jealous. Other people who get rain say to bring garbage bags to store your wet coat and umbrella while you’re at the table. Just some things to consider.

Conclusion

Oktoberfest was something I thought would only be fun in my twenties. I thought I would do it once in my thirties while I was still kind of young to “check it off my list,” but I was really surprised by how much fun I had. By the end of our 2 days at the festival, I could easily see myself coming back! I’d love to take my parents, who I think would love it just as much as I did. It really can be enjoyed at any age, so if you’re like me thinking you’ve aged out of it, don’t let that stop you!

I hope reading about the logistics of my trip will give you a good taste of what to expect at Oktoberfest and how to plan it. If you have any other questions, drop them in the comments 🙂 And if you found this post helpful, please share it so it can find more people like you!

Prost!

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