I%26#39;m a really lucky guy, my fiance%26#39;s idea is to go to Oktoberfest 06 for the honeymoon, however I%26#39;m in charge of the planning.
What are some nice mid-priced restaurants and roughly where are they relative to Hauptbahnhof (we%26#39;re staying near the train station)? What%26#39;s the local custom on tipping?
We%26#39;ve got some day trips/bus tours picked out (Mike%26#39;s Bike tour, Neuschwanstein, Eagle%26#39;s nest, Romantic Road, Black Forest, Zugspitze, Nymphenburg, Olympic Park) - anything %26quot;off the beaten path%26quot; or %26quot;can%26#39;t miss%26quot; in the city? Will Bayern still be in season and if so, roughly how much would tickets be?
From other posts, it sounds like tent reservations are not required to get in during the day, but at night there%26#39;s a high probability of a wait without one - what%26#39;s the pub scene like during O%26#39;fest (thinking that we hit the tents during the day then hit the pubs in the evening)? Recommendations?
We%26#39;re also going to Prague for a few days, and I%26#39;ve looked at the train and bus scheds on Db and Eurolines. Buses look cheaper, but they appear to run but once or twice a day. Train looks like it takes longer on some departures but has more departures. Any input (comfort, scenery on the trip) from someone that%26#39;s done both the train and bus? I%26#39;m assuming that the bus stops after a few hours to give the driver a rest.
I%26#39;ve tried to cover alot in this post - I appreciate the responses in advance.
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Oktoberfest (Theresienwiese grounds) and the Altstadt (old city) are all in walking distance of the Hauptbahnhof.
http://muenchen.citysam.de/stadtplan.htm
Many can be found in the Altstadt.
http://www.ratskeller-muenchen.de/
The Augustiner Keller is north-west of the Hauptbahnhof www.augustiner-keller.de/english/index.html
Tipping see
visits-to-germany.com/pages/money_matters.ht…
FC Bayern tickets:
tickets.fcbayern.de/Internetverkauf/IF02.aspx
Currently all games in the Allianz Arena are sold out very fast.
For prices see under %26quot;%26gt; Details%26quot; for the game on 12/21/2005.
Freising and Weihenstephan Brewery (the oldest)
http://www.brauerei-weihenstephan.de/
Andechs Monastry
www.kloster-andechs.de/index.asp?lng=en
Herrenchiemsee New Palace
…bayern.de/englisch/palace/objects/hch_ns.htm
DB timetable
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e
From: M (for Munich Hauptbahnhof)
To: Herreninsel (the island the New Palace is on)
There exists a %26quot;Prag Spezial%26quot; train ticket: Munich to Prague and return for EUR 59,00.
bahn.de/regional/…prag_spezial.shtml
I would not recommed the bus. They also depart at %26quot;Munich Fröttmaning, P+R Parkplatz, DTG stop%26quot; - far less convenient for you than the trains from Hauptbahnhof.
A mini group day ticket (2-5 persons)for Munich is EUR 8,00.
http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/en/index.html
The Bavaria-Ticket is a mini group day ticket for Bavaria. EUR 24,00. Covers all local trains (S-Bahn, RB, RE, IRE) in Bavaria. And to Salzburg Hbf.
bahn.de/pv/…79.pdf
On weekdays (Mo-Fr) however valid only past 9am. Covers also all local public transport in Munich (MVV) and some more Bavarian cities plus also some regional bus companies (e.g. RVA/RVO in the Bavarian Alps).
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Do you already have hotel reservations? If not, your most important task will be to book a Oktoberfest hotel room no later than March/April 2006.
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Unless you are a go-go-go type of couple, try not to over do it by over planning. I guarantee that you won%26#39;t make it to everything that you planned.
Tents - Dont worry about reservations. What we%26#39;ve found works best is to arrive early. If it%26#39;s just the two of you, arrive by 12-1 and you shouldn%26#39;t have a problem in the more popular tents. Arrive by one or two and you shouldn%26#39;t have a problem in some of the smaller, less popular tents. I recommend spending at least one day in Augustiner to get the feel of true Oktoberfest, but it fills nearly to capacity inside as early as noon on some days.
Non Oktoberfest days - We%26#39;ve also found it works best to stagger fair days. Spend a day at the tents and a day away. But be careful of making the first day trip after your first tent day anything too big. Chances are, you will be slightly hung over. A nice leisurely wakling trip around the city is perfect for that first day. Stop in the Hauptbahnhof for a sandwich and walk the old town and the churches. Watch the Glockenspiels in Marienplatz. Fodor%26#39;s Munich has a great Walking tour in their guide that we lived by. We combined several of them for an all day thing.
We hit Eagle%26#39;s Nest, which was worth the trip. Also on our trip was Andrechs, which was great if you like beer, but it%26#39;s about an hour to get there, to sit and drink beer, so if that%26#39;s not your thing, it may not be worth it to you. But if that is your type of thing, the beer is really really good and the grounds are really neat. We did not go to Olympic Park, but you could make a day trip out of that and the BMW museum if you wanted - it%26#39;s an easy train ride.
I also agree with the post that said to start looking in hotels now. We stayed at the Sheraton Bogenhausen our first year and got an amazing rate using AAA (I want to say under 100E) and this year stayed at the Sheraton Grand for around 150E with AAA (King room non-smoking).
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Hi there
my advice would be (I am a Munich girl so I should know...) take a tour of the city centre around Marienplatz but don%26#39;t waste too much time there as it is overcrowded with tourists. Make sure you leave enough time for Nymphenburg castle and take a walk in its beautiful park which is adjacent to the castle itself. Have a tea and coffee in the Palmenhaus, a coffee/tea restaurant located in the park, to the right hand side of the entrance (there are signs so don%26#39;t worry). For good night life, I wouldn%26#39;t recommend Schwabing, the student area that many guide books recommend, as it is touristy and cheap. Instead, try the Glockenbachviertel, which is behind Sendlinger Tor Platz. It%26#39;s a vibrant scene with many gay clubs, but also your average bear bars, clubs, and lovely cafes. Just do a bit of bar-hopping. I also love the area around Max-Weber-Platz towards the east of town, but easy to get to by tube or even bus. There is a great greek restaurant called Paros and a few other lovely bars etc in the famous Kirchenstrasse which is lined with old houses, trees etc. For a bit of nightlife make sure you check out the Cafe am Hochhaus, near Sendlinger Tor, a grandma-cafe recently restyled to a really cool bar-club. Or the Mozart Cafe also at Sendlinger Tor, which has an equally great vibe. Check the web for addresses. For some great great food, stay away from the cheap and touristy places in the town centre and forget about the beer halls. Munich has some fabulous cuisine to offer, not only sausage and beer! Try the amazing La Bouche in Glockenbachviertel, make sure you book ahead. It%26#39;s intimate and romantic, and serves delicious food, whilst being quite pricey for what you get! Another favourite of mine is the Paros, as mentioned above! Save the traditional Bavarian food for your trip to Neuschwanstein and the romantische Strasse, you will find plenty of good, traditional food around there!
Enjoy it!
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P-Hizzy:
Congrats and good luck, you%26#39;ve got a lot of good advice and planning ahead of you!
Buterkeks: Did you work for Mike%26#39;s Bike Tours in Munich?
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I am actually planning a trip for my parents for Oct%26#39;fest as well - I will be traveling with my parents and a friend. My father would like to visit the town of Zweibreucken where he was once stationed in the army so we figured we%26#39;d set start in Munich and go from there - can anyone suggest some good hotels that are close to the grounds of the festival that are suitable for a 30%26#39;something as well as for my parents? Proximity is key but I%26#39;d also like to not overwhelm them but still want to have fun myslef.
Also, does anyone have any suggestions on Zweibreucken? Getting there (I think it is 4 hours from Munich??) Accomodations etc? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
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If you%26#39;re choosing to take the bus based solely on price, train tickets are much cheaper to buy in person than on the Internet. The train we took from Munich to Prague was 5.5 hours, required two transfers, and cost 30E. Can%26#39;t comment on the bus, because I didn%26#39;t take it, but the train ride went by fast and there was ample room for luggage storage. I imagine it was more comfortable than the bus. As we went on a weekday afternoon, it wasn%26#39;t very crowded (other than for one stop, when school children got on, and then quickly off). As for scenery...eh, it was okay, nothing to write home about. Everything was covered in snow, as we were there in December.
Pubs in Munich are crowded all times of the year (especially the big ones like Haubrahaus %26amp; Augistiner), so it%26#39;ll be crowded x 100 when you%26#39;re there for Oktoberfest. You%26#39;ll just have to learn to be patient, and develop a pair of eagle eyes, so you can jump on a table when people are about to leave!
Enjoy your honeymoon.
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