Oktoberfest is just one of those classic European bucket list items that most people want to do in their 20s and 30s. I had an image in my mind formulated as a result of a number of Oktoberfest-inspired nights I had been to in London over the years – boisterous, sticky pubs with university students throwing up after a few pints. In reality though, the real thing is so different – a family-friendly, festive affair with a loud and enthusiastic, yet civilised celebration of Bavarian tradition.

Going to Oktoberfest requires some planning. Even though Munich is just a short flight away from London, the flights are ridiculously over-priced during those 2 weeks and all the decent accommodation options in the city are sold out a year in advance. To get into the Oktoberfest tents, you can book in advance if you are in a group of 6+ (and 8 or 10+ for others) and pre-pay for food and drink. We were in a smaller group, so we decided to get there on a week day and show up early in the day to guarantee a spot in one of the famous tents. To circumvent the issue of over-priced flights, we flew in to Salzburg and took the 2-hour direct train from Salzburg to Munich. This was the best option as the flights + trains worked out to be around £75 pp which was amazingly reasonable! Plus as a bonus, we got to spend half a day exploring beautiful Salzburg (which is really stunning and worth a visit if you like Mozart and/or Sound of Music and/or picturesque European scenes). After strolling around the historic Old Town and Mirabell Gardens, and a after a hearty meal of Wiener schnitzel, sachertorte and einspänner, we boarded our train from Salzburg Hbf to Munchen. We arrived at Munich Hbf around 9 pm (surrounded by flocks of lederhosen-clad revellers – unlike anything I had ever seen before!)  and took an Uber straight to our hotel, which was the Moxy Munchen Messe in the northeastern outskirts of Munich near the town of Aschheim. This was a very reasonably-priced, trendy 3-star hotel, and we didn’t mind the fact that it was a bit further out, as during Oktoberfest, Munich hotels and Airbnbs are outrageously expensive and grubby for what you pay!

The next morning, we head out to Oktoberfest – me all dressed up in my dirndl. We took the train to Hackerbrücke and followed the sea of people walking towards Theresienwiese field where Oktoberfest takes place, to begin the revelry. The atmosphere of Oktoberfest kicks in as you step out of the train. Hoards and hoards of men, women and children all decked out in traditional Bavarian attire, all heading to the same place. As soon as you enter Theresienwiese, you are enveloped by the festivities of Oktoberfest. A large open area filled with decked up beer tents, food stalls, a million gingerbread hearts, fairground rides, souvenir shops and people all dressed the same way! We started off by lining our stomachs with some delicious currywurst – fried German sausage topped with a tangy and spicy sauce and curry powder, served with bread to mop up the yummy sauce. We then went to the first beer tent, Augustiner-Festhalle, which is one of the big and famous tents at Oktoberfest. We ordered a few steins and I can honestly say this was the best beer I had ever tasted in my life – smooth, creamy and delicious. I am not a beer drinker at all and I dislike the taste, so this was a huge surprise to me! It went down so easily and before I knew it, I had finished the stein 🙂 The atmosphere in the tent was amazing with a live band, and people starting to dance on the tables. Another thing I loved was how friendly everyone was, from the staff to the group we shared our table with – there was a general sense of communal merriment and celebration.

Our general pattern at Oktoberfest was to intersperse tent-hopping with food stall-hopping. So right after Augustiner, we stopped for some bratwurst and I also made my husband buy me a gingerbread heart necklace 😉 The tradition of the gingerbread hearts is quite romantic – as Oktoberfest is celebrated to mark the occasion of a royal wedding in 1810, men buy these Lebkuchenherz (gingerbread hearts) for their sweethearts to celebrate their love, and it is also used for marriage proposals. Women wear these around their neck as a symbol of love – they can be iced and personalised with different names, messages etc. You will see several dozen colourful gingerbread heart carts dotted all around Oktoberfest.

The next beer tent we visited was the legendary Schottenhamel.  Schottenhamel is the largest and most significant tent as this is where the Wiesn kicks off on the first day, when the mayor of Munich taps the first keg and signals for the festivities to begin. Another tent with electric atmosphere, though nothing beats the beer at Augustiner. After another stein at Schottenhamel, we left to walk around the grounds – munching on pretzels, crêpes and popping into some of the other tents like Löwenbräu and Ammer. A few steins down, at this point I was ready to hit the sack, and we took the train back to the hotel.

We had a few hours the next day to explore Munich before getting our train to Salzburg. We used that time to explore the Old Town – the neo gothic Neues Rathaus (town hall) and its entertaining glockenspiel (cuckoo clock) show, the iconic Frauenkirche, and the posh Maximilianstraße with its luxury shopping and Opera House. We even checked out the Eisbachwelle where surfers (yes in Germany!) demonstrate their prowess in the narrow icy stream on the Englischer Garten’s Eisbach river. We ended our time in Munich with a great meal at Augustiner am Dom, a cosy restaurant serving up traditional Bavarian food and the same beer from Augustiner brewery that we fell in love with at Oktoberfest!

We really enjoyed our Oktoberfest experience. Though it has the reputation for being a booze fest, it is so much more than that. The beer is great, but the Bavarian traditions and celebrations bring it all together, and it feels like an autumnal version of Christmas – food, alcohol, merriment, sugary treats and family fun! As a gift to myself, I even bought a lovely stein to take home with me as a souvenir. I don’t think I’d be able to enjoy the different renditions of Oktoberfest elsewhere in the world as much, after experiencing the real deal, in true Bavarian fashion!