How to travel to Oktoberfest

Getting to Munich’s Oktoberfest can be quite the ordeal, with all of the world’s beer lovers pining for a mega-pint of that delicious Bavarian nectar. But never fear, not only do we provide the best value for money and most fun Oktoberfest packages accommodation in Munich, we have also whipped up this handy little guide to travelling to Oktoberfest, so that you can join us in making the most of this first post-pandemic edition of the world’s biggest folk festival, and the original and by far best beer festival.

TRAVEL TO OKTOBERFEST MUNICH BY PLANE

Travelling to Munich by plane is the gold standard in convenience and speed. By far your best option is to fly into Munich, and then simply ride the train from Munich’s international airport all the way downtown. The whole process is smooth, easy, and usually pretty cheap. BUT this isn’t an ordinary year, and prices are already rising, meaning that usually reasonable routes are filling fast and as such, prices are getting jacked. That said, there are still deals to be found, and we did a little search using Google’s amazing flight finding tool. These were the last minute deals in 2022, so get in earlier so you get them cheaper.

OKTOBERFEST FLIGHT PRICES FROM AROUND EUROPE TO MUNICH

There’s not much better than visa-free travel around Europe’s Schengen zone. We found flights from Dublin, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Rome, Athens, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Krakow and Amsterdam for between €150 and €250 depending on when you fly. We didn’t search for all European cities, but we’d expect them to be in a similar ballpark.

OKTOBERFEST FLIGHT PRICES FROM LONDON TO MUNICH

Around €200 return for weekend trips, cheaper midweek. The Thursday before Oktoberfest starts (so two days before the beer halls open and when Stoketoberfest cracks open its open bar) there are flights for €180, but you’d want to snag them asap.

OKTOBERFEST FLIGHT PRICES FROM AUSTRALIA TO MUNICH

If you wanted to fly all the way from Down Under to Oktoberfest, we strongly recommend that you make a bigger trip out of it. That said, there are flights that will get you there the Wednesday before the Oktoberfest opening ceremony for about $1,700 – or the price of a six-pack in Sydney.

OKTOBERFEST FLIGHT PRICES FROM THE USA AND CANADA TO MUNICH

Flights from the east coast of the US to Munich are currently around $800 for dates around Oktoberfest. Add $200 if you’re flying from the west coast. Flights from Canada run a similar schedule, with the flights from Vancouver being a couple of hundred Canadian dollars more than those from Toronto, but you gotta account for that pesky exchange rate, eh.

Flying to Munich hints and tips

• Try to fly outside of weekends to get the best rates, and from our research a couple of days before the official start of Oktoberfest, on the 16th of September – and take a day or two to explore Munich and our Stoketoberfest campsite.
• Consider flying into cities near Munich and getting a train into the city. Trains or buses from Memmingen, Nuremberg and Stuttgart are around as low as €12-€25 and will add an hour to your travel time, while flights into those cities are considerably cheaper.
• If you’re flying from farther afield, why not make a trip of it, explore some other cities, and travel around by train into Munich? See the next section for our guide to train travel.

TRAVEL TO OKTOBERFEST BY TRAIN

If you’re lucky enough to already be in Europe, train travel to Munich for Oktoberfest can be a cheaper, slightly slower, more comfortable alternative to flying. Anywhere in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, France and surrounds will have cheap and fast train connections to Munich – we’re talking less than €100 return. We even found a €60 return trip from Rome! All of these trips are going to take less than six hours, which when you consider travelling to airports from the centre of town and vice versa, ain’t all that much of an inconvenience. And once you get to Munich you’ll arrive a literal stone’s throw from the Oktoberfest fairgrounds, and a short metro ride to the Stoketoberfest campsite. Also, it’s very ok to drink beer on European trains (for the most part, don’t quote us to the authorities if it’s not), so what better way to watch the European countryside slide by, while getting a little bit of a buzz on? When looking for trains around Europe, we like using the German railways own website and search engine at bahn.de, because we just trust them to get it right. Bloody efficient lot that they are.

TRAVEL TO OKTOBERFEST BY BUS

General rule of thumb here is to half the train ticket price and double the time required to make the journey. From many European cities, a bus is a very reasonable way to travel to Oktoberfest – particularly if you’re booking last minute. Buses in Europe are comfortable-enough affairs, safe, and the highways they roll along are wide, fast and full of German engineering travelling close to the speed of sound. You can find bus times and prices with aggregator sites like Omio or Rome to Rio, or FlixBus going everywhere, always (but the busy routes may get booked up at this time of year, so don’t wait). If you’re travelling from The Netherlands (Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Utrecht or Eindhoven), Italy (Milan or Turin), Switzerland (Geneva or Zurich), Krakow, Prague or Budapest then you have to take one of Stoke Travel’s private coaches. You’ll arrive on Friday to Munich and be back in the city you left from on Sunday evening. Stoke’s best value and most fun accommodation package is included in the price. Check out our Oktoberfest transport and accommodation packages here. 

How to TRAVEL TO OKTOBERFEST BY CAR

Look, this is the world’s biggest beer festival so we don’t really recommend driving, BUT if you have access to a car – or enough people to justify hiring one – and a good designated driver system, then driving could be an option to get you to Munich, arriving in style and comfort on the autobahn. There are a few considerations to take when opting to drive:

• German police are crazy for an alcohol breath test and drug swab – quadruply so during Oktoberfest – so take that into account, you wild little hedonists,
• Petrol prices in Europe are skyrocketing, so you’re going to want to car pool,
• The autobahn is wild, with Audis and Beemers and Mercs consistently tickling 200kms/h (120 miles) in the outer lane. Proceed with caution,
• Parking might be an issue in a city with millions of visitors,
• Stoke Travel does offer an option to arrive and sleep in your own van.

Also, you could consider ride sharing with apps like BlaBlaCar, hitchhiking, or even walking/cycling through Germany’s extensive trail networks, but if you’re going to do something like that then you’re already intrepid enough to get yourself to Munich without our help.

HOW TO GET TO OKTOBERFEST FROM LONDON

Those of you launching from Old Blighty will likely have to fly from London to Munich for Oktoberfest, and while absolutely worth it, flights can get a little expensive if you leave booking them too late. Our advice is to book early, avoid weekends if you can, or fly into Memmingen, Nuremberg or Stuttgart if Munich’s out of your price range. In any case, you’ll be sipping a delicious litre of Bavarian airport beer a mere couple of hours from leaving UK border controls.

STOKE’S RECOMMENDED LONDON TO OKTOBERFEST ITINERARY

If you’re budget conscious we recommend the Thursday afternoon Ryanair flight from Stansted to Memmingen, returning the following Wednesday – which only adds an hour to your overall travel time and is less than €100 return, plus gives you plenty fo times in the halls.

HOW TO GET TO OKTOBERFEST FROM FLORENCE

We know that many study abroad students choose to do their fall semester in Florence and who can blame them? City of art, and architecture and David’s wang. AND it’s super easy to get from Florence to Munich for Oktoberfest. You’ve got planes, trains, buses, cars – you name it! If the flights from Florence airport look like they’ll eat into your beer budget, look at other nearby airports like Bologna, Pisa or even Verona and don’t be afraid to ditch a day of work or school for a cheaper flight and an extra beer hall session.

STOKE’S RECOMMENDED FLORENCE TO OKTOBERFEST ITINERARY

We recommend all study abroad students in Florence to take the Thursday night midnight sleeper bus from Florence to get to Munich bus station in the morning with plenty of time to pregame. We found the best deal with Flix Bus.

HOW TO GET FROM MILAN TO OKTOBERFEST

The best way to travel from Milan or Turin to Munich’s Oktoberfest is to take our private round-trip coach service with your stay at Oktoberfest included. You’ll leave Friday morning and be in Munich Friday evening, with the return trip getting you back to Italy on Sunday evening. Check all our Oktoberfest transport packages. Every year we get many guests travelling from Milan to Oktoberfest and there are plenty of options to arrive. If you’re booking early, or don’t mind the €100-200 price tag, you can fly direct in just a little over an hour from Milan’s main Malpensa airport. If the prices are creeping up when you’re looking, then check the nearby Linate and Bergamo airports, or even Bologna or Turin. There are also many train itineraries, most with a change in fair Verona, and for a bit of a longer – but stunning and budget conscious – journey jump on a bus.

STOKE’S RECOMMENDED MILAN TO OKTOBERFEST ITINERARY

If you can’t leave on Friday morning with our private bus, then the best way to get from Milan to Munich for Oktoberfest is to take the Thursday evening sleeper train from Milano Centrale at 18:45 that gets you to Munich at 5:50 the following morning, which is perfect to check in at Stoketoberfest, have a quick pregame and then get to the beer halls for the first pour. As a return we recommend another night train, leaving Munich at 23:54 and getting you back to Milan at 11am the next day, well rested. To get the best prices (around €50 round trip) you should go direct to Trenitalia.

HOW TO GET TO OKTOBERFEST FROM ROME

Another popular Oktoberfest departure city is the Italian capital, Rome. Being the biggest city in the country you have a number of airports to choose from, serving not only Munich, but the cities surrounding it. You can search for flights from Rome Ciampino, Rome Fiumicino (Leonardo da Vinci) or even Naples and Florence if you’re having a hard time getting connections. If you’re really pressed, you can jump on an overnight bus, but we think Rome is already getting a bit far for that with 12+ hours of travel.

STOKE’S RECOMMENDED ROME TO OKTOBERFEST ITINERARY

We’ve found some decently priced flights from Rome Leonardo da Vinci International Airport to both Nuremberg with Lufthansa. From Nuremberg there are very easy and sub-two-hour train connections to our Stoketoberfest campsite in Munich.

HOW TO GET TO OKTOBERFEST FROM PRAGUE

The only way to get to Munich’s Oktoberfest is with Stoke Travel’s own private coach trip, which includes your stay for two nights at our Stoketoberfest campsite. You’ll leave Friday morning and arrive to party Friday evening, and not stop until you get back to Prague on Sunday night. Check out all our Oktoberfest transport and accommodation packages here. Apart from being a must-visit city on any European itinerary, or the study abroad city of choice for true party animals, Prague is also a very convenient city for travels in Central and Eastern Europe, of which Munich is a part. Getting to Oktoberfest from Prague is simple, with Lufthansa flying between Prague’s Vaclav Havel airport and Munich in about an hour and for less than €200 return, or if you don’t mind spending six hours on a train (pre-gaming as the gorgeous Czech and then German countrysides roll by, you can get a return train trip for well under €100.

STOKE’S RECOMMENDED PRAGUE TO OKTOBERFEST ITINERARY

We’re going for the Prague to Munich Flixbus option here, which can cost as low as €20 (or less!) and only take five hours of travel time, which when you factor in airport security and arriving a couple of hours before your flight and so on, isn’t that much longer than flying.

HOW TO GET TO OKTOBERFEST FROM PARIS

Ah the city of lights, renowned for its romanticism and beauty and pretty expensive beers, meaning that it’s one of the top departure points for thirsty beer lovers to hit Oktoberfest. Flights from Paris are best direct from Charles de Gaulle International Airport to Munich with a bunch of carriers, including Lufthansa. There are also plenty of high-speed train options, taking around five-to-six hours and costing a little over €100, and for the sub €100 crowd you can jump on the Flixbus, but that will take you up to 12 hours or more. Best to do an overnighter.

STOKE’S RECOMMENDED PARIS TO OKTOBERFEST ITINERARY

Everything’s already so expensive in Paris, so we think it’s best to pay around €115 for the Thursday night Paris to Monday night Munich return flight with Lufthansa. It’s well priced, fast and convenient. (But we also do love train drinking, so it’s up to you).

HOW TO GET TO OKTOBERFEST FROM BARCELONA

You know we love Barcelona, and we know that you love Barcelona and we know that people like us, people who love Barcelona, are going to love drinking beer at Oktoberfest. But how do we get there? Well luckily Stoke Travel are experts on travelling from Barcelona to Munich and we’ve done it in all of its forms – from private and public buses, to driving up in hire cars and caravans. By far the best way is flying, but the Barcelona to Munich route can get a bit expensive closer to Oktoberfest. But it’s still totally worth it.

STOKE’S RECOMMENDED BARCELONA TO OKTOBERFEST ITINERARY

There’s a really good Friday morning to Sunday (or Tuesday) midday option from Girona to Memmingen airport, alongside Munich, with RyanAir.  From Barcelona you can get to Girona Airport with ease, a simple one hour bus ride from Barcelona’s Estacion del Norte bus station. From Memmingen to our Oktoberfest campsite in Munich it’s an easy ride on the Flixbus.

HOW TO GET TO OKTOBERFEST FROM DUBLIN

Stoke loves the Irish and the Irish love Stoke because we all love beer and partying and especially partying with beer. So plenty of people from Ireland come to Munich for Oktoberfest, and most of them out of Dublin. Now, being an island and one that’s far from Munich, you’re going to be flying out. That’s your only option. So choose your dates well, and your destinations.

STOKE’S RECOMMENDED DUBLIN TO OKTOBERFEST ITINERARY

We had a little look around, and Thursday to Monday look the best, the middle weekend slightly better than the others. We’d fly the Lufthansa midday flight from Dublin, getting you to our campsite with ample time to find your feet on Friday night, party in the beer halls all day Saturday and Sunday, home with your tail between your legs Monday.

GETTING FROM THE AIRPORT TO STOKETOBERFEST

• Take the S1 train or S8 train
  • If you take the S1 train change at Laim train station for the S2 towards Petershausen.
  • If you take the S8 train, you can change at any station between Ostbahnhof and Laim to the S2 towards Petershausen.
• Then get off the S2 at Untermenzing.
• You’ll find the 164 bus for three stops to Campingplatz Obermenzing and find us.
• Total travel time: around an hour of German rail comfort.
• Check the Google Maps route here.

GETTING FROM MUNICH CENTRAL TRAIN STATION TO STOKETOBERFEST

There are a few ways (see the Google Maps link below), but the following is the easiest for us to remember when drunk:

• So whether you’re starting at the Central Station, Hauptbahnhof, or any Munich metro station, you want to first take the underground S1 to Laim
• Next take the S2 towards Peterhausen to Untermenzing.
• Then the 164 bus for three stops to Campingplatz Obermenzing.
• Total travel time: around 30 minutes, less if you get good connections.
• Here’s your Google Maps route.

THE CONCLUSION

As with any travel, the arithmetic that we have to do is: how convenient do I want/need my arrival to be VS how much am I willing to pay. Flying is by far the easiest and fastest way to arrive in Munich, but won’t be the cheapest. Train’s aren’t far behind – usually twice the time and half the cost – and are an excellent option if you’re starting your journey from nearby. Buses will again double time and halve costs. Whatever you choose to do, you can always offset the cost by staying in Munich’s best value and most fun accommodation option, where for as little as €65 a night you get not only somewhere to sleep, but brunch with bottomless mimosas, live music and DJs, a wild party in a festival wonderland, and the opportunity to meet 1000s of likeminded travellers and beer lovers from all over the world – and then hit the beer halls with them. See our Oktoberfest 2024 packages here. We do recommend that you get everything in order ASAP, and lock in your trip, because it’s just going to get more expensive. This year’s event will sell out! So don’t get left snoozing. See you in Munich! And for the best value Oktoberfest outfits, and the best value/most fun stay in Munich, make sure you reserve your spot with us at Stoketoberfest, where all your new best friends and drinking buddies are waiting for you.  Check our Oktoberfest packages here.

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